Restocking A 15 Gallon Community.

[Channti]

Alright, so while I've been away at university, the fish in my community tank at home have slowly died off due to various factors (an ick breakout, an unidentified disease in which WCM's became skin-and-bones despite the fact that they were eating, and some other minor issues). I'm returning home for our "reading week" in a couple weeks, and I've been trying to come up with some stocking ideas for the tank.

The Background Info
As it sits right now, the tank contains the following:
7xPanda Cory
1xDalmation Molly (Female, Unable to be pregnant due to minor birth-deformity)
5xNeon Tetra

The Dalmation molly is being rehomed with a friend as I'd like to avoid livebearers in the community, and because she's very agressive to new tankmates.

The large number of Panda corys is due to an incident with my Betta at university, who decided that Corys looked like lunch and refused to cohabitate with them. I had originally had 4 in the community and 3 in my betta tank, but my betta tank corys were sent to the community after a few fin-nipping incidents. I plan to give some of these corys away.

The tank has been running for about a year now.


Ideas Floating Around My Head
-I'd like to keep a couple of the panda corys
-I'd like to keep the neons as they've been with me for almost the entire length I've had the tank
-I've always been a huge fan of Gouramis, but don't know too much about which ones would fit in a community.


Open to Suggestions.
Any Ideas?

I'm from a very small town, but I've got an amazing LFS that has offered to order me anything that they don't normally stock.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

Alright, so while I've been away at university, the fish in my community tank at home have slowly died off due to various factors (an ick breakout, an unidentified disease in which WCM's became skin-and-bones despite the fact that they were eating, and some other minor issues). I'm returning home for our "reading week" in a couple weeks, and I've been trying to come up with some stocking ideas for the tank.

The Background Info
As it sits right now, the tank contains the following:
7xPanda Cory
1xDalmation Molly (Female, Unable to be pregnant due to minor birth-deformity)
5xNeon Tetra

The Dalmation molly is being rehomed with a friend as I'd like to avoid livebearers in the community, and because she's very agressive to new tankmates.

The large number of Panda corys is due to an incident with my Betta at university, who decided that Corys looked like lunch and refused to cohabitate with them. I had originally had 4 in the community and 3 in my betta tank, but my betta tank corys were sent to the community after a few fin-nipping incidents. I plan to give some of these corys away.

The tank has been running for about a year now.


Ideas Floating Around My Head
-I'd like to keep a couple of the panda corys
-I'd like to keep the neons as they've been with me for almost the entire length I've had the tank
-I've always been a huge fan of Gouramis, but don't know too much about which ones would fit in a community.


Open to Suggestions.
Any Ideas?

I'm from a very small town, but I've got an amazing LFS that has offered to order me anything that they don't normally stock.

bolivian ram
dwarf gourami
5 neons
4 panda corys
5 kuhli loaches
5 ghost shrimp
1 african dwarf frog

=awesome.

 

[Channti]

bolivian ram
dwarf gourami
5 neons
4 panda corys
5 kuhli loaches
5 ghost shrimp
1 african dwarf frog

=awesome.

That does sound awesome... but it sounds like an overstocked tank too.... Unfortunately, my request for a larger tank and my suggestions that I would purchase a larger tank for myself have all been denied. Keep in mind, I've only got 15 gallons to work with.

 

[mr130gallon]

why can you only keep a couple of the panda cories, why not keep them all?

 

[Channti]

why can you only keep a couple of the panda cories, why not keep them all?

I'm just watching out for overstocking. I don't want to overstock the tank, so I'd be willing to rehome a few corys to accomodate other fish.

 

[fire4ice]

I would keep what you have, and add a dwarf gourami or maybe a pearl gourami.

 

[hamfist]

My thoughts would be to keep 4 of the corys, then possibly add a dwarf gourami and a Ram, and maybe add a couple more neons to fill out the shoal.

 

[ChilliPepper]

I'd be careful about the dwarf gouramis. They do look lovely, but they are prone to a disease which is incurable. Something to do with horrendous inter breeding or something I think.

Here's a google search, with some useful information: http/www.google.co.uk/search?q=dwarf+gourami+disease&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GBfficial&client=firefox-a

 

[roadmaster]

I would leave the stocking as it is and work on a plan for maint, while you are away at university (ie) water changes each week , filter maint,gravel vaccuming. Otherwise new fish might suffer similar fate.

