Looking for some inspiration

[bennekeBE]

Hello everyone,

Over a year ago I set up my new tank. It's 2,40m x 0,70m x 0,70m so it holds roughly a bit more then 1000liters. As far as loaches go, I've got around 20 clowns and 20 striatas in there. Besides them there are 20 rainbows, some cory's, ancistrusses (breeding happily) and a small group of other algae eaters for which I only know the dutch word but you can see them when I get some pics on here.
Now the problem I have is that although there are quite a bit of fish in there, I've got the feeling the tank could certainly do with a bit more fish in the upper layers of the water. I was thinking to just expand the rainbows to thirty or forty but they always dwell in the middle part of the tank, so maybe it might be better to add a fish that is really a surface dweller...But then again I wouldn't want to be mixing up to many different species either...
Does anyone have any input on this?
I'll see if I can get some decent pictures of the tank and put them up here.

Ben

[andyroo]

Danio or gourami. Or hatchetfish. Or African butterfly fish, though they will eat small/baby fish that come to the surface... Festivum also are top, no?
A

[starsplitter7]

I love Afriacan Butterfly Fish. They are incredibly cool.

I also like Golden Wonder Killies for the top, although they are predatorial for tiny things. I have kept mine with tetras without a problem.

[bennekeBE]

hmm, I researched the african butterfly fish and it really looks incredible but I'm a bit concerned with it's feeding habits...I can provide them with frozen foods but the live flies and stuff would pose a problem and a lot of sites claim that they need those...anyone have any experience with that?
Apart from that, you guys don't think I'm overcrowding or something? (I don't think so but it's hard to tell because the tank doesn't really feel full with all the botias hiding half the time).

[starsplitter7]

My tanks are crowded, so I am the wrong person to ask. I am the same way. I have loaches and catfish in hiding, so you can look in the tanks and see no fish.

My butterflies didn't get any live foods. I fed them frozen and freeze dried foods and they were perfectly happy. I loved those amazing, beautiful fish. The foods needed to float, so they could access them. They did go under water when startled. Make sure you have a tight fitting lid, so that they don't leave the tank.

[Diana]

I have Snakeskin Gouramis (T. pectoralis) in my big tank.
They are more peaceful than many other Gouramis, but I would still aim for just one male. (My tank is only 2 meters long- not enough space for more) Several females might be OK, though.
Other Gouramis might work.
If you can find females only, the 3-spot (T. trichopterus) and its color varieties might be a possibility.
Moonlight Gouramis (T. microlepis) seem to handle the heat best, if your tank is 80*F or 27*C. Males are pretty aggressive, though, so again, look for females.
Pearl Gouramis (T. leeri) tend to be less aggressive, but I have heard of some that are more aggressive. Maybe a couple of males would work, or, be safer with females only. Males are more colorful, though, with orange on their front from the mouth area on down.

In all these species the females are the ones with shorter, more rounded dorsal fins. The males' fins will grow longer, and usually reach the tail. This difference does not show up when they are young, though. A tank of 2" Gouramis might only just be starting to show the difference, and you might accidentally get several males, even if you select the fish with the shortest dorsal fins.

[chefkeith]

IMO, less is more when it comes to stocking big tanks. My aquarium system is about 1900 liters / 500 gallons. I have about 40 Clown loaches, 40 Boesemani Rainbowfish, 15 bristlenose plecs, and 10 kuhli loaches. I haven't added any new fish for about 5 years, but due to the breeding populations (of the rainbows and plecs) I have more fish now than what I started with.

Disease control in large aquaria is difficult enough on it's own. IMO, adding more fish or another species, is just adding more potential problems and more work.

If or when you decide to add new fish, you need to have a solid quarantine plan in place. The new fish should be quarantined for at least a few months before adding them to the main tank. You'll probably want to give the new fish prophylactic treatments for the most common parasites also.

Even the most experienced fish keepers mess up when it comes to quarantining new fish because its such a huge inconvenience. Quarantine tanks take up space and the new fish will end up costing more money than what they are worth. You have to be careful of cross contamination also.