Will these fish work well?

[SteakNShrimp]

I have a 55g tank with a few fish already in and I’m planning on adding more. I was wondering if my stocking ideas will work well. Please give me any suggestions and advice for my tank.

I already have
- 1 Rainbow Shark
- 1 Rainbow Fish (Boesemani)
- 1 Zebra Loach
- 1 Male Marigold Swordtail
- 1 Blue CrayFish
- 8 Assorted Tiger Barbs
- 2 Denison Barbs

I was thinking of getting
- about 8 more Tiger Barbs
- 2-3 different types of Rainbows
- 2 more Zebra Loaches

I was also thinking about getting some smaller cichlids. Ones that will only grow to a max of 3-4 inches...maybe 5.

 

[Jordan_Deus]

I'll summarize what I wrote on your other thread. The blue crayfish (most likely Procambarus alleni) is not suited for this tanks stocking. Crayfish and fish in general do not mix. At the moment the crayfish is small and vulnerable to predation after molting. The crayfish which is nocturnal for the most part, will eat whatever it can catch, snails, fish, shrimp etc. At night it'll go about the tank catching your sleeping fish unaware and eating them alive.

You mentioned in your previous post that the fish remain on one side of the tank, this could be due to the crayfish, as they are trying to avoid it. They will also become more and more stressed out as the crayfish gets larger and actively hunts them down.

The cray will be much better off in a smaller, 15-25 gallon tank. It will be out more during the day, more personable and will save you lots of grief (and money) later on.

My crayfish is kept in a low tech planted 25 gallon tank. He eats the plants on occasion (that's why they're low tech and fast growers i.e. moss, bacopa, Ulvaceus). Any snails that get into the tank are devoured. He is in the tank with a large colony of breeding Neocaradina shrimp that are only eaten on occasion due to their speed and are so prolific that the occasional snack goes unnoticed.

 

[SteakNShrimp]

Yeah I’m sadly probably gonna return him as my parents don’t like CrayFish anyway and as you said he isn’t fit for a tank with fish.

What about all the other fish I was considering any suggestions on those?

 

[Guppylover3x]

Yeah I’m sadly probably gonna return him as my parents don’t like CrayFish anyway and as you said he isn’t fit for a tank with fish.

What about all the other fish I was considering any suggestions on those?

From what I understand, tiger barbs usually prefer softer water and require a lower PH.

While Swordtails prefer a slightly higher PH and prefer to naturally live in harder water.

Maybe other members will be able to assist further with compatibility.

Best of luck.

 

[Jordan_Deus]

Yeah I’m sadly probably gonna return him as my parents don’t like CrayFish anyway and as you said he isn’t fit for a tank with fish.

What about all the other fish I was considering any suggestions on those?

I don't want to comment on the other species as I don't have enough experience with most of them. I agree with GuppyLover about the hard water and soft water.

It's important to know your Gh and Kh. Other more experienced members like Byron will be able to help you though.

 

[Colin_T]

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

What is the GH (general hardness) and pH of your water supply. This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

Boesemani rainbowfish and swordtails need water with a GH around 200ppm+, and a pH above 7.0.

The other fishes you listed all come from soft water with a GH below 150ppm and a pH below 7.0.

-------------------------
Rainbowfish and all barbs need to be kept in groups of at least 6 and preferably 10 or more.

Never keep crayfish with fish because they are nocturnal and will catch and kill fish at night.

-------------------------
Depending on your pH and GH, small peaceful cichlids could include keyhole cichlid or small Geophagus species. However, you have to get rid of the crayfish if you want bottom dwelling cichlids because it will end badly if you keep them together.

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF.

I agree with Colin, we need to know the GH and pH of your source (tap) water first. Once we know that, some changes may be necessary with what you already have, before you start increasing species numbers as some of these will not work together and/or the GH and pH may disqualify this or that species.

A couple of things can be stated however. Denison Barbs will not work here as they need a group of eight to avoid serious disputes among them) and they get largish (6 inches). A 4-foot length tank of 90 gallons might work, but they really need a 5 or 6-foot tank. The two Denisons should be returned ASAP as they are going to be under stress now and the tank will not accommodate the necessary group.

I would forget the Tiger Barbs as they can be nippy even in larger groups (they would need 10-12 or more so 16 total you intended would work numbers wise) and depending upon the other fish you decide upon this may be trouble. Some of the rainbows might be targeted. The Black Ruby Barb is a very similar but even more beautiful barb, and it is peaceful (at least for a barb).

 

[SteakNShrimp]

Well I’m not exactly sure what the GH is of my water numbers wise, but I do know the my city’s water is considered to be very hard water. The pH is about 7.2-7.8 according to my test strip.

Also I would really like to keep the Tiger Barbs as I personally like them better than the Ruby Barbs. I kinda wanted to have a semi aggressive tank...

 

[Byron]

Well I’m not exactly sure what the GH is of my water numbers wise, but I do know the my city’s water is considered to be very hard water. The pH is about 7.2-7.8 according to my test strip.

This is important to pin down. You may find the GH on the website of your municipal water authority, or as Colin suggested take a sample of tap water (not tank water for this) to a reliable store. Make sure you get the number, and the unit they use to measure; vague terms can be very misleading. A pH in the 7's does not necessarily mean hard water, and this is very important for fish.

Also I would really like to keep the Tiger Barbs as I personally like them better than the Ruby Barbs. I kinda wanted to have a semi aggressive tank...

That's fine, but then the other tankmates have to be compatible. The fish are living creatures and we must reasonably provide what they expect if they are to be healthy and happy. The wrong water, wrong tankmates, wrong decor...all this causes stress which is the direct cause of 95% of all aquarium fish disease, and leads to a shorter life.