Possible Tankmates

[herald]

Hi all

I am a few days into cycling my new tank, going well, so far ha ha. I am starting to think of what fish to eventually have. The tank is a Fluval Roma 200 (200l) with a Fluval 205 filter. Can anybody see a problem with these species and numbers.

2x Dennison Barbs
2x Angel Fish
4x Platys
8 to 10 Cardinal Tetras

Would I be right in thinking that I should put the Platys in first, maybe 2 as they are quite hardy then a couple of fish every few weeks after that. Any comments gratefully received.
Cheers

John

 

[Miss Wiggle]

I believe the dennisoni barbs will need to be in a larger group, like 6+ of them. thats a very light stocking though, you probably have room for something like double that eventually so don't panic about overcrowding!! you can stock initially to 1" of fish per gallon of water, tank is 55gallons so 55" of fish initially, after 6 months build up to around 1.5/2" per gallon so closer to 75/100"

are you cycling fishlessly? if so then you can add around three quarters of your final stocking after cycling and then build up the rest after a few months adding any delicate species last.

the angels and cardinals are delicate and need to be added after the tank is 6 months old, bear in mind the angels may eat the cardinals, this can usually be avoided if you get adult cardinals and baby angels however that's not sucessful 100% of the time.

 

[herald]

Thanks for the reply. Yes I am fishless cycling. I suggested this group only because I saw an example in a shop and thought they looked good together. Will have to think of some more, quite like the look of Gouramis and Sword tails as well so maybe a couple of them.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

i find with large tanks like yours it often looks really good and dramatic if you have just a few species but really large groups of them, so you could just consider upping the shoal numbers.

i also think a big group of cories would balance the tank out as you've nothing on the bottom in your current stock list.

 

[herald]

Ooh Yes I like the look of them, any particular type, I take it that they scavenge for left over food algae etc

 

[Miss Wiggle]

they will scavenge uneaten food but you do need to provide them with their own food, you get sinking pellets for them.

really lively little fish and a big group of them playing around looks fab in any community tank,.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi herald

Corydoras are right up there with the best of the community tank fish. They are always peaceful and often very playful among their own kind. They come in a variety of sizes (all fairly small) colors, and markings and shapes. They must, however be kept in a school since they do not thrive alone. Three to four is the absolute minimum I would recommend, but more is always better. When choosing them for your tank, look for some that match the temperature of the other fish you plan to keep.

Corys will eat food that drops from above, but do not eat algae. They need a good diet, in addition to leftovers, and the bottom of the tank should be kept clean. They do better on sand or fine gravel than on large chunky pebbles.

Here are pictures of some of them:

C. sterbai:

C. aeneus (bronze):

C. melini:

C. arcuatus (aka skunk corys):

 

[waterdrop]

Gosh, what a nice thread. Those dennisoni barbs are beautiful and I'm unfamiliar with them. I'd definately go for a larger group of them, as MW says if you can find them to buy. Does anyone know if they are aggressive or have other unusual things to know about them?

Also, as always, inchworms corrie pics are really beautiful. I get really sad thinking how many tanks I had years ago as a kid where I probably only had one or two corries in and thought that it was just their nature to just sit around... probably they were just exhibiting "scared" behaviour because their number was too small and who knows, they may have been hungry because I definately didn't know anythng of sinking pellots back then!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Inchworm]

Also, as always, inchworms corrie pics are really beautiful. I get really sad thinking how many tanks I had years ago as a kid where I probably only had one or two corries in and thought that it was just their nature to just sit around... probably they were just exhibiting "scared" behaviour because their number was too small and who knows, they may have been hungry because I definately didn't know anythng of sinking pellots back then!

Thank you for the compliment, waterdrop.

I thought the same thing when I was younger. People bought a single Cory to "clean the bottom." The only species of Cory I even remember having was the C. aeneus (bronze). It wasn't until a few years back that I even saw a C. paleatus and thought it was so beautiful. Then, when I started reading up on them and found out that there were so many possibilities, I couldn't get enough of them. They are truly a wonderful fish.

 

[waterdrop]

Also, as always, inchworms corrie pics are really beautiful. I get really sad thinking how many tanks I had years ago as a kid where I probably only had one or two corries in and thought that it was just their nature to just sit around... probably they were just exhibiting "scared" behaviour because their number was too small and who knows, they may have been hungry because I definately didn't know anythng of sinking pellots back then!

Thank you for the compliment, waterdrop.

I thought the same thing when I was younger. People bought a single Cory to "clean the bottom." The only species of Cory I even remember having was the C. aeneus (bronze). It wasn't until a few years back that I even saw a C. paleatus and thought it was so beautiful. Then, when I started reading up on them and found out that there were so many possibilities, I couldn't get enough of them. They are truly a wonderful fish.

You deserve it

I actually had more leopard(?) (C.Sterbai I assume.. they looked exactly like that except not the colorful orange/yellow on the lower fins as that pic, I assume that may be just that the pictured ones are very happy/healthy or getting some breeding colors perhaps?) and only a few instances of bronze. At some point, inchworm, I'm going to find your corie forum and ask at least one question.. which forum is it?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Inchworm]

Hi waterdrop

It's the Corydoras subforum under Catfish. Right here:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showforum=80

 

[Miss Wiggle]

great pics inchworm, really nice to see you back around here posting a bit more at the moment by the way.