Stocking a 56 Column - Open To Suggestions

[Rokuzachi]

The time finally draws near when my tank will be ready to roll. The dimensions of it are 30Lx18Wx24H. I've got some fish in mind, but I'm open to suggestions for the rest of the stock. It's been ten years since I've had an aquarium and I feel like I should get a second opinion on everything I do The tank itself has heavy cover in 2/3 of it (on small black gravel), with a small 'oasis' of fine black sand near the front at the base of the sloping gravel. The sand is the open area of the tank with few obstructions.

The filter being used is a Fluval 405, and I have a Hydor 720 gph circulation pump in case I need to move the water more. The water is on the low end of hard and the PH is a steady 7.8.

The fish; (bold are my must haves) - Friendly Edition

Bristlenose Pleco x2
Lake Inle Loach (Yunnanilus brevis) x5
Cherry Barb x6
Flying Fox or Panda Garra x2
Hoplosternum littorale x3

I've also considered leaving out the small stock and going with fewer, larger fish such as a brown african knife or one of the smallest bichirs, or some mix of the less agressive chichlids, so if you've got some ideas on that front go right ahead! Aside from the Hoplos, I'm open to any suggestions or advice. I tend to like catfish, cichlids (especially earth eaters) and am always on the lookout for less common fish.

Don't be shy in telling me if I've made some horrible mistakes in my planning

Have at it and thanks!

 

[Jason7894561230]

Get the flying foxes but get 3 of them. Some rainbows instead of the barbs and maybe some Kribensis

 

[Rokuzachi]

I saw some pretty eye-catching Madagascar Rainbowfish at a LFS today being sold at a discount in pairs, about 1.5-2 inches in length. Is that what you mean by rainbows, Jason? I've never kept them before, and this is one of the few times I've seen them in person, but if they aren't too demanding they'd definitely be a candidate that's pretty high on my list.

 

[James_in_MN]

Flying foxes are a poor algae eater. If that's what you're looking for (I know you intend to get plecos), I'd get siamese algae eaters instead.

You also might want to consider a school of something like emperor tetras? If I didn't already have black neon tetras, I'd probably grab some of those myself.

 

[Jason7894561230]

Yes thats what i mean by Rainbows

 

[Rokuzachi]

Those emperor tetras are pretty nice looking, I think I remember seeing them on my last go around but it's been so long. I definitely want to have a decent school of something, so having a spread of options for that is greatly appreciated, thanks guys!

What's the 'stocking rule' nowadays anyway? I don't want to overstock or hit the limit necessarily, but if possible I'd like to have a pretty large school of something. Seemed like when I used to keep fish I went by the 1" per gallon rule and never had any problems, but I figured I'd ask since a decade or more passing probably means someone has come up with something better.

 

[James_in_MN]

Check out AqAdvisor (link in my sig) to try out a tank build, then ask here for feedback. It's a good tool to spec out some stocking ideas, but not gospel by any means.

 

[Rokuzachi]

Check out AqAdvisor (link in my sig) to try out a tank build, then ask here for feedback. It's a good tool to spec out some stocking ideas, but not gospel by any means.

Oh cool, thanks!

Those Hoplos sure burn up the real estate. Oh well, they're adorable and fun to watch. A bit drab looking color-wise, but that's what the big school of _____ will be for, to add some flash to the tank!

 

[Rokuzachi]

I looked around today and found that the following Rainbows are available and in good numbers in addition to the Madagascar I'd seen before;

Bosemani
Australian
Turqoise
Dwarf Neon

I also took note of;

Lemon Tetras
Von Rio Tetras
Rosy Barbs
Gold Barbs

The more I look around, the more things I find to like. I decided that if I couldn't settle on a big group of something that I'd probably end up with Golden Wonder Killifish, or at least I'd like to, though I've never kept them before.

 

[Spellfire]

Petricola catfish are very nice to look at and extremely active mostly at night i just put a circ pump in mine as well working good so far i have two 50 gallon filters but with a column the crap builds up too fAst i find first 2 hours with a circ and clean as awhistle. I also took out the gravel and went with a flat rock base.