45 Gallon Stocking

[Lahmikaze]

Hey there, I was hoping to get some feedback for my 45 gallon freshwater aquarium. It's 48" x 12" x 12". I was really hoping to have this as a community tank but I'm not entirely sure which fish are compatible with one another. I've done a fair amount of research and have a short list right now of fish I'd like:

Rainbow Shark (1) (Is there a way to have 2 of these without them fighting?)
Bushy Nose Pleco (1)
Guppy (4-6)
Glofish Tetra (4-6)
Angel Fish (2-4)

I just filled my aquarium with water yesterday and was planning on letting it cycle for about 2 weeks before I put fish in it. It was filled with well water (not city water) so there shouldn't be any chlorine in it (but I'm still going to get it tested to be extra sure). I would like to also have maybe one or two live plants, so if you have any suggestions that would benefit my tank it would be appreciated!

So what I'd like from you guys is some feedback on my tank, and if possible let me know if there's any other fish that you think would do well in my community, or if the ones that I listed do not mingle well. I'm new to the hobby so please be kind and be sure to check out the attached photo!! Thank you!

 

[Gibberwatt]

When angelfish get older, they tend to pair up with each other and dominate the countryside, so you might want to take the number down to two. Also, you might want to replace the tetras with dwarf gourami's, since angels eat tetras fairly regularly. I am not sure about the rainbow shark, but you might want to exchange it for a red tailed black shark - be sure to feed it lots of shrimp, to keep it's tail red. Pleco's tend to get really huge, but I'm not sure. And if you go with most of my suggestion, guppys might be to peaceful for this environment.

Anyone else feel free to edit my statements.

 

[Fishobsessed7]

Bushy noses only get to 6 inches

 

[Lahmikaze]

Gibberwatt, thanks for the tip about the dwarf gourami's. I hadn't considered them before but I think they'll make awesome additions to my aquarium! And as Fishobsessed7 said, the Bushy Nose Plecos really only get to be about 6", perfect for a tank of my size =D.

 

[azmodan]

Angels are generally fine with most tetras especially if you buy the angels when they're young. If you decide on dwarf gouramis I'd recommend sticking with one. They are quite aggressive with each other.

Personally I'd go with tetras such as cardinal, rummynose, lemon, diamond, and so forth. I'd also be a little more worried about the guppies with the angels. Maybe a larger livebearer like platies would be a better option.

 

[icydeath]

I agree. Angels are like goldfish in that they eat most of the buddies they grow up with once they fit in their mouth. Platies are a safe bet but if you are keeping your angels in more acidic water, you will want to stay away from live bearers as they prefer harder, more basic water. Tetras will work well with low pH.

Good luck, - Raymond

 

[Lahmikaze]

UPDATE! I went to my LFS yesterday to get my water tested, and to my surprise he told me that my water was perfect! I have well water and didn't need to add any chemicals to it at all, nothing. He said that I could take home a few fish that day to jumpstart the bacteria growth (I was not expecting to do this for another week or two so it was a pretty impulsive decision). What I ended up taking home is 4 Tiger Barbs, and 1 Rainbow Shark. My grandmother has over 30 Guppies in her tank that she was looking to get rid of so I also took 6 of her males. At first the Barbs seemed a bit timid but ever since this morning when I turned on the lights they have been extremely active and playful. I can also tell that the Rainbow Shark (who's now known as Lebowski) has already set up his territory around the big log. The guppies are just chilling at the top of the water and every now and again swim down to the bottom to see what's going on, but then are back to the top in a few seconds.

As far as I can tell, the fish seem to be really happy and comfortable. I truly underestimated how much enjoyment I would get out of this hobby, I actually used to criticize it. But I just realized that I spent about 30 mins literally just staring at the fish, examining everything they do, and genuinely loving every second of it!!

I guess my question for you guys now is, what else do you think I should add when it comes time to get them some tankmates? I really want to add a Bushy Nose Pleco, a Dwarf Gourami, and maybe a few GloFish Tetras (I think I've ditched the angel fish because I've read that Barbs tend to harass them to no end). Think those would be wise to add?

 

[Angela1108]

Cardinal tetras are great community and look awesome in groups


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[Fishobsessed7]

The barbs will probably nip your guppies to death

 

[Linwood]

UPDATE! I went to my LFS yesterday to get my water tested, and to my surprise he told me that my water was perfect! I have well water and didn't need to add any chemicals to it at all, nothing. He said that I could take home a few fish that day to jumpstart the bacteria growth (I was not expecting to do this for another week or two so it was a pretty impulsive decision).

I am assuming you know this, but this means you are STARTING the nitrogen cycle, and doing a fish-in cycle. Just in case you thought "perfect" meant cycled.

Now the waiting begins.... My 45 gallon with about the same among of fish took a solid month to cycle. They are all different of course.

 

[Linwood]

PS. I added Ghost Shrimp and find them fascinating. The LFS staff thing I'm foolish for liking the "food" (since these are often sold as food). But they are very active, and make decent scavengers as well. They add very little bio load so if you like them just get a dozen. The good news (if it doesn't bother you) is if you get fish that might eat them, well, the slow one make good food (so far mine have not -- I have 2 angels and 10 tetras).

 

[Angela1108]

Be careful with the shrimp. They are extra super sensitive to ammonia especially.


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[Angela1108]

I agree though- we like having them

And my above comment was for when the tank is still cycling


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[Linwood]

I agree though- we like having them

And my above comment was for when the tank is still cycling

Interesting to know. Mine survived the whole cycle and not only that, 4 came out of the cycle carrying babies.

The babies won't survive the fish though, I'm pretty sure, sadly. Wouldn't mind a few more.

But mine was a long, slow cycle and didn't hit very high ammonia levels (though it did hit fairly high nitrites).

What amazes me about them is how if they are near the edge of the tank, if you tap near them, they are just elsewhere. They do not move from point A to point B. They just teleport.

 

[Angela1108]

Huh. Weird. We got a mini cycle- we had a pregnant guppy die during birth while we were on vaca. So we weren't thre to take out the body. Ammonia spike and it killed all our shrimp which of course made it worse because digging the little shrimp bodies out of all the grass for the fry sucked


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[Linwood]

Huh. Weird. We got a mini cycle- we had a pregnant guppy die during birth while we were on vaca. So we weren't thre to take out the body. Ammonia spike and it killed all our shrimp ....

Perhaps it was the spike, after zero for so long. Mine got to ride slow growth. Or different species. Don't know.

But ... back to the OP.... Ghost Shrimp are interesting things, and take almost no "room".

 

[Angela1108]

Yeah! If I didn't have fairly large fish in one of mine I would get some again. Of course we switch to live plants and there is more hiding so maybe time to try again


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