56 gal stocking

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Idea 1 or Idea 2?


  • Total voters
    11

mazie51109

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Jan 5, 2013
Messages
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Location
New Hampshire
A few months ago, my grandmother bought a 56 gallon column tank. I set it up for her over the course of two months, but she had a major ich outbreak after bringing home some 80 cent cardinal tetras that she got at a sale (I wasn't there to pre-approve these fish- she bought them because of their cheap price and didn't even look for signs of disease). Anyway, she lost all but 7 of her fish in the outbreak over the course of a month. She is now on vacation and allowed me to set up her tank again for a fresh start. I have what remains of her community fish, but I honestly hate tanks with a bunch of tetras, livebearers, danios, and gouramis just thrown in together. I like tanks with large shoals of tetras and one focal fish. So I've been thinking- what should I stock her tank with that would make her happy?

My two major ideas are the following:

2x kissing gourami- she had these when she was little and loved them
12x long fin black skirt tetras- she loves these because they are hardy and look somewhat like angelfish
12x long fin gold skirt tetras- I think some variety in the tetras would be nice, but not so much that it's distracting .
6x mystery snails- she loves the little buggers
6x panda cories- she loves cories but doesn't understand that they do better in schools- these are my favorite type of cories :)



1x blue gourami- I have a two year old blue gourami in a 20 gal and he needs a tank upgrade. bonus, she loves him!
40x male guppies- she loves guppies. the only problems with this are that I feel like she may end up brining home 1 or 2 females and they'll be harassed to death. I also think that male guppies may make the tank look cluttered if their colors vary too much.
12x mystery snails
6x panda cories



If you have other stocking ideas, feel free to mention them in the comments. otherwise, please answer in the poll above!
 
I definitely think the first idea would be better. Tons of guppies would look too distracting and cluttered. Also, guppies are messy. But, I think, that a bunch of skirt tetras would be a bit too boring. How about 15 neon tetras instead of the gold tetras? And panda corys need cool water, so how about corydoras habrosus, hastatus, or pygmaeus instead? If you did that, it would be a great stock!
 
I definitely think the first idea would be better. Tons of guppies would look too distracting and cluttered. Also, guppies are messy. But, I think, that a bunch of skirt tetras would be a bit too boring. How about 15 neon tetras instead of the gold tetras? And panda corys need cool water, so how about corydoras habrosus, hastatus, or pygmaeus instead? If you did that, it would be a great stock!

Panda cories dont need cool water. Ive kept mine in 80 degree water and it worked great. I also think that rather than black skirts, u could get rummynose or cardinal/neon tetras. maybe some hatchets for the top of the tank. :fish2:
 
Panda cories dont need cool water. Ive kept mine in 80 degree water and it worked great. I also think that rather than black skirts, u could get rummynose or cardinal/neon tetras. maybe some hatchets for the top of the tank. :fish2:

I really like the idea of the hatchets. Right now, I'm thinking 8 black skirts, 8 gold skirts, 8 neons, 8 silver hatchets, 2 kissing gouramis, 6 albino cories, and 6 mystery snails.
 
Panda cories dont need cool water. Ive kept mine in 80 degree water and it worked great. I also think that rather than black skirts, u could get rummynose or cardinal/neon tetras. maybe some hatchets for the top of the tank. :fish2:

Corydoras panda (Panda Cory) — Seriously Fish
Panda cory - Corydoras Panda
Panda Cory - Corydoras panda
Corydoras panda • Callichthyidae • Cat-eLog
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/profiles/panda-corydoras/

I don't know what you mean by "it worked great", but if you're saying that you kept panda corys for a long time in 80 degree water then I'm going to have to raise the BS flag.

Then again, I haven't kept them, but those were quite literally the first five links on google that were relevant and credible.
 
Corydoras panda (Panda Cory) — Seriously Fish
Panda cory - Corydoras Panda
Panda Cory - Corydoras panda
Corydoras panda • Callichthyidae • Cat-eLog
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/profiles/panda-corydoras/

I don't know what you mean by "it worked great", but if you're saying that you kept panda corys for a long time in 80 degree water then I'm going to have to raise the BS flag.

Then again, I haven't kept them, but those were quite literally the first five links on google that were relevant and credible.

Seriously fish clearly said that farm raised panda cories can easily handle tropical temps. Most of the ones on the market are farm raised
 
If properly adjusted most fish can adapt to higher temps than what care sheets say. But of course there is lines that cannot be crossed
 
If properly adjusted most fish can adapt to higher temps than what care sheets say. But of course there is lines that cannot be crossed

Yes, there are lines that cannot be crossed and this is one of them. And, actually, this is a direct quote from seriously fish:
"Wild fish prefer lower temperatures but tank-bred specimens are happy over the range 72 to 77°F (22 to 25°C). It won't do well if kept in warmer water than this long-term, with the likelihood its lifespan will be reduced considerably."

72 to 77 degrees. 77 and 80 sound similar to us, but a 3 degree difference is a big deal. But I'm done arguing on someone else's thread. PM me if you still want to talk about it.
 
Yes, there are lines that cannot be crossed and this is one of them. And, actually, this is a direct quote from seriously fish:
"Wild fish prefer lower temperatures but tank-bred specimens are happy over the range 72 to 77°F (22 to 25°C). It won't do well if kept in warmer water than this long-term, with the likelihood its lifespan will be reduced considerably."

72 to 77 degrees. 77 and 80 sound similar to us, but a 3 degree difference is a big deal. But I'm done arguing on someone else's thread. PM me if you still want to talk about it.


I agree. If you guys want to argue.about panda cories.and water temperatures, please start a different thread. Lets keep this thread to atocking recommendations.
 
The point is, I think u should go with the 1st choice, because a tankful of guppies would be boring and over populate quickly.
 
Sorry I didn't see that... A bunch o the same fish wouldn't look as good though.
 
Species only tanks are underrated my myIodotropheus sprengerae(rusty cichlid) and my ngara mdoka peacock species tanks are some of the best ive kept. Natural behaviour is almost guaranteed.

I would go with the first option out of the 2.
 
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I'm not sure what you were saying about one large school looking boring. You obviously haven't seen a 24 fish shoal roaming a tank. It's beautiful.

The panda cories can be kept in tropical temps. Almost all of the Cory species are coldwater, but most are bred and raised in tropical.

I'd stick with what you had for choice 1 but just up the cories.
 
I'm not sure what you were saying about one large school looking boring. You obviously haven't seen a 24 fish shoal roaming a tank. It's beautiful.

The panda cories can be kept in tropical temps. Almost all of the Cory species are coldwater, but most are bred and raised in tropical.

I'd stick with what you had for choice 1 but just up the cories.

It's just that guppies don't actually school
 
It's just that guppies don't actually school

I'm referring to the very first reply saying that a bunch of skirt tetras would be boring. I personally hate guppies, especially when you have a lot of them. It makes the tank look hectic. The opposite of what a fishtank is suppose to be.
 
You could also get a school of guppies and a school of neons :) they are colorful and add alot of color to the tank :) i love guppies bc there so pretty with colors :) and a couple plecos to help clean algae :)
 
I personally think kissing gouramis would be too big for this tank - don't they get up to 12" in length? Or am I thinking of a different type of gourami
 
I personally think kissing gouramis would be too big for this tank - don't they get up to 12" in length? Or am I thinking of a different type of gourami


Yeah I agree, wouldn't two kissing gouramis get too big?
 
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