Stocking Plan

[McCool]

So this is my final stocking list, just waiting for approval. It's a fifty five, heavily filtered, rocks and lots of fake plants.
6 Giant Danios (already have these)
6 SAPs
6 Otos

Thoughts? Understocked? Overstocked? Anything I should add?
I have a snail breeder tank, so no worries about that.

 

[thereverendturtle]

I would think it would be ok to up the number of giant danios to 10-12.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Skip the Otos, bit fragile if nipped by SAPs and might be heavily outcompeted for food by the other two species.

What dimension does this tank have? Giant Danios need 4-foot long tanks at the very least, they are busy active swimmers! If your tank is long enough, I'd go for 8-10.

 

[McCool]

Yes, it is a 4 foot. If no otos, any other bottom feeders you would suggest? I originally only had four Danios, but I saw some aggression so picked up a few more, and all seems to be good now. I will consider getting a few more in the future.
Any good shoal of bottom feeders for my tank?

 

[minnnt]

Good luck.

 

[McCool]

Good luck.

Thank you! Hopefully all goes well! I have always wanted puffers, but being only 15 never really had to chance. XD Got the tank for a really good deal, and figured I would just go for it!

 

[minnnt]

Very good.

At the end of the day it is your tank, but i wouldn't go with the Giant Danio's. The SAP's are, at the end of the day the stars of the show. Having something flying around the tank at the speed of a Danio will imo detract from the main fish.

My 2 Oto's are absolutely fine with mine, no nips or anything, but they're well fed. The woman i got them from had them in a community tank and everything else was nipped beyond belief, alot of them down to the body.

Just my opinion though mate.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Do you really need a "bottom feeder"? I'd expect the SAPs and the Giant Danios to scour the whole tank when you add food.

How about a riverine dwarf cichlid pair? My new Steatocranus tinanti duo (too young to say if they are bonded) are such a contrast to my other riverine Steatocranus casuarius, in that the tinantis are always out and about despite being the smallest fish in my Rio240 by a country mile (4-5cm, although they should eventually reach 10-15cm). Just like your SAPs and Giant Danios, they love a strong current (8-15x true water turnover) and if my pair are anything to go by, they will love exploring the heavily furnished ~2/3 of the tank floor (excluding one open long side of the tank in the strong current) that you need to provide for the SAPs to prevent "pacing" (sign of boredom).

Other possibles that spring to mind are...
Ancistrus (BN catfish), will love the current, you could add the "lemon" variety often missold as L144 if you wanted some colour
Synoodntis flavitaeniata (Pyjama Syno), lovely marking, at the social/gentle end of the syno scale (although my four often have minor battle wound scars!)
I'd love to say Synodontis brichardi, a bit for territorial/fiesty but doable as singletons or 3+ groups, but I'd be concerned about their caudal fin without seeing interaction first hand
Chaetostoma milesi?
Glyptothorax spp?

 

[McCool]

I will be watching them closely for nips, and making sure everyone gets along. If I get a batch of puffs that are just ruthless killing machines, then I will rehome anything in the tank they can bite into to, but am going to atleast try it. I'm not even sure if they could catch the Danios! They fly across that tank like bullets!
Thank you for the advice, and I will be watching the tank closely!

 

[minnnt]

It's not the nipping of Danio's i was bothered about. lol. It was the fact that like you say, they're like bullets, so this could detract from the SAP's.

You're not going to call it 'The Giant Danio Tank' you're going to call it 'The Puffer Tank'

 

[McCool]

It's not the nipping of Danio's i was bothered about. lol. It was the fact that like you say, they're like bullets, so this could detract from the SAP's.

You're not going to call it 'The Giant Danio Tank' you're going to call it 'The Puffer Tank

Well, you did mention the nipping, so I wasn't sure.
I don't have a problem with calling it the "Puffer and friends tank." The Danios mostly just explore the rocks and they actually aren't that noticeable as they blend in with my rock.

 

[McCool]

Nobody,
Thanks for the suggestions! I will look into them! I don't really need anything to clean up the tank, I just love Plecs, loaches, or really anything of the sort! they always seem to make a tank more interesting!