stocking suggestions for a high tank

[CHINABOY1021]

im considering:
24x12x24 = 30H
or somehting around the same footprint.

i know this is very limited footprint size to stock the bigger species. plus it's very hard to suggest fish because it's mostly about person preference.

i was thinking. 10 cardinal tetras, 6 silver hachets, few ottos, ghost shrimp, + platies or guppies. + some tiny 1/2 inch panda cories i saw at the LFS. + blue rams. can my tank cope with these combinations?

i also have interest in silver halfbeaks and read only 1 per tank?

any other suggestions?

thanks

[NJ Devils Fan]

I would not recommend an active fish, like zebra danios because they need to have a longer tank to swim back and forth in.

[CHINABOY1021]

i agree. the most active fish on my list would probably be the platies since they swim constantly. cardiansl IMO, just kind of go back and forth within a 6 inch radius of itself. i have never seen silver hachets swim at my LFS, they just hang here. panda cories are active, but they are tiny. blue rams will dart through the plants i guess. recommended size tank for them is 10+.

also this was the first time I've seen half beaks at Big Als. they have awsome movement. they are like needles, they dart through the water. they move fast, then come to a complete stop. it's funny how they can stay completely still. i love em. they were 1 inch at lfs.

[Hebdizzle]

does big als only have locations in canada?

[CHINABOY1021]

yah, i can brag about having 2 Big Als within a 20 minute drive from my house. the prices instores are the same as the ones on the net, well in the Canadian dollars. they got best prices on dry goods + live stock IMO.

they have HUGE selection of FW. they always got unique fish we dont see every day.

lastest interesting fish i've seen are panda cories, half beaks, ALTUM ANGELS, mud skippers, TRUE Saes.

bascially all big als has 2 sections. dry goods + live stock. the live stock area is heated, or is it just the heat coming from the tanks.

their live plants are mostly from tropica. great condition. always sells out fast before next shipment, so the plants dont go bad with their simple lighting. but all their 200+ live stock tanks have black gravel + black background + lights + intake/output.

great store for everything unless looking for specialized fish like discus morphs.

[NJ Devils Fan]

I wish there was a Big Al's by me. Are there any in the u.s.?

[CHINABOY1021]

http://www.aquariumservices.com/store.html

thats a link with all the locations. but there's none in the US.

at first, i was suprised to find out there's more than 1 big als location. because i never knew there would be so many constumers in Canada. Toronto is a huge city, but the 2 stores that i go to are about 35 minutes apart from each other. i wont take that fact for granted. I only ASSUME that they get a lot of regular customers since with big als' prices, there's like 100% sure no other place to get aquarium supplies + live stock other than used or from breeder.

[Hebdizzle]

im gonna write to Big Als and tell them to come to America also lol

[brianfl]

Gouramis are excellent with tall tanks. I have had rainbows as well as they go to differerent levels a lot. It's always fun to take off your shirt and stand on a chair to clean :)

[NJ Devils Fan]

Hebdizzle, I wrote to Big Al's the other day and asked why they don't have stores in the U.S. This is the response I got:

"Hi. We are a Canadian company and therefore only have stores in Canada. Instead of opening a retail store in the US, we launched the online website. With us getting screwed regarding the Free Trade Agreement, it just isn't economically feasible to open a store in the States. Thank you and have a good day.
Sylvie"

I don't get it, how would they be getting screwed?

[Hebdizzle]

NJdevilsfan... at least you have "Exotic Pet Warehouse" or whatever in Yonkers NY. All I have is a PetSmart :( lol

[CHINABOY1021]

im up for the gouramis idea. to my experience, the usually stay near the top. i should come up with this idea earlier to occupie the top of the tank. water lettuce with those long roots should do.

[brianfl]

I have a couple talls and while the gouramis tend to stay to the top more, they do roam around a lot, more top to bottom than side to side. It kind of depends on what you feed. If there is some sinking food they will go top to bottom, etc. Slowly, but they make it :)