Gamer

I am setting up a 125 SE asian biotope and I know what kind of fish I want but am open to suggestion as to how many of each. I want my showfish to be gouramis. Preferably some calmer ones that will not be aggressive toward each other because I understand alot of them will fight.

showfish: some Gouramis (possibly pearl or honey sunset)
some glass catfish
some clown loaches
some rasboras and/or some danios
some algae eaters

Any other fish I will also take into consideration.

platy ben

6 pearl gouramis , 20 harlequin rasboras, 6 clown loaches, 8 glass catfish, 4 siamese algae eaters, 6 otocinclus cats and 4 bamboo shrimp

Gamer

Thank you. I'm sure I will do something like this unless someone comes along with an even better stocking suggestion.

I read about bamboo shrimps. They get pretty large for shrimps but are harmless to fish as they don't have large pinchers, instead they have sweepers, to sweep food into their mouths. I believe I shall go with them and that would be a very good algae squad.

platy ben

Shrimps make a great algae squad, hope my suggestions helped you and remember to post pics when you have it all set up

Gamer

Your suggestion is so helpful that I think it's the only one I need. I'll be adding them little by little and bumping this thread with pics whenever I've just added something. The algae squad (Oto's, SAE's and bamboo shrimps) of course will go in last.

platy ben

I would add the harlequins first and then the gouramis then clown loaches then the clean up squad, cant wait to see pics

Shaina

That sounds good except that Otocinclus are South American fish, not Asian

platy ben

my bad lol, they do a good job so they have an exception

Gamer

Well I myself knew they're from the same region as angels, hatchets, cories, BN's and whiptail cats but wanted to add them anyway as the only odd men out of the bunch. I will probably make an exception just for one school of tiny oto's.

Annadvn

Some of the fish ie: clown loaches like movement in their water, whilst some of the others do not like gouramis.

Try having a powerhead for a current but blocking it with driftwood or something so there is a calmer area for the ones that don't like water movement.

Anna

Gamer

I plan on using two cannister filters then for extra water movement I was going to add a Maxi-Jet powerhead on one side of the tank for other reasons but this is just a good reason alone to use one.

angelfish220

make sure there is a spot with slower currant for the gouramis, as they get tired easily

Blub

Clown loaches will eat shrimp, so watch out.

Gamer

I will be careful. I have already started doing searches. I found one thread on another fish forum where someone bought 3 bamboo shrimp from a LFS that was selling them in a tank with clown loaches (2") then when he got them home with his clown loach (4") the shrimps lasted 2 days. So it's possible something in the water killed them first then the clown started feasting on them but why risk it? I will still get bamboo shrimps but probably in another tank...or if I find something that encourages me to mix the two together then I may end up trying it afterall.

Gamer

Here's what I am thinking of doing now:

6 Gouramis (Pearl or Honey Sunset) (Possibly all female)
15 Harlequin Rasboras
20 Kuhli Loaches
10 Glass Catfish
4 Siamese Algae-Eaters
6 Otocinclus
12 or so Bamboo shrimp (and possibly other shrimps)

I mainly did this because I took the clowns out. I've just seen photo's of them over 10 inches and more. They can grow and not just in length but in width as I've seen fat ones. Sorry but don't think they are for me. This way I can have loaches I know won't cause problems well at the same time have shrimps. What does everyone think?

belamyboo

cant wait to see the photo's, this set up sounds amazing, which types of plants etc. were you going to use?

Gamer

Tons of crypts, vals, rotala...some bamboo plant, orchid lily, java fern and onion plant. And a couple specialty plants from the region. I've also got to add something that floats for my gouramis and for that was considering salivinia (sp?) but I'm not sure what floating plant I'll use for them just yet. Everything else is etched in stone.