380 litre community tank

[john5748]

Hi I have a 380 litre community tank and I am a little unsure if I can add more fish or not, I have seen the general guide about 1 inch of fish to every 5 gallon of water and have worked out that I am about half stocked I think?

I currently have the following fish:

1 x Moonlight Gourami
1 x Dwarf Gourami
8 x Neon Tetras
2 x Scissortails
2 Neon Tip Tetras
2 x Zebra Danios
2 x Thai Glass Catfish
2 x Bristlenose Catfish
2 x Black Red Tailed Sharks

and about thirty guppy fry, unfortunatley the mother died not long after the birth, I have the fry in a breeding net.

I know someone will have a go at me for having two of the sharks in the same tank, but I made the mistake of trusting my lfs when first starting out and I have made hiding places for both fish and they no longer fight like they used to and live quite happily now.

If I do have room for anymore fish, ideally I am after just a couple of colourful fish which would grow to the same size of my Moonlight Gourami.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[maxpayne_lhp]

2 x Black Red Tailed Sharks

Hey, I think these guys are very territorial!

 

[Ferris]

You certainly have room for more fish in that tank. I also wouldn't worry too much about the RTBS, again in a tank that size, there is room for them to avoid each other.

As for additions, you've got loads of options as your current stock doesn't rule much out (except more sharks lol). Personally I'd go for Rainbowfish, there are lots of colour variations, they are fairly peaceful and most only grow slightly bigger than Moonlight Gouramis. There are also dwarf species available.

 

[john5748]

2 x Black Red Tailed Sharks

Hey, I think these guys are very territorial!

Yeah I know the curse of the lfs - research + newbie strikes again.

But the tank is quite large and I have made a few places they can call their own, so they seem to tolerate each other now more than they did before.

That was the best I could do as when I found out that they were incompatable the lfs refused to take one of them back.

 

[Ferris]

Your tank is very large, 380 litres is big and that is the only reason your RTBS should be OK. They have loads of room to establish their own territories, yes they will occasionally meet but again, loads of room to escape/retreat.

 

[maxpayne_lhp]

Okie,,, I'm not that lucky (Maybe because of the fact that the tank's lightly-planted and I don't provide enough places) But the 2 RTBSs of mine always chase each other!

 

[Ferris]

Okie,,, I'm not that lucky (Maybe because of the fact that the tank's lightly-planted and I don't provide enough places) But the 2 RTBSs of mine always chase each other!

That's actually normal, don't worry. 2 RTBS together is usally a no-no, its is only possible if you have a VERY large tank and even then there are risks.

My 1st fish was a RTBS from a friend who made the mistake of buying 2. The one i ended up with was terrorising the other, mind you that was in a 20 gal

 

[Griz]

I would recomend starting with more of what you already have. Increase your school of neons to at least a dozen and even more if you like. More scissortails and or zebra danios too. Neon tip tetras? or do you mean silver tip? if it is, several more of them would make a nice school as well.

 

[oldskool]

Have a look at some dwarf rainbows - I have 2 and the large they get and the more time they have to settle down the more vivid the colors they display - stunning

 

[john5748]

I would recomend starting with more of what you already have. Increase your school of neons to at least a dozen and even more if you like. More scissortails and or zebra danios too. Neon tip tetras? or do you mean silver tip? if it is, several more of them would make a nice school as well.

I have seen some cardinal tetras at my lfs would a school of them (about 12) fit in with the rest of tank occupants if I increased my scissortails, zebra danios and silver tip tetras from 2 to 6 of each.

 

[abstract]

i would go with a school of boesmani rainbows!!

http/www.ekkwill.com/boesrain.html

or a larger school of praecox (dwarf neon) rainbows

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...9827&hl=rainbow

 

[john5748]

i would go with a school of boesmani rainbows!!

http/www.ekkwill.com/boesrain.html

That boesmani rainbow is a beautiful looking fish which I can almost imagine swimming around in my tank already, how many of these would you recommend because I cannot find it in the directory anywhere.

Are these fish commonly available?

 

[abstract]

i do not know how commonly available they are in your country, but here in the US i see them at least once a month in the local fish stores and almost all the time in chain stores.. they cost between 5 and 9 USD each ... in that size tank you could get a bunch - keep in mind they get big (up to 5") - i wouldn't hesitate to add a school of 6 though ...even if they don't look as amazing as the picture in the store, once they start getting some meaty foods their coloration will be absolutely amazing and i think they would go great in your setup (they are my favorite "schooling fish" by far - i quoted schooling fish because i don't know if they are considered schooling)..

you may have better luck searching by it's scientific name "Melanotaenia boesmani" or as just "Boesman's Rainbow" ..

good luck, hope that helps

 

[john5748]

Thanks very much for your advice abstact, guess I will be taking a trip to my lfs this week to check it out after a bit more research online.

I would appreciate anyone from the UK letting me know how easy these fish are to acquire.

Has anyone else got any suggestions for my tank before my shopping list gets too full?