Still Worried About My Stocking...

trianglekitty · Feb 16, 2011

I'm sorry, I've asked a lot of questions about stocking, but I just want to double check that this set up would be okay. I feel like I'm pushing it. Part of the problem is I have to rush my stocking a little because I have to get the gourami in there soon, and he needs to be the last fish in.

My cousin closed her tank, and gave me some guppies that she would have otherwise flushed, so now I have more guppies than I had intended.

Final stock would look like this:

10 male guppies
6 panda cory cats
10 Hengeli rasboras
1 dwarf gourami

The tank is 20 gallons, heavily planted(I'm worried I have too many plants and they take up too much swimming room). The filter is for a 50 gallon and is a penquin biowheel.

Most of the plants are live and small, but I do have a large silk one in the corner to hide some equipment and give shelter- I could remove that, but I thought the gourami would be more secure with it because it's large enough to overhang and kind of float.

Any advice would be great!

symon_say · Feb 17, 2011

Fish keeping is a hobby for patience people, don't rush your tank or you might be in some troubles, you should go slow, why the gourami have to be the last one in?? and why it have to be in there soon??

Primous · Feb 17, 2011

Rushing anything in this hobby will lead to a failure somewhere down the line.

BUT

In my opinion I wouldn't get any morphed fish. Dwarf gourami are quite aggressive there maybe other gourami species you should consider. Also guppies are bred so easily that they have zero natural elegance. The poo and beg for food nothing else. No natural elegance whatsoever. When they approach you in the lfs it's just to beg. They are not interacting lol

I'd get an apisto pair and 3 pearl gourami + the tetras and cats.

Wills · Feb 17, 2011

Hi for me your stocking looks pretty good to be honest - the only problem would be the Dwarf Gourami as said they can be nippy and a little aggressive sometimes - they are also quite weak and sickly fish sometimes due to the way they are bred on the farms all the weak genes get chucked in so the fish are quite ill when they arrive often.

I have to say though I disagree with Primous with the Apistos and Pearl Gourami as Pearl Gourami will outgrow the tank and but the Apistos could work but with less Guppies and Rasboras.

Just to add, dont feel too pressured to keep the Guppies you have taken in, you did the right thing 100% in taking them in

But if they are going to upset your stocking plans for your tank perhaps try and rehome them either via the classifieds here or Aquarist Classifieds if your in the UK or Aquabid or similar if your in the US

Wills

symon_say · Feb 17, 2011

You can try honey gourami to, is a really beautiful and peaceful fish.

trianglekitty · Feb 18, 2011

symon_say said:
Fish keeping is a hobby for patience people, don't rush your tank or you might be in some troubles, you should go slow, why the gourami have to be the last one in?? and why it have to be in there soon??

I already own the dwarf gourami, so there's no chance of getting a different kind. The issue is that my dwarf gourami lives at work in a 5 gallon tank. I rescued him from a coworker who was neglecting him. In a few weeks our company is moving and my new office is tiny- there will not be room for the fish tank. I don't have anywhere at home I can safely set up his tank (we have cats and few places to plug in things). Thus, he needs to move.

The gourami has to be the last one in because he had shown aggression issues in the past that seemed to be related to defending his territory. He was previously in a tank with two guppies for months and did fine with them, but wouldn't tolerate new fish. I'm pretty confident that if I add him last and don't add new fish after him he'll be okay.

As far as health goes, I know dwarf gouramis have issues, but this fish survived a year in an unheated tank with a crappy filter. When I got him the water was so full of slime you couldn't see the fish. In the eight months he's been mine the only problem he's had has been some ich, and he still did better than the guppies with it. So I think I lucked out and got a strong one.

I agree that rushing is never good, but I'm also willing to keep up daily water changes as long as I need to and monitor the water levels closely. I'm still new at this, but I take keeping the fish healthy and happy very seriously. The date of our move got changed, hence the sudden rush to move the gourami.

I do enjoy the guppies, so I don't want to give them up, just want to make sure that my stocking plans aren't an issue long term. If the are, I can forgo getting so many rasaboras. If in the long term the gourami proves to me he can't tolerate other fish, I will have no choice but to find a new home for him (and this will make me very sad, as he's my absolute favorite fish)

trianglekitty · Feb 18, 2011

Primous said:
Rushing anything in this hobby will lead to a failure somewhere down the line.

BUT

In my opinion I wouldn't get any morphed fish. Dwarf gourami are quite aggressive there maybe other gourami species you should consider. Also guppies are bred so easily that they have zero natural elegance. The poo and beg for food nothing else. No natural elegance whatsoever. When they approach you in the lfs it's just to beg. They are not interacting lol

I'd get an apisto pair and 3 pearl gourami + the tetras and cats.

I do have to agree about the guppies- they are pretty to look at and I have some very unique ones, but all they do is hang around the corner where they get fed in this big guppy swarm ALL DAY. Kind of annoying.

I already have the dwarf, so I can't really change that. He's actually very interactive for a fish and will eat from my hand/rub against me while I do water changes/follow me when I walk around...he's the reason I decided fish are kind of awesome. I do know they can be aggressive and he actually is, but I'm hoping putting him in last will help with that (he's only aggressive toward new fish)

symon_say · Feb 18, 2011

If adding fish is your problem, turn the lights of and move the decoration of the tank, this way he will lose his "territory" and won't that aggressive, try it and see if this works.

Gouramis are aggressive fish, and this is entirely dependable on the fish personality, other choice is take him to some LFS and see if they change him for other dwarf less aggressive.

trianglekitty · Feb 18, 2011

symon_say said:
If adding fish is your problem, turn the lights of and move the decoration of the tank, this way he will lose his "territory" and won't that aggressive, try it and see if this works.

Gouramis are aggressive fish, and this is entirely dependable on the fish personality, other choice is take him to some LFS and see if they change him for other dwarf less aggressive.

So do you think it would better to add him now, and add the other fish more slowly and just move things around whenever I add new ones? I could try that. I really don't want to exchange him...he's kept my company at work all these months and I'm pretty attached.