Just Another Stocking Questing.

[TravisBumpy]

I am starting a heavily planted 40 gallon. Most of the fish I am wanting, I haven't kept before. So here is the list.

8 blue emporer tetras

4 congo tetras

9 cardinal tetras

6 kuhli loaches 

6 panda corries 

5 odessa barbs

10 amano shrimp

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 

 

 

[TheSwissAquarist]

Sounds great, but the only thing that could happen is large Congo tetras picking on small Amanos. 

[nabokovfan87]

The barbs will prefer temps a bit cooler than the tetras. The corydoras will as well, but I understand there are plenty that have been kept in a variety of conditions as they are a hobby bred line at this point. I would recommend something like trilineatus or sterbai over panda is all.

The amano shrimp won't like it too hot, so depending what you're running things at just keep in mind good oxygenation for them.

The difference for barbs vs. Tetra is basically 72-74 degrees compared to ~78 degrees.

[beastie]

I do not like this stocking much, because you are going for low numbers of schooling fish and wide variety instead of a decent sized school of few variety.

Please drop the odessa barbs, everyone reports behavior problems with them unless they are in groups of 10 and more. They are also boisterous, unlike emperor or cardinals and the stocking should be made around them, not having them as an addition. I would also drop either the kuhli loaches or the corydoras. Either one would fare much better in a group of 10, there is no space to keep both in at that numbers, so pick one.

Why dont you pick one of the three schooling fish you like the most and do just them in a  group of 15? Later on, if the tank is missing something, you can add another school. 

I have no idea why you got a "sounds great' on the stocking, because any piece of literature/source will say that any schooling fish are to be kept in groups of no less than six and encouraging stocking s like these is not ideal

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/3/2023 at 8:39 AM, beastie said:

any schooling fish are to be kept in groups of no less than six and encouraging stocking s like these is n

I like to think that it’s all a question of taste wether you like large amounts of a few species or lots of little schools. I did that with my first big tank and it worked out ok, but I would definitely do a large school of neons these days. Something that doesn’t break the bank. In my defense I was looking more for inter species aggression. 😕

[Lennie]

On 11/3/2023 at 11:10 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

I like to think that it’s all a question of taste wether you like large amounts of a few species or lots of little schools. I did that with my first big tank and it worked out ok, but I would definitely do a large school of neons these days. Something that doesn’t break the bank. In my defense I was looking more for inter species aggression. 😕

The biggest problem I face is, when you start with a small group and things go wrong, then it does not end up good.

I got me 5 rosy barbs (2m:3f) from my lfs (as they were the last ones). They were the worst batch of fish I have ever owned. They gave me 3 surprise fry but still I only have one fish left. It sucks right now because it acts erratic. Swims extremely fast everywhere and randomly try to bite other fish. They were extremely peaceful as a group and Im lost what should I do. I dont wanna increase their school size.

Same with cories. I started with 5 sterbais ( again, all left was 5 and they didnt come back over a year). I ended up having 1m:4f from those juveniles. I had great breeding action and stuff. But now I lost that single male and I have all 4 ladies. They are still pretty okay as 4 ladies but I lost the opportunity of breeding my fish. There is a difference between wanting to do it, or being able to do it. I was complaining about them breeding nonstop, but I feel sad right now that they can't.

 

So my recommendation also would be keeping a big school one of fish. Old age and diseases happen. Whether due to a sad accident or course of nature, you gradually lose fish. You start with a school and at some point the numbers decrease. It happens. That's why, besides making them feel safer in big numbers and observing a better behavior of them, big schools help to delay to get to the point of where I did with rosy barbs.

Edited November 3, 2023 by Lennie

[reefhugger]

On 11/3/2023 at 3:39 AM, beastie said:

I would also drop either the kuhli loaches or the corydoras.

I agree with this advice.  I would go with a slightly larger group of the corys.  My opinion here is influenced by my deep love of them as well as their activity level in good sized groups.  They are quite fun to watch.