Sorry, Another Stocking Question

[VeryFatbloke]

I've upgraded from a 60l to a 190l and am unsure how many fish I can add to my new tank. My existing fish are shown below in my signature......I'd like to add 4 cardinals to give my solitary cardinal some company, 4 Zebra Danios, 2 Dwarf Gouramis and some Clown Loaches.

I would also like to add some more algae eaters, although not Golden Sucking Loaches. My substrate is sand but I'm not sure whether cories or ancistrus, if either, would be compatible with my GSL, and of course, possible in my new tank set up.

Any thoughts about stocking and/or compatibility?

Thanks
Gary

(Title edited to something that might get a response)

 

[VeryFatbloke]

Any suggestions or comments?

Please!!!!

 

[WILDER]

Sorry no clown loaches they need a 90gal tank.

 

[abstract]

i think it would be a good idea to add to more cardinals and danios as they really should be in schools of 6+...is the gold sucking loach a chinese algae eater (i hear they get nasty as they grow, so you may want to consider returning it if possible)...a school of cories and a pleco would fit in great in place of the sucking loach (unless it is non-aggressive - then you can add the pleco and 4-6 cories IMO)....i think after adding more danios, cardinals, and then some bottom feeding cories and plecos your tank is pretty well stocked, but given time there may be a little more room for some kind of showcase fish or 2 (gouramis)

 

[evofish]

http/www.thinkfish.co.uk/ use this website you have to register then u can make a virtual tank and its pretty good ive punched in your tank 180l and came up with this 7danios,6cardinal,2 dwarf gourami,1 sucking loach,5barbs,3 red eye tetras,3 clown loach,sorry to say this but you can add clown loachs everyones gonna go mad at me but they grow very slow and if they do get to big you will have plenty of time to get a bigger tank and there lovely fish what happends when people say you cant have this and that you go out and get it dont you!make up your own mind with all those fish though you have little room left 28cm(that is when all you fish are fully grown)i would add a pair of bristlenose plecos

 

[VeryFatbloke]

Evo

Thanks very much for the link, a very interesting site. I'm holding fire on adding any new fish for a week or so and will see whether any more suggestions or comments are forthcoming.

I do know for certain that I will be adding Cardinals and Danios but the rest we'll wait and see.

Gary

 

[redtailblackshark]

do you think a clown loach would be good in a 50 gallon aquarium?

 

[MegTheFish]

I would also add more Red Eyed Tetras, too. They are schooling fish and should be in groups of 6+.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

here's the deal on clown loaches:

(1) they will eventually reach 12 inches in length.
(2) the first 6" show up rather quickly, but then slows down immensely
(3) probably anything less than a 40g is cruel and would result in stunting.
(4) at some point they will outgrow any tank less than 90g
(5) when they outgrow your tank, you MUST upgrade or sell them
(6) clown loaches are very popular fish, so odds are good that you can trade them back to the LFS

190l = 50g. you'd really need to rehome them at 6"; i'd pass on clown loaches if i were you.

since you have a sucking loach, i'd try to avoid adding ANY bottom dwelling fish. the CAE, while aggressive and territorial, is reportedly a very good algae eater. so unless you actually have an algae problem beyond what your loach can handle, leave it be. cory cats (not algae eaters btw) and plecos would intrude on your CAE's space and encourage him to become aggressive. all the other fish you've listed are mid-level to surface dwellers, so they shouldn't compete with your CAE for living space.

dwarf gouramis can be a bit territorial, so be prepared to pull one of them out and return it. ways to reduce fighting include purchasing a male-female pair and heavily planting with tall plants like valliseneria or apongetons.

so i say yes on:
- more cardinals
- more danios
- more red-eye tetras
- the dwarf gouramis

sounds like a lovely tank you've got on the make!

 

[The-Wolf]

VFB
Just to say that any other danio will be good tank mates for you zebras.
you are not restricted to getting more ZD's, you could get pearls for example as an offset to the zebras.

 

[VeryFatbloke]

Thanks very much for all of your replies,

Wolf, I happen to like Zebras, they're very lively and I think quite pretty. Although my wife likes Pearls so we'll come to a decision between us!!! She actually chose the Red Eye Tetras....

Pica - Thanks for the info on Clown Loaches, on the basis of what you say I'll be leaving them out. I will speak to my LFS and see whether they will take the CAE back, I had problems keeping ancistrus alive in my old tank (I suspect due to high nitrates) but the more I see of them and the cories the more I'd like both in my tank.

I'll keep you updated on what I (we!!) decide.

Gary

 

[Bloo]

do you think a clown loach would be good in a 50 gallon aquarium?

Keep in mind clown loaches should ideally be kept in groups of 4+ so really the answer is no.....

 

[sylvia]

I'll add that CAEs stop eating algae once they start getting over 6" or so. Once they are nearly fully grown (8-10"), they are capable of eating small tetras and danios. They also don't go well with flat-bodied fish like gouramies because they make good targets for hanging off of and sucking them. They often remove the eyes. Though the risk only realy appears once they are about 5-6", it's a risk I wouldn't be willing to take. If you want a fish similar to a CAE in body shape but which is a lot freindlier, maybe consider a SAE or even a flying fox. SAEs are the best algae eaters IMO. However, make sure you've taken out the CAE first!

About the dwarf gouramies being territorial, two males in a 50 gallon should be absolutely fine. They do appreciate plants, however, and especialy floating varieties. This makes them feel safer so they come out into the open more and will be more active.

 

[Kazman]

Personally I'd still be very nervous about keeping the sucking loach, we had one and for 8 months he was lovely and then he just turned and was harrassing everyone, even the gouramis and paradise fish who stayed far away from the bottom. I'd re-house him if possible which is what we did even though he was a great algea eater and quite a character we just didn't want to risk him killing anyone!. Our LFS took him and now he lives there eating all their algea as they won't sell him on. How about a couple of golden zebra danios too, ours mix really well with our zebra danios and add a bit of colour?.

Good luck!!.

 

[VeryFatbloke]

Hi all

I've been offered a couple of angels, which are currently about 2". Should I accept them? I am sure that I've read that they do eat smaller fish, once they get bigger.

In view of the fact that I'm going to be adding smaller fish I thought I'd pose the question before accepting or declining the angels.

Thanks
Gary