Stocking Ideas

[Razgriz]

I've been cycling my 98 litre (why 98 and not 100? This really bugs me due to my OCD) tank for a little over 2 months now. Both Ammonia and Nitrite process in about 15 or so hours. As soon as that is able to hit 10 hours for a few days I will be getting some tropical fish.

I have thought long and hard, watched many videos on Youtube of aquariams/fish, spent many an hour researching different fish on the Internet...and I am still no closer to a definative stocking list.

At the moment, I am thinking:

5x Zebra Danio, which = 30cm of fish, which = 12inch.
8x Neon Tetra (after 6 months), which = 32cm, which = 12.5inch.

This gives me 24.5 inches out of a possible 26 (using the rough inch of fish per inch of space rule). Now I know that this rule is only a guide line, so I'm hoping for some more pointers off the community (who have helped me immensley in my setting up of my tank).

I would like a "centre piece" fish, but I have no idea what.

Bristlenose Pleco?
Betta?
Killifish?
A Neon Dwarf Gourami?

I want some tetra because of their colour and numbers, they look amazing and I've wanted some ever since I first saw them.
Danio's I have found out are very active (when schooling) and are pretty hardy. Even though I have fishless cycyled my tank, I still want some strong fish to go in first just in case.

I would be willing to swap out the Danio's for something else, but I am 90% sure I want to stick with Neon tetra (or Cardinal)

I would love to hear off everyone what they would:

a) do if they had a 100 litre tank
and
b) suggest for me what to do with a 100 litre tank

Cheers!

 

[KittyKat]

Danios are not really a good choice.. they would not mix well with neons (who can be quite fragile). Have you considered cardinal tetras as your schooling fish? What is your pH? Will you plant? This is my usual suggestion for this sized tanks:

* surface fish
* 10 schooling fish
* 6 Corys / 1 Pleco
* small cichlids

So personally, I would consider something along the lines of..

* pair dwarf gouramis (if planted) or single male dwarf gourami (if not planted)
* 10 cardinal tetras
* 6 Corys (if sand) or 1 bristlenose pleco (if gravel)
* 1m 2f of Apistogramma cacatuoides

This is not a fully stocked tank, but a good start.

 

[Razgriz]

All this researching and my first idea goes out the window >_< Oh well, thank you for pointing that out Kat. I will drop the Danio's and stick with the Tetra(Neon or Cardinal).

I must say, I do like the idea of

* pair dwarf gouramis (if planted) or single male dwarf gourami (if not planted)
* 10 cardinal tetras
* 6 Corys (if sand) or 1 bristlenose pleco (if gravel)
* 1m 2f of Apistogramma cacatuoides

Would Rainbow fish work instead of the Apistogramma, or the Gouramis if I got them in a school?

 

[waterdrop]

I tend to think of most Rainbows in pretty big tanks, but there are a number of different types. Hopefully drobbyb will see your thread, he's a rainbow person.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Razgriz]

According to the site I have been using, http/www.aquaticstoyourdoor.co.uk/rainbowfish/, most of them are in the 10-15cm region, but the dwarf neon rainbows are only 5cm.

If I had a group of those as well as tetra, then maybe a couple of Gourami's as my "centre piece" and maybe a Bristlenose Pleco too if I dont over stock it then that would be pretty cool

 

[KittyKat]

According to the site I have been using, http/www.aquaticstoyourdoor.co.uk/rainbowfish/, most of them are in the 10-15cm region, but the dwarf neon rainbows are only 5cm.

If I had a group of those as well as tetra, then maybe a couple of Gourami's as my "centre piece" and maybe a Bristlenose Pleco too if I dont over stock it then that would be pretty cool

Home of the Rainbowfish is a much better resource. They are quite active and schooling, so if you want to keep them, I would go more along the lines of..

* 6+ rainbows of a suitable species
* 6 Corys (if sand) or 1 bristlenose pleco (if gravel)

..not quite as exciting for me

 

[OldMan47]

Don't let that OCD bother you Razgriz, BTW it should be CDO, alphabetical if you please.
Dwarf gouramis are indeed some nice centerpiece fish. The various Australian rainbows are all nice fish at about a 2.5 to 3 inches each, 6 to 7.5 cm, length but they are not centerpiece fish in my opinion. Schooling or shoaling fish can be things like rummy nose tetras or even things like cardinal tetras or neon tetras. The rummy nose are reputed to be the best shoaling fish in the aquarium trade.
As far as the inch per gallon guidance, all of the fish you have listed fit well with the parameters that were used to develop that guidance so any or all of them should work fine using that guidance. That means that your initial stocking should only be about 2/3 of the inch per gallon guidance until you establish that your actual stocking is not causing any real world chemistry problems. After you have done that, you can increase right up to the full stocking level with no troubles.

 

[Razgriz]

haha, I try but somethings I just cant accept

Thanks for pointing that out about stocking.

I think then I am going to go with: -

2 Dwarf Gourami's
1 Bristlenose Pleco
small school or Neon/Cardinal Tetra
small school of Rainbow fish.

I will pop into my LFS and have a browse at what Gourami's and Rainbow fish they offer, then post back here what I find