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Does this seem to be an OK set up, or do I need to tone it down..?
regular 55 gallon, undergravel w/ powerheads and power filters
planted (swords, Java Moss, Java Fern, Dwarf Sagittarius, etc.) and two 3-tiered slate shelves/caves
6 Swordtails (2m/4f)
6 Cory Cats
5 Kuhli Loaches
6 Glass Catfish
Gouramis (either 3 or 6 Drawf or 3 of the larger ones, 1m/2f ratio)
and some Ghost or Cherry shrimp (4-6)

I am still cycling the tank, so I only have the swordtails at this time. And I want to keep the numbers of each type due to schooling reasons.


Christina

[span class="edited"][Edited by crickit99 2004-07-29 12:30][/span]

Id say you are overstocked but it depends on your maintnance schedule whether your are going to see the effects of it.

I know you asked about the stocking....but I have got to comment on the UGF's....especially since you're going with a planted tank....Forget the UGF.....it's not worth it in your set up. The only way that UGF's really work is in combonation with a reverse flow powerhead, and if you don't have live plants.

If you want to run 2 filters for security reasons then run two HOB's. If the tank's not already running with the UGF, forget about them.


As for the stocking, seems okay the gouramis might be pushing it...stick with the dwarfs....oh and I'd suggest more corys ...more corys always means happier corys :88).

^_^




[span class="edited"][Edited by Babelfish 2004-07-29 11:05][/span]

You should tone down on either the catfish, the gouramis, or the shrimp. Maybe a little bit of each. Again, it depends on your water change schedule whether you will feel any effects.

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

Stocking level sounds fine. For me, the gouramis would be best with 4 dwarves as larger ones (particularly males) may harass the glass cats - they like quiet tanks.

looks fine to me i agree with babs about the ugf!

I'de say feel things out, people always how many fish they can fit in a tank, heck i did it to start with. Personaly I've found though that its not so much a set plan, so much as a process of feeling things out. I'de add your peacefull fish first, going by size and then schooling or non-schooling, and perhaps introducing them a little on the thin side with schools. From there once those fish are established, put in your slightly more aggressive or larger fish, and see where that leaves you in terms of bioload and social dynamics. Odds are you'll be stocked a bit thin, so from there you can beef your schools up, and those fish will naturaly pull together, allowing you to fill out the tank.

I think you'll be fine with that stocking. It is planted, and if they are added slowly, I'm sure the tank could handle that bioload.

I agree with Babel. Ditch the UGF.

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They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

I'll throw in a third voice on the UGF. I used one, i took it out recently too. I think I'm going to be listed as a suspected terrorist with all the potentialy deadly biological sludge that i found under that thing. Taking it out made the water look better, took out a whole pile of dangerous build-up, made my tank easier to aquascape (ever try digging in gravel gravel getting sucked downwards?) and just might have cured cancer in the process

UGFs seem fine as long as you don't have plants. But it's almost impossible to grow plants with one. Otherwise, it sounds fine, and you're going about it right with just the swordtails at first. Keep up the safe stocking procedures!

><>

Since I have had a few people say I should get rid of the undergravel filter and powerheads..... What would you suggest I have instead of that? If I am going to take it out, I need to go ahead and do so before I start adding more fish and plants. (I have a bunch of plants coming in today, but I'll need to de-snail them.)
I currently have an AquaTech power filter (same as a Penguin) that holds 2 cartridges. Is that all I need??
I was planning on getting 2 smaller power filters, one for each side.

You grow up always hearing how you should have the UGF, so it makes it kind of difficult to think I don't need it!

Christina

crickit99,
You grow up hearing you need to eat your broccoli too... oh wait you are supposed to do that..nevermind.

The point is that things change. UGF's were @one point thought to be the answer. I know I had a horible time with the one that came on a used tank I liberated. The fish ended up with finrot as I tried to take it out (even though I had cleaned really well prior to it's removal).

If they're very well mainitanined and run in conjunction with reverse flow powerheads then they're fine in a non-planted tank....however, since you've already got filters and powerheads planned, as well as the live plants you might as well forget about the UGF and save yourself the trouble.

I'm fully in support of the HOB filter and the powerheads that you mentioned in the original post. If you have't already purchased the filters I'd suggest getting one that runs 7-10X's an hour. So look for ones that run 400-550 gallons per hour. You might want a combonation of two .

^_^