new 300L/80G tank stocking ideas

[GShorty1981]

This is the plan, do you think this will be ok? i currently have a 60g with grow outs and my 2 severums breed regularly, they are both about 6" now but they are sterile so no fry ever hatches so little aggression, they spend most of their time cleanign rocks and flirting with each other.

Tank dimensions will be 48"x29"x17"

What i currently have

2 x Severums, 1 Red Spotted male and a Gold female (both 6", pair)

8 x Tigerbarbs

6 x Boesmans Rainbow fish

1 x Pearl Gourami

1 x Bristlenose Plec

1 x EB Acara about 3"

1 x Firemouth about 3"


Could i add

3 x Clown Loach
some Red Rainbow fish

Also interested in...

Green Phantom plec
Smaller Geophagus
Rainbow Cichlid

I'm interested in bright coloured fish mainly because i was a Mbuna owner for a while and miss the colours.

 

[Colin_T]

How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?
Do you dechlorinte the new water before adding it to the tank?

What sort of filter do you have and how often do you clean it?

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What is the GH (general hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

Melanotaenia boesemani and Glossolepis incisus do best in hard alkaline water (GH above 200ppm and pH above 7.0). All the other fish you have do better in soft water with a GH below 150ppm.

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Are you sure the severums are males?
If you have 3 females that would explain why no eggs hatch.

I would be careful about adding any more cichlids due to the 3 adult severums in the tank. Severums are not normally aggressive but they are mature and do breed and will consider the entire tank as their territory. This means new cichlids could get attacked.

 

[GShorty1981]

I do 70-80% weekly every sunday, i'm used to doing huge waterchanges because i used to have Mbuna in the tank before i sold up and switched to community

I don't gravel hoover because i have sand, but i do stir the sand up heavily before waterchange then suck all the nasty bits out

yes of course i dechlorinate

I have a FX5 and a 1000lph trickle filter, i clean the filter pads in tank water maybe once a month/6 weeks, and i rarely clean the media but i do check it regularly when i clean the filter pads.

PH of the water supply is around 6.7, i never check the GH to note but when i test the water weekly its within the guidelines given on the test sheet, just not something i have ever done in 25-30 years of fish keeping, maybe i should pay more attention to it?

The tap water is naturally soft here in my area and i also have a large amount of wood in the tank.

I'm surprised that the Rainbows like hard water, from what i have read online its said 6.5-7.5 because they come from heavily planted areas, but i'm not debating it, it might be wrong what i have read.

Edit: i just checked again and it says in multiple places 6.5-8

I have a Male Red Spotted Severum and a female Gold Severum both are Heros Efaciatus types, Red Spotted males are 99% sterile (almost always due to tampering and line breeding from Asian fish farms).

Over 25-30 years i have bred and kept many types of severum, notatus, rotkeil, efaciatus, those very dark Turq types, i'm yet to keep the Curare/Severus types yet, so i'm very good at sexing them, especially the Efaciatus types, i even wrote the wikipedia page for the Rotkeil severum about 8 years ago and its barely been edited, so i'm pretty knowledgeable with Severums, they are my fave fish.

I have 2 severums, not 3, i just didn't word it very well, my grammar is not the best and i'm dyslexic, but it try my best to make it make sense haha.

 

[GShorty1981]

ideally i'd like to just add a couple more rainbowfish, some loaches and a green phantom plec, i'm not to bothered about anymore cichlids.

If the reds are not a good idea then maybe upping the number of Boesmani but i'd like a colour contrast, i have a lot of yellow in my tank, i'm not very experienced with Rainbow fish at all, but i have had these Boesmans for 6 months, they are eating well, very active and colourful.

I'm very experienced in Cichlid keeping except for big centrals like Parachromis species etc, i have kept a lot of Amazonian cichlids and african cichlids over the years, plus a few centrals like Firemouths, convicts etc, i have never tried Geophagus but its on the bucket list.

Obviously the Firemouth could do with more alkaline water, but hes also doing well and very placid.

 

[seangee]

IMO that tank is not big enough for clown loach, and they really are better in groups of 6 - preferably even bigger. Your gourami won't appreciate their antics either .

When I downsized my 450 liter I had to sell mine, and if I'm honest they had outgrown that tank - mine were around 10" at the time.

 

[GShorty1981]

Ah ok i'll give them a miss i think.

I think i might just add a couple more rainbows and a green phantom plec.

I read somewhere that clowns can take 30 years to grow a foot long? i had some about 10 years ago and they were very slow growing, but i suppose i'd want to keep them for life so its probably not a good idea, plus i'm pushing it with the amount of fish i have etc.

I may move the Firemouth on if he becomes problematic and try another small cichlid like a Rainbow Cichlid.

 

[Byron]

Clown loaches grow fairly rapidly to about 8 inches, and then growth may slow somewhat to their potential of 12 inches or so. They must have a group of at least five as they are (like all botine loaches) highly social and fewer will inevitably result in stressed fish. This means an 8-foot tank. Good idea to give them a miss.

 

[GShorty1981]

Yeah like i said i'll give them a miss and look at something smaller.

So, Red Rainbows or a couple more Boesmans? i'd really like a diff colour in the tank

 

[GShorty1981]

Unless there is some smaller types of loaches i haven't looked at? i had a group of 'Candy cane' loaches about 20 years ago, not sure which type because i didn't have the internet back in the 90s, but i googled them now and they look the same...anyway, the LFS warned me that they are known for 'eye biting', but i had read nothing about it elsewhere so i chanced it.

