Stocking 35 gallon

[Coleallensmom]

Demensions are 30" long, 22.5 tall, and 12.5 wide. I am a tetra fan and plan on having:

6 Pristella Tetra
4-6 Zebra Danios
2-3? Zebra Snails

Some of the other tetra I like are the Black Phantom tetra, Lemon tetra, and the Black skirt tetra. I would really like to add some more color and the Tiger Barb caught my eye, but I read they can be agressive tail nippers. A bigger center piece type fish would be nice and a way to add color...would an Angelfish or a Dwarf Gourami work, or are they too large? Any suggestions?

 

[adeebm]

Dwarf Gouramis will work, although IMO they die eventually. I think you can also get away with 1 angelfish, but I'm not sure. Barbs need to be in a school to stop aggression, so you would want like 7+. Von Rio tetras, cardinal tetras, and neon tetras have good color. You could also try a german blue ram as a centerpiece.

--Adeeb

 

[HN1]

I'd avoid the barbs altogether in that size of a tank. Tetras always seem to be at their best in larger schools so I would recommend gradually taking your chosen school to 10-12. Maybe a Betta, Ram, Apisto as a centerpiece? Angels will eventually grow too large for a community 20. JMO.

 

[Coleallensmom]

I'd avoid the barbs altogether in that size of a tank. Tetras always seem to be at their best in larger schools so I would recommend gradually taking your chosen school to 10-12. Maybe a Betta, Ram, Apisto as a centerpiece? Angels will eventually grow too large for a community 20. JMO.

That's exacty what I was thinking re: avoiding barbs which was why I was looking for other suggestions. Am definitely planning on adding more tetra, just need to decide which will work best. I've not yet looked into Rams or the Apisto...will do some reasearching into those! Thanks!

 

[HN1]

Sure! I do need to apologize, I was thinking 20G for some reason. A single angel would be fine in there.

Tetra- lemons are great, check out kerri, orange flame, and cochu's.

 

[Coleallensmom]

Sure, no problem. I'm not even exactly sure how big the tank is. I was told when we bought it that it was a 40 gal but my husband calculated and came up with 35gal. I measured it myself and used the gallon caculator from FishLore to find out who was right and got 36.5 gal.

I think I am going to go with an Angel.

How many tetra can I get w/o over stocking the tank (keeping in mind the danios and snails)? You had mentioned 10-12 total. Taking in account the 6 Pristella I already have, that would leave 4-6 that I could still introduce to the tank. 4 wouldn't really be enough for a school, so I think I'd either have to get a species of tetra that would school with the pristella or go all out and buy 6. I've been thinking of getting some Black phantom tetra as they are readily available.

My son has been begging for cory(s) from day one. Maybe I should work a few of those in?

 

[XimeD]

Try this page to give you an idea about stocking (I would try all the set-ups you are suggesting here and see what it gives you):
AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

It is very conservative in the estimates but IMO it is really good for people like us who are just starting in this hobby, to get a feel for stocking levels, plus you can always stock above their 100% later when you gain more experience and a "feel" for what your tank can handle. It also gives good advice on compatibility (though I would research everything separately just to double check)

 

[Coleallensmom]

Thanks, Ximena. I finally decided yesterday to go with an Angel and just add a few more Pristella tetra to keep everyone happy. The Angel I brought home last night is tiny as are my danios. I gave the AqAdvisor a whirl and it's telling me that if I add a few corys in the next few weeks and add my snails to the fish count that I'm at 75% stocking capacity now, but will be considered at 104% stocking capacity once my fish reach adult size.

Funny thing- It warns that my Pristella tetra may nip the Angel. My tetra are peaceful as can be- If anyone is going to fuss at the Angel, I'd be worried about the danios! So far they've not bothered him though, so that's great.

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

honestly i dont go by that aqadvisor. before i set up my 20gal, i looked at that site. I have neons, glowlights, zebra danios and a male crowntail (betta splendens) and a bunch of ramshorn snails and some amano shrimp. and they said that i shouldnt put a betta with danios snails or shrimp. even tho when i did my research the betta and danios were the most popular tank mates for my kind of set up.

IMO its not the most reliable website out there...but like i said its JMO

 

[XimeD]

Thanks, Ximena. I finally decided yesterday to go with an Angel and just add a few more Pristella tetra to keep everyone happy. The Angel I brought home last night is tiny as are my danios. I gave the AqAdvisor a whirl and it's telling me that if I add a few corys in the next few weeks and add my snails to the fish count that I'm at 75% stocking capacity now, but will be considered at 104% stocking capacity once my fish reach adult size.

Funny thing- It warns that my Pristella tetra may nip the Angel. My tetra are peaceful as can be- If anyone is going to fuss at the Angel, I'd be worried about the danios! So far they've not bothered him though, so that's great.

I wouldn't worry about their 104% stocking, like I said they are very conservative. Same with their compatibility "warnings", I take whatever they say and research it separately to see how common it really is.

 

[Coleallensmom]

Well, I'm a bit sad now because my Angel didn't last much over 24hrs. I've never had a problem with any of my other fish acclimating to my tank until now and I just tested my water with a 0ppm Ammonia, 0ppm NitrIte, and 10ppm NitrAte result...so not 100% sure what happened. I'm thinking of getting more tetra to replace her when I go back to the store. Anyone have opinions on how many I can get w/o putting a strain on my tank?

I have:
11 pristella tetra
4 danios

Would 8? black skirt tetra be too much?

 

[Jason7894561230]

IMO i wouldnt get the black skirt because they are a very nippy species i would try to get 2 german ram maaybe 3.
also Aspitos are really nice and would do well. But i think you could try again with the angel. JUst get a slightly bigger one. :thumbsup:

 

[HN1]

Sorry to hear about the loss. As stated, black skirts can be nippy but would be fine with that stock IMO. I'd suggest adding 4 & 4 with a week or two inbetween adds. How did you acclimate the angel? It could have just been a weak fish possibly.