Yet Another Stocking Question ....

[psycopop]

Hi guys,

I know that stocking is mostly relative, but thought I'd get some other points of view on my current stocking levels in my main tank.

Its a Juwel Rio 300 tank running two filters (to keep my tank stats spot on) - the supplied internal juwel filter with an upgraded powerhead (1,500l/h) and and external filter (Eheim Pro II 2026). All my stats are about spot on (amm & nitrite 0) with Nitrate at 5/10 (plants seem to do a good job keeping this down).

Currently I have :

6 x Golden Barbs
6 x Black Widow Tetra's
5 x Female Platy's
3 x Male Platy's
3 x Thai Flying Fox's
5 x Black Neon Tetra's
1 x Cardinal Tetra (lost alot of cardinals recently and I have this lone survivor - some buddies are expected soon)
1 x Clown Plec
4 x Amano Shrimp

Any advice appreciated

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Personally i would avise more cardinals and black neons, raising their numbers gradually to around 10 each. What sort of substrate do you have in your tank and what sort of decor do you have (planting, rocks, caves etc)?

 

[psycopop]

Personally i would avise more cardinals and black neons, raising their numbers gradually to around 10 each. What sort of substrate do you have in your tank and what sort of decor do you have (planting, rocks, caves etc)?

I was hoping to get my tetra numbers up, I did have about 14 Cardinals, but lost a few of them with a few probs with my internal filter (reason why i got the Eheim).

My substrate is just a simple gravel, was hoping to get some fert based and possibly sand ontop, but cant bear the work with changing over a tank that size without a cycled tank ready to put the current occupants in (and dont fancy doing it while their in it). Have got a few largeish peices of bogwood with Anubias nana quiet happily growing on it. The background mainly taken up with some ornaments my OH picks out (the largest of which my clown plec happily calls home These provide plenty of hiding spots for any of the fish that get territorial (the flying foxes can get a bit agressive at feeding times, but mostly just rush away to the other side of the tank and carry on quiet happily).

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Changing to a sand substrate would be beneficial for the clown loach though as sand is a lot softer on bottom dwelling fishes barbels/whiskers like clown loaches as they feed, they will be less likely to get bacterial mouth infections if given a soft fine sand substrate to feed off and live on (plus it is more natural for them) .

I would also advise getting another two clown loaches as they are sociable fish that do well with their own kind around .
Do you have any bogwood/driftwood/mopani wood etc in the tank?

 

[psycopop]

Changing to a sand substrate would be beneficial for the clown loach though as sand is a lot softer on bottom dwelling fishes barbels/whiskers like clown loaches as they feed, they will be less likely to get bacterial mouth infections if given a soft fine sand substrate to feed off and live on (plus it is more natural for them) .

I would also advise getting another two clown loaches as they are sociable fish that do well with their own kind around .
Do you have any bogwood/driftwood/mopani wood etc in the tank?

I dont have any clown loaches . I only have a clown plec who lives in the back ornament, who only wanders out when the lights are off, or to investigate food that lands near his home.

I have two decent sized bits of bogwood with plants happily growing on them

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I dont have any clown loaches . I only have a clown plec who lives in the back ornament, who only wanders out when the lights are off, or to investigate food that lands near his home.

I have two decent sized bits of bogwood with plants happily growing on them

Ah i appologise for the mistake, i sometimes get mixed up between clown plecs and clown loaches when i'm tired. Have you consider getting large snails like apple snails for the tank?
There are a lot of snails available for freshwater aquariums which come in a wide range of colours and shell shapes;

http/www.snailshop.ashopcommerce.co.uk/

Some of them have particularly stunning colour like the red ramshorn snail;

http/www.snailshop.ashopcommerce.co.uk/p...orn-snail-.html