Combining lots of tanks in 125 gallon

[Wat2Go]

We'd like to combine our various tanks (1 3g, 3 10g, 2 29g and 1 55g) in a 72" long 125 gallon tank. We would keep one 29 gallon up as a QT tank, and one 10 gallon (because it was our first and is very cool)

Seeing the stock we currently have, we would stock the 125 with the following:

2 male swordtails (one highfin, one regular), and 6 female swordtails (3 highfins, 3 regular)
17 mix and match cories (green,panda, peppered, sterbai, albino, emerald green)
15 mix and match platies (white micky, sunburst wags, tri-color, twin bar,
red mickey)
8 silver hatchets
18 black neons
18 rasboras
2 upside down cats
1 dwarf gourami
1 dwarf red fire gourami
4 australian rainbows
6 mystery snails
[FONT=&quot]6 oto’s
2 zebra pleco's (would be new to us)

Couple of questions:
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• Overstocked or ok?It still means we have to donate a couple of platies and mollies and our cherry barbs.
• We would love to have more gourami's but haven't had much luck with the dwarfs, and I am not sure we would want to add the bigger gourmais to this tank. Could we add a Pearl? If so, maybe a male and two female? Where do we find females?
• Will the cories hang out together?
• For schoolers: we all agreed on the black neons, the rasboras and the hatchets (we will need to buy extra of each, don't own that many right now). Will that work.

Sorry to ask so many questions, but we want to make sure we are doing this right (we haven't ordered the 125 yet...)

L.

 

[wataugachicken]

sounds fine to me. still have room to fill up your schools, as in your last point. don't know as far as the gouramis though. in a tank that size it would probably be fine.

as far as the zebra plecos - are you planning on getting real ones? do you know how much they are? are you going to breed them? this is my own personal opinion, but i dont feel that people should keep zebra plecos unless they plan to breed them. the exception would be culls (like bullnose ones), proven infertile fish, or old fish that no longer breed. zebra plecos still have a very small population and since they are no longer coming in from the wild, every specimen is important in continuing the bloodlines and the breeding program. taking a healthy fish or two out of the gene pool just to keep as a pet seems selfish to me. i think there is a 'greater good' to be had with these fish, and simply having them as pets needs to wait until their future (and price, for that matter) has stabilized.

 

[Wat2Go]

I saw them in my LFS for 20 dollars, must not be the real deal then...
Didn't know that about zebras, just loved the little ones in the LFS and I don't want a huge pleco in our tank, plus I heard zebras are very peaceful..
Hmm, this LFS had all kinds of pleco's, most with names I couldn't find in my fish book (which makes it really hard to decide how big they will get!)
Any suggestions for another one? Guess I should research before even asking!

L.

 

[Wat2Go]

And another question: could I add a group of zebra danios? Like about 12 of them?

 

[Lupin]

I saw them in my LFS for 20 dollars, must not be the real deal then...
Didn't know that about zebras, just loved the little ones in the LFS and I don't want a huge pleco in our tank, plus I heard zebras are very peaceful..
Hmm, this LFS had all kinds of pleco's, most with names I couldn't find in my fish book (which makes it really hard to decide how big they will get!)
Any suggestions for another one? Guess I should research before even asking!

L.

Use www.planetcatfish.com as your resource for plecos.

And another question: could I add a group of zebra danios? Like about 12 of them?

Yes.

 

[wataugachicken]

I saw them in my LFS for 20 dollars, must not be the real deal then...
Didn't know that about zebras, just loved the little ones in the LFS and I don't want a huge pleco in our tank, plus I heard zebras are very peaceful..
Hmm, this LFS had all kinds of pleco's, most with names I couldn't find in my fish book (which makes it really hard to decide how big they will get!)
Any suggestions for another one? Guess I should research before even asking!

L.

hey, if they're not the real ones but look just as nice, go for it! real zebra plecs run $150+ at an inch or so, unsexed. next time you go to that LFS, ask someone if they could look up the kinds of plecos they have on an actual order form. it would be more likely to have the L-numbers on it, and then you can cross-reference with planetcatfish. while putting L-375 on the tank may be informative to people "in the know", selling a pretty pleco as a "Magical Fairy Ballerina Catfish" will attract more people's attention and increase impulse sales.

 

[Lupin]

while putting L-375 on the tank may be informative to people "in the know", selling a pretty pleco as a "Magical Fairy Ballerina Catfish" will attract more people's attention and increase impulse sales.

You made me crack a broad grin, Wata.:lol:

 

[Wat2Go]

I called them today, because now I was curious.
No, not just any zebra pleco, an actual SPLENDID zebra pleco.
But I can't find any info on a splendid zebra pleco, so I am going to pass on that one.

I asked for the L numbers (had to call them back) and could trace the pleco's back to a clown pleco, unknown pleco, but by comparing pictures I think a gold nugget pleco, rubber lipped pleco, and another unknown but by comparing pictures maybe a striped raphael cat.

Clown doesn't get too big, does he/she? Would one of those or a raphael cat be peaceful enough for my community tank? Maybe 2, or are all plecos territorial (as the LFS said)?

Magical Fairy Ballerina Catfish? I want me one of those!

L.

 

[wataugachicken]

clowns, rubberlips, and gold nuggets would all be perfectly suitable for the tank. is the clown a panaque maccus or a pekoltia? the panaque species eat wood, and the gold nuget would like it too. plecos can be territorial in their own ways, but with enough hiding places it's not a problem at all, especially with little ones. in my 150g i have 3 clowns (panaque), a royal, a gibby, 4 bristlenoses, and a rubberlip. everybody gets along. i have heard that gold nuggets are fine with other plecos but intolerant of their own kind. in a large tank 55g+ i don't think it would become an issue though.

as for the raphael cats, i don't have any personal experience but i think they fall under the same general guidelines as other big-mouthed catfish. they hunt/eat at night, and if it can fit into their mouth, they'll eat it. do more research of course, but i think it could be bad for your tetras.

 

[Lupin]

as for the raphael cats, i don't have any personal experience but i think they fall under the same general guidelines as other big-mouthed catfish. they hunt/eat at night, and if it can fit into their mouth, they'll eat it. do more research of course, but i think it could be bad for your tetras.

Platydoras costatus. These should not be kept with tetras at all however 3 inches ones with deep bodies are left alone. Wide mouth=predation on small fish

This fish can really eat a lot once accustomed. The worst part of keeping them is when you just introduced them in the tank. They may not show up a lot, not even on feeding time.