Too many fish in my plan

[zenkatydid]

This is what I am looking at for my 50gal, 4ft tank. I only have the peppermint bristlenose already.

2 x bristlenoses (1 peppermint, 1 albino)
3 x yoyo loaches
4 x otos
6 x cories
6 x rummynose tetras
2 x german blue rams

Now, that is overstocked. So the question is, what do I take out? At least 1 BN and the loaches are a must. The rest, and their numbers, are up for discussion. Also, that is a lot on the lower level. I am not concerned with the 'look' of most of my fish being on the bottom or hidden, but what about territory/space for them?

And finally, my lfs has some gorgeously coloured GBRs that are about 1.5" long. I was hoping to observe them and pick a pair - would they even be pairing at that size, or would I best to buy a bunch, wait til a pair forms and return the rest?

 

[WaterPond]

i wouldent say that is overstocked at all. I have been taught that the 1" per gal rule is only a guidline, and it is more for smaller tanks. Go with all of those, and you could probably even increase your school of rummies to 8

 

[Satsumas]

That seems fine to me, it's also nice to see more than 1 yoyo loach in someone's stock list!
I've seen so many tanks that have just the 1 yoyo, yes they will be ok on their own but so much more active and entertaining when they have a buddy.

I'm going with rummy nose's at first it was going to be 6 but now probably 10!
Also cory's...probably 6 panda's, and 2 bolivian rams!

I think the yoyo's will really appriciate the 4 feet of swimming space, they will no doubt thanyou in their activity. Leave the yoyo's in!!

 

[Bubble_B0y]

wow @ peppermint bristlenose - EXPENSIVE FISH !!!

i live in sydney too - my LFS sells them for around $50+





anways - I would personally get rid of the otos.

With the bristlenose (x2) and yo-yo's (x3) and cories (x6) - your tank bottom with be sparkling clean.
There is no need for more bottom feeders.


your middle is looking good with the rams and tetras.


maybe think of some fish for the top level of the tank.
danios or swordtails or gourami or rainbow fish or hatchetfish perhaps??

 

[ksfishguy]

You might be able to add to your school of tetras, maybe 8-9. I like bubble_BOy's suggestions on top level fish, lot's of choices!!!

Have fun!

 

[DepotFish]

Not overstocked at all. Look into those top level fish that were suggested.

 

[JDogg]

stock look good to me... i also think you need something in the top 1/3 of the tank

 

[hc8719]

your not overstocked, and i wouldnt get rid of the otos like bubbleboy suggested, they dont due any harm.

you dont "need" top dwelling fish, but you certainly have room for them

 

[zenkatydid]

wow, thanks for all the comments, guys! i was sure that was overstocked... stupid inch per gallon

i was going to get the otos because they eat different types of algae to the bristlenose, and as far as i had read, they are less shy, so may be out foraging for algae during the day. my peppermint only comes out at night.

yeah, bubbleboy, i got the peppermint at rockdale - $45, and he is about 3". but i have wanted one forever, he is SO worth it. stunning fish!

i originally had rainbows in my stocking plan instead of the rummynoses, but realised that all the rest of my fish were south american - it would be a shame to break the style! so, i am not doing a true biotope tank, but i want to stick to south american fish. i don't much like hatchetfish, nor gouramis or livebearers. i have danios at the moment (they were used to start the tank and are super happy in there) so i may keep them.

ok, well for now i will leave my stocking at that, and see how my nitrates and territory issues go once it's fully stocked.

thanks again... you all told me exactly what i wanted to hear

 

[fish_4_all]

The only hting i can see possibly going on is youmight have a problem with fighting for territory. I would make sure the plecos and the yoyo's have plenty of hiding places and they should he happy.

 

[Blazeherd2306]

It might "look" overstocked with 23 fish in a 50 gal, but none of those fish are messy eaters (except for the loaches).

One piece of advice is to take some of the bottom dwellers out of your list. All of the fish in your list stay near the bottom, except for the rummynoses, and the GBR's, loaches, and bristlenose might be territorial toward the more peaceful cories. If it was my decision, I would probably take out the cories. However, it would depend on how much you like the cories. IMO, loaches are more entertaining, even though a school of cories is cool to watch.

Hatchetfish, zebra danios, mountain minnows, and halfbeaks are all interesting top-water fish. I've always wanted to try half-beaks, but my LFS doesn't sell them.

And you could probably add more middle-water fish...primarily tetras.

Good luck with what you decide!

 

[tropicfishman]

I think you havea pretty good choice of fish there, i wonder why the peppermint pleco is so expensive? even liveaquaria sells them for 50 bucks

 

[flyjawn]

what about some pencilfish for the top of the tank? they are pretty and south american...

(i'm in the process of creating a south american biotope)

 

[zenkatydid]

hmm. i could remove the cories, but i quite like the size difference they add - the bns and the yoyos all get pretty big. howeever, i do have an as-yet-unplanned 2ft tank that can house the cories if things get too rough.

there is a great piece of driftwood in there at the moment that is perfect for the bristlenoses, as it has a spiralled cavity. but the yoyos will have to deal primarily with plant cover. there is another piece of driftwood that has cover and territory-separation, but no caves as such. i think they'll be fine, but there's always the option of adding more cover later.

oooh i love the look of the pencilfish, i will definitely have to look for those! they'd go great with the rummynoses!

today i got my albino bristlenose! yay! i'm pretty sure i got a female, and she's super active - not shy at all (unlike my peppermint :/ ). i thought they were quite rare, but she was only $12.95, very happy!

 

[Blazeherd2306]

Cories are pretty resilient....just watch out to make sure they aren't getting stressed. My bolivian ram used to pick on mine by pecking at it whenever they got close to each other. Then the cory began to grow pale (it was a green cory and it turned completely white, I'm guessing because of the stress) and it died a couple of days later. The loaches will probably be okay with the cories now that I think about it. If you have another tank in case any problems occur, then go for it.