Need Input on Stocking 40 Gallon Planted Tank

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Manix

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Aug 27, 2004
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161
Location
California
My tank dimensions are about 18" high, 38" length, and 16" width. It is lighted with 78 watts T5HO.

I have two filters running AquaClear 70 and Penguin 330.

Meanwhile I am currently waiting for my plants to arrive and will be planting them this Saturday.

  • Red Rubin Sword
  • Narrow Leaf Green Temple
  • Bronze Cryptocoryne Wenditii
  • Green Cryptocoryne Wenditii
  • Nesaea Crassicaulis
  • Lace Java Fern
  • Glossostigma Elatinoides

I've heard the inch per gallon rule isn't the greatest to follow. This is where I need some experienced opinion. I'm planning to stock my tank with:


  • x5 Zebra Danios
  • x11 Harlequin Rasboras or Rummynose Tetras. (undecided but I want tight schooling fish.)
  • x2 Pearl Gourami (hoping male & female Pearl Gourami's will encourage Rasbora's or Rummy's to school more.) Any other Gourami's suggestions are welcome.
  • x5 Sterbai Cory's
  • x5 Kuhli Loaches
With two filters running and semi-heavily planted aquarium will this setup work? Will I have room to add a couple more fishes? I will be doing weekly 15%-20% water changes.
 
personally, I change 50% of my water weekly. I don't really know much about gouramis, I never really liked them when I had them, and the few I had kind of 'waisted' away. Maybe it was parasites or something IDK. You will have to build up the schools slowely, I know they say with a fishless cycle you can stock more at once, but I think real fish waist provides the most complete bacterial environment, so starting off with a fishless cycle is fine, but still stock carefully. I would start the stock with the zebra danios, those guys live through everything!

I would probably bring your schooling fish up to 6 each school. Just remember, the higher the bioload the more maintenance you will have to preform, and will have to keep a much closer watch on the water parameters.

Personally I would have some oto's or a bristlenose pleco in the mix somewhere, with a planted tank, it is always nice to have some good algae eaters.
 
I think your stocking sounds great. The only thing I would do differently is to up your danio school to at least 6 a piece. I have rummies and once I had one die, so I just had 5, and they did NOT school properly and were very stressed out until I added another one to bring their school back up to 6.
The corys are fine in a group of 5 since they are not tight schoolers, but 6 would be better to watch. The kuhlis are fine in a group of 5.
I think pearls would do well in your set-up since they are peaceful. Honey gouramis are another peaceful option.
I agree that a trio of otos would be good in there too.
 
In regards to algae. That is something I didn't put into consideration yet.

I'm now thinking of Siamese Algae Eaters, but my local LFS's don't have the true SAE's. So I may have to special order them. Another route I was thinking of is Red Cherry Shrimps. But I fear Rasbora's and Gourami's eating them.

Pleco's I believe will destroy my plants because I have very fine sand substrate. I was actually thinking of getting Gold Nugget Pleco but I want to be safe than sorry.

3 SAE sound good? Or you guys have any suggestions on specific algae eater?
 
In regards to algae. That is something I didn't put into consideration yet.

I'm now thinking of Siamese Algae Eaters, but my local LFS's don't have the true SAE's. So I may have to special order them. Another route I was thinking of is Red Cherry Shrimps. But I fear Rasbora's and Gourami's eating them.

Pleco's I believe will destroy my plants because I have very fine sand substrate. I was actually thinking of getting Gold Nugget Pleco but I want to be safe than sorry.

3 SAE sound good? Or you guys have any suggestions on specific algae eater?
Rcs are a bad idea. They are small and will get slowly picked off. It can work to have them in with fish if you start with a big colony in a very well-planted tank, but even then I do not advize it.
Sae are probably ok. I have never kept them, so not sure. My bnp never bothered my plants, but I have heard that some pleco species should be kept with tough leaved plants. But, I haven't really heard of people haveing those issues with bnp, just with common plecos.
Other options would be pitbull plecos or otos. Both are peaceful and should be kept in a trio. I recommend pitbulls personally because I think they are a bit hardier.
 
Bristlenose plecos will not hurt plants. I have kept bristlenose plecs and otos in all the planted tanks I've ever done. Some like Clown plecos will eat plants.
 
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