Tropical Community Fish for a large aquarium?

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winner2010
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Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 4:29 am

Tropical Community Fish for a large aquarium?

Post by winner2010 » Sun May 23, 2010 12:13 am

I am planning to set up a 150 Gallon Tropical community aquarium (1800mm x 670mm x 450mm). Along with a 2800 L/h extreme canister filter. I am interested in a peaceful community fish. I plan to stock the aquarium with the following.

A school of neon tetras (20 or more fish)
assortment of other tetras such as Congo tetras, bleeding heart tetras (20 fish or so)
few bala shark (6 maybe)
One or more red fin sharks (1)
zebra danios (10 or so)
clown loaches (6 or so)
khuli loach (2 or so)
one pair of Black Ghost Knife fish (2)
one male and one female betta splendance (2)
a few corydoras (not sure of the exact species) but the interesting ones (4)
a few dwarf gourami (6)
a few silver dollars (6)
a couple of siamese algae eaters (if I can find any in Sri Lanka)

Aquarium maintenanceis not a problem as I work from home and can spend a good amount of time tending the tank. I have also had very successful 8 foot tanks in the past. I currently have a large indoor pond in my courtyard where I have 3 iridiscent sharks, 2 large koi, and 2 6 inch giant gourami's. I also have an aquarium with 3 baby red eared sliders.

I would like some advise on my new tank setup, do I have enough filtration? am I trying to over stock the new aquarium ? are the listed species appropriate ? or are there any other peaceful community species I should consider.

I really would also love to have a pair of discus fish, but since their requirements are very specific I don't think my new aquarium would be appropriate. I might consider getting a discus aquarium in the future.

As I mentioned earlier, I live in the Sri Lankan hill country where temperatures are ideal for most tropical fish hence I don't plan on getting an aquarium heater, however I might supplement the filtration with an in-tank filter as well.

Any advise would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
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morgoth517
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Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:42 pm

Re: Tropical Community Fish for a large aquarium?

Post by morgoth517 » Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:24 pm

From a numbers point of view you have 301.7 inches of fish listed. If we are using the good old "an inch per fish" rule then you are a wee bit overstocked, but as you say in your post you work from home and have time to do aquarium maintenance as needed, which would be often with that amount. That's with the number of fish you indicated for each species at there maximum amount they usually would grow.

Not that it matters in the long run, but the Kuhli loaches prefer to be in a group of 6ish. You would be fine with just two, but the chances of seeing them would be pretty slim. Even with six of them myself, I still don't see them that often and never all at once.

If you can't find any siamese algae eaters in Sri Lanka then I would go with a few Otocinclus. They are a little, but surprisingly hard workers and gentle with plants, at least with my plants.

And i'm kinda jealous of your courtyard pond. Sigh, maybe one day.

tropical cat
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Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:26 pm
Location: Australia,Mudjimba

Re: Tropical Community Fish for a large aquarium?

Post by tropical cat » Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:39 pm

Hi, I would not recommend putting small fish such as the tetras in with the bala sharks as they can get up to 30cm's and will eat preety much anything they can fit into their mouths, they are deadly fast aswel. i have also herd that beta splendis do not do well in more then 15 gallons of water.

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Crissyloach
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Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 10:41 am

Re: Tropical Community Fish for a large aquarium?

Post by Crissyloach » Thu Mar 03, 2011 10:14 pm

Male and female bettas will fight to death. Only females can be kept together- in groups of 5- absolute minimum. Males will kill each other- or seriously hurt each other. They would not work with your current stocking idea. Smaller tanks are easier- since they breathe air, it is easier for them to swim up fast in a small tank. Male bettas must be kept alone- no other bettas- limited selection of compatible fish, but *some females are fine together- not all are nice enough to be with others. I would recommend checking out aqadvisor- it is not perfect- but is good as an estimate- and points out important things about fish, and compatibility.
Image

Current betta count...Too many. :P

Diana
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Location: Near San Franciso

Re: Tropical Community Fish for a large aquarium?

