100 gallon stocking???

[Jpb1216]

I am a new aquarium owner and a 100 gallon tank fell into my lap. I have a filter and a air pump and lights and heater and everything is all set up. If you wanna run through any good ideas or advice or things I need that is welcome. Yes I know of cycling and all that. The fish I was thinking of are:
8 zebra danios
8 silver hatchets
8 cherry barb
6 panda cory
6 golden oto cat
2 BN plecos
And Malaysian trumpet snails.

 

[Rose22]

Plugging your info into aqadvisor, you're only stocked at 51%, so you have quite a bit of room to add stuff. Have you thought about maybe having a centerpiece fish of some type? Angels, gouramis, or maybe a cichlid.

It looks like you did a great job choosing fish that will swim in different areas of the tank, which will keep it looking active. Something else you may want to consider is adding color. Most of your fish are in the silver/grey/black category, besides the barbs obviously. An addition of platys, mollies, swordtails, or neon/cardinal tetras could really bump up the color if that is something you would like. If you want only the barbs to pop, maybe add a few more fish to each of the schools you have planned. Its a big tank, and depending on how you decorate it, you dont want you fish getting nervous about all the open space.

Good luck.

 

[jseiverd]

Definitely think about adding some size black knife fish, silver dollars, angels, bala shark something for a centerpiece ...i only wish i had a 100 gallon tank

 

[Jpb1216]

thanks guys yeah aqadvisor or whatever it is said i was only around 50% but my filtration wasn't. and also i was looking for something more blue so the cardinals maybe good even though they have that obvious red strip. i wanna keep everything under 3"-4" inches. other than the pleco obviously. i need something to keep the MTS in check as well i was thinking the sidthimunki or horseface loach. but still it is saying my filtration is at capacity. unless i can return the filter to my LFS and upgrade from the marineland c-360 to the c-550 or whatever number the 500 one is. maybe 540?? and yeah i am going to add more plants but probably gonna stick to the anubia and fern plants. unless you have other suggestions. i am covering all of the PAR spectrum that is vital for Chlorophyl production in my plants. one 39" UV one 39" natural white and one 39" Blue light. i only have 2 plants im thinking of adding 8 more and i have about 8 rocks that equal about 19 lb.

 

[Rose22]

If you are looking for blue fish, might I suggest some blue platys. I have 2 in my tank they are beautiful. There is a pic in my profile. They would fit in great with your current choices. A Blue Ram has alot of colors also. They do need slightly higher temps though. A nice school of rainbow fish could really do well too. You'd have to look at what is available in your area because these can be from 1-6+ inches as an adult.

Other options that I know less about and hopefully someone else can comment on.
-School of Discus (I think these would be awesome, but I dont know much about them)
-Blue Gourami (aggression issues?)
-Some sort of blue cichlid (aggression issues?)

 

[Jpb1216]

Blue Mickey Mouse platy it is... Do they do well schooling?

 

[Jpb1216]

And I also would like to know a good loach to keep the Malaysian trumpet snails in check but preferably a smaller loach.

 

[Rivercats]

A good loach that would be large enough to be seen but doesn't grow too big are yo-yo loaches. I keep 3 in my 220g planted and they are quite the characters. You could do a larger school of Kuhli loaches but they might get lost in a 100g. A larger shoal of Cory Cats could also work. Besides my 3 yo-yo loaches I have 25 cory cats. Along with MTS's.

As for blue fish you have Powder Blue Dwarf Gouramis (not as aggressive as the larger blue gourami's IMO). Electric Blue Rams (the tank needs to be 6 months old before adding them as they don't do well in a non-mature tank). There are also Platinum Blue Angelfish. Here is a link to a picture of one of mine... Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - Rivercats's Album: 220g inhabitants - Picture.

 

[Rose22]

Blue Mickey Mouse platy it is... Do they do well schooling?

They aren't really a schooling fish like the other types you have selected. In the past, mine would pair up or form little groups and swim together, but much like your danios, they kind of just swim all over the tank.

If you plan to get several of these, make sure you keep them in at least a 1male :2female ratio. I currently have 2 males and 2 females, and it isnt working out so great. The blue male is bigger then my other one, and he is constantly chasing and bullying the smaller one. I plan to put the pairs in seperate tanks and get 4 more females so each set is 1:3. When I had platys before they were in a 1 male : 3 female ratio. I never had problems with them.

Here is a website with good pictures to tell the sexes apart. Its super easy. That way you can look at all the fish, pick the exact ones you want, and you will know you have a good ratio. I find the people at the fish store dont always know how to sex them.

the Smiley Fish

Another thing to consider is that platys are livebearers, which is part of the reason I really like them. If you get several females and 1 male be prepared for offspring. Your tank doesn't have any fish that would eat the babies. Maybe the barbs, but I don't think so. I dont actively breed the platys, so if they mate and have babies I just leave them in the main tank. If they live great, if not oh well, but that's up to you. My angelfish currently think they are a tastey snack, but you dont have a predator fish. Because your tank is so big, and your stock is so low, reproduction wouldnt be a huge issue. Just be aware that you could wake up one day and have a few baby fish in your tank. It isn't like they produce 100 babies each time. I'd say mine had 2-5 babies that survived each time when there were no predators in the tank. After a while, if you feel like you are getting too many, you can check and see if your local pet store would buy them or take them from you.

If you do not want anything to do with having babies get all females obviously, but also make sure when you get them from the store that they dont look puffy. Puffy females = pregnant females, and if the 1 female has 4 babies 1 could be male and you now get to keep the cycle running. Look for the smallest skinny females that probably haven't matured yet, but still look healthy. You'll just have to see what you can find.

