Stocking help :)

[George9]

The tank is going to be a 55 gallon, and I'm setting it up this December.
This is what is want in the tank
GBR
Angel
Cories
Some type schooling fish?
More dwarf chiclids? Which ones would work here?
And i have no idea what others, any ideas?

I guess I'll make this the build thread too, is there any way to chNge the post title lol?

 

[bruinsbro1997]

IMO angels and GBRs can work. Same goes for cories.

Lots of schooling fish, I say look around and see if you like any rainbowfish, tetras, danios, rasboras, barbs, or other fish in particular.

IMO I would leave it at just GBRs. I think that a 55 gallon should be plenty of room for just one pair, I wouldn't push it. If you want more dwarf cichlids, perhaps another pair would be okay but that'd be it.

Hatchetfish, otos, and khuli loaches are all cool IMO.

 

[George9]

IMO angels and GBRs can work. Same goes for cories.

Lots of schooling fish, I say look around and see if you like any rainbowfish, tetras, danios, rasboras, barbs, or other fish in particular.

IMO I would leave it at just GBRs. I think that a 55 gallon should be plenty of room for just one pair, I wouldn't push it. If you want more dwarf cichlids, perhaps another pair would be okay but that'd be it.

Hatchetfish, otos, and khuli loaches are all cool IMO.

So, for sure a pair of gbr's, an angel, and 4 or 5 cories. this is going to be a stupid question, but do you buy gbrs as a pair, or do you ask a male and a female?

I'm going to look into schooling fish now. I really like tiger barbs, but they're aggressive and I'm not going to take a chance.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

So, for sure a pair of gbr's, an angel, and 4 or 5 cories. this is going to be a stupid question, but do you buy gbrs as a pair, or do you ask a male and a female?

I'm going to look into schooling fish now. I really like tiger barbs, but they're aggressive and I'm not going to take a chance.

Yep, except maybe eight cories, you have room

I guess you could ask for a pair, but make sure it's a proven pair. Asking for males and females is kind of harder because at the LFS conditions are usually not that great so you don't get to see them they way you would in your tank to sex them that well.

Definitely not with angels.

 

[Morgie]

If you like the look of barbs you could definitely do a more peaceful variety. I have odessa barbs with my angels and the males look fantastic. The were very impressive when their numbers were up as well.

 

[George9]

Yep, except maybe eight cories, you have room

I guess you could ask for a pair, but make sure it's a proven pair. Asking for males and females is kind of harder because at the LFS conditions are usually not that great so you don't get to see them they way you would in your tank to sex them that well.

Definitely not with angels.
__________________

Alright, so scratch the angels since I can't have them with gbrs, I'd rather have gbrs

If you like the look of barbs you could definitely do a more peaceful variety. I have odessa barbs with my angels and the males look fantastic. The were very impressive when their numbers were up as well.

I really like the odessa barbs, but dont they nip fins at all? If not, would I be able to do odessa barbs with a school of serape tetras?



EDIT: Would I be able to add a few boesmani rainbows? Ive heard they need a larger tank.

 

[George9]

What if I had just one GBR and I added an apisto?

 

[PHP]

He was meaning no the Tiger barbs, not the Angelfish. Angelfish can do quite well with German Blue Ram - at least in the experience of keeping them together.

Odessa and Serpae can be nippy and that's a no no with an Angelfish (That is if you are still planning to get an Angelfish). If you are not getting an Angelfish, then they might be a possibility.

Boesmani Rainbow get too big for a 55 gallon IMO.

 

[absolutangel04]

I agree, bruins meant no tiger barbs.
If you want 1 gbr and 1 apisto, thats fine IMO.
If you like barbs, I suggest cherry barbs in this case.
I do not know anything about boesmanis, so I am leaving that alone.
IMO, no serpaes with an angel or with a gbr.
I have never actually heard of the odessa barbs being nippy, but they are often pretty expensive IME.

 

[George9]

Ahh, ok; I thought he said an angel was okay.
So so far I got
One GBR
One angel
An apisto?
8 cories
I'm going to look into barbs and tetras, cherry barbs are definitely a possibility.

 

[absolutangel04]

I think sounds fine so far.
Just a note even though I am sure you know, remember that gbr can be wickedly sensitive, so keeping them alive is hard for some people even in a pristine tank. Of course, if you want them and are up to the challenge, then go for it! They are beautiful fish.

 

[siva]

My angel, ram, and apisto get along great in my 55. If you aren't going to do a pair of the GBR, I think mixing with the other cichlids is fine. I also have with them 6 boesemani rainbows, and I would recommend you go with about 6 if you decide to add them.

 

[siva]

I think sounds fine so far.
Just a note even though I am sure you know, remember that gbr can be wickedly sensitive, so keeping them alive is hard for some people even in a pristine tank. Of course, if you want them and are up to the challenge, then go for it! They are beautiful fish.

^ My advice would be if you can't find a local breeder, go with bolivians instead.

Or maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones!

 

[George9]

I like the bolivians as well, and theyare easier to keep alive, so il have to think about that and see how everything gies before I decide which one for sure.

What's wrong with GBRs from fish stores? And is there a special order I should add them in? Could I add say an angel first, then a GBR then an apisto? Or the gbr and apisto first?

And, I figured out sine schooling fish I like. How many schools of different fish can I do?

I really like the Odessa barbs, and rummynose tetras( I know bruins had some trouble with these :0) Arghhh! I had another one too, I forgot. I'll look it up.
Could I do three schools, or less or more?




Thank you for your help!

 

[siva]

GBR's are very sensitive fish that you'll have a better chance at success with if you're able to get ahold of some raised in your local water. The ones from the shops have been shipped and then are acclimated to water that is typically much different from what they were raised in and they usually don't live long. I've tried 5 from various fairly good m&p lfs' and I haven't been able to keep any alive longer than about a month. Some will report success, but more often than not, it seems, even experienced aquarists tend to give up on them.

You can do three schools, but you probably want to avoid choosing ones that all swim in the same tank region or it will look messy.

 

[absolutangel04]

Definitely add the angel last. It has the highest territoriality and the highest chance for aggression, so it should go in last.

Gbr are notoriously sensitive. They often drop dead in pristine water for no apparent reason within several months of purchase. If you find a local breeder, it means that the fish were raised in water similar to yours, so they should adjust to our tank better.

As for the number of schools, that depends. Are you counting corys as school? I know this seems like a lame answer, but we just give a number and say you can have 2 or 3 schools. It depends on what you are talking about.
Yes, bruins had a hard time with rummies. Flossie did too. My rummies have been a dream. They can also be sensitive, so adding them to an established tank and finding healthy tank-bred ones makes a world of difference.

 

[George9]

I'm going to go with a Bolivian ram now, I think. I'm not going to take a change with German blues after all these stories.

How do I know what level if the tank the fish swim? I know cories are at the bottom. Where would rummynose and Odessa barbs be?

 

[absolutangel04]

You know what level they swim in by researching them and reading profiles about the species. I don't a better answer than that. My rummies tend to school around in the lower half of the tank. Sometimes they go higher too, but in general, they stay mid-low tank.
I don't know about the odessa.

 

[George9]

You know what level they swim in by researching them and reading profiles about the species. I don't a better answer than that. My rummies tend to school around in the lower half of the tank. Sometimes they go higher too, but in general, they stay mid-low tank.
I don't know about the odessa.

Lol I should have thought have looking at articles. DOH!

 

[absolutangel04]

Lol, no worries. There really isn't any sort of formula to look at the fish and figure it out, and very similar species do not necessarily follow the same rules or have the same habits.