New 90L Tank

[njstockley]

So I finally committed to buying a 90L tank off one of the other forum members (thank you!) and although I know there is a long way to go to get it all set up and cycled (just a sdie note but the cycling rescources on this site are exceptional), I can't help but start making stocking plans...I know everyone is guilty of doing this, so don't judge me for it!

I want to set up a community tank with a selection of fish which will cover all strata of the tank, and make a good centrepiece for my living room! As the title says, the tank is a 90L (23 US Gallon) measuring 30x10x18. It's coming with a Fluval U3, which having read some reviews of, should be just right for it (although extra info would be good, eg is it a quiet filter? and easy to use?).

So here is my stock plan...it has been through ##144### a couple of times (says its at 110%), and although I don't take what that site says as gospel, it does give a pretty good indication of what can go with what...

Bottom - A Bristlenose Catfish (Any other suggestions are of course welcome, but I prefer the larger catfish to smaller species like corys, and think the tank may be too small for Pictus Catfish?).

Mid - A Pair of Bolivian Rams OR... Dward Cockatoo Cichlids (Is a pair more appropraite than 1M 2F?)
- A shoal (8) of Tiger Barbs OR... What similar sized shoaling alternatives would work? I want something with strong colour, that will stay as a shoal in the mid/top layer of the tank.

Top - What would fit with the current selection? (I think an African Butterfly Fish would probably be too ambitious (never mind have its fins taken apart by the barbs!)) This isn't so important, as I'm hoping the shoal will cover this layer too.

I would really appreciate the forum's advice on this, and am very open minded in listening to suggestions and alternatives on what I have listed. I want it to look like a busy tank, without overstocking (obviously). Photos will go up when the tank arrives, some time this week, and then will journal it as my first larger tank (I already have a couple of smaller ones).

Nick

 

[shroob]

Firstly congratulations on getting your tank Stocking plans are addictive, I think every fishkeeper looks at their tank and imagines something else in there, or do things a bit different.

I would say that your 'middle' fish (rams / apisto's) will probably spend more time hovering around the bottom than the middle of the tank. Tiger barb might be a bit too boisterous for more timid fish such as rams, though I have no personal experience combining the two.

I would be tempted to go for a South American theme with the fish you listed, a BN plec on the bottom, a pair of dwarf cichlids, with a school of tetra (cardinal, bleeding heart, black phantom etc. just pick one you like) and hatchet fish for the surface (though make sure you have a very secure lid, they are prolific jumpers). For decor I would have a sand substrate, quite a few plants and bogwood.

 

[njstockley]

thanks for the advice, and i like the idea of having a south american styled tank.

with the cichlids, would a pair work better than the three? and would the BN be happy enough having them around his patch?

as for tetra shoals, much as i love the cardinals (have some already) they have been quite difficult to look after, and since getting them i have lost a couple which wasnt the best experience. and the profile on the forum does suggest they arent a particularly robust fish. i think i would be more tempted by the bleeding heart, not just for that, but also they look pretty striking in pictures that i have seen of them. if adding the rest of the stock, how many do you think i could keep in the space?

marbled hatchets too would make a nice addition and thats something i will consider (hypothetically, as im still in the pre-set up phase!). am i right in thinking these would require 6 to be at home in the tank?

the tank is actually coming with bogwood, which is a bonus, and some black gravel. i like the idea of a dark substrate to highlight the colour of the fish, but would you advise sand over gravel (the gravel has been home to three pictus before, but i know they are quite disimilar to the BN) for the BN?

cheers,

nick