Plans For a Catfish Tank (170L)

[PlasticGalaxy]

It'll come as no surprise to members who have known me since I joined that I love catfish. Big ones, small ones, really big ones and really small ones.

This will also probably be no surprise - I'm thinking about turning my 170L into a catfish exclusive tank + the shrimp, the rummynose tetras, the loaches... and snails. (Okay, not exactly an "exclusive" tank but it'll be close enough).

My nan recently got a tank, and she's agreed to taking my pearl gourami, black neon tetras and the few neons that I have left. This leaves me with:

12 c. aeneus (bronze and albino)
8 rummynose tetras
3 kuhli loaches
2 giant African fan shrimp
2 upside down catfish
1 red tail shark
1 sailfin pleco
and a lot of bladder snails and trumpet snails.

Now, some notes on that stocking:

- I'm at my ideal amount of corys now. I've also decided against c. schultzei as I may run the risk of crossbreeding and they're quite expensive.

- Haven't seen any of the kuhli loaches in the past couple weeks, and probably going to get more when my LFS has them stocked.

- May put the fan shrimp in the 54L depending on suggestions from members here and other places.

- Hoping to get two more upside down catfish.

- The red tail shark (Iago) is peaceful towards all his tankmates and only shows aggression towards the gourami - which are being rehomed.

My plans for the tank will be to have either glass catfish or Colombian wood catfish as my mid to high level fish, as I'm currently quite stocked up on bottom level fish. If anyone knows of any other catfish that stay in middle to high parts of the tank, please let me know.

Would Colombian wood catfish or glass catfish be a good idea? I may get both depending on different factors (cost, compatibility, e.c.t)

Any advice, confirmation, tips, e.c.t. would be very much appreciated.



...My ultimate goal is to have a tiger shovelnose catfish. (/joking) ... (/half-joking).

 

[Gypsum]

My understanding is that red-tailed sharks are very territorial and should be the only bottom-dwelling fish, unless your tank is huge, which 170L isn't. It's also my understanding that it isn't ideal to house corys and loaches together.

Sailfin plecos get big. I would want a tank bigger than 170L for one. Sounds like you already have the fish, though.

I wouldn't add anything else to that tank unless you can shift some of the more problematic existing ones (i.e. the shark and the plec) into another tank. Stocking isn't just about numbers of fish or distributing them amongst the bottom/mid/upper levels of the tank. it's about creating a little ecosystem where no one's stressed and everyone has their niche and gets along. I appreciate why people create biotope aquariums. Mine are not, but I have a tank with zero upper level/mid level fish. It has corys, L199 plecos, two vampire shrimp, and two bamboo shrimp. It's not a biotope because those particular species obviously don't live together in the wild, but they are from similar types of habitats. To imitate that, I'm blasting it with powerheads and making it into a little river. It's an easier tank to manage without adding mid-level characin type fish. And the corys breed like bloody rabbits, so it obviously works for them.

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

My understanding is that red-tailed sharks are very territorial and should be the only bottom-dwelling fish, unless your tank is huge, which 170L isn't. It's also my understanding that it isn't ideal to house corys and loaches together.

Sailfin plecos get big. I would want a tank bigger than 170L for one. Sounds like you already have the fish, though.

I wouldn't add anything else to that tank unless you can shift some of the more problematic existing ones (i.e. the shark and the plec) into another tank. Stocking isn't just about numbers of fish or distributing them amongst the bottom/mid/upper levels of the tank. it's about creating a little ecosystem where no one's stressed and everyone has their niche and gets along. I appreciate why people create biotope aquariums. Mine are not, but I have a tank with zero upper level/mid level fish. It has corys, L199 plecos, two vampire shrimp, and two bamboo shrimp. It's not a biotope because those particular species obviously don't live together in the wild, but they are from similar types of habitats. To imitate that, I'm blasting it with powerheads and making it into a little river. It's an easier tank to manage without adding mid-level characin type fish. And the corys breed like bloody rabbits, so it obviously works for them.

I may rehome the red tail shark at some point, he's known to lunge for the gourami and has occasionally gone for tetras.

Any reason why corys and loaches shouldn't be kept together?

I'm aware that the sailfin pleco can grow quite large. He's currently 6 inches and has plenty of room in the tank - though I know this would change as he grows older and bigger. I'm hoping to get a 5ft (or bigger) tank at some point, so he shouldn't be an issue for that long. If I'm able to keep the 170L running when I have a larger tank, I may allocate certain fish (e.g the shark) to it as the larger tank becomes my main project.

