Stocking List For A 17.5 Gal. Help!

[FingersofFish]

Hi again all!
 
So my cycle is nearly over, ferts and liquid carbon dosing are reviving the plants and slowly decreasing the amount of algae.. its nearly time for the fish.
 
Looking into stocking and really not sure on what fish to go for so i'll let you know a few stats on the tank, some of the fish i like and would be open to suggestions! Looking for a peaceful, colourful community tank.
 
Tank =
- 70L (17.5 US Gal roughly)
- Moderatley Planted, Wood and Rock, Gravel substrate.
- pH of tap water = roughly 8 varies between 7.0 and 8.5 (tank usually reads around 8.0)
- Hardness of tapwater: 12dH (210ppm) fairly hard
- Fair bit of flow by a circulation pump to keep the plants happy, dose liquid carbo daily and do EI with ferts.
- 6 w/pL lighting so well lit.
 
Fish i like =
 
Harlequin Rasboras
Cherry Barbs
Fancy Guppies
Endlers
Kribs
Rams?
 
I.e which of these fish could be kept together, what would be a nice mixed tank of say 3/4 different species. I was thinking along the lines of a shoal, a trio and a solitary fish/pair?
 
Will be doing 50% water change weekly due to EI ferts anyway.

 

[brittgs]

I have  7 Harlequin Rasboras in my 29 gal and they make a nice shoal.  They tend to stay near the top of the tank and rarely go below the midpoint.  I have 5 Cherry Barbs with them (you could do 2 females and 1 male).  They don't school as tightly and they tend to stay in the lower half of the tank, cruising through the plants and rock formations, although they go up to the during feeding.  I have never had any problem with the two groups getting along.  One of my main criteria when I stocked was fish that got along and they do.  I also have albino cory cats.  I have not any of the other fish on your list so can't say how they would get along.

 

[FlakeyBiscuit3.14]

I have a group of male guppies, and they are great! They move through all levels of the tank and decor, hang out together or individually, and play in the bubbler! They are also good for your water parameters. I have a pH of 8.3 and they do great. I would suggest getting all males though so you are not over run with fry (plus they are prettier!).
 
Endler's I imagine would be pretty similar.
 
You can also think about platy. They are relatively small (2-2.5 inches) very peaceful community fish that come in a variety of colors and patterns. Plus they also do great in the high pH.
 
As for the other's I'm not really sure, but I know I was researching the rams for my own tank and they require a tank that is already pretty well established and a low pH from what I read.
 
You may need to check with your LFS to see what they have available, but glowlight danios, red eye tetra, bloodfin tetra, and gold barbs may be working looking into.

 

[KieranBoyne]

Here is a list of fish you can look into that are suitable... Not all of them at once of course. Just tell me what you like and I will so my best to help. Here goes:
Bottom feeders:
oto's
Most corydoras, smaller species (Pepper, sterbai, bandit,)
Shrimp (Red cherry, amano, tiger)
No pleco's (i have a bn in my 60l, looks fine, but will outgrow)
Loaches (Kuhli, Weather)

Mid-bottom:
black/red/white phantom tetras
Glowlight tetras
Snakeskin gourami
Bolivian rams
Cherry barb

Middle dwelling fish:
Harlequin Rasboras
Rummynose tetra
Most tetras actually....

Top dwelling fish:
Danios (Zebra/Leopard/Pearl)
Hatchetfish (can jump 3ft out of tank)

All-over fish:
Livebearers (Platy, Guppy, Swordtail, Molly)

Let me know which of these fish you like, and ill try and put a stocking plan together for you. And there are many other species of course, but these are the first ones that came into my head..

 

[FingersofFish]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Would really like a minimum of 3 different species in the tank (pref a mix of colour) and something for each tank level.
 
Very keen to have some cherry barbs in there thats kind of a must for us ( would probably have a male and 2 females)
 
I like the idea of tetras in there too, but as far as i had heard they wouldn't really appreciate the hard water and wouldn't want them to have to live in it! I do like harlequins to but the amount needed in a school seems to dominate any stocking list for a small tank like mine!
 
Like the idea of Platys and also endlers (rather than guppys).
 
Would consider a cory or a larger fish if it could be in the tank alone or possibly in a pair and would get along in community

 

[KieranBoyne]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Would really like a minimum of 3 different species in the tank (pref a mix of colour) and something for each tank level.
 
Very keen to have some cherry barbs in there thats kind of a must for us ( would probably have a male and 2 females)
 
I like the idea of tetras in there too, but as far as i had heard they wouldn't really appreciate the hard water and wouldn't want them to have to live in it! I do like harlequins to but the amount needed in a school seems to dominate any stocking list for a small tank like mine!
 
Like the idea of Platys and also endlers (rather than guppys).
 
Would consider a cory or a larger fish if it could be in the tank alone or possibly in a pair and would get along in community

okie dokie. 3 different species... hmmm....
 
So cherry barbs are a yes, i thought that they needed more than 3 in a group but i have never kept them so i cant say too much. I'm pretty sure they need 5 in a group though....
 
And as for the tetras, they do prefer soft water, but there are hardy species of tetra such as black phantom tetra which are REALLY tough, they are next to impossible to kill. Not that I've ever tried but you get what i mean. and cories also need to be in schools although my uncle has kept cories for 30+ years in trio's and they have been happy and have bred...
 
