Upgrading 15 g to 45 g - Stocking advice?

[jenelle]

Hi there,

I have quickly realized that the 15 g column I got in the summer is too small, and I have already purchased a 45 g bowfront which is sitting ready to be cycled fishless this time.

My 15 g is currently stocked with
- 1 platy
- 5 harlequin rasboro
- 2 endler
- 3 julii cory
- 3 amano shrimp

I have a few choices to make about the 15 g - do I keep it up & running but change it's stock? Eg. As species only tank, maybe platies or mollies? But then what to do with the babies?? or Shut it down to simplify my life? Store for a hospital tank? Sell?

As for my 45 gallon, after it is cycled, I was going to add from my old tank:
- the harlequin rasboro, plus add 3 or 4 more so they have more room as a school
- julii cory, plus add another 3 so again they can school happily
- Probably also the endler, platy and shrimp

What could I add to the 45 g?

- otos (how many?)
- school of Rummy nose tetra? or
- School of Ember tetras? or
- Something really new to me like german blue rams?

What other interesting species could I add to a 45 g community tank?

I'm excited to have a larger tank to work with and want to have a solid plan in mind as I build this planted tank.

Love to hear your ideas and suggestions!

 

[azmodan]

Hi there,



I have quickly realized that the 15 g column I got in the summer is too small, and I have already purchased a 45 g bowfront which is sitting ready to be cycled fishless this time.



My 15 g is currently stocked with

- 1 platy

- 5 harlequin rasboro

- 2 endler

- 3 julii cory

- 3 amano shrimp



I have a few choices to make about the 15 g - do I keep it up & running but change it's stock? Eg. As species only tank, maybe platies or mollies? But then what to do with the babies?? or Shut it down to simplify my life? Store for a hospital tank? Sell?



As for my 45 gallon, after it is cycled, I was going to add from my old tank:

- the harlequin rasboro, plus add 3 or 4 more so they have more room as a school

- julii cory, plus add another 3 so again they can school happily

- Probably also the endler, platy and shrimp



What could I add to the 45 g?



- otos (how many?)

- school of Rummy nose tetra? or

- School of Ember tetras? or

- Something really new to me like german blue rams?



What other interesting species could I add to a 45 g community tank?



I'm excited to have a larger tank to work with and want to have a solid plan in mind as I build this planted tank.



Love to hear your ideas and suggestions!

I would look to fill out your harlequin rasboras with around 10-15 and that would still give you plenty of room for another school. Cardinal tetras are a nice color contrast, but a few other school options include rummynose, lemon, glowlight, diamond, and Congo tetras, pentazona, cherry, or checker barbs, beckford pencilfish, and praecox, Threadfin or Furcata rainbows (and some of the other larger types too). A large shoal of cories would add movement to the bottom, or you could also look into any of the smaller loaches. Bigger centerpiece type fish include german blue rams, bolivian rams, kribs, apistos (cacatuoides or borellii are good hardy types), Pearl gouramis, and of course angelfish. Otos are always nice additions (6 or so would be good), just make sure your tank is "mature" before you add any. A smaller pleco like a bristlenose or rubberlip would work too.

Let the research begin! ?


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[jenelle]

Thank you so much for all of your ideas. I will start googling all your suggestions!

I did enough research yesterday to know that German blue rams are very sensitive to water parameters. Does that mean, if, for example, we go on a two week vacation and the water isn't changed for that duration, they would be at risk of dying? (It's not like we go on lots of vacations, but still...) Bolivian rams seem more hardy, yet perhaps less visually pleasing?

As far as plecos, which is the smallest one? There are so many names for plecos on the internet, I'm having a hard time sorting them out. Also, I don't particularly love "the look" of plecos - I'm a bit weirded out by them. Do people love them because of their behaviour? Trying to understand their popularity...

 

[dwhit13]

Rubber lip plecos and bristlenose would prob be the best size for that tank. the rubber lips get close to seven inches and the bristlenose to about five. both are very cool fish. As for your question on the water changes if you go on a two week vacation (lucky you ) just do a very big waterchange the day you leave and the day you get back and all should be well as long as your keeping up on all your normal maintenance in the meantime.

 

[jenelle]

Sounds like the bristlenose is my best bet... out of curiosity (having never had one of these fish) what do you find so cool about them? Also, are they compatible with otos, julii cories and shrimp?

 

[dwhit13]

They are compatible with both. I think there cool because they are different. They have very individual personalities and if you find one hiding he will look at you out of the corner of his eyes. They also blink which is kind of neat. They also do a great job keeping algae off the glass though I've heard they eat less algae as they get older

 

[jenelle]

Neat! Is it true they live upwards of 20 years? That's longer than my cat!!

 

[dwhit13]

From what I've read it is, but I can't tell you that from experience. I have four Plecos total. I have one Bristlenose that is about an inch and a half long baby, and two rubber lips that are both about 4 inches now and I've had one for six months and the other for four. (there all in diff tanks) I also have one common pleco (they get over a foot full grown). he is just a baby now though to at about 2-3 inches. I love all of them. they are a great contrast to my other fish

 

[jenelle]

Interesting re. plecos!

Here is my current plant for 45 g:
10 - Harlequin Rasboro
10 - Rummy Nose Tetra
6 - Julii Cory
6 - Oto
4 - Platy (1 male, 3 female) (but, not sure what to do about all the babies that result)
2 - German Blue Ram
2 - Endler
3 - Amano Shrimp (or more?) (or diff type of shrimp?)
1 - Bristlenose Pleco (but worried about 20 year life span as will be retired and travelling by then!!)

Maybe I could keep the extra 15 g for growing Platy family. What do people do with all the babies??

I'll have one C4 Filter and one AquaClear 30 on it.

Does this sound doable or overstocked??

Thanks!

 

[dwhit13]

At first glance that seems like a lot of fish for a 45 but I think most of those have very low bioloads. Id have to plug them into aqavisor or research each a little more. Great mix though. As far as the babies unless you want to breed them the majority will end up getting eaten by the other fish anyway. Some people want this to happen and get a couple fish that are particularly good at population control....If you want to keep them then there are breeding nets you can put in your tank to protect them until they are old enough. My opinion on the age the fish live to, as long as you are into fish keeping there will always be new fish and old fish mixed in...when the time comes to get rid of them , if you can bare to anyway you will prob have to find a home for all of them

 

[jenelle]

I agree. It sounds like too many fish. I plugged it into AQ advisor and it said I was at 98%. Maybe I should cut down each school to 7 or 8 members rather than 10. It's a balance between wanting a healthy school with solid numbers vs. too many fish.

 

[dwhit13]

You hit that right on the head. Though I think aquavisor is a little conservative and most think its ok to go to 115-120 % of there reccomendations. Its meant to just be a guide. One of the members here told me when I was just starting to keep it simple. If a tank LOOKS to crowded then it is. I think as long as the fish have plenty of room and you don't mind keeping a regimented water change schedule that would be a fine stocking plan...there is something to be said also though for keeping a low bioload and focusing on growing big colorful healthy fish instead of how many fish can I stock in there. Thats kind of the direction In with the 55 gallon Im restocking right now

 

[jenelle]

What are you stocking your 55 with?

 

[dwhit13]

I'm going with angel fish as the centerpiece. Haven't completely figured it out yet though. Right now I have four Angels and two Dwarf Gouramis in there. I may add two more Angels this weekend and I am really thinking about trying a couple German Blue Rams. I'm also looking and researching a lot of other new world Cichlids as well to see if any of those may be something i want to add. I am making it a heavily planted tank as opposed to the barren rocky tank of the africans.