Stocking My 180 Litre Tank.

[Colonel Dibble]

Okay, lets try this again. I don't want any advice on my tank or any of the sort, I am just simply asking what people would stock in a 180L.
 
I am doing soft water and probably a planted community.
 
Give me your ideas for fish pleassse.

 

[Zante]

Hmmm... 180 litres... soft water...
 
I'd go for a densly planted tank, soft black sand bottom and a layer of soil under the sand.
 
Once the plants have well and truly established themselves I would populate it with four pairs of german blue rams, a shoal of rummynose tetras, depending on the tank (lid, rim, and things like that) a group of marbled hatchetfish. On the bottom a group of sterbai corys.
 
Another option is the creation of a nanotank on a large scale, I have been considering it for a while. Aquascaping to give the impression of large size and distance, and large shoals of miniscule fish. Possibly a few shrimp, such as crystal reds, on the bottom of the tank.
 
Another thing I have wanted to do for a while is a brackish crab tank, but I'm not sure I'd use a tank that size for it.

 

[Colonel Dibble]

Please read the first post
 
I just said the exact same thing to my cousin: Depending on the tank (lid, rim, and things like that) a group of marbled hatchetfish.
 
My original plan was to get 3 Apistos 10 Hatchets and 24 Cardinals, but I have a bigger tank to work with now.

 

[sebn]

What are the dimensions of the tank?

 

[TallTree01]

Hmmm... 180 litres... soft water...
 
I'd go for a densly planted tank, soft black sand bottom and a layer of soil under the sand.
 
Once the plants have well and truly established themselves I would populate it with four pairs of german blue rams, a shoal of rummynose tetras, depending on the tank (lid, rim, and things like that) a group of marbled hatchetfish. On the bottom a group of sterbai corys.
 
Another option is the creation of a nanotank on a large scale, I have been considering it for a while. Aquascaping to give the impression of large size and distance, and large shoals of miniscule fish. Possibly a few shrimp, such as crystal reds, on the bottom of the tank.
 
Another thing I have wanted to do for a while is a brackish crab tank, but I'm not sure I'd use a tank that size for it.

I wouldn't put 8 rams in a 180 liter tbh.

So, colonel, do you care which area they're from? ( Asia/ Americas )

If you like Asian I'd do some cherry barbs, pearl gouramis and yoyo loaches.
If you like south American I'd do cardinals tetras, bronze cories, ram cichlids and bristlenose Plecoes.

 

[Zante]

I wouldn't put 8 rams in a 180 liter tbh.

 

 
I went to the last BCA meeting, and there was a fish collector from the ACA who did a series of lectures. One of them also talked about rams and how in nature they live in fairly large groups. Not shoals or schools, groups. He also said that at breeding time each pair has his own crater to defend from neighboring pairs. They have a territory of a square foot, possibly one and a half, and the sand is literally covered in these craters. Most of the time, what stops them from eating their own eggs and young is the sparring with all the neighboring pairs.

 

[TallTree01]

But does this tank have enough room to support 4 different ram colonies? I wouldn't risk it. Really. I wouldn't.

 

[Colonel Dibble]

 

Hmmm... 180 litres... soft water...
 
I'd go for a densly planted tank, soft black sand bottom and a layer of soil under the sand.
 
Once the plants have well and truly established themselves I would populate it with four pairs of german blue rams, a shoal of rummynose tetras, depending on the tank (lid, rim, and things like that) a group of marbled hatchetfish. On the bottom a group of sterbai corys.
 
Another option is the creation of a nanotank on a large scale, I have been considering it for a while. Aquascaping to give the impression of large size and distance, and large shoals of miniscule fish. Possibly a few shrimp, such as crystal reds, on the bottom of the tank.
 
Another thing I have wanted to do for a while is a brackish crab tank, but I'm not sure I'd use a tank that size for it.

I wouldn't put 8 rams in a 180 liter tbh.

So, colonel, do you care which area they're from? ( Asia/ Americas )

If you like Asian I'd do some cherry barbs, pearl gouramis and yoyo loaches.
If you like south American I'd do cardinals tetras, bronze cories, ram cichlids and bristlenose Plecoes.

 

 
At the minute I am leaning towards South American but, not too fussed tbh.
 

What are the dimensions of the tank?

 
Tank 102cm (w) 50cm (h) 41cm
 
Basically... This tank is now going in my living room, I just wanted a fish in there that people would see it and go: WOW.
 
I looked at peacock eels and such, black ghost knife etc.

 

[the_lock_man]

For the benefit of others reading this, a black ghost knifefish reaches approx 50cm in length and is therefore unsuitable for a tank which is only 41cm front-to-back.

 

[TallTree01]

Hmmm... 180 litres... soft water...
 
I'd go for a densly planted tank, soft black sand bottom and a layer of soil under the sand.
 
Once the plants have well and truly established themselves I would populate it with four pairs of german blue rams, a shoal of rummynose tetras, depending on the tank (lid, rim, and things like that) a group of marbled hatchetfish. On the bottom a group of sterbai corys.
 
