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You might remember a while ago I posted a thing about stocking a 55 gallon. Well I have just got it and I am now ready to stock it properly. etc actual numbers and things.

I am not too sure what I want,but not a cichlid tank, probably a community tank. I would like corys and maybe otos. No lace gouramis, pristella tetras or rummy nose tetras please, as I already have these.

I have an Eheim Classic canister filter like on my 126 litre except a bigger version. (More lph or gph)

I would like ideas with a centerpiece and some school I think. I would also like actual numbers of the fish you suggest please.

Thankyou very much!

Last edited by labrakitty at 16-Apr-2005 20:14

Last edited by labrakitty at 16-Apr-2005 20:14

I need some ideas please, the tank is cycling so it will need to be stocked soon!

Well I'll say what most people suggest first of all. Just go to a store, or if you already have something in mind, just pick one or 2 fish and make a community based around them. Once you do that people will have a better idea of what you want and more suggestions will come from it. Ottos are cories can go along in basically any peaceful community, the choices are too broad if you ask me.

55 gallons? You know what I'd do with it Labrakitty.

To start with, 24 Panda Corys.

Then, say, 12 Otocinclus.

Once they were in, it's time to think about playmates. I'd go for something different. How about Kitty Tetras? A big shoal of 16 of those would look superb!

Tehn, you'd still have room for something else. If you don't mind mixing South Americans with Asian fish, how about 8 Rasbora vaterifloris? Now you'll have trouble finding these (and many places still insist on calling them Sri Lanka Fire Barbs, even though they're Rasboras) but they're worth the hunt. Feed them colour food and intermittent live food and they'll utterly transform in appearance. Again, they'll look a bit insipid in a dealer aquarium, but take them home, give them a nice underwater rainforest to play in, and condition them on multiple flake varieties and live foods, and they'll become little jewels.

Furnish with nice intricate bogwood pieces, add Java Moss and Java Ferns, and when the 24 Pandas have been with you for between 6 months to a year, they'll probably end up spawning like mine

Put that lot together in a 55 gallon and you'll have a superb display. Your very own Panda Fun Palace™


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks Cali, unfortunately i can't get any of the fish you listed except the corys and otos of course. I can't get anywhere near that many corsy or otos though anyway. I might get a school of 6 pandas, 6 julii, 6 habrosus and 6 sterbai or caudimaculatus. And maybe 6 otos. I would like a pair of dwarf cichlids for the centerpiece I think, like cockatoo dwarfs or blue rams maybe. And then some schools. I don't really know the stocking levels. I would like:
6 pandas
6 julii
6 habrosus
6 sterbai or caudimaculatus
6 otos
2 cockatoo dwarfs or blue rams
?
?
?
?
What else could I have. Please do not list too unusual things like pencil fish as I can't get anything remotely unusual. But thanks for the ideas Calilasseia!

Would my 5 pandas in the other tnak be at all likely to spawn? I am getting one more soon. A few seem a lot bigger and fatter than the others.

Last edited by labrakitty at 16-Apr-2005 21:04

how about
10 ottos
12cories (panda/stebrais)
10 cardinal tetras
breeding pair of discus
breeding pair of rams

Planted with
Java Fern
Crypts
amazonswords
hornwort
with lots of DW

---

''All the clown fish and yellow tangs in the world cant save you now!''

I'd like to suggest some harlequin rasboras. The colors on these little guys are amazing a school of 8-10 of these would look stunning.

I also like the zebra danios. I picked up 6 of these guys to cycle my tank and never felt quite fond of them at first, but now I love them! They are very active swimmers (sometimes too active, its like watching a tennis match on tv).

So those are my 2 suggestions.

Harley's and zebras

Don

I have rasboras as well, just got them into a neat lil school, and man I love it! First day I got them I jumped around going "woooo look they're schooling!". They're very active, very pretty, and even with no danger they school together just beacuse they feel like it. I personally don't like danio's too much, they're hyper active but don't look the best, they're neat but not neat enough for me to need to put them in a tank.

Why so many cories? I think that would be a little overboard on the bottom, I'd personally narrow it down to 2 shoals and up the numbers, or even at just 3.

How about pearl gouramis? I personally think they look the neatest out of all gouramis.


Wonder how these numbers would work out...

24 Cories
12 Rasboras (or any smaller tetra)
6 Ottos
1 Pair of dwarf cichlids
1 pair pearl gouramis


I still think those cory numbers are crazy :%)

I don't know too much about stocking, just now getting into figuring that stuff out. I think it looks fine considering cories and rasboras have small bioloads.

A school of glow lite tetras or lemons would be nice. Maybe some black skirts. I am contemplating a school of some kind myself. Maybe a gold or moonlight gourami as a center piece.

FreeBlaze

I definitely want the corys, and I said I don't want pearl gouramis. I think discus are a little expensive and delicate.
Could I have:

18 corys
6 otos
12 harlequin rasboras
2 rams
6 lemon tetras

Would this be overstocked? I could just have Habrosus, sterbai or caudimaculatus and julii. Since I already have 6 pandas in my other tank.

That stocking list looks okay. Just keep in mind that ottos and rams (German rams) tend to be sensitive to water conditions and somewhat delicate, so handle them with care.

With the cories, I'd personally go with all C. sterbai. That ups the fun, the chances of spawning and breeding, plus they are some of the best looking cories out there. I realize that they are pricey, but they're ultimately worth it to me.

---

And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

I'd make sure you get a male/female pair if you get Rams. Two males will probably fight a lot. Which is what happened when I got what I thought was a pair back in 1996 or thereabouts, and they both turned out to be male ...

Sadly I had to rehouse them. Lovely fish, but unless you get a proper pair, they can be fractious ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks Cali, I will ask the shop to choose a good pair for me.