Another Stocking Thread

[BezsMaracas]

Now I'm finally almost done with my cycling, I'm trying to get an idea of what I can put in my tank. It's 240 litre with slightly taller dimensions than usual - 100cm x 42cm x 64cm.

I'm planning to have a group of corydoras (10+) and a bristlenose or two for the bottom of the tank, a group of barbs (not sure which yet, never kept them before but I'd like an active non-nipper) and then finishing off with several angels. I don't want the tank looking too diverse with loads of different types of fish but I would also like to have a bit of variety as well. Would I have room for another type of fish in here, and if so anything that would go nicely with these?

I don't think I'll have any aggression issues with the other fish but wondering how many angels I can realistically keep together in this setup?

 

[SamLovesCorys]

I think 2 angels would be ok, maybe more.

Red-line torpedo barbs are awesome, would be good in your tank but are a bit pricey

 

[ParadiseGuerrero]

Barbs wise, most of them do nip but do you like the look of black Ruby Barbs? They're boisterous and active and the males colour up really easily so you get a mix of bright half red half black fish and stripy tiger barb look alikes. They also don't nip.

 

[BezsMaracas]

I like the look of those black ruby barbs, nice colours. I suppose if I wasn't going for barbs I could try something like rummynose tetras, pretty sure they're not going to nip anything.

 

[SamLovesCorys]

I have some rummynoses, they are great. They shoal really tightly

 

[lloyd]

torpeda barbs need a bigger tank than the one you have also ruby barbs and torpedo barbs are both temperate water fish.

would you consider tetras, they are generally lesss boisterous than barbs which your angels will appreciate. y not try a pair of dwarf cichlids as well or some hatchet fish for the top of your tank

 

[Wills]

The best person to ask on Angels is Mattlee

Only thing I would add is there is a risk the Rummy Nose would go missing. Perhaps some kind of disk Tetra would be good, if you like red ones what about Flame Tetras or Bleeding Hearts?

Wills

 

[BezsMaracas]

Yes I'd definitely consider tetras, had a large group of x-ray tetras in my last tank and loved them. The rummynose seem almost identical except for the obvious

Thanks for the ideas, I definitely like the idea of having something that will swim closer to the surface, there are that many different types it's hard to know where to start looking.

 

[Teacher Martyn]

Take care if you happen to consider silver-tip tetras. Every resource says they're peaceful yet my tank is a war zone every evening.

Read deeper and tap into some forums and you discover it's the same for a lot of other people.

They're lovely though.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I have 3 angels together and they do well together. It really depends on the angel itself. They will decide if they want other angels around.some will prefer tankmates, others will want to be alone. Most shoaling tetras seems to do will with them. I have lampeyed tetras with them, and they don't bother each other. As far as barbs, i don't know. I have cherry barbs and that seems to work well also. Rams work well also as they hang in different areas of the tank.

 

[mattlee]

i would 100% go with tetras along side angels. angels dont like bigger fish being boistrous around them which most barbs would be. tetras all the way and as wills said you are much safer adding the rounder disc shaped species. i have a group of rosy tetra in with my angels which can be a bit active but only amongst themselves, just make sure you get a nice sized group. none of them have nipped my angels and the angels have beautifull fins due to this. i also have a group of 25 cardianls which are the more risky long bodied tetra shape but they do get that bit bigger than neons etc so are normally safe along with emperor tetra and usually rummynose. its best to give the tetras a bit of a chance by having some plants and wood for them to escape if things do get heated in there.

my stocking in my 60x18x24 is at the minute

12 medium angels
25 cardinals
13 rosy tetra
2 L200
1 L128
1 L187
1 L309
7 bolivian rams

they all get on great with each other and i think thats due to the good numbers of each species as they only bother each other and nothing else. if you want to grow the angels up from very young there is no reason you cant get a group of 6-8 and then move a few on as they get bigger, keeping your favourites from the group or the ones that live in peace together. if you get a pair form from the group which they can do at quite a small size you have to decide if you want a pair or a group. a pair will get territorial when laying eggs which can involve damage and conflict with other tank mates and if you dont want to breed them it may be better to let the pair go and keep the rest. although there is no guarentee that another pair wont form.... they are not a fish that can be sexed by looking at them you need to see the male and female parts to distinguish and these only appear when they are in the mood. some males will grow a slight nuchal hump on the head as they get to full size but not always.

if given the room in the tank i think you could have 4-6 adult angels in that tank as long as they got on with each other, also depending on what species you go for. the species normally found at the lfs are scalare and most are bred for colouration which is why there are so many to choose from. i have a group of Leopoldi which are a natural species and they dont grow as large as the other types. there are also some very specialist angels like the Altum and santa isabella which will normally have to be bought from a specialist and at a very high price, both these species require ultimate care and discus like water parameters with higher temperatures to thrive and both get very tall. i also have a group of wild red spotted angels which again may get slightly bigger in height than the scalare but not in body size.

 

[BezsMaracas]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Would bolivian rams be counted as dwarf cichlids? I don't think they grow too big...

So maybe for starters..

4 small angels
10+ rummynose / rosy tetras
10 corydoras (not sure which sort yet)
1 or 2 bristlenose
2-4 rams?

Definitely don't want to overstock, and I know how big angels can get, had a pair in my last tank which were huge tip to tip. Does that sort of stock sound ok?

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I think it looks nice. In a tank that size, I would say def. go with two bristlenoses. And if you get a m/f pair, they make cute babies. To give an example of what you can do with a tank that size, I have a 50g with 3 angels, 10 lampeyed tetras, 10 cherry barbs, 2 bolivian rams, 11 cories, and 2 bristlnoses.

 

[BezsMaracas]

I think it looks nice. In a tank that size, I would say def. go with two bristlenoses. And if you get a m/f pair, they make cute babies. To give an example of what you can do with a tank that size, I have a 50g with 3 angels, 10 lampeyed tetras, 10 cherry barbs, 2 bolivian rams, 11 cories, and 2 bristlnoses.

Sounds like I'm copying you now

I love plecs, the last one I had was incredibly shy though so hardly ever saw him. Hoping that a pair would be a bit more on the active side and not so shy.

 

[mattlee]

yes bolivain rams are classed as dwarf cichlids and dont get very big at all. i would go for 4 as they are much better in a bigger group

i have L200 and L128 in my tank and they are always out and about which is a real bonus as they are stunning plecs. my L309 BN is very rarely seen which is a real shame as he too is stunning