Suggestions for new 90-125 gallon tank

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MischievousNim

Registered Member
Apr 14, 2006
2
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39
currently in NJ
Hi,
I am getting a new tank I am not sure yet if it will be 90 or 125 gallons.
The fish I most want to include is an elephant nose fish.
Out of these others - which ones and how many should I include:
Clown Loach (Botia macracantha)
Burmese Border Loach
Various livebearers:
Mickey Mouse Platys and other platys (Xiphophorus maculatus)
Red Dalmatian Lyretail Molly
Cremsicle Molly
Chocolate Cream Balloon Lyretail Molly
Silver Mollys
Dalmatian Mollys
Silver-streak Flamingo Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)
Blonde-Tux Guppies (Poecilia reticulata)
Lyretail Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)
Pleco/Catfish/Cory: - which one of these should I pick if any?
Queen-Arabesque Pleco (Hypancistrus sp.)
King Tiger pleco
Bushy-nose Pleco (Ancistrus sp.)
Royal Pleco – only in a glass tank (it can scratch acrylic and not good with other plecos sometimes)
Marble Sailfin Pleco
Zebra Pleco
Albina Pleco
Oil Catfish
Jaguar Catfish
Royal Farlowella Cat (Sturistoma sp.)
Brochis Cory Cat (Brochis multiradiatus)
Albino Aeneus Cory Cat (Corydoras aeneus)

Tetras:
Neon tetras
Congo tetras
Blind cave fish Astyanax fasciatus mexicanus
White Skirt tetra
Silver Dollar
Bleeding Heart

Thanks for any help!
Also if anyone is familiar with elephant nose fish - how large a tank would one need to have the recommended group of six fish? Maybe 250-280 gallons? And has anyone actually kept a group of elephant nose fish - how did it work out?
 
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dorkfish

AC Members
Jul 25, 2005
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Windsor,Ontario,Canada
make sure you do a fishless cycle before adding fish and then IMO it would be better to add the fish in two - three groups and only add about half of the planned livebearer population (add male and female so they reproduce). It would also be a good idea to use a substrate good for plants so all you have to do to convert to planted is start adding additives (if you decide to go planted later on)
for 90g

x1elephant nose
x2clownloach
x3burmese border loach
x15platys
x15mollys
x30 guppies

for 125g
x1elephant nose
x3clownloach
x4burmese border loach
x25platys
x25mollys
x50guppys

I personally would have a mix of the all the livebearer varietys but it all comes down to your preferance. I suggest you also add a male betta as a centerpiece fish. one day the clown loaches will need a bigger home but thats like 15 years down the line.
 

dorkfish

AC Members
Jul 25, 2005
3,032
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0
Windsor,Ontario,Canada
two more lists (missed the catfishes and tetras last time I read it)

1.for 90g second numer for 125g
elephant nose x1 x1
burmesse border loach x5 x7
platys x15 x20
bushynose pleco x3 x5
albino cory x7 x10
neon tetra x20 x35

2.for 90g second numer for 125g
elephant nose x1 x1
burmesse border loach x7 x10
guppy x40 x60
congo tetra x10 x15
 

MischievousNim

Registered Member
Apr 14, 2006
2
0
0
39
currently in NJ
Thanks for the replies dorkfish! From your lists I might sort of combine two lists. How does this list sound?
x1elephant nose (x1 for 125 gallon)
x2clownloach (x3)
x3burmese border loach (x4)
x6 platys (x10)
x6 mollys (x10)
x6 guppies (x12)
bushynose pleco x3 (x5)
albino cory x7 (x10)
neon tetra x20 (x35)

Also - any other opinions or suggestions are still welcome.
I am planning to do a fishless cycle, and also plant the tank with some low effort plants. Then I will add the fish. What kind of substrate would be ok for plants and for the elephant nose fish to forage in?
 

dorkfish

AC Members
Jul 25, 2005
3,032
1
0
Windsor,Ontario,Canada
sounds about right, but you could still probably fit some centerpiece fish in there. male betta, an angel or two/3, couple pairs of rams, pairs of kribines, trio of cockatoo cichlids, a drawf gourami, three spot gourami and pearl gourami should all make good centerpiece fish. if you decide to get the angels make sure you get the smallest ones you can or youll be missing some neons or guppies. it's ok if you get small angels and grow them to full size because once they recognize the neons and guppies as something they can't eat they won't try to eat them when they get bigger.
as for the plant stuff this is the plan for my tank:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74110

read my first and fourh posts to get my plan as of now

construction sand may be better than the pool filter sand because pool filter sand is suposed to be silica sand wich is what they make glass out of .
for your tank I suggest the same WPG amount as I plan to start mine at although 2WPG would be better.
 
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