New 38 Gallon Tank

[ctt33]

Just got a 38 gallon tank(36x12x20) and am thinking of a barb tank....
How is this stock?

1-2 Firemouth Cichlids
10-12 Tiger Barbs( 1/2 regular and 1/2 albino or mossy)
3-4 Yoyo loaches.

I currently have 3 other tanks of various sizes with mostly tetras, angles and corys. I am good at water changes and water quality.

 

[spAcE mOnkEy]

Sounds fine. Maybe decrease the number of tiger barbs, but i really dont know anything about them so i cant tell you the proper tank size for them. I think your tank is fine the way it is though. Maybe instead of the yo-yo loaches you could get some smaller type of pleco or a bristle nose catfish.

 

[_Cal_]

I think the loaches are a good choice, but this coming from someone whos favorvite type of fish is a loach. As for stocking Id maybe lower the barbs to 6-8 and it should be fine.

 

[Lynden]

Your original amounts are fine. I would put in a tougher bottom animal, like an armoured catfish.

If i had the tank and your taste i would do this:

-Firemouth, 1 or 2
-JD, GT, rainbow cichlid, salvini, or any other similiar cichlid, take your pick
-2-4 tinfoil barbs or silver dollars
-weather loaches, small moray or other eel, or an armoured suckermouthed catfish. Something tough.

You can mix to your specific taste as well. Just keep agession down. Remember that the above suggestion may have to be rehoused in the future.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I do not think the stocking suggestions at good at all personally;
a. firemouth cichlid, "Recommended in a species only tank or with similar sized cichlids of the same temperment", so not realy a good mix with tiger barbs;

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=60979

b. Tiger barbs, if you want to make this a tiger barb orientated tank, which if you want to keep them you kinda will as they need alot of space an don't tolerate many fish species very well, 10 is a fine number. From what i have heard though they are sensitive to nitrites so if you are setting up a new tank i strongly advise you look up on how to do a fishless cycle on here rather than doing a cycle with fish.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=60999

c.Silver dollars, "Silver dollars are a schooling fish and should be kept in groups of 5 or more, for this reason a tank of at least 55 gallons is recomended. The fish can be extremely shy and nervous if placed in a tank with overly aggressive fish or the tank is placed in a high traffic area."
Says it all realy, too small a tank with unsuitable inhabitants for these fish.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=34593

d. Tinfoil barbs will get far too big for a 30gal, they can apparently get to 13inchs long.
e. weather loach- http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=35030
f. Moray eels are generally brackish or marine fish depending on their type and all will get too big for a 30gal plus they are predatory fish, so not community fish.
g. Armoured catfish are fine for a 30gal although i have no experience with them and tiger barbs so could not say wether they made good tank mates or not-
http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/calli...galech/14_f.php
h. Im not sure wether yoyo loachs get too big for 30gals, im assumng they are fine, but because they are filter feeders you will need a sand or fine gravel substrate in the tank.

ChestnutMoray55 please do at least some research on fish before you advise them to others as stocking, i have never kept most of these fish but it does not take much to do some quick research on them on this forum or other trust worthy sites.

 

[Lynden]

Oh phpt. You know what is better than research ( of which I have a vast amount of) ? Personal experience, which i have with all of those fish. Come over to my house one day and i will show you. Your post is almost wholly incorrect.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Oh phpt. You know what is better than research? Personal experience, which i have with all of those fish. Come over to my house one day and i will show you.

Sure, but theres a difference between a fish simply surviving in a tank or realy prospering- i cant think of any remotely freshwater moray eels that are smaller enough to fit in a 30gal so if you have one i would lke to know for example. I do not doubt that you have the ability to keep those fish but the fish index pages on this forum for example are written and read by many, many people who also have experience with keeping these fish and have shared info for keeping these fish in optimum health. If i believe that a tank is slightly too small for a particular fish then i shall speak out and say that, this fellow fish keeper here would also probably want to know how desirable their stocking is and i do not personally think that all of the stocking suggestions here are very desirable.

 

[Lynden]

Sorry to be rude in the last post, I keep a chestnut moray in a 33 freshwater, with 4 silver dollars, a lone spotted pimelodid, and 3 giant danios.

Your last post intrigues me, how do you define prospering?

I dont follow the rules. I make my own. If they dont work, then i follow the rules of others.

 

[Ethos]

I dont follow the rules. I make my own. If they dont work, then i follow the rules of others.

Thats a very interesting, and bold thing to say around all these guys.
I don't mind admitting it, but I've tried and failed with that methiod.
The only thing that its worked with so far is keeping bettas in unheated bowls.
Hope no one fromt he betta section ventures out and see's this.
Oh wait.
I am one

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Sorry to be rude in the last post, I keep a chestnut moray in a 33 freshwater, with 4 silver dollars, a lone spotted pimelodid, and 3 giant danios.

