My thoughts on a tank set-up; anyone have advice or positive feedback?

[dexsting]

So I've had a goldfish for awhile and also a planted tank with some shrimp/snails. Going to finally move over to a tropical tank setup now that I'm used to feeding/weekly water change care/etc.

This is my thought after lots of internet research...but I know how the internet is and having real people give me feedback would be appreciated.

It's a 20 gallon tank; approximately 24"x12"x16" (LxWxH).

1 German Blue Ram
2 Sparkling Gourami
5 Kuhli Loach (hard time figuring if 5 was minimum or if 4 would work of if it needs to be 6)
6 X-Ray Tetra (hard time figuring if 6 was minimum or if 4 or 5 would work)
Maybe a couple mystery or nerite snails.

Feel free to rip me to shreds if this doesn't sound good. I do know I'll get the tank planted and cycled for a bit before adding these fish. Maybe the Tetras and Loaches first, than after another week or so add the GBR & Gourami? Or should I space out when I add the GBR and Gourami's separately as well?

 

[Byron]

There are some immediate issues here, so I'll get right to them.

First is temperature. The blue ram in any of its varieties (the species is Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) must have warmth above what many "tropical" fish would find difficult to manage long-term. A minimum temperature of 80F/27C, but preferably one or two degrees higher, is needed for this ram. Applying this to the other mentioned species...the pygmy sparkling gourami would be at the top end of their preferred range, and would be better a degree or two lower. The kuhlii loach would manage with this warmth. The X-Ray Tetra which I assume is Pristella maxillaris, would also be at the very top of its range, and in this instance it should be below 80F/27C.

Second, on the numbers for shoaling species (loach, tetras); minimum numbers are necessary in a sense, but the fish will always be in much better shape with more, and here the tank size should dictate the numbers. The kuhlii are OK with five, or six, or seven, or even eight; you need soft sand, and lots of chunks of wood--and they are quite nocturnal so you may see little of them during the daylight hours. The tetras would be better with 8-9 or a couple more, and that is OK in this tank. They are not all that active a swimmer, so space (length) does not need to be greater as it would have to be for active fish like say barbs and danios.

The sparkling gourami would bee best in a group of five, not that they are "shoaling" but they do have more interesting interactions with a small group, and that is much of the enjoyment of having fish in a tank, to observe natural behaviours. Males will "click" at one another to express various things, and with male/female present (more likely with a group as determining gender in small fish is very difficult) spawning inevitably will occur too. Must have a good cover of floating plants.

Third issue is water parameters. The GH (general hardness) is very important for most fish, followed by pH. You are looking at soft water species here, some with a degree of flexibility, which is fine but if your tap water is very hard this can be problematic. If you could post the GH and pH of your tap water, we will have a better idea of what to recommend,

 

[dexsting]

There are some immediate issues here, so I'll get right to them.

First is temperature. The blue ram in any of its varieties (the species is Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) must have warmth above what many "tropical" fish would find difficult to manage long-term. A minimum temperature of 80F/27C, but preferably one or two degrees higher, is needed for this ram. Applying this to the other mentioned species...the pygmy sparkling gourami would be at the top end of their preferred range, and would be better a degree or two lower. The kuhlii loach would manage with this warmth. The X-Ray Tetra which I assume is Pristella maxillaris, would also be at the very top of its range, and in this instance it should be below 80F/27C.

Second, on the numbers for shoaling species (loach, tetras); minimum numbers are necessary in a sense, but the fish will always be in much better shape with more, and here the tank size should dictate the numbers. The kuhlii are OK with five, or six, or seven, or even eight; you need soft sand, and lots of chunks of wood--and they are quite nocturnal so you may see little of them during the daylight hours. The tetras would be better with 8-9 or a couple more, and that is OK in this tank. They are not all that active a swimmer, so space (length) does not need to be greater as it would have to be for active fish like say barbs and danios.

The sparkling gourami would bee best in a group of five, not that they are "shoaling" but they do have more interesting interactions with a small group, and that is much of the enjoyment of having fish in a tank, to observe natural behaviours. Males will "click" at one another to express various things, and with male/female present (more likely with a group as determining gender in small fish is very difficult) spawning inevitably will occur too. Must have a good cover of floating plants.

Third issue is water parameters. The GH (general hardness) is very important for most fish, followed by pH. You are looking at soft water species here, some with a degree of flexibility, which is fine but if your tap water is very hard this can be problematic. If you could post the GH and pH of your tap water, we will have a better idea of what to recommend,

Thank you; this is very helpful. Would your suggestion be to then ditch the GBR idea and have a tank with the rest (with a few more to school) or else if I really like the GBR, build around it differently?

 

[dexsting]

Sorry, tap water where I live is around:

• 8.01 grains per gallon
• 137 milligrams per liter (mg/L) with a range of 112-142 mg/L

PH is around 7.6

 

[Byron]

Sorry, tap water where I live is around:

• 8.01 grains per gallon
• 137 milligrams per liter (mg/L) with a range of 112-142 mg/L

PH is around 7.6

This is moderately soft water, with 137 ppm [ppm = mg/l] or 7.6 dGH. This gives you a lot of fish options, but none that require harder water such as livebearers. No problems for any of the fish listed previously.

Thank you; this is very helpful. Would your suggestion be to then ditch the GBR idea and have a tank with the rest (with a few more to school) or else if I really like the GBR, build around it differently?

It is not all that easy finding species that can manage long-term with consistently higher temperatures. Cardinal tetras (Paracheirodon axelrodi) or the similar green/false neon tetra (P. simulans) would work, and I know there are some other upper level species but I would have to hunt a bit to track them down again. Substrate fish are the most problem, as none of the Corydoras will work in such heat, and loaches will have some difficulties too, depending how high the temperature sits.

Temperature is crucial for fish, because they are ectothermic (their internal functioning temperature is that of the water) and temperature drive their metabolism. Warmer water can literally wear them out; cooler causes them to struggle to maintain normal body functions. Their range of temperature is actually quite limited when it comes to optimum physiological functioning.

 

[seangee]

Have you considered a bolivian ram as an alternative? They require cooler water.

 

[Essjay]

Isn't the tank is a bit on the small side for Bolivian rams? It has a 60 x 30 cm footprint.

 

[seangee]

Isn't the tank is a bit on the small side for Bolivian rams? It has a 60 x 30 cm footprint.

Oops missed that. I was only responding based on the temp requirements.