Stocking Suggestions

[natalie265]

I will take your general advice and stick with one shoal, so here is my intended stocking plan for now.

12 Neon Tetras
2 Dwarf Gouramis
6 Red Cherry Shrimp
3 African Dwarf Frogs
1 Bristlenose Pleco

My qustion is what order do I add these fish? Do I stagger the stocking, and which fish should go in first, and which will adapt better if they come in at a later stage?

Great question. Yes, stagger the stocking. I would put the plec in first and the neons in last. I would stagger the stocking over about a 3 month period. Just my opinion. hopefully others will respond too.

 

[fett999]

Personally I wouldn't add the plec 1st. I'd add it in the middle of the stocking but i'm still fairly new so I could be wrong. The Bn is a great fish though. I've got 1 myself and he's a real character. Just to confuse you though you could also think about a couple of Oto's instead. They're great little fish and I'm thinking of getting them in my next tank and I don't think they're as messy as the Bn.

 

[joe 81]

dwarf gouramis are fine with each other, i have a pair in my tank. shimp are hard to keep, the water quality needs to be almost perfect so maybe just go with fish to start with then if all goes well add some shrimp later? personally i think it would be good to add the plec first because they are pretty much the most hardy fish you can get and will help the tank mature. hope all goes well

 

[OldMan47]

Something to keep in mind with the BN plec is that it will need some wood in its diet. Many of my tanks have some sort of driftwood in them so I don't worry about that, but I find my BNPs resting against the wood much of the time and they are actively rasping it with their teeth.

 

[Deleted member 55926]

I am totally sold on the ottos. I have seen them in the LFS all the time and couldn't find what they were. I would rather have a couple of ottos than one plec. Are they as hardy as the pleco in terms of water pH, and will they be OK with 3-6mm gravel that I have?

 

[OldMan47]

Otocinclus can be hard to keep unless you are willing to let algae run out of control in your tank. They do not take prepared food very well IME.

 

[Deleted member 55926]

Otocinclus can be hard to keep unless you are willing to let algae run out of control in your tank. They do not take prepared food very well IME.

To be honest, being the beginner that I am, I fear I will probably have problems with algae all the time. I read that they can take a while to start on veg, as their mouths are so small they have to let it soften up considerably. I might get 3 Otos - the girlfriend thinks the plec is too ugly, although I find their hard work ethic quite endearing

 

[waterdrop]

3 might need rather a lot of algae for a 29 mig.

 

[OldMan47]

In a tank as small as a 29, I would wait until I had trouble seeing through the green coating into the tank before introducing 3 otocinclus. Otos really eat a lot of algae and the only long term survival I have had with them was to introduce far too few for what I thought I needed in a tank. After that I only had to move them to a new tank every few months to avoid them starving. I don't know how to say any plainer that they don't take prepared foods well.

 

[finalfantay85]

I had 3 oto and they did not stop munching on the algae on the glass but when i offered them algae wafers they wouldn't touch them. One might occasionally rest on the wafer and maybe have one nibble but it was usually the guppies who would end up eating the wafers.

 

[Deleted member 55926]

OK, I will take your advice. What about the BN pleco then? Will they happily enjoy veg and stuff?

With regards to plants, aren't the plecos too big to clean the leaves of the plants? Do they eat any plants (will I need to buy plants that are 'compatible')?

 

[OldMan47]

I like my BN plecs and find that they do accept algae wafers fairly well. They also seem to eat some of the algae, but algae control is my job, not the job of any fish. Once they get to a good size, the males establish a fairly large territory and will not tolerate each other very well in that area.

 

[Deleted member 55926]

algae control is my job, not the job of any fish

True, but I bet my tank will go haywire with algae.