Stocking Question

[mattster]

I am going to be getting my 75 gallon tank this week and I have so questions on my stocking choices.

German Blue Ram x 2
Clown Loach x 4 (i am buying babies don't worry i know how big they get)
Angelfish x 3-4 (really small babies that are not even an inch long yet)
Dwarf Gourami x 5-7 (i know about the ratio 1 male to 2 female's)
Swordtails and Hi Fin Swordtails x 5 assorted
Rainbow Tetras and Cardinal Tetras x 8 (almost adult and are currently housed with the angel fish now with no problems)
Fancy Guppies x 6 ramdom ones ( depends on what looks good in the shop)


please be easy I am a newbie and i am looking to learn so offer advice and i am more that willing to listen and read.

 

[orange shark]

Id steer clear of the dwarf gouramis as they are prone to disease, for the swordtails and guppies try to keep the ratio at 3 females-1 male.

orange shark

 

[rdd1952]

Strictly based on the 1 per gallon guide, you would be overstocked. Depending on your maintenance schedule and your filter you may still be fine. There ae a couple things that could be a problem later on though.

Angel fish will eat any fish they can swallow. The cardinals and guppies would eventually be small enough thta the angels could eat them. Whether they ever will or not would remain to be seen but it is a possibility. If you get small angels (about the size of a quarter) at the least, it would be a couple years before the angels would be large enough for that to happen.

Also, you would need a plan for fry. With swordtails and guppies you will have a batch of fry from every female every 28 days. You could let nature take it's course and the other fish will eat them but even then some will most likely survive if there are adaquate hiding places which you will need for your angels and rams anyway.

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

unless you can be sure you're getting a male and female in the ram department, i'd stay clear of combining guppies with them. i can just see you having problems with male rams nipping the tail. someone correct me if i'm wrong though like lol
with the cardinals and angels, i doubt you'd have problems with them anyway as the cardinals will most probably be bigger than the angels to start off with.

 

[mark7616]

Just get a paur of angels and a pair of gouramis and go for it.

 

[mattster]

orange shark: what disease are we talking about

rdd1952: my filter is going to be something similar to the Marineland Emperor 400 so i do not thing filtration will be a problem, and how much extra matenince are we talking, note that this is not my final stock list it is just a rough draft because i can not even find any rams. And what should i do about the fry since i do not have an extra tank, would a little fish bowl be sufficient until they got bigger. And how many fish do you recommend in a 75 gallon tank demisions(sp?) are 48 inches by 12 to 13 inches high by 18 inches deep.

pinkdolphin 113: i do not think the rams will be going in any ways because i can not find any around my area at the LFS

and instead of the rams, what other fish would you recommend: would barbs be a good choice or would they be too aggressive

and how do i sex each of the fish, what are the things to look for

 

[rdd1952]

While that filter will process the water 5 times per hour, I dont think HOBs are good filters for 4' tanks (my opinion only) as I dont feel the provide the circulation needed. I personally thin tanks of 4' or more need dual filters and heaters, one on each end. Setting that aside, to me you still only have minimal filtration and don't have enough to really push the stocking limits.

As for the fry, I don't think a bowl will work. I've never raised fry but would think they would be very susceptible to ammonia and would definitely need a filter along with a heater.

Sexing depends on the type fish. Some can be sexed easily and others are almost impossible (angels for instance).

 

[mattster]

i will get another filter as funds come along and when the fish grow i will get another one. and how do you sex each fish, details please like is it the shape of the body or something lmk

 

[rdd1952]

Best way to find out is to do a Google search for the species such as "german blue rams sexing". By the way, GBRs are quite easy to sex.

 

[orange shark]

i think they are prone to whitespot and other diseases like that

 

[mattster]

okay doing that now, any recommendations on other fish or edits to my list. feel free to post i am just a newbie

 

[mattster]

okay i just noticed something about the fish. Not all of the fish listed have the same KH range according to liveaquaria.com here are the list of each fishes KH range according to the site

GBR: 5-12
Angel: 1-5
Dwarf Gourami: 4-10
Swordtails: 12-30
Tetras: 4-8
Fancy Guppies: 10-30
and i crossed off the clown loaches on the list because i was told that they get really big and greedy with food so i added a Nanus Cory Cat to the list at its KH range is 2-12

i do not know if this means anything since the LFS had swordtails with Tetras and clown loachs which have completly different KH ranges? Help a newby out.

 

[rdd1952]

Don't worry about the KH. I'd venture that 75% or more of the people who keep fish don't have a clue what the KH of their water is or what their fish prefer. I don't know what the pH, GH and KH of your tap water is but you shouldn't have any problem even if it is somewhat high. Most fish can easily adapt to a pH, KH or GH that is outside their optimal range as long as it's stable. Just stay away from the pH altering chemicals and you will be fine.

Just keep in mind that the corys prefer to be in groups of 6.

 

[mattster]

okay thanks man you awesome

and how big do swordtails get because liveaquaria.com says 4" which is bigger than a Dwarf Gourami and i have never seen one bigger than 2" max?

and what plants would be good for the fish listed below for in the future because right now i do not think i will have enough?

and i will more than likely go with a sand bottom, are corys still okay with sand instead of gravel?

my updated list

Nanus cory=6
Angelfish=3
German Blue Ram=2
Dwarf Gourami=3 (LFS said they can quarentine them for me and if they get a disease with in a month they will take fault, they also said that all there gourami's are in great health and nobody has complained about poor health or disease)
Swordtails=3 (maybe not sure because of the question listed above)
Tetras=6 neon and 6 of what ever the LFS has
Fancy Guppies=3
Possible some Zebra Danios

NOTE TO ALL WHO READ: my spelling is horrible i understand but i do my best to spell things off the top of my head

 

[-germ-]

Dwarf Gourami=3 (LFS said they can quarentine them for me and if they get a disease with in a month they will take fault, they also said that all there gourami's are in great health and nobody has complained about poor health or disease)

Anyhow.... The disease which orange shark mentioned earlier is probably regarding DGIV (dwarf gourami iridovirus) a lethal virus with no known treatment, some cichlids are also succeptible.
All LFS would tell you this, and unless you can guarantee their honesty i wouldn't give their opinion a second thought.
I would personally avoid keeping dwarf gourami unless you can guarantee good sourcing. Those imported (bred) from Singapore (fish) are particularly susceptible, didn't check your location but if your are Australian i wouldn't even consider keeping them, Australia in particular has a problem with DGIV and the likelihood of contamination/contraction i extremely high.
There is alot of inbreeding with Dwarf Gourami which also increases their succeptibility to illness, weakens their immune system and general quality etc.
In addition Dwarf Gourami are highly territorial and IMO the most aggressive of the colisa gourami, i would urge you to reconsider and maybe try Thick Lipped Gourami (colisa labiosa) or Honey Gourami (colisa chuna).
I can appreciate you will go with your own opinion, but thought the info may prove helpful.
DGIV link to links in my signature.
Edit; Oh.. in addition i'd definately choose zebra danios as one of your fish, they make an excellent dither fish and will almost certainly encourage your fish to be more active.