Asian biotope stocking list

[Sploke]

Alright I will soon be setting up my asian tank. Its going to be a 150gal 6' tank running on a central sump system. Here are some of my ideas for stocking.

30ish harlequin rasboras
30ish zebra danios
6-8 torpedo barbs
4-8 various gouramis, dwarf gouramis, paradise gouramis
5 kuhli loaches
5 zebra loaches
5 yoyo loaches
1 flying fox
10 cherry barbs

decor:
lots of driftwood
java fern/lacy java fern
java moss
crypts


The lighting will be 2x96w CF, I'm taking it off my oscar tank since the silver dollars eat any plants that go in there. What other plants are asian? I was considering a school of tiger barbs but I'm afraid they'll get too nippy. Ideas, comments, suggestions?

 

[GirlieGirl8521]

For plant suggestions, go to tropica.com and click on the "advanced search" button at the top. Then you can pick Asia as the continent and it will give you a list of plants on the right hand side. You can also set low light to narrow it down even more.

The stocking looks good to me. I'm thinking that 2 schools of 30 might be a little much, but IMO it would look really cool....and the tank is huge, so it should be fine.

 

[Sploke]

Good call on tropica's website...I've been on the site many times but had never used the advanced search feature. Awesome.

 

[Lupin]

Sploke, I'll wish you luck on this one. Some plants will eventually be ruined by your loaches. Hygrophilas are part of the Asian theme.

 

[Daveski]

That sounds like it will be a beautiful tank. I love big schools of little fish so 30 of each sounds okay to me.

 

[Sploke]

Do loaches eat plants? Or do you mean just from the process of digging around in the gravel? Hygro is great, I have some in my 55 and it grows faster than I can prune it, at least that one's free.

 

[Lupin]

Do loaches eat plants?

Your yoyos and zebras will. The crypts are very likely to be attacked. Expect holes on their leaves. I had my clowns and yoyos damaged all swords. I think in another forum, loach enthusiast Martin Thoene had his Windelov plants damaged by his massive clown loaches.

Or do you mean just from the process of digging around in the gravel?

There is a chance they'll do it to forage the bottom for foods.

 

[Sploke]

Oh yes I also would like to get a school of 8 or so glass cats. They are the coolest fish, hovering in schools.

 

[jpappy789]

That sounds really cool. Pics for sure!

 

[jm1212]

try to stick with one or two species of loaches and get bigger groups of them

instead of getting many different spcies of gouramis that can be aggressive towards on another, go for a group of pearl gouramis, going for at least 3 females to 1 male.