My Stocking List For Planted Tank

[Neal]

Well, I want to create a nice planted show tank for my bedroom, and wondered if the following choices of fish would be alright in a heavily planted 15Gallon, without destroying the plants.
5+ Neon Tetras
2 Pitbull Plecs
Pair of kribs (Wary of these)
and instead of the kribs,
Amano shrimp
and/or
pygmy corys.
What do you think I should stock it with? I can buy some more neons on Sunday for cheap, and I want to put the pitbull plecs in for sure, and my current 5 neons to give them peace from the larger fish in my 20G.

Neal

 

[Themuleous]

Not sure about the pleco's, they often spend most of the day uprooting plants. The kribs should be fine and should also be fine with shrimp.

Sam

 

[Neal]

I agree, but bigger plecos uproot plants, not my pitbulls. They've never uprooted a plant, but my bristlenose do. If the kribs were breeding and the shrimp went anywhere near them, they would end up dead. So this isn't a possiblity I don't think, it's already happened to a member on here, but he thought it was quite amusing...

Neal

 

[Gnatfish]

Apparently the Kribs can we very aggressive.

Read this, its a question i asked a while ago.

 

[Neal]

Yup, i've read lots about them being aggressive to bottom dwellers, i've got a female krib and she isn't aggresive, so I might just keep her on her own, but I thought it would of been nice to give her the chance to breed and a partner.

Neal

 

[jayjay]

Kribs would finish off all of the fish you plan except the plecs, if they were breeding. Also cleaning plec waste in a planted tnak may become tricky.

 

[Neal]

Pitbull plecs are fairly small, therefore producing less waste than others. If I don't overfeed, use sufficient filtration and do monthly gravel vacs, and weekly water changes of course, I think it should be ok. The reason i'd do monthly gravel vac's is that fish waste can be used as plant ferts to some extent, as i'm not buying any. I'll just feed very little...

Neal

 

[jayjay]

I have kept 3 'pitbull' plecs in the past, they can produce a fair bit of waste. I don't reccommend the monthly gravel vacs if you have sand the amount of waste would look awful IMO.

 

[Neal]

I suppose, but it's mostly going to be carpetted with riccia anyway, so it won't look to bad. Might just do gravel vac every two weeks anyway.

Neal