Stocking The Planted Aquarium

[craynerd]

Hi guys

As most of you know i own a 19us g Rekord 70 tank.

It is very heavily planted :

It currently contains 15 cardinal tetras, 2 platties, 2 mollies and 2 ottos ohh and 6 red shrimp

Basically, i`m wondering what type of stocking i could have or more importantly should have, as to avoid over stocking, for both the fish sakes and my plant general maintainance!

I mean, am i at my limit all ready? I`m getting a new tank so i`m going to use that as an overspill system, i think 15 tetras is a bit excessive, may take some of them out and replace with a different shoaling variety.

Anyone any suggestions as to what may look good in there? there is a lot of colour and i`m wondering if whether to go with something less bright, maybe dannios?

I mean i say 15 tetras is excessive, but with only another 6 fish in there there still is a heck of a lot of room!

Comments and advice as always v welcome!

Regards
Chris

 

[jimbooo]

in planted tank terms what you want to avoid is big poopers. of your current fish i'd say the mollys and platys are the ones to consider moving.

put it this way, have you ever seen a cardinal tetra poop. no, thought not. now have you seen those giants produced by the platy and molly...... yeah, thought so.... (assuming a lot here but i'm confident)

basically big poops will fall into the plants and sit there and rot for a few days producing nitrAte and phosphate (after a few chemical changes which i wont try and get into - irrelevant anyway)

the more poop you have rotting in your tank the more likley you are to run into algae problems.

the other cause of algae is ammonia from fish urine. generally fish wee all the time, if the fish is a big pooper then generally it's a big wee'er (is that even a word lol) as well.

hence why you see amano's tanks stocked with hundreds of cardinals, amano shrimp and other small "dither" fish.

i personally have messed this bit up in my Rio180. my angel, 2 sailfin plecs and platy are big waste machines and i am always fighting algae on the substrate and bogwood. there is just too much of it rotting away. if i do a water chance and remove it all, 2 days later it's back again. i'm managing to keep on top of it but if i started again (and wasn't so attached to my fish) i'd get rid of the lot and stock with a huge shoal of cardinals or harlequins. i've even thought of a tank full of 60 lamp eyes, that would look quite cool and they produce next to no waste.

i seem to have talked a lot about poo here and not really answered your question but hey, i'm sure some of it will be of use.

 

[speedingorange]

yo jimboo

what sort of number would be the max for a rio 180

concidering

neons, guppy's and coulie loaches

what numbers would you keep them in? and also what about shrimps are they big dumpers?

 

[craynerd]

Jimboo, your post is very interesting! and yes i have seen the giants produced by the mollys and plattys!

Maybe they will go into the other tank when its made!

Very interesting! Thanks jimboo!

Chris

 

[jimbooo]

yo jimboo

what sort of number would be the max for a rio 180

concidering

neons, guppy's and coulie loaches

what numbers would you keep them in? and also what about shrimps are they big dumpers?

at a guess i'd say 20 neons and depending on your plans for the guppies 8 males and no females or loose the neons and go for 4 male and 6 female guppies (if they start breeding, sorry when they start breeding you'll be over run pretty quickly)

4 or 5 loaches will be cool in there regardless of the others as they spend all day on the substrate unlike the others

Jimboo, your post is very interesting! and yes i have seen the giants produced by the mollys and plattys!

Maybe they will go into the other tank when its made!

Very interesting! Thanks jimboo!

Chris

no problem

 

[speedingorange]

yeah ive had the guppy humping before. and had a pretty good deal with the local fish shops where i take in some guppy's and get a free tub of food. so basically any fish that breed the young will go to the fish shop. Im thinking the glosso will be perfect for young guppy's to hide in am i right?

so in the case of me getting shot of the babies would

20 neons, 2male gups and 6 female and 5 loaches be cool?

i cant see them making a mahosive amount of waste or overcrouding if i get shot of the babies straight away?

and by straight away i mean when they are fending for themselves etc

 

[Qays]

Hi guys

As most of you know i own a 19us g Rekord 70 tank.

It is very heavily planted :

It currently contains 15 cardinal tetras, 2 platties, 2 mollies and 2 ottos ohh and 6 red shrimp

Basically, i`m wondering what type of stocking i could have or more importantly should have, as to avoid over stocking, for both the fish sakes and my plant general maintainance!