So, what about the shrimp?? Keen on them?? Snails just popped into my mind. I recommend assassin snails, look like bumble bee's lol. Umm...
So, my new question are::
Would you have shrimp or snails???
Are black phantom tetra too dark??? Do you want bright fish???
errmmm.....
 
As a second idea, possibly a micro fish tank, not sure if that's the proper name but that's what i call it lol. You could look into these:
Celestial Pearl Danio
Scarlet Badis
Pygmy Corydoras
If you were to get them 3 you could have between 5-10 of each, plus theyre really colourful so...
 

 

[FingersofFish]

We are planning to get assasin snails yes, probably just one or two but i guess they will breed anyway (i have been told these do not affect the tank bioload? or only very minor compared to fish)
 
Shrimp i think are out of the question (i do like them) but as i dose Pottasium Nitrate, Phosphate, Trace elemtns and Liquid carbo for the plants by EI, which i dont think is good for them!
 
I have looked into cherry barbs quite a lot, there seems to be differing advice out there - Ive seen a site which suggests 7+ and one which says they can be kept in a 2 female pair! Still it seems that quite a few people are sucesfully keeping them in a 1 male, 2 female trio, but the general advice does seem to be 5... but thats a whole 10 gal of tank space!
 
Interesting to know that about tetras, i will have to start looking into them again, they are one of my favorites.... I've been told by my partner that the Phatoms are too dark, but i just read that Emperor tetras and Rummy nose are quite hardy too and we both like those.
 
The micro tank idea is appealing, just for the amount of fish and colour it woudl allow. but i'd have to look into it more and it would mean losing our beloved cherry barbs haha.

 

[the_lock_man]

The usual rule of thumb for shoaling species is an absolute minimum of 6, but the more the merrier - in the wild, shoals number into the thousands.
 
From your original list, I would say your tank is too small for kribs and rams (and indeed any cichlid).
 
My suggestion from your list would be 8 cherry barbs and 5 male guppies, and then maybe 6 panda cories as bottom feeders, particularly if you have a dark substrate.
 
EDIT
 
A caveat with cories. If your gravel has sharp edges, scrub the cories, their barbels will be worn away by the gravel. If you can find them go for 3 or 4 peacock gudgeon (aka peacock goby) as a bottom dweller.

 

[KieranBoyne]

tkm, wouldnt the panda cories be uncomfortable temperaure-wise??? Because they need 74 farenheit i believe?? Right??

Assassins snails wont breed unless there is a male and female, simple solution: 2 males= No babies
 
And yes, shrimp are certainly out of the question with all of those chemicals..
 
And 5 upwards is good for all schooling fish. Rummynose are way too active for a 10 gal, emperor's may just be able to squeeze in there.
 
And yes, the micro tank does sound awesome but the barbs would have to be sacrifices otherwise the others would become snacks....

 

[FlakeyBiscuit3.14]

I think that the cherry barbs, endlers, and platies would be a good mix for your water parameters and tank size. The issue I have with the bottom feeders in your tank is that most of them are schooling and prefer large groups, which you could not fit very comfortably in small tank. Unless you get pygmy corries! But they are very sensitive to rough substrate...
 
A fully stocked tank with those might look like (I'm guessing by the way, please correct me if wrong): 2 platy (males), 3 Endler's (males), 5 barbs (coed). A lot will depend on your water change schedule and filter strength etc....

 

[FingersofFish]

I like all the ideas its hard to chose. The microtank idea is lovely but I think its out of the question as my partner really likes the barbs. Also shes not too fond of Corys even though I think the pygmys are nice.

I think that the cherry barbs, endlers, and platies would be a good mix for your water parameters and tank size. The issue I have with the bottom feeders in your tank is that most of them are schooling and prefer large groups, which you could not fit very comfortably in small tank. Unless you get pygmy corries! But they are very sensitive to rough substrate...
 
A fully stocked tank with those might look like (I'm guessing by the way, please correct me if wrong): 2 platy (males), 3 Endler's (males), 5 barbs (coed). A lot will depend on your water change schedule and filter strength etc....

In terms of filling the space and getting a good mix I really like this idea, could get a nice mix of colour too! How would it look with? swimming levels. I know that the barbs stick to middle bottom but what about platies and endlers? Also are there any other options for this kind of mix (e.g 5x cherry B, a trio and a pair?) What would be suitable trios and pairs

 

[FlakeyBiscuit3.14]

The reason I listed those numbers because platies have a larger bio load from what I've read, and the barbs need the group more than the endler's do. As far as level of the tank, all are listed as mid dwellers, but they swim through pretty much the whole tank. Just go to your LFS and watch them. The live bearers are great. And with the barbs, the more of them you have the more movement you should see out of them.

 

[KieranBoyne]

I think that the cherry barbs, endlers, and platies would be a good mix for your water parameters and tank size. The issue I have with the bottom feeders in your tank is that most of them are schooling and prefer large groups, which you could not fit very comfortably in small tank. Unless you get pygmy corries! But they are very sensitive to rough substrate...
 
A fully stocked tank with those might look like (I'm guessing by the way, please correct me if wrong): 2 platy (males), 3 Endler's (males), 5 barbs (coed). A lot will depend on your water change schedule and filter strength etc....

yup, youre correct flakeybsicuit. That's probably the best stocking based on the likes and dislikes you have given us. Although i would say put 3 platies and 2 endlers, despite the platies being poop machines, they would be far more comfortable in a 3 than the endlers would be.
 
Hope this helped. Any other assistance required??