Can i do zebra danios?

[Homedog98]

Ok, as some people around here know, I'm planning a 29 gallon tank for this summer. My stocking is as follows:
6 black skirt tetras(already have 3)
1 bristle nose/rubberlip pleco
4 orange laser cories
1 keyhole cichlid
1 golden/bolivian ram
1 male guppy.(already have him)
It's gonna have a 55 gallon filtration system, and I was in my LFS today, and fell in love with the zebra danios. I really want to add some! Any info would be great, and is there any way to add them to my list? I was thinking cutting down on the black skirts, and using them instead. I know they are super hyper, and I like a lot of activity in my tank. And I'm just gonna put it out there now. I don't like stocking calculators, and am not planning to use one. Another idea I had, was put the guppy in the ten gallon tank I have now, and get him a friend. No clue, but I really liked those guys. Thanks in advance!

 

[gkuzel]

I don't see a problem really. They can be tail nippers, I had four in my twenty nine with some live bearers and I had to get rid of them because they were being bully's. Your cichlids should be able to stick up for themselves, and the black skirts will be fine. Safety in numbers. Moving the guppy might be a good idea, but you can always try first. And, you're totally right about them creating 'a lot of activity'. That's actually an understatement. At feeding time, they turn into little piranhas. haha.

 

[Homedog98]

So what would you suggest? How many? Do I need to cut down on the tetras or the Cories?

 

[gkuzel]

Well, I'd say you could go to maybe four of them. The orange laser Cories, are they the type that gets about 4" long? If so, maybe only do 2 of them. Keep in mind that your Rubber lip will be roaming around the bottom with them, and they need their space too. Maybe just get one or two more Black skirts. That would leave you with a little more option if you eventually decided that you wanted to add more fish in the future.

 

[Bettababe1011]

Zebra danios should be in schools of six or more.

In loving memory of Pansa Princess, the greatest horse who ever lived. May you rest in peace.

 

[Homedog98]

The lasers stay at 2.5 like most cories. So maybe I could do this:
5 black skirt tetras
4 zebra danios
4 orange laser cories
1 keyhole cichlid
1 ram (Bolivian/golden
1 bristlenose or rubberlip pleco
Does this sound ok? I think I'm good in terms of bioload, and I guess compatibility. Any more suggestions?

 

[Bettababe1011]

The lasers stay at 2.5 like most cories. So maybe I could do this:
5 black skirt tetras
4 zebra danios
4 orange laser cories
1 keyhole cichlid
1 ram (Bolivian/golden
1 bristlenose or rubberlip pleco
Does this sound ok? I think I'm good in terms of bioload, and I guess compatibility. Any more suggestions?

Six is the minimum for a school of zebras. You can have less, but sometimes it affects their aggression and fin nipping nature.

In loving memory of Pansa Princess, the greatest horse who ever lived. May you rest in peace.

 

[gkuzel]

Sounds good! And yes Bettababe, it may affect their aggression, it may not. But You're talking a school of 4, it's not like she's adding two, or three. I think you'll be just fine! Good luck! post some pictures when you get it up and running!

 

[Homedog98]

Hmm... I could do five, but if I do that, there's a possibility of getting three males and two females, and that wouldn't be good. I'll do four and see how it goes, and if I feel like the tank can handle more, I'll do it, but I'm deathly afraid of overstocking.( Too many screw-ups in the beginning. )

 

[gkuzel]

Haha, we've all done it! It helps to get a bigger filtration system, as you plan. Just doing weekly water tests should keep everything at bay.

 

[Homedog98]

So... 4 or 6?

 

[gkuzel]

I'd say, you'd be fine with four to start, if you start noticing aggression, you can add more. It shouldn't be that large of a problem, though.

 

[Bettababe1011]

Well, you know what my answer would be, six. You could try with four I suppose and if it doesn't work add more. But be aware of the risk of fin nipping and such. Bigger schools lessen the chance of them nipping fins. Do what your tank size and budget allow, but be ready to make changes if you choose four. I could be overreacting. It could go perfectly, and I hope it does.

In loving memory of Pansa Princess, the greatest horse who ever lived. May you rest in peace.

 

[Vircomore]

I'm not sure what you mean about the gender ratio, danios are not really affected by a specific gender ratio. I have 6 and it just so happened to be 3:3.

If you're worried about breeding - danios are not likely to breed in a community tank unless it is very large or well planted.

I will agree that the chances of aggression increase in schools of less than 6 - and I don't know if my Lfs got a bad batch of danios or not - but they had a higher "first week mortality rate" than any other fish. So just keep count of them every so often because they're so fast that you might not notice if one is dead.

 

[Bettababe1011]

I'm not sure what you mean about the gender ratio, danios are not really affected by a specific gender ratio. I have 6 and it just so happened to be 3:3.

If you're worried about breeding - danios are not likely to breed in a community tank unless it is very large or well planted.

I will agree that the chances of aggression increase in schools of less than 6 - and I don't know if my Lfs got a bad batch of danios or not - but they had a higher "first week mortality rate" than any other fish. So just keep count of them every so often because they're so fast that you might not notice if one is dead.

Very good. I completely agree.

In loving memory of Pansa Princess, the greatest horse who ever lived. May you rest in peace.

 

[Homedog98]

I just like everyone to have a buddy I guess. That way I can add two at a time to reduce stress. Any more tips on keeping these little ones?