I mean, am i at my limit all ready? I`m getting a new tank so i`m going to use that as an overspill system, i think 15 tetras is a bit excessive, may take some of them out and replace with a different shoaling variety.

Anyone any suggestions as to what may look good in there? there is a lot of colour and i`m wondering if whether to go with something less bright, maybe dannios?

I mean i say 15 tetras is excessive, but with only another 6 fish in there there still is a heck of a lot of room!

Comments and advice as always v welcome!

Regards
Chris

Your tank is overstocked for a planted tank!

I think you should return the platys and the mollies for your tanks sake!!

If i was stocking a 19 gallon. I'd get 8 Cardinals and 8 other small tetras. that would be excellent!

 

[George Farmer]

hence why you see amano's tanks stocked with hundreds of cardinals, amano shrimp and other small "dither" fish.

Not strictly true my friend. Amano's fish choice is 100% based on complementing the aquascape. Many of his tanks have been stocked with adult Discus, Angels and other large, messy fish. In Nature Aquarium World Book 2 he has a 56 Litre stocked with over a dozen juvenile Angels.

What you say ref. poo is relevant though. More waste can = more algae, especially if the tank has other less than perfect conditions.

 

[Qays]

hence why you see amano's tanks stocked with hundreds of cardinals, amano shrimp and other small "dither" fish.

Not strictly true my friend. Amano's fish choice is 100% based on complementing the aquascape. Many of his tanks have been stocked with adult Discus, Angels and other large, messy fish. In Nature Aquarium World Book 2 he has a 56 Litre stocked with over a dozen juvenile Angels.

What you say ref. poo is relevant though. More waste can = more algae, especially if the tank has other less than perfect conditions.

If you dont mind me asking, who is amano?

 

[Themuleous]

hence why you see amano's tanks stocked with hundreds of cardinals, amano shrimp and other small "dither" fish.

Not strictly true my friend. Amano's fish choice is 100% based on complementing the aquascape. Many of his tanks have been stocked with adult Discus, Angels and other large, messy fish. In Nature Aquarium World Book 2 he has a 56 Litre stocked with over a dozen juvenile Angels.

What you say ref. poo is relevant though. More waste can = more algae, especially if the tank has other less than perfect conditions.

George,

I see you found an computer pretty quick after the flight? Or was it delayed?

 

[craynerd]

If you dont mind me asking, who is amano?

A true inspiration...if ur interested in planted tanks search him on google...

See my signature..

Chris

Quays said:

Your tank is overstocked for a planted tank!

I think you should return the platys and the mollies for your tanks sake!!

If i was stocking a 19 gallon. I'd get 8 Cardinals and 8 other small tetras. that would be excellent!

Hummmmmmmmm... would anyone else like to pass comment on this. When i look at Amanos tanks in Nature Aquarium World book 1 he seems to have many more fish in than myself!

GF225...i have book 1 and his tanks are stunning. No only do the fish complement the tanks but they are all related to the same geographical location.....fantastic!

 

[jimbooo]

hence why you see amano's tanks stocked with hundreds of cardinals, amano shrimp and other small "dither" fish.

Not strictly true my friend. Amano's fish choice is 100% based on complementing the aquascape. Many of his tanks have been stocked with adult Discus, Angels and other large, messy fish. In Nature Aquarium World Book 2 he has a 56 Litre stocked with over a dozen juvenile Angels.

What you say ref. poo is relevant though. More waste can = more algae, especially if the tank has other less than perfect conditions.

ahh, oops sorry. i dont own any of his books so didn't realise that. how do you think he deals with the build up then? probably by not feeding them much or using super efficient foods that will be completley digested. i'd be interested to know as i have a problem with this in my rio180 as you know. i've been experimenting over the last week and have only fed every other day. the BBA on the substrate has disappeared but as i've also increaced the co2 i dont know which change has solved the problem. it's probably a combination of the two i guess.

 

[craynerd]

I could be completely out of order saying this, but by the looks of it he has two types of tank. He either has pics of tanks he has done for people in shops/homes and busnesses. They look sensibly stocked. Then almost exhibition tanks, its these tanks that have the correct species fish in them and are often over stocked or as said abovew, stocked with loads of baby angels! Its my presumption that since they look to be exhibition tanks they are taken apart afterwards.!! maybe?

Jimboo...i strongly advice you to get one of his books, they are fantastic!