Rethinking 40g stocking

[FishyWarrior]

Sorry for starting so many threads here lately, but i might need to reconsider what i'm putting in my 40 gal community tank. The water that comes out of my tap that i use for the tank has a high ph of 7.8-8 (hard to tell which color exactly). I can't test for hardness at the moment, but i hear that all illinois water is universally very hard, which could partly explain why drfitwood, peat, and almond leaves aren't making a dent in the ph. I've just decided that i'm not going to mess with the parameters and just pick out fish that will be able to adapt well to my water.

What i have in now are:
10 white clouds
3 dwarf neon rainbows (will get two more at a later date.)
1 pearl gourami
1 bristlenose
2 amano shrimp (also planning to get more later)

I want to know what else i can stock that is both attractive and compatible with what's in there now. I originally really wanted kuhli loaches, but i'm not sure about how well they'd do in this water. Investing in an RO unit isn't very feasible for the time being, possibly at a later date but not any time soon. If there's any that are similar to kuhlis i would love that, anything long and wiggly like them would be great. c:

Here's a pic of my tank now by the way.

 

[tanker]

12+ Galaxy Rasboras??

 

[FishyWarrior]

12+ Galaxy Rasboras??

I would love them actually, but my lfs doesn't seem to have any at the moment.

 

[myswtsins]

Good choice going with fish that like what water you already have.

A. If all water near you is similar to yours then most LFS bought fish should be fine in your water. If they use RO water then of course that makes a difference. Just ask around what water parameters they have and even ask them to test it in front of you, any good store should have no complaints about testing their pH and hardness in front of you (ammonia and nitrates they might be a bit shy about though lol)

2. There are a lot of choices for hardwater. A non brackish community narrows it down a bit but there are livebearers which includes tons of fish like guppies, mollys, platys etc. Rainbow fish including celebes rainbow (smaller more suited to your tank size), killifish, bettas (a group of females work well)

 

[FishyWarrior]

Hm, so i just got my water tested at my lfs and apparently my water is actually 7.4, it was tested twice with both the fluid and strips. So i guess my readings were off after all or i was just reading the colors wrong. Possible since the colors are so similar it's hard to actually tell. My water is still pretty hard, but this opens up my selection a bit doesn't it?

 

[fishorama]

7.4 is fine for kuhlis! You know you want them! Get 8 or 12 all the same species. As you plants grow they will love it, mine did!

 

[FishyWarrior]

7.4 is fine for kuhlis! You know you want them! Get 8 or 12 all the same species. As you plants grow they will love it, mine did!

Yes! I do really want them, probably more than anything else in the tank, haha. So glad to hear they will probably be fine! How long do you recommend i wait before adding them in? My tank's going on 3 weeks and it seems nearly cycled by now.

And on a side note, what do you think about adding a blue ram in here? They're pretty gorgeous too, but i heard they are kinda sensitive?

 

[fishorama]

Loaches prefer an aged tank, not 1 that's "nearly cycled". Wait at least a few more weeks, I know it's hard.

I think once you add kuhlis & a couple more praecox rainbows (those are still small you know), you might be happy with just those fish. I don't see the gourami or BN but they're probably smaller than adult too.

Rams are almost bottom fish too & yes, more delicate in some ways. Let your fish & plants grow for a while then decide.

 

[FishyWarrior]

Loaches prefer an aged tank, not 1 that's "nearly cycled". Wait at least a few more weeks, I know it's hard.

I think once you add kuhlis & a couple more praecox rainbows (those are still small you know), you might be happy with just those fish. I don't see the gourami or BN but they're probably smaller than adult too.

Rams are almost bottom fish too & yes, more delicate in some ways. Let your fish & plants grow for a while then decide.

Alright yeah, i figured it would be a few more weeks before i could get them. Would it be ok to buy just a few at a time or would i have to buy them all at once? And if the tank is aged like you suggest, are they relatively hardy or kinda delicate?

We just added in two more rainbows to fix the gender ratio since the two males were picking on the one female and kinda stressing her out (i even asked the guy at the store specifically if the gender ratio would be an issue and he said it didn't matter. i knew it was wrong but still took his word on it for some reason.) But yeah the pleco and gourami are definitely not fully grown, pleco especially is only about an inch and half at the moment.

 

[fishorama]

Does your lfs have the same species of kuhlis all the time? Loaches can be a bit seasonal in availability. The "usual" types are "black", "striped" (often p. kuhli) & Meyer's giant striped. It's not that they don't all get along ok but to see the really fun interactions of a group 6 or more of the same kind is what you want. I would strongly suggest getting 8 (or at least 6) all at once since they're more apt to be the same species, but that's not guaranteed either.

I had striped & black together at 1 time & the older striped (either semicincta or kuhli) all hung out in groups of 3 or 4 & the p. oblongas kept separate, mostly all together. I prefer the striped both for looks & "personality" but never kept Meyer's.

The black oblongas were always hyperactive & not at all people interactive but I only had them a year or 2. The striped were more mellow; in fact I could reach into their tank & the 2 that liked to hang in the plants near the surface wouldn't even move much. That scared me the first few times, lol. Stripes also waited for me & food by the door to their room & only "loachy danced" after water changes.

OK, I am a loach nut as you can tell, lol! Everyone here on AC knows that. If you need an excuse to get more, I'm here for you!!

& as another loach nutty idea...have you looked at sidthimunkis (dwarf chain loaches)? They would be my choice over a ram any day & I like cichlids too, just not a much. They have a completely different look & behavior than kuhlis...expensive but oh so cute....ok, I want more loaches now too!!