Stocking A Fifty Gallon

[Sam-Baker]

I would go with Endlers OR Guppies. Too alike for my liking. The reason i didn't add Mollies to the list was because the Platy's can have better colouration and stay smaller. Ballon Mollies are nice though also and don't get as big. Have a look at Honey Gourami's also instead of dwarf Gourami's. You could get 1 male and 2 females. Your tank will be a fair size so 12 panda's would look great as they're a smaller variety and you have no other bottom dwellers listed other than the Shrimps. Also Cory's are a sociable species so seeing them in a bigger group would be more beneficial for you and the fish.

I think that's a good idea. The thing is Gourami's have a disease that kills them. Only 22% of them have it though. They are hardy but the disease kills them over time. In other situations it kills them instantly from the stress of you taking it home.

I think the disease your talking about is when they puff out and all there scales stand up making them look a little like a pine cone and the disease is named exactly that. However it is possible to breed gouramis so that the disease becomes dormant and very rarely if ever breaks out over generations. I have done this myself and havent seen it in years.

 

[XeroTolerance]

That good news. I know the disease is caused by excessive breeding in Singapore.

 

[Sam-Baker]

That good news. I know the disease is caused by excessive breeding in Singapore.

Yeah its basically where the diseased fish are bred with the diseased fish if you get me so, causes very strong chances but it can be bred out, definately good news lol

 

[Meggie :)]

Well I just had some baby guppies born in my tank and will be separating them as soon as I sex them so they won't be pregnant and I've been looking online and some places let you buy virgin females hey jw is aquarium fish.net a reliable place to buy fish?

 

[XeroTolerance]

That good news. I know the disease is caused by excessive breeding in Singapore.

Yeah its basically where the diseased fish are bred with the diseased fish if you get me so, causes very strong chances but it can be bred out, definately good news lol

Yep.

Well I just had some baby guppies born in my tank and will be separating them as soon as I sex them so they won't be pregnant and I've been looking online and some places let you buy virgin females hey jw is aquarium fish.net a reliable place to buy fish?

Congrats.

For your question, yes. They are reliable. I have friends who ordered from them and the fish were 100% healthy. I have never bought any fish online though because of the HUGE price tag.

 

[Meggie :)]

If they are healthy and pretty I don't mind the price I am thinking about ordering guppies from the section "Unique fancy male guppies" for a surprise...do they send beautiful guppies with pretty tails?

 

[XeroTolerance]

I'm not sure. They should send ones similar to the ones in the picture though.

 

[Meggie :)]

For the stock that I have what should my feeding routine be?

 

[minnnt]

Once a day with a good quality all around flake or pellet.

Twice a week with frozen live food.

Sinking pellets for your Cory's probably every other day.

That is similar to what i am doing at the minute.

 

[Meggie :)]

I have omega one color flakes as of right now...very high in protein...are those okay?

For the frozen I have bloodworms...are those okay?

And what kind of sinking pellets do you use for your cories? Do they need high protein? And I also heard that guppies, mollies, and platies shouldn't have as much protein, so I've been told to feed with the omega one flakes once or twice a week, algae flakes for the other days, and skip a day on feeding once a week? Should I feed algae flakes to them in the fift gallon too or feed all the time with high protein?

 

[minnnt]

High protein would be good for the fry. Just a general food like Tetra Prima or TetraMin would be adequate for your livebearers. Prima sinks though so possibly not the best option for them as most of them you mention will feed froom the surface. The Cory's will clean up any uneaten food though. I would suggest a general sinking pellet for your Cory's also. Have a look what is in your LFS and read the labels as the US food may be different to what is available in the UK. The day off is good advice to ensure over feeding isn't a problem. With larger fish such as cichlids i don't like to do this incase they go searching for food and pick a couple of my smaller fish off. Well fed, well filtered and well maintain water is usually the best way i find.

 

[Meggie :)]

Wait so should I look for sinking pellets with high protein or low?

And should I stop using my omega one altogether save for the fry?

 

[minnnt]

Variety is the spice of life! Don't just feed the same food all the time. This will ensure a nice balanced even diet. Don't get too obsessed with high protein/low protein, most respected brands will be very balanced and will provide adequate nutrition for your fishies!

 

[Meggie :)]

Thank you so much for all of your help!

 

[minnnt]

You're welcome. It's only what i have learnt from this great site.