Stocking 64 Litre Tank

[jenjen_82]

In my 16g/64ltr tank I currently have
6 harlequin rasboras
2 guppys
2 otocinclus
1 neon tetra
1 zebra snail

I plan on getting another 5 neons (my 1 is the last survivor of my 1st tank disaster) my tank was fully cycled before I added the fish and I'm keeping a eye on my levels with a api master test kit.
I was wanting 1 more guppy and 2 mollies but was also wanting a small loach as i have pesky snails and was thinking 2 khuli loaches and maybe 2 panda cories.

Will this be too much for my tank? If so what can i have as a bottom feeder? My otos tend to prefer the glass.

I'm not getting the extra fish until the end of the month and plan on doing regular part water changes.

Thanks

 

[Aqua Tom]

What sex are the guppies? If you have a male & female you wont need to buy anything more for your tank.


Tom

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Seems to be rather a few tardis-like 60-odd litre stockings out there at the moment, these really are not tanks suitable for multiple schooling fish setups. Like some other threads I've read today, you are talking about communities that are far more in line with 125-180l tanks.

Your 64l tank would be more than adequately stocked with...

• One midwater schooling fish, 6-8 in total. In terms of size and activity, Neon Tetras would be my choice over Harlequins (which I feel need a longer tank, 3-foot long)
• A group of 8-10 Kuhli Loaches, or a few fish/snails that are happy as singletons eg. Dwarf Gourami; Zebra (Nerite?) Snail

Your current and future stocking plans are a horrible "pick n mix" affair, with far too many fish that need good sized groups of at least six but ideally a few more (Otos; Neone Tetras; Kuhli Loaches; Corydoras).

If you have a "pesky snail" problem, dealing with your overfeeding and removing the snails is your job, not something to solve with another addition. I've been in this situation, my 620T had a major snail infestation last year, I cured it eventually by spending 10-15 minutes a day without fail pulling out 25-50 of the larger ones (more likely to lay eggs sooner) manually. It was shocking to do a rough tally of how many were lurking in there, including newly born babies, easily going into the hundreds.

 

[jenjen_82]

The reason I got the harlequins and tetras was because ppl on this site suggested it!

There both male guppies

AND my otos seem quite happy in there together. Seems to be a lot of contradicting information online seems as it stated on 1 website that if u have a small tank 2 would be ok.

It's a wonder ppl bother getting tropical fish when you get mis advised in pet shops then come online to a forum to be spoke to like a child

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

What you need to bare in mind is that fish shops are there to make money by selling fish (sadly often with little regard for their future), so if some die through a massive toxin spike or through overcrowding induced diseases, they expect us to go back and buy some more and make more money. Stocking websites such as **advisor do not have enough parameters in their program to accurately predict what combo works in whatever sized tanks, while absolutely anyone with internet access can write anything on a forum or even make their own fish profile website...

At the end of the day, it is up to us as individuals to get research from as many different sources as possible, to then find the common concensus as to what might be reasonable.

 

[fluttermoth]

I agree with NOTG.

Small tanks (ie less than 100l, IMO) do much better, look more natural and have 'happier' fish (as far as we are able to tell) with one or two species of fish only.

Nearly all the smaller fish live in shoals of hundreds or even thousands in the wild and they do need company of their own kind to be confident and behave naturally. The difference in my shoalers once I get to over the dozen mark is very noticable.

 

[jenjen_82]

The fish I have in at the moment look happy enough there all extremely active and the oto fish are sticking together and are feeding off the glass and a website I sent on for these fish said they do that when they are happy with their surroundings. Even the neon is shoaling with the harlequins.

Think I'll stick with getting my neons and maybe 2 more otos they are lovely little fish.

The male guppies also seem to be interacting nicely. Do these do better in pairs or as a 3some?

Sorry if I seem defensive I was mis sold my 1st tank by my lfs so then did my research and bought a bigger tank and this was the best for my situation. Didn't dare get a bigger 1 as its in my front room and we have a cellar kitchen and my house is old and didn't want to have to start strenghthening the floor etc. I get annoyed as the lfs are just out to make money and its wrong. U don't go to buy a tv and get mis sold on that so why fish! And there is so many things online telling you different things I dont know who to believe. I was told on here I could have 6 neons 6 harlequins and 6 corys.

