New 180 Gallon Need Help Stocking!?

[KISSfn]

The only fish I have so far are 3 Tiger Barbs and 3 Green Barbs as I am waiting for my tank to fully cycle before adding any more fish. (Very close!) I absolutely love Barbs! Super active and very entertaining to watch. All 6 school together. I highly recommend these types! My next 2 fish will probably be Barbs!

Kissfn,
Still hasn't happened yet, eh? Sorry to hear that. In my fishless cycle I have passed phase two, and am squarely in phase three. The NH3 and NO2 dropped to zero in 12 hours with a 3ppm dose, but haven't done it yet with a 4ppm dose. It is close, but not quite... Last night it took 14.5 hours. Tonight I couldn't test until 13 hours later, and it didn't quite get it done. NH3: 0.25ppm, NO2 <0.25ppm.




I like the tiger barbs as well, but I've heard they are too aggressive for my other stocking choices... But then again, my tank will only be 30" long not 72"! All that extra room might keep even the most aggressive fish very placid, since there will be so much room for them to roam.


BTW, I know you are worried about overstocking, but that tank should hold 180 inches of fish very easily. You haven't even scratched the surface of that with what you have mentioned, so far as I can tell.

Thanks Eagle! I'm only 0.5mg/l of NH3 from victory! I'm keeping an eye on your cycle and you've done a great job! Keep fighting the good fight!

 

[BluePhantom]

thanks guys for all the help and info im gonna build around my barbs! Love them!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

thanks guys for all the help and info im gonna build around my barbs! Love them!

I can certainly understand that! I heavily considered that very closely before I went away from it for a more peaceful community. If I can find 5 banded barbs (and hopefully at a reasonable price), I will be getting them as one of the showcase shoals in my tank. If not, it will be harlequin rasporas, black phantom tetras, black skirt tetras, cardinal tetras, bloodfin tetras, cherry barbs or any of a half dozen other shoalers, whichever looks the best to me at the LFS. Last time I went, the harlequins and cherry barbs were $1 a piece... so that certainly was an attractive option... we shall see.

 

[Davo86]

With good filtration you should be fine with something similar to the following:

12x Tiger Barbs
12x Green Tiger Barbs
12x Black Ruby Barb
6x Rosy Barb
12x Cardinals
12x Serpae tetra
12x Black Tetra
6x Mollies
2x Kissing Gourami
3x Moonlight gourami
2x paradise fish
1x Albino pleco

Alternatively you could go with larger numbers of a smaller selection of species

 

[KkAaNnEe]

I think you will hardly een notice 12 cardinals tbh. You could do with upping tjat to about 20 or just scrap them all together...

I agree with above about less species more quantity, will give you tje proper schooling affect

 

[BluePhantom]

Hhhhm yes less species more quantity could be really cool! Ibut at the same time 20 cardinals would be awesome!! I think getting 6 of each tiger barbs would be my main school! Green, albino and normal tiger. They will stick together. Then 8 dwarf neon rainbow there so cool. Dwarf gouramis. Two kissing gouramis. The blue phantom pleco so sweet! 20 cardinal that will bthe stat I think. And ill add as I go. Thanks for all the ideas guys. Davo really like ur idea too.