Post by Diana » Thu Mar 03, 2011 10:19 pm

A school of neon tetras (20 or more fish)... Cooler water schooling fish.
assortment of other tetras such as Congo tetras, bleeding heart tetras (20 fish or so) Stick with just one species and get more of that one. Neons and many other Tetras school in the same areas of the tank. Don't mix them.
few bala shark (6 maybe)...No. Your tank is not big enough, and if they survive they will eat the smaller fish. Since they can reach a foot long (30 cm) they can easily eat fish up to 10 cm long.
One or more red fin sharks (1)...well, OK, but no other relatives (SAE)
zebra danios (10 or so) Upper level, zippy-nippy little guys. Get more (2 dozen) or skip it.
clown loaches (6 or so) Lets remember this, 6 fish that can reach a foot long. Warm water fish.
khuli loach (2 or so) Don't get so few. If you get them at all, get a dozen.
one pair of Black Ghost Knife fish (2) Grow very slowly, but will outgrow the tank. Look into the African Brown Knife. Much more compatible.
one male and one female betta splendance (2) ...Tank is big enough, make sure there are enough plants that she can get out of his way. No nippy fish (No Danios, Tiger Barbs, Serpae Tetras)
a few corydoras (not sure of the exact species) but the interesting ones (4) Do not get so few. At least half a dozen, all one species.
a few dwarf gourami (6) NO. They can be as aggressive as Bettas, and will probably kill the Bettas and each other. Never mix Anabantoids.
a few silver dollars (6) No. They will eat all the plants.
a couple of siamese algae eaters ... Not with the Red Tailed Shark. RTS are too territorial against other shark shaped fish, and these sure qualify.

Overall I see at least 3 major incompatibilities and other issues:

A) You are mixing big fish with little fish. The big ones will eat the little ones.

B) You are mixing cool water tropicals with warm water tropicals. Most of your choices do not overlap.

C) You have several very territorial fish listed, and they are not going to work together.

D) You have too many different species, especially of schooling fish. Cut the list in half.
~Choose ONE schooling species for the mid tank area. Congos are a good choice, or Rainbow fish. High enough to stay up off the bottom where the Clown Loaches are.
~Choose ONE species for the upper tank area. Bettas might work if it is a well planted tank, but 2 fish are not a lot for the upper area. I would prefer to suggest Snakeskin Gouramis. Peaceful, as Gouramis go, big enough to stand up for themselves, and will show up in this size tank.
~Choose ONE bottom species. Cories are OK while the Clown Loaches are small, so 2 species are OK.
~Some algae eating fish would not be a problem. Bristlenose Plecos are very good algae eaters, and do not cause problems with the fish I have listed so far. SAE will also work in a warm water tank.

Totals:
12 Congo Tetras
2 Snakeskin Gouramis
6 Clown Loaches
6 Brochis splendens or other Cory that tolerates high temperature
2 Bristlenose Plecos. 1M + 1F or 2F.
1 SAE

Do not use the 1" per gallon guide for fish that are larger than 2".
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.

Happy fish keeping!

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Crissyloach
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Re: Tropical Community Fish for a large aquarium?

Post by Crissyloach » Sat Mar 05, 2011 6:54 pm

If you do go with bettas, you can ONLY have females. Males will fight to death, and having a pair is just as bad. Look up some "150 gallon freshwater community tank stocking" ideas- they might give you another stocking idea that works.
Image

Current betta count...Too many. :P

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Srebrenka
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Re: Tropical Community Fish for a large aquarium?

Post by Srebrenka » Fri Apr 01, 2011 8:51 am

I recommend the use of and outside power filter in the tank. They are easy to use and clean as well as doing An excellent job of filtration. You want one that will circulate the tank water at least four times in an hour, more is OK as I have found that you cannot have too much circulation in a tank. You will need a filter that has an output of at least eighty gallons per hour. Read the box well as the numbers on the filters do not always tell what the actual flow rate is.
I do not recommend the use of undergravel filters in any tank, especially one where you hope to have live plants in. This is just my opinion and you will find many that do advocate there use in all tanks.

As we are dealing with tropical fish, you will need to maintain a stable water temperature. On average you will need two to four watts per gallon to maintain a temperature in the mid seventies.

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