Stocking Advise For A Newbie

[hannah_224]

Hi there, im new to the forum and kind of new to the fish keeping world. I currently have a 4ft x 30in depth x16 in width. Ive currently got 4 kohli loach, 1 keyhole, 1 blue acara female, 2 krib babies and 2 pearl gouramis. im having to restock in a couple of weeks due to a major tank problem. Im stuck on what i can and cant put in with these fish, ive been offered at my lfs a chocolate cichlid would this be ok and what else could i put in there? Should the keyhole be on its own? Thanks in advance.

 

[snowflake311]

You have a tall tank about 99 gal. Do you want to keep your fish or start over. I think a chocolate cichlid could be fine but you could not fit much more.

 

[hannah_224]

thanks for the reply, just realised i put the wrong measurments down its 16in depth and 12 in width. Having a bad day sorry.
Um i really like the blue acara and keyholes to be honest. But sounds like the tanks too small for a chocolate then with other fish in. i want one big colourfull fish and then some slighty smaller fish.

 

[Fish Guy]

So with those measurments, I'm figuring you have a 40 gallon....I think. The acara has nice coloration, and will only get brighter as it grows, so you could even just stick with the acara for your one big colorful fish. Firemouths have nice coloring and they don't get too big, but if you are planning on adding another cichid you may have to take out the acara for territory reasons and the capacity of the tank.
In terms of some smaller fish I would go with gaint or pearl danios, or even tiger barbs, both aren't too small and are very nice looking in a school.

 

[hannah_224]

thanks for your reply. would the odessa barbs work in the tank? this stocking is hard work to get right, any other fish sugestions would be great. thanks

 

[Confish]

how are your kuhli loach doing? as i think they might become food for the cichlids? i might be wrong though

 

[hannah_224]

hi, i only have a small 1in approx keyhole and a little blue acara female so the kuhli are fine at the moment, might it be a problem when they are bigger then? too be honest dont see the kuhlis out much.

 

[Fish Guy]

The Odessas would be a good choice for that tank and have nice colors.