Stocking 125liter Tank...

[iffles]

I have a 125liter which needs some fish. Dimensions are 80x35x45 (LxWxH). I'm thinking about:

2 Honey Gouramis
4 Kuhlii Loaches
4 Sterba's Corys
6 Harlequin Rasboras
1 Oto
Maybe 2 Sheepshead Acaras/Bolivian Rams/Apistogramma Agassizi/Some other small (less than about 10cm) peaceful cichlid
Possibly some apple snails and amano shrimps

I would just like to know if these fish go toghether ok, and won't kill each other .

I already have the Harlequins and 1 cory in the smaller tank.

I've kept fish before, but didn't know anything at all until just recently (except for stuff like feeding the fish, water changes, pruning the plants, so on).

Any advice will be greatly appreciated .

 

[Wills]

Looks good to me I would up your schools though maybe like 6 cories and 8 harlies. With the oto they need groups so if you are after them for algae control I think there are better ways or get a group once the tank is a bit older. If you go for the sheepshead acara I think that would be awesome they are such a beautiful fish that are way too uncommon - when I was setting up my tank they were a real contender but i decided not too, my LFS have had them for nearly a year now and there are in excess of 10 of them still - maybe more. But yeah sounds like a nice stocking

Wills

 

[iffles]

Hi, thanks for your reply.

With upping the numbers in the schools, will it overstock the tank? I'm not sure-I'm not very good with numbers they confuse me .

With the oto- yes I intended it for algae control. I might get a group in half a year of so. Any other good ways to control algae for the time being? Will apple snails and amano shrimps do the job?

 

[iffles]

also, will the sheepshead acaras injure the other fish when defending fry? And how large a territory do they defend?

 

[Wills]

With the stocking your inch per gallon is a rough guide but nearly all fish produce all different amounts of waste per inch for example 1 inch of plec compared to lets say 1 inch of micro rasbora (looking at extremes) would never compare but with smallish fish like haries and cories you are looking at the lower end of the scale and when you have to look at making fish happy I would go for numbers rather than understock etc as long as you have the filtration to look after the bioload go for it IMO.

If the sheepshead acara breed I would not worry about fighting as the only other remotely territorial fish is the honey gourami. They wont fight or seek out other fish just chase off fish that get too close. Good luck with the breeding though!
Wills

 

[iffles]

Thanks for your advice- all the fish I would like in the tank are quite small and (after thinking about it) as you said produce less waste (e.g. if you take one inch of pleco and one inch of neon tetra, the pleco's inch is heavier and bigger than the neon)- I never thought that . Should I introduce them over a few months to allow the filter (a Fluval U3) to catch up?

 

[Curiosity101]

Just to check, you are moving your filter media accross into the new tank when the fish move accross right? Just checking as that way you will be instantly cycling the 125

And as for your list...
I agree with wills, all looks good. However...I would pick either Kuhlis OR corys, and up the harlequins
I ended up in the position you are in, and basically found I rarely so Kuhlis or Corys as they are much much braver in bigger groups.

So I would change it too...
2 Honey Gouramis
8 Kuhlii Loaches
8 Harlequin Rasboras
2 Dwarf Cichlids (after reading up on sheepshead acara, I'd probably go for those)
1 or 2 nerite snails (instead of otos)
5-10 Shrimp (Cherry, Crystal Red, Crystal Black, Amano, Blue Tiger) etc etc.

OR

2 Honey Gouramis
8 Sterbai Cory
8-10 Harlequin Rasboras
2 Dwarf Cichlids (after reading up on sheepshead acara, I'd probably go for those)
1 or 2 nerite snails (instead of otos)
5-10 Shrimp (Cherry, Crystal Red, Crystal Black, Amano, Blue Tiger) etc etc.

Only note would be, in the same way otos need supplementing with veg, so would the nerites, but not to SUCH an extent as the otos.

 

[Wills]

Just to check, you are moving your filter media accross into the new tank when the fish move accross right? Just checking as that way you will be instantly cycling the 125

And as for your list...
I agree with wills, all looks good. However...I would pick either Kuhlis OR corys, and up the harlequins
I ended up in the position you are in, and basically found I rarely so Kuhlis or Corys as they are much much braver in bigger groups.

So I would change it too...
2 Honey Gouramis
8 Kuhlii Loaches
8 Harlequin Rasboras
2 Dwarf Cichlids (after reading up on sheepshead acara, I'd probably go for those)
1 or 2 nerite snails (instead of otos)
5-10 Shrimp (Cherry, Crystal Red, Crystal Black, Amano, Blue Tiger) etc etc.

OR

2 Honey Gouramis
8 Sterbai Cory
8-10 Harlequin Rasboras
2 Dwarf Cichlids (after reading up on sheepshead acara, I'd probably go for those)
1 or 2 nerite snails (instead of otos)
5-10 Shrimp (Cherry, Crystal Red, Crystal Black, Amano, Blue Tiger) etc etc.

Only note would be, in the same way otos need supplementing with veg, so would the nerites, but not to SUCH an extent as the otos.

Yeah agreed with above I dont have experience of mixing loaches and cories in this size tank so I would take curiosities stocking as a good way to go

Wills

 

[Curiosity101]

Oh they do mix fine...it's just that I found I saw neither cause they just weren't confident enough in the groups they were in.
But in a 125 you don't have enough floor space to have both species in nice big groups.

 

[iffles]

which do you find are braver and come out more? cories or kuhliis? I think I might go for the Kuhlii loaches, but I like them both which is why I wanted to have both. which do you prefer and recommend?

 

[Curiosity101]

Well as you can see in my sig I opted for Kuhlis.

I tend to always be able to see 3 kuhlis at any one time I look in the tank. But they don't swim in the open middle section often.

I think corys might be braver once in a bigger group, but I prefered the Kuhlis.

 

[iffles]

ya, maybe i'll go to my lfs to have a look at them both and try to see which i prefer.