STOCKING QUESTION FOR 36 GALLON BOW advise greatly appreciated :)

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platytetrafan

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Jan 20, 2007
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After months of waiting I am finally restocking my 36 gallon bow. For months the sole survivor in the tank is a bleeding heart tetra I lost fish from time to time but got lazy waiting to restock & realized I had to do it. Recently I added 2 danios to the 36 gallon all are doing well they were in my QT for a month and showed no signs of illness. Right now in my 10 gallon QT I have 3 more danios and 5 bleeding heart tetras to add to the 36 gallon. One more week in the QT and they should be deemed healthy to be added. As of this week it will be 4 weeks in QT with no issues of illness. My question is since the 36 gallon tank is lightly seeded has been cycled for a long time now but now that I am adding more fish how to go about adding the news ones to the 36 gallon? Right now all water parameters are fine with the three that are in that tank now. I want to avoid shocking the tank by adding too many too fast. Also I am planning over the next few months to continue restocking the tank with more fish after the QT process is done for all. This is the scheme of fish I plan to have in the tank total once fully stocked. Advise on how to restock and opinions on the fish I have planned to add would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :)





6 Bleeding heart tetras

6 rasporas

6 danios

4-6 cherry barbs or 4-6 hatchets

6 albino or bronze cories
 

Byron Amazonas

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When adding shoaling fish, as all these listed are, it is best to add the entire (intended) group at once. They will adjust and settle in much better with more of them. But some species also establish hierarchies to varying degrees, even many of the tetra, and this will be less of an issue with more of them entering the new environment (to them).

Live plants are not mentioned, but if you have these, particularly fast-growing ones like stem plants or floating, you will not have any issues. But even without, I wouldn't expect trouble by adding one species at a time and waiting several days before the next. You will have a good colony of bacteria/archaea and it can multiply fairly quickly from this.

You might consider more of the rasbora; species isn't mentioned, but generally these do better with higher numbers, say 8-9. Same holds for hatchetfish.

Byron.
 

jasonfishaddict

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I agree that introducing a group at a time with a few days in between would be fine.
Why so many groups? IMO, 1 or 2 large schools are more impressive. Aside from the Cories, which would also appreciate being in a larger group, I'd choose the 2 other species I like the most and increase their numbers.
What kind of filter are you running?


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Fishfriend1

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With the cories, I'd go bronze. Albinos can't handle high-light as well as most fish.
 

platytetrafan

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Jan 20, 2007
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Wow thanks all so much for all the advise really appreciate it. I have a Marineland Penguin 200 filter with biowheel running for the 36 gallon. I guess I just wanted a variety of different fish in the tank thought the cherry barbs were pretty & would add color to the tank never had them before. I was thinking of going with the harlequin rasboras. Right now just danios and bleeding hearts are in the QT waiting to go into the 36 gallon. I have another week to make a decision as what to get next. I am going to add the bleeding heart tetras first. My sole survivor has been alone for so long and hopefully will appreciate some fish buddies then I will wait a day or two and add the danios and keep an eye on my water parameters. I have had albino cories before they did pretty well but maybe I will try the bronze and see how they do. Thanks again all will let you know how it goes and post a pic of the tank once it is fully stocked.
 

rufioman

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I would do 6 corys, 8 of two different shoalers, and a centerpiece fish. Gourami or something.
 
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