Isabella

Hi all, and Carol (and Gunnie and Rose) in particular

Ever since I've started my talk about getting a 75 gallon tank, I've been continuously researching, reading a lot, and generally planning for the tank and improving and/or changing the design ideas. It seems my plan is finally complete. Aside from all the equipment (good filtration and lighting in particular), nutrient rich substrate, and many plants, I'd like to know what you think of this stocking plan. I tried not to overstock as a heavily planted tank would not appreciate a heavy fish load. Do you think this list would be considered a light stock? I'd like to aim for a tank that required small weekly or bi-weekly water changes of 15-30%, just enough to siphon the debris off the bottom, the plants taking care of the rest.

I was supposed to have the tank by the end of August, but I haven't had the time to set everything up yet. I will hopefully begin the process by the end of September. Anyway, there is the list of fish:


2 angelfish (the current adult pair that I have in my 30 gallon tank)
3 rams (German Blue type; 1 male and 2 females)
1 algae eater (either the true Siamese Flying Fox, or a Bristlenose Catfish, or a few Otos)
6 zebra danios
6 harlequin rasboras
6 cherry barbs
4 emperor tetras
4 diamond tetras

If you think any of the above shoaling fish are in too small a group, please let me know. Also, if you think any of the above species are incompatible, please tell me so as well. All of the above fish add up to around 66", keeping in mind that angels are larger waste producers and the smaller cherry barbs, zebra danios, and harlequin rasboras produce little waste. As for the emperor tetras and diamond tetras, they should be something in between the angels and the smaller species with regards to waste production. Do you think 4 emperor and 4 diamond tetras are in too small a group as for their species? Or do you perhaps think I should eliminate emperor and diamond tetras alltogether? Or is the 75G tank with them still lightly stocked? (I don't want to eliminate the angels, the rams, danios, cherries, and harlequins - these all must stay).

I do not want a tank where fish wastes are too heavy, as I don't want to risk a failure of my planted tank. As I've said, I want it lightly stocked. Would you consider my tank lightly, moderately, or heavily stocked?

As some of you might have read in another of my posts, I also wanted to get some Rainbows, but since they're not so small and*I don't want to overstock, I must resign from them right now. If the tank was not planted, I could easily add some rainbows, I suppose. But I will not give in to temptation of overstocking as I know very well what the consequences of it may be. I suppose ... my next 125G will be a "rainbows-only" tank containing various Melanotaenias (rainbows) and shoals of Celebes and Threadfin rainbows. And then the 200 gallon tank will have ... um, well let me think about it, lol. God ... my MTS is IRREVERSIBLE. I'll die getting a new tank every once a while! I seriously want a 125G next, and a 200G after that.

But, back to the original topic. As for my baby angels ... I figured it would be too many to have 4-6 angels in my 75 gallon tank (due to their temperaments and waste production). So what I will do is I will keep 2 of my 8 baby angels in my 30 gallon tank - the rest will have to be given away I cannot overstock. So it will be 2 angels in the 75G and 2 angels in the 30G. I'll also add 4-6 glass cats to the 30 gallon tank once the 75G is set up and running with the 2 adult angels in there. As for my neons, the 9 of them will stay in the 10 gallon tank to keep it cycled in case I need a Q tank.

SO ... what do you folks think of the plan? Thanks up front for any tips and advice

I'll also ask about the stocking plan on Plant Geek.

Isabella

Dino

I believe your tetra numbers are too low.
I would drop one of the species from your list ( of the schooling species) and increase the number of fish of the species left, ( say take a tetra species from 4 fish to 7 fish).
Another thing I have noticed, schoolers do better in odd numbered groups. I have no idea way.

