Can I add a group of Panda Garra? Got a 52 Gallon Planted Community Tank

[Nameer_K]

Hi, I have a 52 gallon (200L), 3.4 foot long and heavily planted. My stocking is an angelfish, 10 neon Tetra, 4 cherry barbs, 5 albino corydoras, 1 Siamese algae eater and 3 guppies and 3 mollies.
The tank is filtered by a fluval 307, holds media but I think it will be under filtered. I’ll pickup a large sponge filter or two. I know they need flow, will be getting a wave maker, used to have an internal filter and the barbs loved the flow, so would be useful,
I’ll be batting aggression by first getting a group of 5, so the aggression will disperse. The only aggression issues I’m thinking are the Otocinculus. The Siamese algae eater could be another but he’s a big boy and no one is messing with him. The oto could be bullied since they all like algae, so I’ve densely planted the tank, so they have hiding places. I’ll be putting the Oto’s food in a small corner just for them, making sure they get food.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

Well, panda garras like a strong current of at least 10 times the volume of the tank per hour and they prefer a tank with not that many plants but rather lots of river rocks and large boulders full of biofilm, the parameters of the panda Garra are ok with the fish you have tho, if you want them I would recommend making them their own aquarium because of the habitat incompatibility and aggression of the species.
Just use a 20 gallon long and you should have no problems keeping this species on their own biotope aquarium with tankmates and plants that better suit their needs and behavior.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

Look dude, this is the garras natural habitat, they would not enjoy a planted aquarium with low flow.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

As for tank mates in case you decide you want to make a biotope for these fish, then I would recommend the next species:
1. Of course the panda Garra themselves, keep 6-10 of them.
2. A good shoal, in this case, Parambassis pulcinella, also endemic to Myanmar, also living in fast-flowing streams, kinda oddball looking, keep a shoal of 15 or more
3. More bottom dwellers so the bottom has a better dynamic, Schistura hypsiura is also endemic to Myanmar, and they are quite large but pacific so they should be fine in a group of 6-10.

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