Sorry this is so long. Just wanted to make sure I covered everything. I do love me some platys.

 

[Jpb1216]

Yeah I might just scratch my whole stocking idk I just think its weird that my filter says its good for up to 100 gallons but the aqadvisor says my filtration isn't good enough when my stocking is only 50%

 

[piao liang yu]

Yeah I might just scratch my whole stocking idk I just think its weird that my filter says its good for up to 100 gallons but the aqadvisor says my filtration isn't good enough when my stocking is only 50%

I discovered that when I first started also. I found that the rating is pretty off. For instance, I initially got an Aquaclear 70 for my 60 gallon tank. Well the 70 stands for the maximum it would handle. The next step up is the Aquaclear 110. So the range started around 60 and maxed out at 110 gallons. I think that is how filter selection should be done. Pick the filter that starts with your tank size as the minimum it will operate. So my filter the AC110 is rated for a minimum of 60 gallons, but a maximum of 110 gallons. I hope my jumbled attempt to ariculate my point is making sense. But yes, definitely upgrade the filter. The filter is the heart of the aquarium so we cannot skimp on that.

And to clarify, I am talking about hang on back filters. Not sure what it is you have. But my opinions are based on my experiences with hang on back filters.

 

[piao liang yu]

Also, as for stocking if I had to do my 60 gallon over again I might be inclined to go with about 30 guppies. They have them in all kinds of colors. multicolored also. With your tank you could probably put 50 or so fancy guppies in there. You would definitely need a much better filter though that is for sure. Guppies and Platies are considered to have just a little higher bioload than a lot of other tropical fish.

Then again, if you went with all one type it could lend portions of the tank to being somewhat vacant or inactive. I just really like the looks and colors of guppies though.

 

[Jpb1216]

At my local stores they only carry my filter as the largest. The only problem I have with buying online is having to buy all the media online every month or 2 and I am using a canister filter. Would I be buying another smaller filter and running two?

 

[piao liang yu]

At my local stores they only carry my filter as the largest. The only problem I have with buying online is having to buy all the media online every month or 2 and I am using a canister filter. Would I be buying another smaller filter and running two?

You could keep your canister filter you have and add a HOB filter if your LFS has them. If they do not have a hang on back filter big enough just get the biggest HOB they have. No harm in having two filters plus you have built in redundancy or fault tolerance if you will. Neither is enough to fully be adequate by itself, but together they are. And if at any time one or the other goes out you still have some filtration to get you by until you can replace the bad one. From what I have read and have been told though the canister filters are superior to HOB's, but the HOB's are still very good and much more affordable.

 

[Jpb1216]

You could keep your canister filter you have and add a HOB filter if your LFS has them. If they do not have a hang on back filter big enough just get the biggest HOB they have. No harm in having two filters plus you have built in redundancy or fault tolerance if you will. Neither is enough to fully be adequate by itself, but together they are. And if at any time one or the other goes out you still have some filtration to get you by until you can replace the bad one. From what I have read and have been told though the canister filters are superior to HOB's, but the HOB's are still very good and much more affordable.

Thanks man and yeah my LFS happens to be a just a petsmart so im sure they will have some HOB filters. I didnt think that HOB filters got big enough to matter. and the output acts like a waterfall which ads to the gas exchange am i right? actually just got lucky today as i went there after work they had gotten all new stock of plants! score. really good anubias nana one actually had 3 rhizome sections and the other had 2 new leaves and alot more sprouting ones. also picked up a windelov fern to go with my other plants.

 

[piao liang yu]

Thanks man and yeah my LFS happens to be a just a petsmart so im sure they will have some HOB filters. I didnt think that HOB filters got big enough to matter. and the output acts like a waterfall which ads to the gas exchange am i right? actually just got lucky today as i went there after work they had gotten all new stock of plants! score. really good anubias nana one actually had 3 rhizome sections and the other had 2 new leaves and alot more sprouting ones. also picked up a windelov fern to go with my other plants.

Well I have been under the impression that the more aeration the better. The waterfall effect from HOB's are good at aerating the water. I should disclose that I am in no way an expert. I am just regurgitating what I have learned over the last few months myself. I have been reading non stop everything aquarium related I can get my hands on and posting on here every day.

 

[Rivercats]

Yeah I might just scratch my whole stocking idk I just think its weird that my filter says its good for up to 100 gallons but the aqadvisor says my filtration isn't good enough when my stocking is only 50%

I run 4- 406 Fluval Canisters on my 220g and I would run 2 on a 100g but then I like alot of filtration.

 

[Jpb1216]

Well I stopped by the pet store and it was on sale for 170.00

 

[Jpb1216]

But on the other hand I am in college and work at Walmart.. I'm not pulling in a lot of money to spend 400 dollars on filtration.

 

[Teakwood]

If you have a decent canister already I would say if your budget is limited, get the biggest hob you can. I have 2 tetra filters on my 55 one rated up to 60 and one rated up to 70. I'm happy with the filtration. So maybe add something like that?

Recently at one of my local fish stores I saw Kerri(I think) tetras, body shape like cardinals but shades of blue, really neat but I read they could e nippy... And I have angels so that was a no-go fr me right away. But maybe look into them for your tank. I say get your tank cycling with the filter you have since it will take a fee weeks anyway, once its cycles start slowly stocking it and add more filtration as soon as you can. Your filter should be able to handle a small bio-load for little while. Or get the new filter and cycle with both if you have the funds to do so. Just suggesting something you could do if funds were an issue also check your local Craigslist for another filter if funds are and issue. Have fun also I dunno anything about temperament of barbs and mixing barbs but I always liked the look of the green barbs... I also really like the look of some rainbow fish someone else suggested and your tank is big enough you could have some cool ones!