A large factor in why I wanted the tank to contain bottom, middle and high fish because my dad would constantly say "need some floaty fish" in reference to my lack of mid level fish. That, and as I'm going to rehome a fair amount of my tetras and pearl gourami (all my "floaty fish"), I won't have much but my bottom dwellers. So I'd like something to populate the top since the higher fish are where my eyes naturally fall to when I look at my tank.*

*To summarise - I'd like mid to high level fish so it doesn't feel as empty when my fatty gourami and tetras are gone.

I've never really been into biotope aquariums. While they're definitely quite appealing to look at, I can't imagine just sticking to one species or very limited cluster of species. My ugly mess of a tank is - for now - really just a limitless outline of future plans and I don't at all mind that. Maybe someday I'll get it together and make myself a species tank, but I'm content with how it is right now. The corys are very friendly and active, the shrimp stick together, the pleco keeps himself busy and the rummynose tetras are happy in their group.

Honestly it's very hard to pace myself. I'm always rushing around as though I haven't got much time left when I know that my tanks are staying right where they are. Probably getting ahead of myself, and I may not even be using this tank by the time I actually decide to develop these plans. ?‍ There's a lot of indecision here, so your guidance is very helpful when I get carried away.

Thank you for the notes!

 

[Gypsum]

The main issue with keeping corys with kuhli loaches is that they occupy the same niche in different parts of the world, so they haven't evolved to live with one another, and the corys will generally out compete the loaches for the food, especially when physical space in the tank is limited. They're also both shoaling fish, so you need at least six of each, ideally more, for them to feel safe and happy. In a smallish tank, that's pushing your stocking to the limits, and the fish don't have a lot of room to get away from one another.

Gibbiceps grow faster than you think. The plec could easily be a foot long within a year provided it's housed appropriately. I would be getting that 5' tank like now. If that's something you don't have control over, i.e. you live with your parents, and they're not keen on a 100g fish tank, I would seriously think about rehoming the pleco, even though you really like it. There are plenty of pleco species out there that don't get huge.

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

The main issue with keeping corys with kuhli loaches is that they occupy the same niche in different parts of the world, so they haven't evolved to live with one another, and the corys will generally out compete the loaches for the food, especially when physical space in the tank is limited. They're also both shoaling fish, so you need at least six of each, ideally more, for them to feel safe and happy. In a smallish tank, that's pushing your stocking to the limits, and the fish don't have a lot of room to get away from one another.

Gotcha. Since I'm not able to get more kuhlis for an uncertain amount of time (LFS is completely out and is the only place local that had them) I may attempt to rehome them since I must say I don't find them the most exciting fish ever.

Gibbiceps grow faster than you think. The plec could easily be a foot long within a year provided it's housed appropriately. I would be getting that 5' tank like now. If that's something you don't have control over, i.e. you live with your parents, and they're not keen on a 100g fish tank, I would seriously think about rehoming the pleco, even though you really like it. There are plenty of pleco species out there that don't get huge.

I'm not rehoming the pleco. I've said this many, many times to many people. I currently don't have the money to get a 5ft tank, but will in the near future. Apologies for being stubborn but I am well aware of the pleco's needs, and this really wasn't a conversation about the pleco to begin with.

 

[Gypsum]

If you're determined to keep the pleco, then I would rehome the loaches and the shark and then add nothing until you can get a 5'+ tank. That plec will have a ridiculously high bioload, in addition to being big, and you've got the rummys and corys as well, which probably puts you at (or beyond) stocking limits.

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

If you're determined to keep the pleco, then I would rehome the loaches and the shark and then add nothing until you can get a 5'+ tank. That plec will have a ridiculously high bioload, in addition to being big, and you've got the rummys and corys as well, which probably puts you at (or beyond) stocking limits.

Again, I'm very aware of the bioload that comes with a plec like that. I understand if it wasn't your intention to paint me as an idiot but I can assure you that I'm well aware of the requirements, needs and challenges that come with a pleco of his size, if that's what you're worried about.

I'll certainly look for somewhere to rehome both the loaches and the shark, but I can't offer any promises - especially for the shark. As my older sister is moving house, I might offer her the 170L if I'm able to get a larger tank soon, and give her the shark.