Stocking suggestions

[NAG]

so heres my deal. my 70L (18.5G) tank is almost a month old. to the dismay of many of you, im doing a fishy cycle based on some rather poor initial advice but im sure many of you started off in the same position im in now

anyway, right now, ive got one guppy and four neon tetras in the tank and as for my water params...

ammonia: 0.0
nitItes: 0.0
nitrAtes: 7.5
pH: ~7.0

i did see a spike in the ammonia after adding the fish but that soon turned to nitrItes and then to nitrAtes with a few PWCs. so am i right in believing its safe to add a few more fish (depending on size ofc)?


what id like to get -

before i even got into the hobby, i knew i wanted to get a pleco. obviously, my tank (Juwel Rekord 70) isnt big enough to accomodate a regular pleco so it would have to be a dwarf pleco of some sort if i was to get one at all

also, since arriving at AC, i discovered a love for invertebrates (shrimp, snails, crayfish). i just think they look awesome! :) but ive no idea if my tank setup would be suitable for the little fellas (pic below)

thirdly, loaches. again, i know im a little restricted regarding space but i thought a yo-yo loach might be okay?

im open to suggestions regarding anything else but id really like to include some of the above. generally, i go for things that are a little odd or not the norm or just really colourful



would really appreciate :feedback:, cheers <3

tank piccy:

[Rbishop]

Nice tank. I would skip even a dwarf pleco though.

[jonnyfry]

if your ammonia and nitrites can stay stable at 0.0 for a week without water changes then you could add some more fish . but slowly is the key , otherwise you are into a mini cycle , if you did get a pleco , bristlenose , gold nugget then add him last as he is a big jump in bio load .

[jonnyfry]

oh , didnt pay attention to size of tank , even a 6' pleco would be too big for it . sorry .

[mellowvision]

loaches and inverts generally don't mix. but shrimp would probably love your tank. I wouldn't add shrimp until the tank is fully established, maybe another couple of weeks.

[Hooked Newbie]

If you get a Pleco, I'd stick with one of the Zebras (2.5-3"). Skip the Yoyo (they like to be in groups of at least 4) and go with some shrimp (Cherries, Amano, etc.). Just my two cents. Very nice tank! :)

[NAG]

If you get a Pleco, I'd stick with one of the Zebras (2.5-3").
the very ones i was thinking of! :D


Skip the Yoyo (they like to be in groups of at least 4) and go with some shrimp (Cherries, Amano, etc.). Just my two cents. Very nice tank! :)
tnx! yeah, id prefer to get some inverts over loaches anyway. should i stick to one kind of shrimp or does it matter? and what about some snails? do they need much looking after?


what about some other fish to fill it up? any suggestions?

[Star_Rider]

the zebras are more carnivore and will require meat in their diet.
you can look at albino bn's they only get to 4" some to 5"

the females tend to stay smaller. or a clown(add wood as it is a wood eater)

[Hooked Newbie]

should i stick to one kind of shrimp or does it matter?

From what I've read most prefer their own kind. I've not kept multiple types, but supposedly they pretty much ignore one another. Red Cherries would look really striking in your tank I think.



and what about some snails? do they need much looking after?
An MTS should work and they are extremely low maintenance.



what about some other fish to fill it up? any suggestions?
Well, if you want to stay small, like "out of the norm", and want to stay on the understocked side (I wish I could, but I'm weak so I over filter ;)) you may want to check out a few celestial danios (aka Galaxy Rasbora). Try to find tank raised though as they have been collected to the extreme in the wild. Another small rasbora or hatchet would work well too.

That would make... 1 Guppy, 4 Neons, 1 Zebra Pleco, 4-6 Celestials / Harlequins / Hatchets, 1-2 Cherry shrimp, and 1 MTS. Should work and make for a cool tank. Others may disagree and have reason though so by all means listen to all feedback and go with what feels right. Add slowly and prolong the fun!

[NAG]

tnx for the input HN


Add slowly and prolong the fun!
idd



anybody have any other suggestions?

[mellowvision]

cherry barbs are fantastic fish. I like my amanos more than my red cherry shrimp... I've recently gotten into celebes rainbows... very nice and small. I love my hatchet fish, but would hold out for meyers hatchets or marbled hatchets if I had it to do over. the silver ones are nice, but get bigger. I also have mine in a paludarium set up with a lot of natural food for hunting... aka bugs. they love it.... or at least appear to.