 

[Bebobb]

I would go with

1 pair of apistogramma
10 neons
7 panda corys

 

[Channti]

The maintenance plan is worked out fine, but I understand your concern. The problems were caused by things that could not be controlled. I'm fairly certain my White Clouds were doomed from the start as I got them from a major chain store that went out of business and had all of their fish on sale (Buy one, get one free). The other molly that died was older when I got him. The ick breakout was caused by the first waterchange they did when they didn't check the temperature of the water they were adding, and they recognized it for what it was and treated it as soon as they could. Basically all dumb little things. They know what they're doing now for the most part with the maintenance.

As my family knew that the tank was mine, they didn't want to restock it while I was away because the last time they tried, I came home to a silver shark and a bunch of other fish that would DEFINITELY not work in that tank. We haven't had a fish death since November (with the exception of the white clouds, as regardless of what we did for them, they continued to waste away to nothing and die despite eating heartily).

I just don't like that the tank looks so empty. Nothing in it grabs your attention anymore. I'm home for a 10-day period in February, a weekend in March, and a weekend in April, and then I'm done school at the end of April. Everytime I'm home, I test my water and clean the tank thoroughly, but my water stats have always been normal.

I would go with

1 pair of apistogramma
10 neons
7 panda corys

I've been looking at pictures of the Apistogramma. Any idea what price range I'd be looking at for them?

 

[karin]

Reading here for some time, I got the message that a pair of apistogramma need a minimium of a 30 gallon tank. I have a pair in a 30 and they seem to use all the space. They each seem to need their own territory even though my two generally get along.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

bolivian ram
dwarf gourami
5 neons
4 panda corys
5 kuhli loaches
5 ghost shrimp
1 african dwarf frog

=awesome.

That does sound awesome... but it sounds like an overstocked tank too.... Unfortunately, my request for a larger tank and my suggestions that I would purchase a larger tank for myself have all been denied. Keep in mind, I've only got 15 gallons to work with.

on aqadvisor its only 102% stocked. take out the frog and its only 96%. dont confuse awesomeness with overstocked... its a common misconception.

http/www.aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php?AquTankName=&AquListBoxTank=Choose&AquTankLength=24&AquTankDepth=12&AquTankHeight=12&AquListBoxFilter=Choose&AquTextFilterRate=N%2FA+&AquListBoxFilter2=Choose&AquTextFilterRate2=N%2FA+&AquFilterString=&AquListBoxChooser=African+Dwarf+Frog+%28Hymenochirus+boettgeri%29&AquTextBoxQuantity=&AquTextBoxRemoveQuantity=&FormSubmit=%3C+Remove&AquListBoxSelected=1+x+African+Dwarf+Frog+%28Hymenochirus+boettgeri%29&AlreadySelected=200909300031%3A1%3A%3A%2C200909300061%3A1%3A%3A%2C200909300144%3A5%3A%3A%2C200909300155%3A4%3A%3A%2C200909300114%3A5%3A%3A%2C200909300079%3A5%3A%3A%2C200910181719%3A1%3A%3A&FilterMode=Display+all+species&AqTempUnit=C&AqVolUnit=gUS&AqLengthUnit=inch&AqSortType=cname&FilterQuantity=2&AqJuvMode=&AqSpeciesWindowSize=short

 

[Channti]

bolivian ram
dwarf gourami
5 neons
4 panda corys
5 kuhli loaches
5 ghost shrimp
1 african dwarf frog

=awesome.

That does sound awesome... but it sounds like an overstocked tank too.... Unfortunately, my request for a larger tank and my suggestions that I would purchase a larger tank for myself have all been denied. Keep in mind, I've only got 15 gallons to work with.

on aqadvisor its only 102% stocked. take out the frog and its only 96%. dont confuse awesomeness with overstocked... its a common misconception.

http/www.aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php?AquTankName=&AquListBoxTank=Choose&AquTankLength=24&AquTankDepth=12&AquTankHeight=12&AquListBoxFilter=Choose&AquTextFilterRate=N%2FA+&AquListBoxFilter2=Choose&AquTextFilterRate2=N%2FA+&AquFilterString=&AquListBoxChooser=African+Dwarf+Frog+%28Hymenochirus+boettgeri%29&AquTextBoxQuantity=&AquTextBoxRemoveQuantity=&FormSubmit=%3C+Remove&AquListBoxSelected=1+x+African+Dwarf+Frog+%28Hymenochirus+boettgeri%29&AlreadySelected=200909300031%3A1%3A%3A%2C200909300061%3A1%3A%3A%2C200909300144%3A5%3A%3A%2C200909300155%3A4%3A%3A%2C200909300114%3A5%3A%3A%2C200909300079%3A5%3A%3A%2C200910181719%3A1%3A%3A&FilterMode=Display+all+species&AqTempUnit=C&AqVolUnit=gUS&AqLengthUnit=inch&AqSortType=cname&FilterQuantity=2&AqJuvMode=&AqSpeciesWindowSize=short

Ignoring stocking, space-wise, would there be enough room for that stocking? I feel like the bottom layer would be very crowded with the loaches and corys.

