Stocking Fluval 240

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kupes

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Hi all, new to this forum. My fishless cycle has started and it's doing good. Should be ready in about 2 weeks. Thinking about fish now. I had a tank before and restarting the hobby after 5 years. In my mind:
  • 30 cardinal tetras
  • 2 Bolivian Red Ram
  • 6 Boesemani Rainbow
  • 4 Torpedo Barb
  • 4 Corydoras
  • Shrimps
I am open to remove or reduce any of them from the list. Also open to other suggestions.

How should I introduce the fishes, all together or in a batch.
MVIMG_20190917_213913.jpg

 
Hi all, new to this forum. My fishless cycle has started and it's doing good. Should be ready in about 2 weeks. Thinking about fish now. I had a tank before and restarting the hobby after 5 years. In my mind:
  • 30 cardinal tetras
  • 2 Bolivian Red Ram
  • 6 Boesemani Rainbow
  • 4 Torpedo Barb
  • 4 Corydoras
  • Shrimps
I am open to remove or reduce any of them from the list. Also open to other suggestions.

How should I introduce the fishes, all together or in a batch.View attachment 94104
Hello, and welcome to the forum! :hi:

First of all, I am blown away at the beauty of that tank!

Secondly, I think the Cardinal Tetras, the Bolivian Red Rams, and the Boesemani Rainbows should be fine.

The Corydoras need to be in a bigger group. I suggest 6 or more.

No clue on the Torpedo Barbs, never heard of them.

For shrimp I suggest either Cherry Shrimp, or Amano Shrimp. ;)
 
So that we know the tank we are talking about, it's a Fluval Roma 240, 240 litres/63 gallons, 120 x 40 x 50 cm/48 x 15.5 x 20 inches.


We do need to know the hardness of your water. Your water provider's website should have that information somewhere - and we need a number and the unit as there are several they could use.
Of the fish in the list, Boeseman rainbows are hard water fish while the rest are soft water fish. They are not really compatible. The rainbows also need water warmer than most fish.
Torpedo barbs (red-line torpedo barbs, Denisons barbs) prefer cooler water, and a group of 6 to 10 minimum. 4 isn't enough for shoaling fish.

Both rainbows and barbs need a tank at least 120 cm/48 inches long. Yours is the minimum they can live in and in my opinion would do better in a bigger tank.


The rest of the fish in your list would be fine - provided you have soft water - though cardinal tetras prefer warmer water than the majority of cory species.
Cories are shoaling fish so you would need at least 6 of them, with more being better. Preferably all the same species, and with sand on the bottom of the tank.
Bolivian rams also need sand. You need to choose the rams carefully as just any male and any female cannot be expected to 'get along'. These fish must choose their own mates. Either buy a group of half a dozen and let them pair up, or try to buy a mated pair. the way to do this is to stand motionless in front of the shop tank till the fish forget you are there - it could take some time. Watch the behaviour of the fish. The males will jostle each other. The females will spend their time searching for food. If any male allows a female to remain close to him without chasing her away, they are likely, though not guaranteed, to be a pair.
I have to admit to never having heard of red Bolivian rams.
 
Both rainbows and barbs need a tank at least 120 cm/48 inches long. Yours is the minimum they can live in and in my opinion would do better in a bigger tank.
I was going to mention this, but I figured the OP already knew, and this is the biggest tank he could get. ;)
 
Picking up on something essjay mentioned...the Torpedo Barbs. If this is the species Sahyadria denisonii, sometimes commonly called Denison Barb, it should have a much larger tank, a 5-6 foot length (150-180 cm). And it needs a group of at least eight; reports of aggressive behaviours are likely due to insufficient numbers for the fish to be "normal.". It attains six inches (15cm), and requires cooler water (59-77F/15-25C) and stronger current from the filter. Aside from the tank size, the latter disqualifies Bolivian Rams, and as these are down in the same "space" as the barbs, that can be trouble too.

I concur on her other points too.

Beautiful aquascape, nice work. I would just mention however that your cardinal tetras will be somewhat stressed in this aquascape, as the lack of floating plants (overhanging vegetation in their habitats) is a significant issue. :fish:

Welcome to TFF. :hi:
 
Beautiful aquascape, nice work. I would just mention however that your cardinal tetras will be somewhat stressed in this aquascape, as the lack of floating plants (overhanging vegetation in their habitats) is a significant issue
Yes. You might want to look into getting some water lettuce, or duckweed. Both of which are easy to grow. :)
 
Nice setup - I do miss having a drilled tank. I agree with floating cover for the cardinals - I keep these and their behaviour is markedly different when they have adequate cover.

In addition if / when you decide on bigger species you should confirm that the shrimp you choose won't qualify as fish food. The RCS mentiond are small, even the cardinals will eat the shrimplets. This is not a problem as there are sufficient hiding places, but if your fish will snack on the adults it could be a problem.
 

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