Dino

Butterfly

You know MTS is contagious
I would also advise a larger school of tetras but I would go more for 13 or 15. A smaller school would get lost in the 75G. also a larger school(or is it shoal?) of the Rasbora or cherry barbs 13 to 15. I vote cherry barbs, the males turn the most beautiful red when in breeding colors. Then a smaller school of the other if you like. The daioos will be very active but thats not so many they will irritate the angels
In my 75 I have 20 green neons and 20 black neons. There are 2 of some kind I don't know what they are and one or two of several varietys that my daughter has added. I found the bigger schools of a couple of fish made a bigger viewing impact than a few of several schools.
But always remember this is your tank, stock it to your liking. I was only using my tank as an example
Carol

Isabella

Thank you Dino and Carol for the replies.

Dino, it's indeed interesting that for some reason shoaling fish do better in odd numbers (for example, 7 instead of 6). Any idea why this is so? I always thought that even numbers would be better because if all the fish pair up, there will be one left out and possibly bullied.

Carol, do you suggest 13-15 cherry barbs and 13-15 harlequin rasboras? Or just one of the species in the numbers 13-15? And a smaller school of which other fish? What size of the school? How many danios, if I get them?

P.S. 1) Do you think the adult pair of angels may eat / destroy my plants? Because the babies did destroy my Amazon Swords in my 30 gallon tank. The plants will cost me quite a sum and I don't want them to be ruined!

P.S. 2) So do you think this stocking plan would classify as a light stock?

Butterfly

Isabella my adult angels only picked at my plants when they were looking for a place to spawn, now the babies were another story. I think they were eating micro organisms off of the plants, you don't have any that small now so I think it will be ok.
13-15 Cherry Barbs OR Harlequin Rasbora. After you get your fish in you could get a small school of which ever one you didn't get a bigger school of if you need more filler fish.
13-15 tetras of which ever kind you like.
I like danios just because their "spazy"(think I saw that term somewhere today, it describes them perfectly ) . So if you want that busy look at the top of the tank they are the ones for you. start out with six then add more if you need them. My dithers don't bother the angels at all so I wouldn't worry about disturbing them.
I have three different kinds in the 55G and that tank jumps all the time
Isn't it fun researching for a new tank ?
Carol

Isabella

I understand that the bigger the school the more stunning it looks, and I absolutely agree with this fact. But my problem is that it's a planted tank which I want to keep lightly stocked. The reason I want it stocked lightly is because of the plants. If the tank is loaded with fish, it's not good for plants, even if it's not overstocked. Planted tanks generally appreciate light stocking levels. So if I get only one but large school of cherry barbs or harlequin rasboras, that would be it for the small fish (in the original list you see a total of 12 max - of the 3 small species, i.e. 6 danios, 6 cherries, and 6 harlequins). That means I would have only one species of small fish. And I'd really want more variety.

It will be a long while before I get the 125G tank, and at the same time I don't want to wait this long to see harlequins, cherries, and danios in my tank. In a 125G, no doubt, I could have 13-15 of each of the 3 species. So that's why I decided on smaller schools of the 3 species in a 75 gallon tank. Do you think they'll do very poorly in groups of 6 in a 75 gallon tank? I thought that if you have at least 6 (or 7, if odd numbers are better), the fish will school and do well. But now it seems that the number of fish in a shoal is proportional to the size of the tank ... is that the case? Because it's either (1) that you have to have at least a certain number of fish in a shoal, or (2) that the tank cannot be too large for a certain number of fish or else they don't school but get lost in it.

Also, what do you think about the odd vs. even numbers of fish in a shoal? (The question that I asked Dino.)

Sorry for so many questions

Dino

I have no research to back the odd/even thing up, it is purely from experience.
Since most schoolers do not pair, an even number would not leave a off fish out.

dino

Marc

I'm fairly certain SAE are schooling fish. They'll be useful if you get black algae (will eat it if fed nothing else) but otherwise I'd opt for a kind of Pleco or school of Otos.

Other than that, it's up to you. I don't think there's anything to odd vs. even, as long as there are enough fish to disperse the aggression.

Good luck when you set this up!