Stocking help for planted discus tank

[Pellington]

Hello all,

This is my first post

I am brand new to freshwater and I am hoping for some comments/thoughts on my proposed stock list. I am going straight in the deep-end with a planted discus aquarium, but I have 5 years experience of keeping marines so I am confident I am up to the challenge!

Here is a summary of my tank & equipment and my ideal stock list underneath.

Tank/Equipment
Tank: Aqua Marin Fresh 1200
Aquarium dimensions: 120 x 50 x 48 cm
Volume: 300 L
Lighting: 59w Fluval Plant 3.0 Bluetooth LED
Filter: Oase BioMaster Thermo External Filter 600

Proposed stock list
6 x Stendker Discus (keen to get a mix of colours including pigeon blood, white leopard and blue snakeskin) = 120cm of fish
15 x Cardinal Tetra = 45cm of fish
15 x Lemon Tetra = 45cm of fish
2 x German Blue Ram = 12cm of fish
2 x Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid = 12cm of fish
2 x Zebra Pleco = 20cm of fish
2 x Kuhli Loach = 14cm of fish

Total = 268cm of fish in a 300 L tank...

I am also thinking maybe 20 x Amano shrimp and 10 x Nerite snails, but I would appreciate some advice on these numbers.

Does this seem OK? Any specific conflicts or considerations?

Thanks in advance!
P

 

[Rocky998]

2 x Kuhli Loach

Just so you know, kuhli loaches like to be kept in groups of 6+ due to stress... When in larger groups they are more confident

 

[Rocky998]

6 x Stendker Discus (keen to get a mix of colours including pigeon blood, white leopard and blue snakeskin) = 120cm of fish
15 x Cardinal Tetra = 45cm of fish
15 x Lemon Tetra = 45cm of fish
2 x German Blue Ram = 12cm of fish
2 x Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid = 12cm of fish
2 x Zebra Pleco = 20cm of fish
2 x Kuhli Loach = 14cm of fish

Are you going by the inch per gallon rule or just using it as reference?

 

[Pellington]

Just so you know, kuhli loaches like to be kept in groups of 6+ due to stress... When in larger groups they are more confident

Thanks Rocky!

I appreciate the advice. I had no idea about that so that is good to know. I am guessing I wouldn't have enough room for 6, so maybe i'll drop those off the list completely. Are there other types of loach that are OK in pairs?

Cheers

 

[Rocky998]

Thanks Rocky!

I appreciate the advice. I had no idea about that so that is good to know. I am guessing I wouldn't have enough room for 6, so maybe i'll drop those off the list completely. Are there other types of loach that are OK in pairs?

Cheers

Yes, but too big with everything else in there

 

[Pellington]

Are you going by the inch per gallon rule or just using it as reference?

I read online that the general rule of thumb was 1cm of fish per 1L. So i was going by that. But I am a complete newbie in terms of freshwater so I am happy to told that's incorrect!

 

[Rocky998]

Yes, but too big with everything else in there

But a lot of loaches need a shoaling group

 

[Rocky998]

I read online that the general rule of thumb was 1cm of fish per 1L. So i was going by that. But I am a complete newbie in terms of freshwater so I am happy to told that's incorrect!

I would say its a good rule of thumb but you wouldnt put a 24 inch arowana in a 30 inch tank. The MAIN rule of it is left out... It actually says: 1 inch of slender bodied fish per gallon...

 

[Rocky998]

I would say its a good rule of thumb but you wouldnt put a 24 inch arowana in a 30 inch tank. The MAIN rule of it is left out... It actually says: 1 inch of slender bodied fish per gallon...

So, you could keep like 30 chilli rasboras in a 20 gallon (just an example)

 

[Rocky998]

https://aqadvisor.com/ This is a better rule of thumb. BUT remember this site is still under progress so some things are being worked on... But in my opinion it is better than the inch per gallon rule

 

[Pellington]

https://aqadvisor.com/ This is a better rule of thumb. BUT remember this site is still under progress so some things are being worked on... But in my opinion it is better than the inch per gallon rule

Thanks Rocky, will have a look.

So in summary do you think i am overstocked with the above list, noting the discus are not slender-bodied? I could reduce the discus to 4 but I have read they are better in larger groups with minimum of 6...

Alternatively I guess i could pick between the dwarf cichlids, and just have one pair rather than both...

 

[Rocky998]

Thanks Rocky, will have a look.

So in summary do you think i am overstocked with the above list, noting the discus are not slender-bodied? I could reduce the discus to 4 but I have read they are better in larger groups with minimum of 6...

Alternatively I guess i could pick between the dwarf cichlids, and just have one pair rather than both...

I am not experienced with discus or some of the other fish listed, but to me it looks over stocked (I could be wrong). And if you know discus do better in groups of 6 I would think about which fish on there not to do. Also, you probably have checked but make sure all the fish on there are compatible with the different temps and water parameters

 

[Rocky998]

After looking a bit online it says the minimum for a group of 6 discus is a 75 gallon (283L)

 

[Pellington]

I am not experienced with discus or some of the other fish listed, but to me it looks over stocked (I could be wrong). And if you know discus do better in groups of 6 I would think about which fish on there not to do. Also, you probably have checked but make sure all the fish on there are compatible with the different temps and water parameters

Thanks Rocky! I have researched compatibility in terms of temperament, but that's a great point on temperatures and parameters. I'll do some more reading.

 

[Essjay]

You do need to bear temperature in mind. I've never kept discus but I understand they need higher temperatures than most tropical fish, so tank mates have to be chosen from those fish which need the same temperature.