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New Tank, Who goes in First?


Kwag222
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Help!  I know I'm in the right place though.  I am restarting my 125gal (freshwater this time, abandoned it as a saltwater tank 6 years ago).

After kicking the rust off (metaphorically, of course) and getting the tank set up, and cycled, I am looking to add the following list of fish.  My questions are: 1. Is this overstocked?  2. Do you foresee any compatibility issues with the list?  3. In what order would you recommend making additions and over what period of time?

(1)Rainbow shark

(1)Angelfish

(1) Butterfly pleco

(4)German blue ram cichlid

(4)Boesemani Rainbowfish

(10)blue tetra

(10)harlequin rasbora

(10) Guppies

Thanks for your help!

 

 

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Nice! Welcome back to the hobby!

Sounds like a really fun community tank! My only reservation would be about the rainbowfish, since they like hard water vs. a lot of your other fish. Guppies love hard water, but they're super flexible. Instead of the rainbowfish, I might suggest a small school of larger tetras like emperors or diamonds (just make sure none are fin-nippers who'll torture your angelfish), or a larger livebearer like swordtails.

That rainbow shark might be a little too aggressive, too, for your rams and pleco. Might want to do a school of corydoras instead.

For your first tank denizens, I'd start with the smaller fish like the tetras or guppies, then work your way up in size until you're ready to pick out your glorious pleco and angelfish 🙂

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1. No that is sufficient size

2. Rainbow sharks are notoriously aggressive both at feeding time and if any fish strays to close to it's perceived territory. I would be worried about him with smaller fish. If you raise angelfish from babies with tetra and rasbora and guppies they tend to be more docile as adults. Guppies also like to nip fins sometimes so watch out for that with your angelfish.

3. It is best to get the tank fully cycled, add plants, and start bioloading first so that the bacteria does not go through "shock" when you add the fish. Adding smaller schooling fish first helps them get settled and established before you add larger fish, reducing stress. 

4. Natural angelfish behaviors will only be seen if you have a school of them or a bonded pair. I would also omit the rainbow shark from the list

Edited by Biotope Biologist
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2 minutes ago, Kwag222 said:

Thanks to the early responders (no pun intended).

If the rainbow fish are problematic, what do you thing of replacing them with 2-3 dwarf Gouramis??

No I wouldn't do dwarf gouramis, they are also bullies. You could do 3 honey gouramis and it would be fine.  

I agree, the more the angelfish the better. I would get like 2 or 3 angels. 

The rams like warmer water (at least 80F) so make sure you keep 'ehm warm. 

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7 minutes ago, Kwag222 said:

Thanks to the early responders (no pun intended).

If the rainbow fish are problematic, what do you thing of replacing them with 2-3 dwarf Gouramis??

  • The rainbows might be fine, depending on your water parameters.  What is your pH?
  • I wouldn't do dwarf gouramis at all, and certainly not a group of them.  If you like gouramis I'd suggest pearl gouramis.  They are much less aggressive than dwarf gouramis, and can be kept in groups as long as the females outnumber males.
  • I'd skip the German blue ram.  They won't thrive in water temperatures below the mid 80's, and that's too warm for the rest of your fish.  They also like soft water with low pH.
  • I agree with the others about skipping the rainbow shark.  Corydoras are great fish for the bottom of the tank, and are not at all aggressive.
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thanks JettsPapa.  my pH is 7.0 - 7.2 and I was planning on a temp of around 79-80.  Hardness is 8-10.  I'm not "committed" to Gourami's, rainbow fish or rainbow sharks (or anything really at this point).  Which is why I'm here asking for input.  The list is what my preliminary research and interests brought me to.  While I know there are no guarantees, forums like this are invaluable for applying the experience of others so as to avoid "silly" mistakes.   So, thanks to all and please, keep sharing your wisdom....

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2 minutes ago, Kwag222 said:

thanks JettsPapa.  my pH is 7.0 - 7.2 and I was planning on a temp of around 79-80.  Hardness is 8-10.  I'm not "committed" to Gourami's, rainbow fish or rainbow sharks (or anything really at this point).  Which is why I'm here asking for input.  The list is what my preliminary research and interests brought me to.  While I know there are no guarantees, forums like this are invaluable for applying the experience of others so as to avoid "silly" mistakes.   So, thanks to all and please, keep sharing your wisdom....

My favorite tank is my 65 gallon.  It has a single koi angelfish, a pair of super red bristle nose plecos, and schools of Lake Kutubu rainbowfish, black neon tetras, lemon tetras, and Corydoras panda.  I really like the way the colors of the rainbowfish and tetras complement each other.

If I was doing it again I think the only thing I'd do would be to skip the plecos.  There's really nothing wrong with them; I've just discovered that I'm not a big fan of plecos in general.

I know your tank is much larger than mine, but if you also like this mixture you could do larger schools.  In particular, you should be able to do a group of angels instead of just the one.

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If you're going to eliminate some of the "problem" fish mentioned above and get more of others on your list, may I suggest more harlequin rasboras? I started with 8, lost 1 to injury, and recently added 12 more. I noticed the males became less agressive and the whole gang is more relaxed. It could be I had more males in the first group and more females in the second, because there's also a lot of frisky business going on now. 

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