My Shopping List

[MaxPower]

Greeting all, with my tank cycle now progressing I am looking at what to stock.

Just want some advise on compatibility, aggressiveness and quantities

Some background info for you; 125l planted tank, gravel substrate bit of bogwood and a slate cave.

I would like the following:

• 2 x Bristlenose Plecs
• ? x Corydoras (undecided exactly what yet)
• ? x Cardinal Tetras
• ? x Zebra Danios
• ? x Chiclids (undecided exactly what yet)

I love catfish but I assume there is a limit to the amount of bottomdwellers you can have in a tank. I am also fond of Chiclids but some of these appear to get quite big, any ideas?

 

[arobinson1984]

Its up to you but personally I'd only put 1 BN in a 125L tank, I have just 1 in mine. You may be ok with 2 with good filtration but they are large waste producers.

6-8 x Corydoras (undecided exactly what yet)
8-10 x Cardinal Tetras
4-6 x Zebra Danios
2-4 x Chiclids (undecided exactly what yet)

These figures should work well depending on which sort of tetras and cichlids you are looking at.

Andy

 

[MaxPower]

Its up to you but personally I'd only put 1 BN in a 125L tank, I have just 1 in mine. You may be ok with 2 with good filtration but they are large waste producers.

6-8 x Corydoras (undecided exactly what yet)
8-10 x Cardinal Tetras
4-6 x Zebra Danios
2-4 x Chiclids (undecided exactly what yet)

These figures should work well depending on which sort of tetras and cichlids you are looking at.

Andy

Thats great Andy, the corys will probably be peppered or albino but I need to do some more research on the Cichlids.

Can I add these all at once when cycled? I am going to wait on the cardinals as I have been told they prefer a mature tank.

 

[doresy]

agree on only one bristle nose.

I would also suggest changing the gravel to sand if you want to enjoy your cory at their best and for their benifit.

With that mix possably a pair of Apisto Cichlids with plenty of planting

 

[arobinson1984]

Theoretically speaking, if your doing a fishless cycle and dosing fully upto 5ppm of ammonia then you should be able to fully stock the tank straight away because the fish won't create as much ammonia as 5ppm. You prob be best adding half to be on safe side then add other half a week later.

Regarding the cories, sterbai cories are gorgeous but normally slightly more expensive, if you are wanting bottom dwellers then I wouldn't recommend the albinos because they are super active, mine spends more time speeding around the tank than at the bottom

Andy

 

[MaxPower]

Thanks for the replies all super helpful, I will go with just the one bristlenose as they appear to be happy to be on their own, thats all I was worried about. In terms of the corys I agree the Sterbai are stunning, but I couldn't find any locally when I was looking, I found some about an hours drive away so I may have to return and get them. I may well change my substrate to sand at some point when I get a chance, will they be ok on gravel for a while?

Just had a look at the Apisto Cichlids they look pretty nice, I will have a look at whats available in the vicinity. I will be planting fairly heavily.

Thanks again for the tips.

 

[Tw3lv3]

the gravel may damage bottom dwellers kind of like us sliding on our tummys over gravel slight cuts n scratches ect i have a pleco in a gravel tank until my new 1 is cycled but i deffinatly would change to sand if it were me you can get a 15kg bag of argo's play sand its only about £2.89 and ive heard nothing but good things about it and thats a great deal if it means happier corys

 

[meguro]

the gravel may damage bottom dwellers kind of like us sliding on our tummys over gravel slight cuts n scratches ect

Not quite, remember to factor in buoyancy. But generally speaking, fine gravel or sand is better for just about all bottom dwellers. And it's probably a better idea to switch substrate before adding fish (maybe wait until your cycle is finished).

Have a look at keyhole cichlids if you like (could easily have up to 4 with decent stocking). And I'd probably add around 15+ cardinels, 8-12 zebra danios and 6-10 corys.

edit: actually that needs slight revision as I forgot about the 1x bn.

 

[MaxPower]

the gravel may damage bottom dwellers kind of like us sliding on our tummys over gravel slight cuts n scratches ect i have a pleco in a gravel tank until my new 1 is cycled but i deffinatly would change to sand if it were me you can get a 15kg bag of argo's play sand its only about £2.89 and ive heard nothing but good things about it and thats a great deal if it means happier corys

Ok looks like i'm off to argos next week as I have a week off.

the gravel may damage bottom dwellers kind of like us sliding on our tummys over gravel slight cuts n scratches ect

Not quite, remember to factor in buoyancy. But generally speaking, fine gravel or sand is better for just about all bottom dwellers. And it's probably a better idea to switch substrate before adding fish (maybe wait until your cycle is finished).

