New Tank for Angelfish and Others. Stocking Suggestions Welcome!!

[Christhefishman]

Hey everyone! 
 

So, I’ve had a marble angelfish who I dearly love growing out in a 29 gallon for the past year along with a Pearl gourami, a male/female pair of bolivian rams, and 8 panda Cories. All of these fish were tiny a year ago and I always planned this tank as a grow out for them all. Everyone gets along awesomely and the rams have bred for me multiple times. My plan was always to upgrade them to a 75 (my favorite tank size) but life happens and money is just so tight these days so I am moving home for the next year or so. Due to space in the new living situation, the best I could shake was a 40 breeder. its been set up now for over a month and ive been slowly planting it with trimmings from the currently heavily planted 29. 

anyway, since this new 40 breeder isnt as large as I originally hoped the next tank would be, im curious to hear your opinions on stocking options. If you were me, would you just move the existing fish over with no additions or could i get away with turning my pair of bolivian rams into a small group? or do i have enough space to add a school of larger bodied tetra species or peaceful barb like cherry barbs? 

I know the height of the 40B is pushing it with how tall angels get, but its the best i could do for now. last thing I want to do is something that would disrupt the harmony that has been shown over the last year so if you think im better off keeping the stock as it currently is then please let me know. 
 

i still have one more month before the move, and I will continue planting and fertilizing the 40B so that when I move the fish, there will be an abundance of plant life (a whole bunch of Bacopa caroliniana, as well as italian val, anubias nana, dwarf aquarium lilies, and Amazon frogbit) so that all these plants will aid the beneficial bacteria in processing ammonia in this new set up once fish are added. I just want to do what’s best for my current fish as I’ve grown really attached to them. Give me your thoughts on this tank size and if it gives me room to make additions or if I’d be better off keeping the stock the same as it is now and letting them continue to grow. 
sorry for the long winded post, and I appreciate your feedback!! 
 

-Chris 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 25, 2023 by Christhefishman

[nabokovfan87]

On 9/25/2023 at 1:25 PM, Christhefishman said:

If you were me, would you just move the existing fish over with no additions or could i get away with turning my pair of bolivian rams into a small group? or do i have enough space to add a school of larger bodied tetra species or peaceful barb like cherry barbs? 

It's an interesting question!  That newer 60B is really nice, but maybe not as perfect compared to a 75G/40B for the angels.

I would move over the corydoras without much issue.  The rams I would actually keep in the 29G, just in case the temps for the rams are higher.  Pandas do tend to like low 70's for me, but I know people have them all over the temp range.  You mentioned barbs, so that falls right in like with those lower 70 temps.  Melon barbs, odessa barbs, cherry barbs.... I would pick 2 of those and get a good size school or treat it as more of a species only setup and enjoy their behavior.

I think the angels and gourami might have their antennae nipped on by the barbs, so the gourami especially I would keep with the rams.  Angels, just keep an eye on them.  It all depends on temp for me about what ends up where!

......

Option 2:  29 stays cold, the 40B goes a bit warmer.

In the bigger tank then you can add the angels, the gourami, the rams.  You can wait for a spawn or add another pair and see what happens.  You'll definitely have enough space for it.   In that case, something like schools of tetra would be the species I would add in lieu of barbs or cypranidae species.  A corydoras like sterbai or false julii would do better at bolivian ram temps in the setup and it's one of those amazing things where the older they get the more amazing that pattern becomes!

You could even add in something like hasbrosus or other nano corydoras species.

In the 29G then you have room for cherry barbs, white clouds, or other small rasbora species.

On 9/25/2023 at 1:25 PM, Christhefishman said:

very beautiful angel!

[Lennie]

Hey Chris,

All fish of yours look pretty.

If I were you, I would either move them all to my new tank and add a schooling fish for middle column, or

add everyone but bolivian rams and keep bolivian ram tank as a 20g breeding project(if they are a pair). I wouldnt add anything else to their tank if this will be breeding project

@beastie started with a group of 5 bolivian rams as juveniles. They seemed to group up and spend time together as juveniles, however they stopped caring for each other after reaching sexual maturity and forming pairs. In fact, two pairs were formed and one ram was felt left out so hard. I see no point keeping them in a school and increase the potential of getting more pairs out of it unless the tank is quite big