Another option is the creation of a nanotank on a large scale, I have been considering it for a while. Aquascaping to give the impression of large size and distance, and large shoals of miniscule fish. Possibly a few shrimp, such as crystal reds, on the bottom of the tank.
 
Another thing I have wanted to do for a while is a brackish crab tank, but I'm not sure I'd use a tank that size for it.

I wouldn't put 8 rams in a 180 liter tbh.
So, colonel, do you care which area they're from? ( Asia/ Americas )
If you like Asian I'd do some cherry barbs, pearl gouramis and yoyo loaches.
If you like south American I'd do cardinals tetras, bronze cories, ram cichlids and bristlenose Plecoes.

 
At the minute I am leaning towards South American but, not too fussed tbh.
 

What are the dimensions of the tank?

 
Tank 102cm (w) 50cm (h) 41cm[/size]
 
Basically... This tank is now going in my living room, I just wanted a fish in there that people would see it and go: WOW.[/size]
 
I looked at peacock eels and such, black ghost knife etc.[/size]

Hmm, my first thought was, a really exotic big fish is what your after.
What are your thoughts on pufferfish?

 

[Colonel Dibble]

Hmm, my first thought was, a really exotic big fish is what your after.
What are your thoughts on pufferfish?

 

 
Helllllllllll noooooooooo.
 
TBH I think I am quite set on what I had already. I looked at Corys which someone recommended, and I am going to slip 6-8 of those in. Should look good enough.
 
10-12 Marbled Hatchetfish
20-24 Cardinal Tetras
6-8 Corydoras (Depending on what ones I choose)
3 Apistogrammas.
(1 Cacatuoides)
(1 Agassizii)
(1 Hongsloi)
 
Blue/Red Ramshorn Snails. Malaysian Trumpets.
 
And I wanted some advice on some other Snails people would recommend. Purely for Ornamental purpose and not to clean algae as such. Maybe Nerite or something? I don't know. Want ones that will potentially breed in Soft water. 

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

~90-100cm of adult fish are suitable for a 180l.
 
Your stocking list below is ~200cm of adult fish, more in line with a tank at least double your 180l.
 

 

Hmm, my first thought was, a really exotic big fish is what your after.
What are your thoughts on pufferfish?

 

 
Helllllllllll noooooooooo.
 
TBH I think I am quite set on what I had already. I looked at Corys which someone recommended, and I am going to slip 6-8 of those in. Should look good enough.
 
10-12 Marbled Hatchetfish
20-24 Cardinal Tetras
6-8 Corydoras (Depending on what ones I choose)
3 Apistogrammas.
(1 Cacatuoides)
(1 Agassizii)
(1 Hongsloi)
 
Blue/Red Ramshorn Snails. Malaysian Trumpets.
 
And I wanted some advice on some other Snails people would recommend. Purely for Ornamental purpose and not to clean algae as such. Maybe Nerite or something? I don't know. Want ones that will potentially breed in Soft water. 
 

 

[Colonel Dibble]

Lol, read the top post. Don't give me advice, that I don't need. Thanks, Bye.

 

[the_lock_man]

If no-one points out the flaws in what you are proposing, then others reading the forum will infer that it is right. If you choose to ignore it, that's up to you, but the advice will always be posted.

 

[Wills]

Just as you stated you dont want advice you dont need or want I want to state I dont agree with your stocking plans or your attitude towards the forum.
 
Anyway... if you manage to keep up the water changes and control the nitrate in the tank it will only be the cramped conditions that will be bad not the water.
 
As for the Apistos - I would do a hareem - three males will fight, its really un natural for them to be kept like that - why not go for a species with colourful females like Panduro or Nijsens? In the trio you have there the Agassizi will seriously suffer the other two males generally get much bulkier and could over power them pretty bad.
 
 

 

I wouldn't put 8 rams in a 180 liter tbh.

 

 
I went to the last BCA meeting, and there was a fish collector from the ACA who did a series of lectures. One of them also talked about rams and how in nature they live in fairly large groups. Not shoals or schools, groups. He also said that at breeding time each pair has his own crater to defend from neighboring pairs. They have a territory of a square foot, possibly one and a half, and the sand is literally covered in these craters. Most of the time, what stops them from eating their own eggs and young is the sparring with all the neighboring pairs.
 

 
You are right in how they are found in the wild - they are a slightly gregarious cichlid but less so than the other common Mikrogeophagus - the Bolivian Ram... and much less than their larger cousins the Geophagus... As you said they had a square foot or one and a half of territory and they guarded this if this happened in a tank it would only take one dominant male to cause problems in a river system they can escape quite easily should they need to in a tank they cant... This is totally not the right thread to bring it up in but fits with the subject I guess - in the wild Apistos are found in their thousands in very small spaces - Alf Stahlsberg has found over 300+ living in about 3 meters of shore line with females huddling together and males patrolling an area - this is a dry season defense/ survival technique but it is how they live for a lot of the year but in a tank kept like that your going to just have a bunch of dead fish and a dominant harem.
 
Wills