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i'm now waiting for my new tank, which i think will be around 60 uk gallons so about 70ish us. the tank will be 48x20x18 inches. i'm having it custom built so it fits in my house.

first question is filtration? in my tank now i have a 304 external filter. will this be big enough? if not can't really afford a new large filter so what else could i use with the 304?:%)

my stock will be that of my 40g plus my bristlenose male out of my ten gallon and swordtails out of my 20g as they are growing very quickly, over stocking my tank.

Will this be ok or not?
1 angel
7 H. rasbora
5 Neon Rainbows
9 corys
1 clown pleco
1 otto
1 male dwarf gourami

plus
1 bristlenose
2-3 swordtails probably males.

Heater i have a 150W would this be ok, it's a warm house?

lighting - at the moment i'm running two 25W blubs what would i need in a 4ft tank. it's will be a planted tank with loads different types of easy grow low-medium light needs see link.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31082

Cheers for any input
Shekoi

Last edited by shekoi at 14-Oct-2005 06:04

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

I dunno about anything else, but I wouldn't put more than one male swordtail in a tank. They're really aggressive towards eachother, and at least one always dies, IME.
Edit: Clown plecos are -awesome-. I have one in my 55, and it's a joy to watch. What kind of cories are you looking at? I just got some pandas (they were on sale - yay!) and they are the funniest little guys ever.

Last edited by bananacoladafuze at 14-Oct-2005 14:22

______________
Cake or death?

I would up the school of corries to about 15but that is just me The more the merrier really when you are talkign about corries, just be sure you dont' have wall to wall corries, that's when things become just a bit over energetic:%)

heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Get a few more otos, too :-) Mine don't school in huge groups, but usually they hang out with a buddy or two and seem to enjoy their company.

the stocking is ok, but the numbers can be increased by alittle, should look good.

Angels and rainbows are not truly compatible as the rainbows will like it cooler than the angel.You shouldnt push the temperature tolerances at opposite ends, one species will inevitably fail. This often happens when someone gets a sick angel, and to up its immune system you have to hit the 80's , and obviously then the rainbows will be pushed way past their tolerance limits.

Angels are better in two's or threes, im not a big fan of the "centrepiece" fish keeping thing, it just means they never get to interact with their own species, and unless its a totally antisocial species of fish, its always a damn shame. The ottos should be kept in loose groups, single specimens often wane and die.

You dont really need more than one plec , some plecs are territorial with others irrelevant of the species. You might have trouble providing enough algae for ottos (which arent keen on tablets)if you have two plecs.

Go for 5 ottos , one plec, 2 angels, 1 male and 3 female dwarf gourami's (or you miss out on all that nest building and cool social behaviour), the rasboras, 6 cories and no rainbows.

See how all that goes and then maybe you can fill in the odd gap with more fish later, If you go with angels or dwarf gourami's there may be territory issues, so id not push the stocking levels to begin with.If you go for a planted aquarium the plants will grow too, and sometimes its better to have more plants and thusly more visual barriers to cut down on stress and fighting than overstock and have to cut back on the plants.



Last edited by longhairedgit at 14-Oct-2005 23:25

In addition to your 304, you should pick up something such as a Penquin 330 or Aquaclear 500 or whisper 60 or similarly sized HOB filter. It will be a nice compliment to your existing filtration.

For heating, you should really pick up another 150 or 200 watt heater and put it at the opposite side of the tank. This way you'll have efficient dispersion of the heated water, longer life of your heaters, and a backup in case one of them fails.

Thanks for the replies.

the cories i have are 7 juilies and 2 sterbi

i did have 4 ottoes for a fews years the one i have now is the only one left.

the rainbows and angel are fine together and have been for the last year or more. I was even told on this web site that they would be ok before i got them.

i'm not changing my stock i just wanted to know if fish i already have can be introduced into my main tank once setup.


Cheers everyone. i'll get everyone updated on what happens, but has been slight change of plan, i have decided to sell up and move to France, hopfully straight after i finish at university in May. If this comes off i'll wait until i get there to upgrade.
Probably have to sell fish on which is upsetting.

Does anybody know if its easy to buy fish etc in france as it is in england.

Cheers Shekoi

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

good luck if do move.

don't know if possable somebody might help here.

could you put your bristlenose into your tank know, but add a second filter and do an extra water change each week?

NFB