Does Anyone have any Stocking suggestions

[Coryking]

So as some may know I have been lowly working on a South East Asian themed fish tank. I've decided to cancel the project as I'm just not enjoying the hobby. WhistlingBadger, Essjay, Wills and any one else that helped thank you for all your suggestions.

Now on to my plan. I'm hoping to get a Racking system. Anyone got any suggestions for good brands?

Now for my 30 gallon I want to do something fun. I was thinking some dwarf plecos, platys, gobies and or killifish. The current stocking is a very peaceful three spot gourami, 3 wrestling halfbeaks, 5 endlers and 9 kuhli Loach's. Anyone got any suggestions, any fun fish that are plant safe.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Byron]

Please give us the water parameters--GH and pH especially.

 

[Coryking]

Please give us the water parameters--GH and pH especially.

From my last tests PH 7.2 GH 13dH

 

[Beastije]

Fun fish in appearance or behavior? but compatible with the current inhabitants, yes? Due to the gourami, I suspect tank is low flow?

 

[Coryking]

Fun fish in appearance or behavior?

Thanks very much Beastije fun fish in behaviour I was thinking of fish that easy breed or fish that just are different and fun to watch. Fish that will reignite my passion for the hobby.

but compatible with the current inhabitants, yes?

Yes compatible with the current inhabitants excluding fry. They must be plant safe.

Due to the gourami, I suspect tank is low flow?

Yes low flow.

 

[Beastije]

Thanks very much Beastije fun fish in behaviour I was thinking of fish that easy breed or fish that just are different and fun to watch. Fish that will reignite my passion for the hobby.

Yes compatible with the current inhabitants excluding fry. They must be plant safe.

Yes low flow.

I hope someone more experienced will comment about this too, but I have recently obtained a juvenile group of 5 bolivian rams and I absolutely adore them. To your volume and due to other inhabitant I would go with one b-ram only, as it would be too small for even a pair and they dont pair well, but those fish are really showing me how fun is it to have fish.
Due to the gourami and halfbeak I would avoid boisterous, too fast or nippy fish, like mollies, platies, barbs,.... I have a group of rummynose tetras (bleheri) and they are stunning in the shoaling, but otherwise not so interesting, unless you count their ability to tear food to bits. I also have white cloud minnows, interesting fish, easy to please, their flashing behavior between the males is nice to watch. However they do not spawn in the community tank, because the other minnows will eat the eggs and the fry dont handle too big tanks in finding food, so they need a spawning tank for a pair. They are so much more fun than any tetra I have had so far.
Or if you provide territory for them to not compete with the kuhlis, some nice pair of a colored pleco or Rineloricaria lanceolata could be a fun fish to breed. They do not hide that much I read.

 

[Beastije]

Ofcourse the temp requirement of minnows and gourami are on the opposite ends, so please forget I mentioned them

 

[Coryking]

I hope someone more experienced will comment about this too, but I have recently obtained a juvenile group of 5 bolivian rams and I absolutely adore them. To your volume and due to other inhabitant I would go with one b-ram only, as it would be too small for even a pair and they dont pair well, but those fish are really showing me how fun is it to have fish.
Due to the gourami and halfbeak I would avoid boisterous, too fast or nippy fish, like mollies, platies, barbs,.... I have a group of rummynose tetras (bleheri) and they are stunning in the shoaling, but otherwise not so interesting, unless you count their ability to tear food to bits. I also have white cloud minnows, interesting fish, easy to please, their flashing behavior between the males is nice to watch. However they do not spawn in the community tank, because the other minnows will eat the eggs and the fry dont handle too big tanks in finding food, so they need a spawning tank for a pair. They are so much more fun than any tetra I have had so far.
Or if you provide territory for them to not compete with the kuhlis, some nice pair of a colored pleco or Rineloricaria lanceolata could be a fun fish to breed. They do not hide that much I read.

Thanks for the feedback. The rams sound interesting. I've seen some at my LFS so it certainly won't be a problem getting one.

The rummy nose I'm less keen on. There one of the only fish I just don't like the look of. Ive seen how they shoal and I agree that does look stunning. If their is a fish similar to the rummy nose I would certainly be interested.

As for the white clouds, I have been eyeing up a small group for a while for my other tank but a large group would look stunning. I know you say

Ofcourse the temp requirement of minnows and gourami are on the opposite ends, so please forget I mentioned them

But I thought white clouds can live in tropical, with the catch they have a slightly shorter life.

As for the whiptail, I used to have one in the tank before I moved it into my other tank. I don't really like the whiptail as much as I used to. As for the plecos, that has me very interested. I recently brought a flash pleco for my other tank and I've been loving him or her. My one question if do get some plecos, should they all be the same species or could there be two different species like candy strip and bristlenoses.

When I was last at my LFS their was one fish that caught my interest Goodeid, I believe they were butterfly Goodeid. There are a type of rareish Livebearer. I have read a while back they can be a bit aggressive to each other but does anyone know if they would be suitable for my tank. Thanks a lot.

 

[Akeath]

I've kept Platies with quite a few long-finned fish and they never nipped or touched anyone's fins. Platies come in some lovely colors, and breeding them can be rewarding. They do best in hard and alkaline water, but otherwise are known to be hardy.

