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Stocking a 260L aquarium

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EmJay

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I'm upgrading from 180L to 260L but would like some inspiration what to stock it with please.

I currently have in my 180L:
4 x Atya gabonensis (Various sizes)(Vampire shrimp/Giant fan shrimp/Armoured shrimp)
5 x Amano shrimp
Numerous Red cherry shrimp
2 x Sunset platy (1 adult, 1 young)
7 x Endlers
5 x Ember tetra
4 x Cardinal tetra
6 x Assassin snails
1 x Bristlenose pleco

These have all been together for around 2 years (hence the dwindling number of tetras and platys), with the exception of the Endlers which were added around 5 months ago.
I will definitely be keeping all my shrimp as I really enjoy them, but I'm not sure whether I want to keep the fish I already have and add to them, or whether to start again with different fish.
I never really see my Bristlenose pleco, even at feeding time, and the Endlers tend to chase my other fish.

Whatever I keep will be transferred to the 260L and I will be closing down the 180L tank, as I don't have room for both tanks unfortunately.

JBL pro aquatest shows:
PH 6.8 - 7.2
GH 21 d/375 ppm
KH 3-6 d/53-107 ppm

I'm looking for inspiration of what you would stock if it was your tank, but they must be compatible with my shrimp please as I'm definitely keeping those.
 
Last edited:
EmJay said:
6 x Assassin snails
Click to expand...
I would not recommend assassin snails because they will freely eat the shrimps and smaller fish. I would definitely get cool apple snails or nerite snails:

Snails

UK Online Retailer For Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina) and Taiwan Bee Shrimp (Caridina), Nerite Snails, Tropica Plants and shrimp food. Based in Forest Row, East Sussex. We are a breeder & importer of ornamental shrimp for the aquarium hobby. We have a huge selection of shrimp and secure shipping...
forestaquatics.co.uk
What is your pH, GH and KH?
 
Hey! I've also got some fan shrimp, they're absolute characters! The more you have, I find the friendlier they are. More bold, and very energetic. Providing plenty of space for them to hide (mine like to sit beneath the broad leaves of my anubias plants, and the many caves I've got in the tank) will help them adjust to your tank as it makes them feel safer in their surroundings.

Ideally, you should keep fish that roughly match the kind of water you have. If you have softer, more acidic water, I would aim for keeping the shrimp, snails and tetras. If you have harder, more alkaline water, I would gravitate towards keeping the endlers and platys.

First of all, I would certainly keep the plec. Depending on how you set up your new tank, you can fashion its hide-outs to suit both you and the fish by creating caves with openings that you can see into when standing before the tank. When you feed the tank, drop algae wafers where you can get a good view of everything. This seemed to work with my plec, encouraging him to come out of his hiding spots during the day for some food. In addition, give him a big chunk of cucumber, courgette, bell pepper, or carrot (sunk to the bottom either with a food clip, handles of a suction cup driven into the underside, or by tying a pebble to it) and it may catch his interest.

For the tetras, you could do with adding some more to both groups. Safety in numbers is a great rule to follow with tetras, and you'll notice a huge increase in their activity when you add some more into the tank. Cardinals are a great choice, as are embers, because they stand out so much against the rest of the tank. Ideally, tetras may be kept in planted tanks. Here's a link to itiwhetu's take on cardinal (and neon) tetras if you're interested.

Endlers and platys, both being livebearers, are prolific breeders. Endlers not so much as other livebearer species (like guppies), but they will still breed given you have both a male and a female in your tank. That being said, they are eye-catching fish for sure, and are great fish to substitute your tetras if you choose to rehome those. Keeping both tetras and endlers in a tank is not always problematic, though I believe it comes down to personal experience - as you will know, since yours don't seem to enjoy each other's company.


All the shrimp should be compatible with your fish in terms of how they'll interact, but if your cherry shrimp are weak or ill, there is a rare chance in which the assassin snails may take a nibble. Note that this is a very rare occurrence, and it isn't likely to happen if your shrimp are kept in good health and the snails don't get too hungry - which they likely won't.

It should also be taken into account that your water parameters do come into play when considering the compatibility of your fish. For example, the platys prefer harder water conditions whereas the cardinal tetras prefer softer water. pH is another matter, some saying that it doesn't matter in the slightest, others saying that pH is what makes or breaks your tank. There was an article on that matter posted a week or so ago, linked here along with some opinions from those on the forum.

Sorry for the massive info-dump there, if you can take anything from it I do applaud you! 🤣
Hope this is helpful, good luck with the new tank!
 
StripySnailGirl04 said:
I would not recommend assassin snails because they will freely eat the shrimps and smaller fish. I would definitely get cool apple snails or nerite snails:

Snails

UK Online Retailer For Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina) and Taiwan Bee Shrimp (Caridina), Nerite Snails, Tropica Plants and shrimp food. Based in Forest Row, East Sussex. We are a breeder & importer of ornamental shrimp for the aquarium hobby. We have a huge selection of shrimp and secure shipping...
forestaquatics.co.uk
What is your pH, GH and Kh
Click to expand...

StripySnailGirl04 said:
I would not recommend assassin snails because they will freely eat the shrimps and smaller fish. I would definitely get cool apple snails or nerite snails:

Snails

UK Online Retailer For Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina) and Taiwan Bee Shrimp (Caridina), Nerite Snails, Tropica Plants and shrimp food. Based in Forest Row, East Sussex. We are a breeder & importer of ornamental shrimp for the aquarium hobby. We have a huge selection of shrimp and secure shipping...
forestaquatics.co.uk
What is your pH, GH and KH?
Click to expand...

