46 Gallon Community Aquarium Opinions

[KeeperOfFishyPeace]

Hello all you fish lovers out there! Even though I signed up today I am not a newbie to fishkeeping. I have a sucessful 5 gallon tank which thrives. I have done some research on fish and tanks and came up with a possible list of fish to put into a 46 gallon community tank. I'm planning to get it at Christmas time but i really want to have a good knowledge in advance regarding several topics. Each species has its adult length show(length combined if more than 1 fish). Here it goes:

x6 tetras 12" (similar to diamond tetra with either a baby blue or light pink color)

x4 otocinclus 6"

x3 ballon mollies 6" (love the little guys!)

x2 corydoras 5"

x2 angelfish 10"

x2 dwarf gouramis 5"

x1 blood parrot cichlid 7"

x1 clown loach 6"

TOTAL: 57" of fish

Well, that's it. I know I'm a bit over the amount of fish you should have in an aquarium but from past experience its all about maintence and studying the fish. For food i'll have a great variety of brine shrimp, quality fish flakes, bloodworms, tubifex worms and some algae based flakes as well. I'll also have several hiding spots (some large, some small) like imitation logs and caves. Also, a nice mix of real and synthetic plants will span almost the whole rear of the tank for extra hiding and so the tank looks good too! Beneath it all will lie a mix of small to medium sized smooth tan/brown colored gravel. Well, hopefully the posts will come!! What do you guys think? Any suggestions?

 

[ImperfectFaerie]

Not to be rude, but your asking a question and then saying it doesn't matter because you are experienced and that is how you are going to do it? I guess I'm confused as to what kind of response you are looking for then...?

 

[bluefire]

yeh i agree, not the best attude towards fish keeping. Seeing as its only your second tank (first decent sized one) you shouldn't put more fish in it than is recommended, the less fish the easier it will be to keep them alive.

I recomend that you don't have the clown loach, they need groups of at least 4-5 and probably not the blood parrot either as it may possibly be to agressive( not sure on this one never kept them myself)

 

[wendywc]

I second your thoughts, bluefire.

How long has your 5 gallon been setup for, KeeperOfFishyPeace? Both setups are too overstocked for me, but I guess I'm just a lazy fishkeeper. It's just easier when it's slightly understocked instead of over.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Where did you get the idea that clown loaches max out at 6 inches? They can grow quite a bit bigger than that- and they are schooling fish, so you would need a group of at least three.

Corydoras also are schooling fish. I don't think you would see a lot of them in this setup.

I really do not see a pair of dwarf gouramis being happy in the same smallish tank as a blood parrot cichlid.
I am also dubious about the angels and the blood parrot. To put it simply, will there be room for territories in there for three species of territorial fish? And how were you planning to get the pair of angels? The way usually recommended is to buy a small group, then let them pair off- have you got the space for that with everything else that is going on in this tank?

As you say, it is all about studying the fish- and the first part of studying should take place before purchase. Otherwise known as research.

 

[KeeperOfFishyPeace]

First of all, I haven't set up my aquarium, and secondly, I have done some changes to my set-up. I thank you dor your advice so I have decided not to add the clown loach. Also, in my 5 gal., my cory is fine by itself. My friends have said the same thing, no problems. As for territory, I am sure to include lots of hiding places. In my knowledge, and others at my pet store, dwarf gouramis and a parrot cichlid are fine together, just add places to hide which i will; they even have a community tank there where they keep them happily living together. With angelfish i dunno what to do yet. What should i do?

thanx


all you need is care when you have a bit more fish...water changes, hiding places e.t.c

 

[KeeperOfFishyPeace]

parrot cichlids are timid fish which need a place to hide. if they don't, they will be a bit pushy though. any thoughts about the angelfish?

 

[fishdawg]

ABSOLUTLY NO to the 2 corrys. You need atleast 7 or 8 or more for a 46g.

 

[Gankutsuou]

parrots get large, and your tetra can be at risk.
Angels will put your tetra at risk and are fairly agressive.
How the angels will fair with the parrot is unknown, but both are known to be kinda.... yeah... not a good idea.
And I don't have the slightest clue where you find 10 inch long angels... but have fun with that.

 

[ImperfectFaerie]

I can't imagine our cory's alone or just two, they are such social guys they really interact with eachother quite a bit and explore all over. I'd say a big no to that one, give them the group they need ;-}

 

[Kuhni]

I feel that you shouldn't have the blood parrot, angels or the clown loach. Instead think of creating denser shoals for the shoaling fish you already have chosen. I believe a community aquarium should be a safe environment therefore having angels and tetras adds un-needed Stress.

 

[falcodarkzz]

In my experience I have found thaty dwarf gouramis and mollies fight, and I dont reccomend putting them together.
Choose one of the two to keep, personally I prefer dwarf gouramis.

 

[KeeperOfFishyPeace]

ok, i agree. from what i heard im not going to include the angelfish or cory. but, i still really love the parrot cichlidand dwarf gouramis so im staying with it. i just need a lot of dense vegetation and hiding spots like logs and caves, right?

 

[KeeperOfFishyPeace]

I'm making a whole new set-up (basically) it'll take some time to think of it though!