As far as Dwarf Plecos, I've always liked my Bristlenoses. However, they are shy masters of disguise, so only try them if you don't mind a "where's Waldo" situation. To be able to better spot my current Bristlenose I went ahead and splurged and got an Albino Longfin Bristlenose. She started white but turned cream as she aged, and she has incredibly huge lacey fans that are almost Betta-like in their flow and beauty. I just love her.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I went ahead and splurged and got an Albino Longfin Bristlenose. She started white but turned cream as she aged, and she has incredibly huge lacey fans that are almost Betta-like in their flow and beauty. I just love her.

I have a yen to get one of these! And I know someone who has long finned lemon bristlenoses that I could get for £7 and I'm so tempted by! But it's the albino I've really been wanting. They look so elegant! And I rarely get to see my two L181's, they love to hide in their bogwood caves, and blend in so well I have to lurk at mealtimes, and enjoy the times I see them when I'm cleaning around their spots and disturb them! Sorry pleco gals, I gotta clean up that pleco poop!

 

[Coryking]

I've kept Platies with quite a few long-finned fish and they never nipped or touched anyone's fins. Platies come in some lovely colors, and breeding them can be rewarding. They do best in hard and alkaline water, but otherwise are known to be hardy.

Thanks for the feed back. It's good to know the Platies will be okay to keep with my current fish. If I decide to get some

As far as Dwarf Plecos, I've always liked my Bristlenoses. However, they are shy masters of disguise, so only try them if you don't mind a "where's Waldo" situation. To be able to better spot my current Bristlenose I went ahead and splurged and got an Albino Longfin Bristlenose. She started white but turned cream as she aged, and she has incredibly huge lacey fans that are almost Betta-like in their flow and beauty. I just love her.

Yes I don't mind the 'wheres Waldo' situation its just part of the fun. Albino long fins do have me interested. She sound lovely. My one concern would be the kuhli Loach's nipping their fins.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Thanks for the feed back. It's good to know the Platies will be okay to keep with my current fish.

Yes I don't mind the 'wheres Waldo' situation its just part of the fun. Albino long fins do have me interested. She sound lovely. My one concern would be the kuhli Loach's nipping their fins.

Do kuhli loaches nip fins?? I've never heard that before, but I've never kept them either.

When you say you're interested in dwarf plecos, which sorta species do you mean? 'Cos a 30 gallon isn't a huge tank, plecs are messy, and if you're hoping to breed but have to grow say six bristlenose out together, that would be pretty overstocked unless you removed the "spares" quickly and just kept a pair - even a pair might be pushing it in a 30g, especially if they breed and lots of young survive. But I've not bred them myself either, check out @seangee 's new thread!

If nothing is really appealing at the moment though, then I wouldn't rush out to buy new fish and try to force it. Sometimes your interest wanes for a while until something grabs you and sucks you back in again. Could just maintain what you have, make plans for the racking system (what are you planning for the racking system stocking? Breeding? That sounds like a pretty big project already!) and just leave the stocking in the 30g as it is for now, until something really grabs you?

 

[Coryking]

Do kuhli loaches nip fins?? I've never heard that before, but I've never kept them either.

Well kuhli loaches are scavengers so I thought if they saw massive white fins they may see it as food

When you say you're interested in dwarf plecos, which sorta species do you mean? 'Cos a 30 gallon isn't a huge tank, plecs are messy, and if you're hoping to breed but have to grow say six bristlenose out together, that would be pretty overstocked unless you removed the "spares" quickly and just kept a pair - even a pair might be pushing it in a 30g, especially if they breed and lots of young survive. But I've not bred them myself either, check out @seangee 's new thread!

If nothing is really appealing at the moment though, then I wouldn't rush out to buy new fish and try to force it. Sometimes your interest wanes for a while until something grabs you and sucks you back in again. Could just maintain what you have, make plans for the racking system (what are you planning for the racking system stocking? Breeding? That sounds like a pretty big project already!) and just leave the stocking in the 30g as it is for now, until something really grabs you?

Well I was thinking of flash plecos but now the bristlenose has me interested. I can understand if the tank is too small for a pair. Breeding them was just an idea I thought of.


Well for the rack( anyone got any good brands) I was hoping to put small shrimp tank or some small fish like dwarf gold barbs on the rack.

 

[Acorno]

Thanks for the feedback. The rams sound interesting. I've seen some at my LFS so it certainly won't be a problem getting one.

The rummy nose I'm less keen on. There one of the only fish I just don't like the look of. Ive seen how they shoal and I agree that does look stunning. If their is a fish similar to the rummy nose I would certainly be interested.

As for the white clouds, I have been eyeing up a small group for a while for my other tank but a large group would look stunning. I know you say

But I thought white clouds can live in tropical, with the catch they have a slightly shorter life.

As for the whiptail, I used to have one in the tank before I moved it into my other tank. I don't really like the whiptail as much as I used to. As for the plecos, that has me very interested. I recently brought a flash pleco for my other tank and I've been loving him or her. My one question if do get some plecos, should they all be the same species or could there be two different species like candy strip and bristlenoses.

When I was last at my LFS their was one fish that caught my interest Goodeid, I believe they were butterfly Goodeid. There are a type of rareish Livebearer. I have read a while back they can be a bit aggressive to each other but does anyone know if they would be suitable for my tank. Thanks a lot.

Red eye tetras have a similar behavior to rummy nose but have a different shape. So I tend to prefer them.

 

[Back in the fold]

I would add another nine Kuhlii’s.