Your last post intrigues me, how do you define prospering?

I dont follow the rules. I make my own. If they dont work, then i follow the rules of others.

When i say "prosper" i mean the fish display optimum health, normal behavior, eat well, does not have shortened life span, displays normal levels of activity and grows at normal rate to proper max size etc..
There aren't any rules to fish keeping so to speak but there is alot of tried and tested advice from at least the last 30yrs+ of tropical fish keeping, alot of your tanks are very overstocked, your fish may be alive but they are also quite lucky they are alive or perhaps not depending on how you look at it. You can decide to follow other peoples advice or go ahead and experiment with living creatures lives or whatever but what i don't think you should do is give out advice on fish species stocking when you know that many people will probably disagree because it is not widely accepted facts or advice.
Most people join this forum for the best posible advice and if you wanna hand advice out you should try to also give out the best posible advice you can, i think it is good you are trying to help others but on the other hand i don't think some of your advice is very positive for the fish involved. If i have said any advice that is debatable please point my mistakes out.

 

[Lynden]

When i say "prosper" i mean the fish display optimum health, normal behavior, eat well, does not have shortened life span, displays normal levels of activity and grows at normal rate to proper max size etc..

Oh yeah. You bet they do.

If my fish, or any other animal i happen to come across, is sick, injured, lost, or anything, i will give it my all to help it. If its a dog, worm, spider, anything. I can recognize an animal in distress. If the fish show any signs of distress, i will usually move them to a tank that is uncrowded. I am planning on an upgrade soon, as well.

If people ask for info, i give them what other people have told me, or the research i have done in the past. If people ask for opinions, i give them methods that work for me. I understand life enough that i can pretty much define how or what the forms need to live.

Is that statement ever bold! I am suprised my house didnt get bombed! just kidding.

-Lynden

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

When i say "prosper" i mean the fish display optimum health, normal behavior, eat well, does not have shortened life span, displays normal levels of activity and grows at normal rate to proper max size etc..

Oh yeah. You bet they do.

If my fish, or any other animal i happen to come across, is sick, injured, lost, or anything, i will give it my all to help it. If its a dog, worm, spider, anything. I can recognize an animal in distress. If the fish show any signs of distress, i will usually move them to a tank that is uncrowded. I am planning on an upgrade soon, as well.

If people ask for info, i give them what other people have told me, or the research i have done in the past. If people ask for opinions, i give them methods that work for me. I understand life enough that i can pretty much define how or what the forms need to live.

Is that statement ever bold! I am suprised my house didnt get bombed! just kidding.

-Lynden

(What tanks that aern't crowded? All of your freshwater tanks are crowded.) How old and large are your common plecs roughly? I am not meaning to have a go at you, but i do not think you are right either. I am sure you have a good heart as well and would help any animal in distress but that does not mean that you know how to look after the animal properly though.

 

[Lynden]

If a tank is not available, i set up a new one. Or give them to someone who can take care of them. I also accept fish from friends who are in distress. Because I know i can keep the crowded fish alive, and happy for that matter. Id like to see you (or anyone) keep that many fish happy. The secret is, you have to take a chance and step out of the box once in awhile. Its okay if a fish dies once in a while. Its hard to except, but its true.

I am hard to offend, so do not worry about offending me. You will know when you do.

So, we will have to agree to disagree. I will not give any of my ways to keep fish alive to other people, since apparently they dont work for others, and you will not call my tanks horrible until you see them, if ever. Shall we shake on it?

P.S., the plec in the 77 is around 8''. The ones in the 37 are 3''. And the one in the 33, which i got from a friend, is around 7''. Yikes! That one will be moved as soon as i can find a place.

 

[kniesh]

To get back on the subject..... Tiger Barbs are aggressive, but when kept in groups of 6 or more (the more the better within stocking guiglines) they will keep their aggression within their own group. The only fish not to be kept with them then are very fragile fish, bettas etc... Also fish that dont like active fish, the tigers are probably one of the most active fish and when kept in larger groups this will be more of a problem than them attacking anything.

 

[moray]

A freshwater moray that is happy in a 38 gallon tank? I would love to know what sort, I'd try and get a few.

Morays are not suitable for fresh water community tanks.

Chestnutmoray55 it sounds like you love your animals, gymnothorax castaneus are marine fish, that can grow up to a 150cm, you must realise keeping it in a freshwater community tank is cruel to both the moray and the fish in there, if it gets big enough the other fish are food, though I can't see it surviving to adulthood, please re-think, these animals are gorgeous and for fish to die through lack of knowledge or just plain ignorance is just wrong.