What's the price range on the Ram? Kuhli Loach? Both are fish not stocked by my LFS (They tend to focus on your typical community fish, and occasionally get in 'different' fish.) Being at university right now, its an expensive call to phone them to get them to give me a price.

 

[kizno1]

bolivian ram
dwarf gourami
5 neons
4 panda corys
5 kuhli loaches
5 ghost shrimp
1 african dwarf frog

=awesome.

That does sound awesome... but it sounds like an overstocked tank too.... Unfortunately, my request for a
larger tank and my suggestions that I would purchase a larger tank for myself have all been denied. Keep in mind, I've only got 15 gallons to work with.

on aqadvisor its only 102% stocked. take out the frog and its only 96%. dont confuse awesomeness with overstocked... its a common misconception.

http/www.aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php?AquTankName=&AquListBoxTank=Choose&AquTankLength=24&AquTankDepth=12&AquTankHeight=12&AquListBoxFilter=Choose&AquTextFilterRate=N%2FA+&AquListBoxFilter2=Choose&AquTextFilterRate2=N%2FA+&AquFilterString=&AquListBoxChooser=African+Dwarf+Frog+%28Hymenochirus+boettgeri%29&AquTextBoxQuantity=&AquTextBoxRemoveQuantity=&FormSubmit=%3C+Remove&AquListBoxSelected=1+x+African+Dwarf+Frog+%28Hymenochirus+boettgeri%29&AlreadySelected=200909300031%3A1%3A%3A%2C200909300061%3A1%3A%3A%2C200909300144%3A5%3A%3A%2C200909300155%3A4%3A%3A%2C200909300114%3A5%3A%3A%2C200909300079%3A5%3A%3A%2C200910181719%3A1%3A%3A&FilterMode=Display+all+species&AqTempUnit=C&AqVolUnit=gUS&AqLengthUnit=inch&AqSortType=cname&FilterQuantity=2&AqJuvMode=&AqSpeciesWindowSize=short

Ignoring stocking, space-wise, would there be enough room for that stocking? I feel like the bottom layer would be very crowded with the loaches and corys.

What's the price range on the Ram? Kuhli Loach? Both are fish not stocked by my LFS (They tend to focus on your typical community fish, and occasionally get in 'different' fish.) Being at university right now, its an expensive call to phone them to get them to give me a price.

i think thats to many bottom dwellers the ram wont like it and the adf will proberly get out done for food.
i would go for
a pair of apistogramma or rams
the panda corys
a pair ooooooooof dwarf gourami
and 6 tetras or rasbora

bolivian ram
dwarf gourami
5 neons
4 panda corys
5 kuhli loaches
5 ghost shrimp
1 african dwarf frog

=awesome.

That does sound awesome... but it sounds like an overstocked tank too.... Unfortunately, my request for a larger tank and my suggestions that I would purchase a larger tank for myself have all been denied. Keep in mind, I've only got 15 gallons to work with.

on aqadvisor its only 102% stocked. take out the frog and its only 96%. dont confuse awesomeness with overstocked... its a common misconception.

http/www.aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php?AquTankName=&AquListBoxTank=Choose&AquTankLength=24&AquTankDepth=12&AquTankHeight=12&AquListBoxFilter=Choose&AquTextFilterRate=N%2FA+&AquListBoxFilter2=Choose&AquTextFilterRate2=N%2FA+&AquFilterString=&AquListBoxChooser=African+Dwarf+Frog+%28Hymenochirus+boettgeri%29&AquTextBoxQuantity=&AquTextBoxRemoveQuantity=&FormSubmit=%3C+Remove&AquListBoxSelected=1+x+African+Dwarf+Frog+%28Hymenochirus+boettgeri%29&AlreadySelected=200909300031%3A1%3A%3A%2C200909300061%3A1%3A%3A%2C200909300144%3A5%3A%3A%2C200909300155%3A4%3A%3A%2C200909300114%3A5%3A%3A%2C200909300079%3A5%3A%3A%2C200910181719%3A1%3A%3A&FilterMode=Display+all+species&AqTempUnit=C&AqVolUnit=gUS&AqLengthUnit=inch&AqSortType=cname&FilterQuantity=2&AqJuvMode=&AqSpeciesWindowSize=short

i wouldnt trust aqadvisor that much its not really that good for stocking.


i wouldnt trust aqadvisor that much its not really that good for stocking.