24 hours in and 2 of my fish were missing eyes so i took them back and they laughed and said 'told you so', so that concerns me a bit.

 

[Colin_T]

A lot of rainbowfishes come from soft water or water that has an acid pH, but when they are put into aquariums they do better in harder water with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. Fish like Melanotaenia boesemani come from hard water with a high pH and become nervous and skittish in acid water. All rainbowfish are more susceptible to chemical poisoning and diseases when kept in soft acid water.

I used to keep the GH above 250ppm and the pH above 7.0.

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Contrasting colours for rainbowfish could include Melanotaenia lacustris (blue), M. herbertaxelrodi (yellow), M. trifasciata (Goyder River), Glossolepis incisus or G. pseudoincisus (both red).

The following link has information on rainbowfish.
http://rainbowfish.angfaqld.org.au/Melano.htm

 

[Byron]

Unless there is some smaller types of loaches i haven't looked at? i had a group of 'Candy cane' loaches about 20 years ago, not sure which type because i didn't have the internet back in the 90s, but i googled them now and they look the same...anyway, the LFS warned me that they are known for 'eye biting', but i had read nothing about it elsewhere so i chanced it.

24 hours in and 2 of my fish were missing eyes so i took them back and they laughed and said 'told you so', so that concerns me a bit.

There are dozens of loach species. All generally are highly social, need groups, and will establish an hierarchy (with some species this means they will adhere to the structure, in others it means they will kill one another). Conditions (temperature, water current, substrate) vary depending upon the species. Some are huge, some relatively small. Beehaviours with other species vary.

The lesson learned from your related experience is, never acquire any fish without thorough research as to its mature size, behaviours, requirements (water parameters, habitat, other species tolerance). I have seen fish in stores more than once that were new to me, and I always look them up online (generally through Seriously Fish) before acquiring; doing this has saved me a lot of headache, not to mention saving many fish that would not be suited.

 

[GShorty1981]

There are dozens of loach species. All generally are highly social, need groups, and will establish an hierarchy (with some species this means they will adhere to the structure, in others it means they will kill one another). Conditions (temperature, water current, substrate) vary depending upon the species. Some are huge, some relatively small. Beehaviours with other species vary.

The lesson learned from your related experience is, never acquire any fish without thorough research as to its mature size, behaviours, requirements (water parameters, habitat, other species tolerance). I have seen fish in stores more than once that were new to me, and I always look them up online (generally through Seriously Fish) before acquiring; doing this has saved me a lot of headache, not to mention saving many fish that would not be suited.

The lesson learned? I didnt go ahead with i just asked a question i dont impulse anything i just goole or ask questions, the only clowns i have seen having be max 4" over the years so totally for that they grow huge

Because of the eyebiting thing i dont think ill try zevra loaces again plus the severums may eat them later on because they are small fish,

I deciced i'm going to get a group of 4 diff types or rainbow fish and the much waten geen phantom plec

My mate is giving away a group of 6 adult congo tetras, maybe i could have those instea of the extra raindows.

 

[Byron]

The lesson learned? I didnt go ahead with i just asked a question i dont impulse anything i just goole or ask questions, the only clowns i have seen having be max 4" over the years so totally for that they grow huge

Because of the eyebiting thing i dont think ill try zevra loaces again plus the severums may eat them later on because they are small fish,

I deciced i'm going to get a group of 4 diff types or rainbow fish and the much waten geen phantom plec

My mate is giving away a group of 6 adult congo tetras, maybe i could have those instea of the extra raindows.

You do not want Congo Tetras in this tank with Tiger Barbs, that is only asking for trouble. Fish with flowing or long fins and fairly quiet fish, both of which applies to Congos, cannot live with fin nipping TB.

My previous comment on research and the loaches doesn't seem to have been understood. What I was getting at, is do not acquire any fish until you have thoroughly researched its needs. You have not and are not doing this by all accounts. The eye-eating loaches for example, should not have been acquired if you had researched them as you would have known about their aggressiveness. Clown loaches are not possible here because of their needs. Nor the Congo Tetra.

 

[GShorty1981]

You do not want Congo Tetras in this tank with Tiger Barbs, that is only asking for trouble. Fish with flowing or long fins and fairly quiet fish, both of which applies to Congos, cannot live with fin nipping TB.

My previous comment on research and the loaches doesn't seem to have been understood. What I was getting at, is do not acquire any fish until you have thoroughly researched its needs. You have not and are not doing this by all accounts. The eye-eating loaches for example, should not have been acquired if you had researched them as you would have known about their aggressiveness. Clown loaches are not possible here because of their needs. Nor the Congo Tetra.

Thats what i'm doing mate, i'm asking questions i get the general feeling you don't want to help, you just want to speak down to me, its a fish site, and i'm asking questions.

I'm researching, hence the questions.

How do i research in 1999 with no internet and just peoples words, i'll ask elsewhere cheers.,

 

[Byron]

Thats what i'm doing mate, i'm asking questions ffs i get the general feeling you don't want to help, you just want to speak down to me, its a fish site, and i'm asking questions.

I'm researching, hence the questions.

How the hell do i research in 1999 with no internet and just peoples words, i'll ask elsewhere cheers.,

Most of us on this forum are here to help, and do so willingly. I've no idea what 1999 has to do with it, but there were good books then, I still have them.

The other thing to try and realize is that none of us knows you beyond what you post, so we have to be thorough in order to not be misconstrued. As a member of this forum since 2012 so this is likely obvious.