New fish list

[EddieW]

I am getting a new tank shortly - 1m 160L - and I have worked out what I think I will be stocking it with. I would appreciate any comments or advice on what I have selected, especially if I have picked incompatible or problem choices.

This is what I am proposing for the tank - added over a period of time to make sure I don't overload the filtration.

4 or 6 Clown Loaches (or a mix of Clown Loaches and Zebra Loaches) These will probably be the first fish to go in due to possible whitespot so that I can treat them without having to worry about any other fish - UNLESS there are reasons not to do this....

5 Kuhli Loaches - probably next addition to start keeping things clean

4 or 6 (Marbled) Angels - exact choice depends on what the LFS has in and how they look.
1 or 2 fancy plecos - again not sure exactly which variety. I will make sure that I get one of the smaller varieties.

Pair Kribensis - these look lovely and I defintely want a pair of these.

Pair Threadfin Rainbow (Iriatherina werneri) - again, gorgeous fishes. A definite unless they are not compatible with the others.

Microgeophagus Ramirezi 4F-2M

3 Uaru Amphiacanthoides - possibly a bit too big. Was looking at a single one of these but read that they are better in small groups.

I may also look at some platys or swordtails at a later date but not at this stage.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Eddie

 

[cichlidmaster]

eddieW,

My metric is a little rusty, but I believe 1m = 3ft and 160l = roughly 40 gallons correct?? If so the amount of fish you listed will greatly overstock the tank!!

The Uaru will not work in a 3ft tank as they will get to big!! You are correct also that they prefer to be in groups!!

4-6 angels will also be a bit much for a tank this size.

1 small pleco (4"<) will do fine, but two in a 3ft will not.

4 clown loaches will be fine for awhile, but will need to be in a larger tank in the future.

The other fish listed should do fine.

Keep in mind this is only if the tank is a 3ft 40 gallon. If my metric conversion is off, let me know and I will update my reply.

CM

 

[EddieW]

Hi CM,

Your conversions are pretty close

Thought that the Uaru would be too much - it was suggested by someone on another board.

Would a couple of Angels be OK?

Will just go of the one Pleco then....

Would I be better sticking with Zebra Loaches or go with the Clowns and be prepared to upgrade or sell them at a later date?

Thanks for the advice, Eddie

 

[CFC]

A pair of angels will be fine and clowns take a very long time to grow and in my experiance rarely get over 6" in tanks so "should" be ok.You could get away with 2 pleco's providing they are of the variety that stay small,Peckolita brevis(spotted pecolita) or clown pleco's are good small species or you could get Bristlenoses.Remember that live bearing fish such as platties and swords do like a little salt in the water where as Amazonian species dont.You say you want Kuhlii's to clean up?Have you considered something like Hoplo catfish,these are very active diurnal catfish which reach a maximum size of about 5",they wont harm even the tiniest fish and spend all day "hoovering"the gravel,a pair of these would keep a 160l spotless.

 

[EddieW]

Hi CFC,

Looks like I have still got to make a decision on the Clown/Zebra issue...

With the plecos I will be going to the LFS and see what they have in stock. I will be armed with the Baensch Atlas so I can check the size before I make a decision

I did consider a couple of catfish, but in the end I preferred the kuhliis - I might still change my mind as it is going to be a couple of weeks at least before I get them.

I think I'll scrub the idea of the platies or swordtails - totally forgot about the salt

I have just ran through the max sizes and worked out that if I stick with the revised list (4 Zebras, 2 Angels, 1 pleco, 5 Kuhliis, 2 Kribs, 2 Rainbows and 6 Rams) I would still be within the suggested max fish inches according to the stocking calculator on the PFK web site. As I have used the maximum sizes for each species and most will rarely reach that in an aquarium, it looks like I have a bit of leeway to play with. I think I'll just stock it up gradually and see how I get on.

Thanks for the advice, Eddie

 

[MsDad]

Hi EddieW,

You many want to fine-tune your list a bit more. While Kribs & Rams get along well, if you have a pair of Kribs, be prepared for them to spawn pretty frequently provided conditions are right. They can get fairly aggressive at that time and will definitely not want to share territory with 6 Rams - 4 would probably be better in a tank that size. You might also want to rethink having so many bottom-dwellers too - I've never kept Kribensis and Kuhli loaches together, but I'm not sure how the Kuhlis would fare wandering into the Kribs' crib (hahaha, I couldn't resist that one!). But seriously, I just don't know the answer to that one. What type of substrate do you have? If it's sand, the Kuhlis could probably burrow in quickly enough to stay safe, but the can't do that in gravel. You may wind up doing what so many of us do...have more than on tank so you can keep as many of the fish you love, even if they can't all live together. I love Kribensis, but I also am about to do a 94-gal (US) Amazon Basin tank. While the Kribs would actually do just fine in there, I've decided to be a purist and keep the tank totally Amazonian (see my South American Biotope post in Tropical Chit Chat). So instead of replacing one tank with a larger one, I'm adding to my collection (the big tank will be #4 - yes, I know, a paltry number of tanks compared to some!).

Whatever you decide, best of luck and enjoy your new tank!

 

[Oscar]

Hi, about the swordtails and platies needing salt i have never ever used salt and i've kept ang bred them for about a year with no probs .