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I have bought a 64 litre [16 gallon] aquarium and am thinking about stocking, also, please suggest alternative stockings as this is only an idea
Would this be too much?:
1x Siamese fighter male
1x Ram
3x small cory[bronze peppered or albino] or 1x khuli or yo yo loach
6x neon tetra
PS: I plan to plant the tank, which plants would suit?

I would pick either the ram or the tetras or the betta.
Depending on the footprint of the tank the corys may feel a bit cramped. Since they are some of the larger corys and more active they will use all the space you can give them. I'd suggest going with tetras and corys...
Bettas are asian, and the cory ram and tetras are south american. While they can be mixed some people are picky about mixing geographic regions in tanks...so long as the fish are okay with each other and can handle your tank water perfectly it's your choice to mix regions...

As for the plants, that depends on how much light you have and what your plans are for CO2 and ferts.

^_^

Definitely don't put a yoyo loach in that size tank. They get too big and are far too active. I'd go with either a group of smaller cories (Pygmy types, Panda, trilineatus/false juliis, or skunk) which stay at 2 inches or smaller. The others (bronze, albino, paleatus/peppered) that are more common get too large IMO for a 16g. Also, cories like groups of atleast 6 to feel comfortable and with the smaller types you'd have room for a full group.

Kuhli loaches would be ok for that tank. I'd get atleast 4 though. They do tend to hide alot, or atleast that is what I have heard from people that keep them. You may want to keep that in mind.

Rams tend to share the bottom-middle space with may cause problems with bottom feeders, especially in smaller tanks. I'd definitely take Babels advice and choose either the ram or tetras or betta. I think having all 3 would be too much.

In a 16g you could go with 6-8 tetras or the betta and 6 smaller type cories or 4-6 Kuhlis.

Plant choices depend on your lighting. With stock lighting (assuming it isn't that much light) you would be limited to Java ferns, Anubias, Java moss, and Cryptocorynes.

*Kristin*

the tank is a 40cm cube so i guess floor space is limited.
What about removing the cories and going with:
1x ram
1x male betta
3-6x khuli loach

Also, how much light do Vallisneria need?, and how do you administer fertilisers?, will i need CO2?

There are different types of vals, some are more demanding than others. Most all plants (including java fern) really appreaciate CO2...and a DIY system will work very well in that sized tank .

Personally I dont believe in dealing with ferts unless the plants need them. There are sites various sites that list plant issues and what can be done to remedy them. I tried adding a liquid fert to my tank once, it started no end of trouble....

Here is tropicas write up on vals. In such that sized tank your likely to need to trim them frequently...comman types do well with the lower lighting, your likely to still need to upgrade. "Stock" light that comes on tanks from the LFS is usually under one watt per gallon

As for the stocking...seems alright, though I'm not sure how well bettas and rams really work together. It may end up depending all on the attitude of the betta.

^_^

Do u just use scissors to trim plants?
Also will i need to cycle before i put plants in or can plants cycle a tank?

The plants i plan to have are Vallisneria, amazon swords, and stargrass.
How many watts per gallon will i need with these and will i need fertilisers?
Also, could i keep some ghost shrimp or would they get harrased?
thanks for advice

Vallisneria and Amazon swords are medium light plants, so having around 40 watts of light over your tank should be enough for them. Both will eventually outgrow the tank though. Amazon swords are known to get big enough to take over half or more of a 4 foot tank. And vals will grow tall. You can't trim them like you can stem plants...because the whole plant gets taller. If you cut the leaves, it will die. I've moved mine around from different tanks because they outgrew them. I'd seriously consider getting something that doesn't get so tall.

Stargrass is a higher light plant. I'd recommend atleast 50 or so watts over the tank for it. It really does best with CO2 injection. Without it, the stargrass will grow, but it will be really holey and not look very good...or atleast thats my experience with it.

You should fertilize with these plants. An all in one mixture should work though...like Flourish. The stargrass may need more than that though...maybe some Potassium.

*Kristin*

thanks for advice to this point babelfish and girliegirl.
Could someone suggest an alternative to tthe vals which will not get too tall?

most stem plants are going to get tall and hang over the surface, if having them sit like that isn't a problem, then you could still have a small stand of thin or thin twisty val. I believe the thin twisty doesn't get quite as tall as the standards but it'll be a bugger to track down. If you can get there, try Auburn.

Personally I'd go with java fern, I love the stuff Maybe a mix of some small and large anubias on driftwood? go for that minimalist sculptured look



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