FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I have a ten gallon with a Dwarf Sunset Red Gourami and a south american bumblebee catfish. the gourami seems to be full grown at 2.5", and the bumblecat is full grown at 2.25". the bumblecat is fully nocturnal and doesnt show his face during the day, he hides in his caves when the gourami is awake and puttering around.

now, what I am wondering, is there a dither fish that could go in this tank? the gourami has been fairly shy since the move and isnt very active since i pulled him from his community tank where he had a bolivian ram and a squad of tetras to chase.

so, anything i can add without over loading the tank? water changes are 30% a week, ph at 7.1, water temp at 78 degrees,water fairly soft.currently unplanted although i may plant it eventually.lots of fake foliage and driftwood/rockpiles to hide in and around. 200gph over the back filter w/ floss,sponges, and ammonia absorbing resin and charcoal that gets changed weekly. the tank is fully cycled since it used the filtration and substrate from a fully cycled 7 gallon, went though a very tiny mini cycle and is stable now.

someone mentioned ottos, but i am unsure as they tend to be sensative and also there prolly isnt going to be a huge surplus of algae for a couple months and i dont have the time to make "algae rocks"(tm,lol). also i worry about adding more than 1-2 fish to this ten gallon since it already has a fairly large fish in it and one small loach like bottom feeder.

any other ideas? i thought about the cherry barbs that were in the 7 gallon that i moved to the 29 but i dont know...if i move them to the 10 gallon i have to wonder what i would put in my 29, if anything. the 29 gallon is super tall leaving little room for surface gas exchange...its roughly 22" tall by 24" long by 13" deep if i remember right. its stocking is one bolivian ram,6 lemon tetras,7 corys,and of course, the two cherrys.

so, ideas anyone?

well, i answered my own question. i moved the cherry barbs from the 29 gallon and put them in the 10. will a m&f pair of cherry barbs, one 2.25" bumblecat, and one dwarf sunset gourami overload my 10 gallon?

also, now i have to figure out if i want to add anything to the 29 gallon tall. it has two aquaclear 50s and a dual air pump system. its very tall though, as i mentioned in above post, 22" tall. any ideas? current stock now is 1 bolivian ram, 7 corys, and 6 lemon tetras.

P.S. they all seem happy, but is that too much bioload on the 10? also, should everyone be happy for the most part?

IMO your stocking on the 10 is fine. 200 gph seems a little excessive for a 10 gal. But there is no such thing as too much filtration. For the 29, you have a school of bottom-dwellers, and you have the top taken care of with the tetras, and the bolivian ram is an excellent centerpiece. It all depends on your taste in fishies. I might add some kuhli loaches or maybe add 1 more bolivian ram to have a pair. Or you could just increase the size of your schools by a few fish each.