Would panda corys and otos shoal together? Just asking LOL

Also I have a interpet pf2 filter and have been looking at changing to a different filter. How do you change them please? I was looking at a fluval one?

 

[fluttermoth]

I do understand your frustration; fishkeeping in any scientific way is a relativley modern phenomenon, and as such there is still a lot more work to be done,in all sorts of areas of the hobby.

Kuhils and cories won't shoal together! I'd concentrate on getting more otos, harlies and neons and be happy with that

If you want to change filters, you have to remember that your current filter is supporting all your good bacteria and is, effectivley, your fish's life support system. If you can, the best, easiest way is just to move all your old media into the new filter. You can pull cartidges apart and cut up sponges to make them fit.

Or run both filters in tandem for a couple of weeks, then gradually remove media from the old filter, to encourage bacterial growth in the new one; a quarter every fortnight or so until it's empty, then you can remove it. You sohuld still put a bit of the old media in the new filter to 'seed' it, as the bacterial cling quite strongly onto the media and won't spontaneously move to the new one.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

If you were dead set on a new filter, replacing the internal PF2 with a small external would be my choice, as the volume of an internal filter in a small tank can gobble up a sizeable percentage of the space available. I would go with one of the smaller All Pond Solution models, namely the 1000EF, especially while there is a 15% discount available using "JAN-12 " in the voucher redeemer...
http/www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquarium-1/aquarium-filters/external-filters/aquarium-external-filter-1000-l-h.html

While they quote 1000lph turnover, in the real world (http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/370607-external-filter-tests/), we found APS filters to work at ~50% efficiency (depending on the relative height of the tank to the filter and how many spraybar modules were used).

As for filter changing, you might simply be able to pull out all of the filter media from your PF2 (no idea, never used them) and place it in the new filter. If not, running the old and new filters side by side for about six weeks should transfer over some bacteria.

 

[jenjen_82]

I was thinking about an external as you can get the ones that hook on the back and my tank has a gap on the lid running the length of the tank wasn't sure if it would fit thou.

At the end of the month I'm gonna get another oto and another 5 neons and maybe another guppy and then I think my tank will be full?

Impressed with my otos there now cleaning the graven and plants as well as the glass glad I got them instead of corys

 

[Cossie1111]

I think I can finally help!

I too have a 60L tank. It is currently stocked with 11 harlequins and 2 bronze corys. Im not saying your fish selection should mirror mine, but thats a basic stocking for you to go by.

One of my harlequins is looking sickly and could quite possibly die

ANYWAY

My stocking would be: 10-11 harlequins and 5-6 bronze corys. This is a fully stocked 60L, unless you want to add some cherry shrimp (i tried that, they all disappeared)

With the filter issue, mine is an external that does 1000L an hour. I really think you should invest in a good external.

 

[jenjen_82]

If you were dead set on a new filter, replacing the internal PF2 with a small external would be my choice, as the volume of an internal filter in a small tank can gobble up a sizeable percentage of the space available. I would go with one of the smaller All Pond Solution models, namely the 1000EF, especially while there is a 15% discount available using "JAN-12 " in the voucher redeemer...
http/www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquarium-1/aquarium-filters/external-filters/aquarium-external-filter-1000-l-h.html

While they quote 1000lph turnover, in the real world (http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/370607-external-filter-tests/), we found APS filters to work at ~50% efficiency (depending on the relative height of the tank to the filter and how many spraybar modules were used).

As for filter changing, you might simply be able to pull out all of the filter media from your PF2 (no idea, never used them) and place it in the new filter. If not, running the old and new filters side by side for about six weeks should transfer over some bacteria.

Been looking at these types of filters but not sure if it will fit. The gap in the back of my lid is only 1.5 inch and doesn't run the full length of the tank (theres about 2/3 inch of plastic at each side) was looking more to the fluval 105 too or could I get 1 that hangs on the bk of my tank please?