Have a look at keyhole cichlids if you like (could easily have up to 4 with decent stocking). And I'd probably add around 15+ cardinels, 8-12 zebra danios and 6-10 corys.

edit: actually that needs slight revision as I forgot about the 1x bn.

I have been contemplating a water change soon (see my latest post in this topic: here) so I could change substrate at this point.

Ill take a look at the keyhole cichlids you suggested and thanks for the suggested quantities.

 

[MaxPower]

Changed the gravel to sand today heres the result:

Also took a trip to the LFS I have been to a lot while my tank was cycling and found one with a good range and the quality of fish seem to be very good.

Can anyone suggest any other cichlids that would be suitable for a community tank of this size, I may not get the danios as they are a bit boring I have decided.

 

[meguro]

rainbow cichlids, keyhole cichlids, bolivian rams and kribensis just don't mix these species indiscriminately though

tanks looking good too just needs a couple of plants

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, good to have made the switch from gravel to sand prior to "making a call" on the end of fishless cycling. The gravel contains much less of the beneficial bacteria than the filter but it still does contribute some, which will have been lost and can now be accounted for. You'd have no way of knowing it but it might add in a day or two prior to you getting "double-zeros" at 12 hours and being able to start your "qualifying week."

I don't think I'd just divide up the stocking for two one-week-apart additions. Instead I'd work on the plan such that all the zebras would definatly be in the first introduction and both the single bristlenose and all the cory would also be initial with the zebras, assuming the people who know the bristlenose think this is ok and that the corys are not pygmys but one of the normal sized hardy types like peppered or bronze (cory types are not the same about water - pandas and some others are very sensitive whereas the majority of more "normal" types are quite hardy) or many others. The cichlids might also be fine for initial intro and I'd include them if the experts say they are the hardy type.

But the cardinals would come much later at 4 to 6 months after the fishless cycle and I'd buy an extra 1 or 2 as you sometimes lose one in transport. If the experts say any of your other choices are sensitive, among the cichlids or corys or the bristlenose, then I'd introduce them later too in small numbers at a time.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[MaxPower]

rainbow cichlids, keyhole cichlids, bolivian rams and kribensis just don't mix these species indiscriminately though

tanks looking good too just needs a couple of plants

Plants are on order, mail order as I wasn't very impressed with the selection locally.

I like the looks of the bolivian rams I thought they were fairly aggressive though is this true?

Yes, good to have made the switch from gravel to sand prior to "making a call" on the end of fishless cycling. The gravel contains much less of the beneficial bacteria than the filter but it still does contribute some, which will have been lost and can now be accounted for. You'd have no way of knowing it but it might add in a day or two prior to you getting "double-zeros" at 12 hours and being able to start your "qualifying week."

I don't think I'd just divide up the stocking for two one-week-apart additions. Instead I'd work on the plan such that all the zebras would definatly be in the first introduction and both the single bristlenose and all the cory would also be initial with the zebras, assuming the people who know the bristlenose think this is ok and that the corys are not pygmys but one of the normal sized hardy types like peppered or bronze (cory types are not the same about water - pandas and some others are very sensitive whereas the majority of more "normal" types are quite hardy) or many others. The cichlids might also be fine for initial intro and I'd include them if the experts say they are the hardy type.

But the cardinals would come much later at 4 to 6 months after the fishless cycle and I'd buy an extra 1 or 2 as you sometimes lose one in transport. If the experts say any of your other choices are sensitive, among the cichlids or corys or the bristlenose, then I'd introduce them later too in small numbers at a time.

~~waterdrop~~

As you quite rightly said I seem to have taken a reverse step on the cycle since changing the substrate. No double zeros after 12 hours

If I understand you right Waterdrop are you saying you would stock everything (depending on the cichlids) at once except the cardinals?

Thanks.

 

[xweeqtx]

I have Apistogramma hongsloi and German Blue Rams in that size of tank, densely planted with plenty of hiding and they get on fine As long as there's quite a lot to break the view, and enough space for them to go and hide when they want to then you'll be fine.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes I'm saying everything but the cardinals basically, but I'm saying I can't remember what I've heard about bristles and you haven't narrowed down the specific type of cory yet and I can tell you right now there are over 200 types of corys currently identified and I know the "hardiness lore" on very, very few, lol.

~~waterdrop~~