Stocking

[williedee]

Hi all,
i was just wondering if someone could look over my stocking list. i know people ask this all the time, but i would just like some feedback. thank you very much!
3 dwarf gouramis
2 bristlenose plecos
2 pictus catfish
7 zebra danios
6 total (peppered/bronze mixed corydoras)

does this sound like a nice begining stocking list for a 55 gallon with 2 AC 70's on it, or should i remove some of the fish? thank you all.

[jpappy789]

I think it is fine, how are the gouramis with each other...only one male, should I assume?

[dvd_wightman]

Sounds fine, I'm not sure about the pictus catfish (don't know much about them.) As long as there is only 1 male dwarf gourami, you will be fine. Filtration is great. If I was you, I would stick with just 1 type of cory rather than a mixed group, but that is just my opinion. Good luck!

[OldMan1947]

Like DVD_wightman said, cories will only usually school with their own kind so all one type would look better. I am assuming these are the ones from your 10 gallon so if you can't match them, they will still get along OK. They just won't school together.

[williedee]

ok thanks a bunch. would there be anymore room for anything else in the future? thanks

[jm1212]

i wouldnt keep the three male gouramis together.

you could fit in a nice sized school of tetras.

[williedee]

i was thinking about that, but the pictus' are known to eat tetras and like sized fish. instead of dwarf gouramis do you think i could add some larger varients of gouramis like pearls. are there any others that get into the 4-6 inch range? thanks

[williedee]

how does a pair of kissing gouramis sound? i know they get big and produce alot of waste, but i am willing to keep up with them. thanks

[dvd_wightman]

I wouldn't recommend the kissing gouramis. Pearl Gouramis would be great though if you want to try them. I would only put 1 in the tank.

[Hammy & Waf]

i don't have any experience with gourami's, but we have 4 different cory cats, that were all purchased at different times and sizes and they still school together. we had our pictus cat in with all of our little fish and he did not bother them (he was about 3-3.5" long, took him out before we added shrimp), so i would say if they are pretty calm around the zebra danios, you could probably put a school of tetras, the bigger ones should be fine, like black skirts, congos, emporers, etc. i think the rest sounds good.

[williedee]

ok thanks. i just wanted the kissing gouramis because i wanted a bigger fish like in the 6-8 range. would you recomend any others in the place of the pearl? thanks

[dvd_wightman]

A Blue Gourami should work and it gets to about 6 inches.

[williedee]

ok thanks. ...how about angels? could i get 2-3 of those in with the gouramis? thanks

[dvd_wightman]

You will find mixed opinions about this. I have never tried it, so I will let others with more knowledge answer that. Also, I forgot to mention that if you get a blue gourami, you should only get 1 because you will probably not have room for 3.

[jm1212]

blue gouramis are pretty aggressive towards others of their species and sometimes are bullies to other fish in the tank.

[gatotsu77]

i don't have any experience with gourami's, but we have 4 different cory cats, that were all purchased at different times and sizes and they still school together. we had our pictus cat in with all of our little fish and he did not bother them (he was about 3-3.5" long, took him out before we added shrimp), so i would say if they are pretty calm around the zebra danios, you could probably put a school of tetras, the bigger ones should be fine, like black skirts, congos, emporers, etc. i think the rest sounds good.

Granted, there is always the one example which defies the "rules" we've come to know and (attempt to) follow. If it worked for you, awesome. :D Unfortunately, that doesn't mean it will always work. Individual temperament of the fish comes into play, among many other things. A good example of something that (hopefully) none of us would ever attempt: I spoke with a woman at the lfs I go to this weekend about her fish tank. She said she was looking to upgrade, as she felt her tank was a little too small. She had a 5g hex, and wanted to get something more like a 10g tank. She had a 4" blood parrot cichlid and a 3" green terror in this tiny little 5g hex... she said that the parrot was picking on the green terror and wanted to give him a little more room, so she thought a 10g would be adequate. She just scoffed and completely dismissed what I said when I suggested she look into something along the lines of a 50-75g tank. Now, should those 2 fish be alive? Probably not... the tank had a dinky little filter, had likely never seen a real water change, and had no heater, yet somehow life found a way. Were the inhabitants happy? Heck no! I bet they were in agony... but somehow they were still alive, and so she thought she was doing the right thing. Just an example to show how when something works for someone, it doesn't always mean it will work for everyone.

I personally have 5 corydoras, 2 spotted and 3 peppered... they get along fine and frequently school together, but that isn't necessarily characteristic of all fish in that species. Some might be more independent. Some might not. There's always more variables... no matter how many we try to compensate for. All we can do is provide the best care possible to try to give these creatures the best chance and healthiest/happiest lives we can. :-)

[williedee]

ok, how about this stocking now.

1 angel fish (gold i think)
3 dwarf gouramis (1 male, 2 females)
2 Bristlenose Plecos
7 zebra danios
6 corydoras

that would leave me with enough room for plenty more small/medium fish that i might get interested in for the future. does that sound good?

[jpappy789]

have you found any places where there are actually female dg's? I know that, at least around here, they are nearly impossible to find. Just making sure :)

[williedee]

well wal-mart has them, and i am pretty sure i saw them at my LFS. they are smaller, and plain mettalic grey right?

[Dwarf Puffers]

ok, how about this stocking now.

1 angel fish (gold i think)
3 dwarf gouramis (1 male, 2 females)
2 Bristlenose Plecos
7 zebra danios
6 corydoras

that would leave me with enough room for plenty more small/medium fish that i might get interested in for the future. does that sound good?

I wouldn't stick an angel with dwarf gouramis, and zebras are known to nip them.


well wal-mart has them, and i am pretty sure i saw them at my LFS. they are smaller, and plain mettalic grey right?

That's them. I wouldn't get them at Wal-Mart, though.

[williedee]

ok, my lfs had small angels (1-2 inches) and i thought they were cool looking. i didnt really want them, but my mom did. i guess it will be my tank though. lol. thanks