They have all been together for over 2 years with no issues.
JBL pro aquatest shows
PH 6.8 - 7.2
GH 21 d/375 ppm
KH 3-6 d/53-107 ppm
 
PlasticGalaxy said:
Hey! I've also got some fan shrimp, they're absolute characters! The more you have, I find the friendlier they are. More bold, and very energetic. Providing plenty of space for them to hide (mine like to sit beneath the broad leaves of my anubias plants, and the many caves I've got in the tank) will help them adjust to your tank as it makes them feel safer in their surroundings.

Ideally, you should keep fish that roughly match the kind of water you have. If you have softer, more acidic water, I would aim for keeping the shrimp, snails and tetras. If you have harder, more alkaline water, I would gravitate towards keeping the endlers and platys.

First of all, I would certainly keep the plec. Depending on how you set up your new tank, you can fashion its hide-outs to suit both you and the fish by creating caves with openings that you can see into when standing before the tank. When you feed the tank, drop algae wafers where you can get a good view of everything. This seemed to work with my plec, encouraging him to come out of his hiding spots during the day for some food. In addition, give him a big chunk of cucumber, courgette, bell pepper, or carrot (sunk to the bottom either with a food clip, handles of a suction cup driven into the underside, or by tying a pebble to it) and it may catch his interest.

For the tetras, you could do with adding some more to both groups. Safety in numbers is a great rule to follow with tetras, and you'll notice a huge increase in their activity when you add some more into the tank. Cardinals are a great choice, as are embers, because they stand out so much against the rest of the tank. Ideally, tetras may be kept in planted tanks. Here's a link to itiwhetu's take on cardinal (and neon) tetras if you're interested.

Endlers and platys, both being livebearers, are prolific breeders. Endlers not so much as other livebearer species (like guppies), but they will still breed given you have both a male and a female in your tank. That being said, they are eye-catching fish for sure, and are great fish to substitute your tetras if you choose to rehome those. Keeping both tetras and endlers in a tank is not always problematic, though I believe it comes down to personal experience - as you will know, since yours don't seem to enjoy each other's company.


All the shrimp should be compatible with your fish in terms of how they'll interact, but if your cherry shrimp are weak or ill, there is a rare chance in which the assassin snails may take a nibble. Note that this is a very rare occurrence, and it isn't likely to happen if your shrimp are kept in good health and the snails don't get too hungry - which they likely won't.

It should also be taken into account that your water parameters do come into play when considering the compatibility of your fish. For example, the platys prefer harder water conditions whereas the cardinal tetras prefer softer water. pH is another matter, some saying that it doesn't matter in the slightest, others saying that pH is what makes or breaks your tank. There was an article on that matter posted a week or so ago, linked here along with some opinions from those on the forum.

Sorry for the massive info-dump there, if you can take anything from it I do applaud you! 🤣
Hope this is helpful, good luck with the new tank!
Click to expand...
Yes, I love to watch my Fan shrimp. They are so fascinating. How many have you got in your tank?

I did have more of my Tetras but they've dwindled down over the last 2 years. If I keep them then I will be topping them back up.

I've had no issues with my assassin snails.
 
EmJay said:
Yes, I love to watch my Fan shrimp. They are so fascinating. How many have you got in your tank?
Click to expand...
I've got 6 right now. Witnessed a scuffle between two this morning. Very strange creatures. My family says they look like Predator without his mask on. Named all of mine after Mortal Kombat characters.
EmJay said:
I did have more of my Tetras but they've dwindled down over the last 2 years. If I keep them then I will be topping them back up.
Click to expand...
Tends to happen unfortunately. I managed to keep 6 of my original 8 rummynose tetras at the very least, but wasn't so lucky with previous species.
 
PlasticGalaxy said:
I've got 6 right now. Witnessed a scuffle between two this morning. Very strange creatures. My family says they look like Predator without his mask on. Named all of mine after Mortal Kombat characters.

Tends to happen unfortunately. I managed to keep 6 of my original 8 rummynose tetras at the very least, but wasn't so lucky with previous species.
Click to expand...
What size tank do you have?
We tend to name ours after Marvel characters.
My 4 are a mix of pink or blue and are different sizes.
 
EmJay said:
What size tank do you have?
We tend to name ours after Marvel characters.
My 4 are a mix of pink or blue and are different sizes.
Click to expand...
Got a lovely 230L, 4ft with some lovely plecs, clown loaches, those shrimp and some other folks. Haven't posted pics in a while since the plants look a bit scruffy, but this was when I first put it up.
1643549566828.png
 
They do! Probably more than the plecos themselves actually. Definitely don't regret buying them, but they do require some extra cleaning on the count of lots of muck drops in through the spaces between them.
 
PlasticGalaxy said:
Apologies, I got that mixed up. Please don't be so blunt, I simply made a mistake :)
Click to expand...
you can keep them, never had much of a issue, just add some mineral stones so they can get extra calcium.
 
PlasticGalaxy said:
They do! Probably more than the plecos themselves actually. Definitely don't regret buying them, but they do require some extra cleaning on the count of lots of muck drops in through the spaces between them.
Click to expand...
I've currently got wood, rocks and plants and had been toying with getting some of those Pleco caves, but wasn't sure if they'd use them. I'll look at getting some now.

Have you ever had any issues between your Plecos and Fan shrimp?
 
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