some tank question and some stocking ones

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loki993

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Jun 11, 2007
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ok I have the 50g setup in my sig below. weve had the tank here and set up for about 3 weeks now, Im pretty sure we were overfeeding and we had some water clarity issues. Im pretty sure weve gotten the feeding issue resolved and we just added a second filter to the tank, we think the im that was in the tank was not doing very well, the tank seemed a bit neglected when we got it, lots of algae. anyway, we just put the second filter in last night and the water looks much better today, so I think we got that under control also. so I guess its time to think about putting some more fish in the tank. Im just not sure what to put. I would really like to put a snakeskin gourami in there, but along with the pink they may get too big, what about a blue or a golden?? well probally get some dwarfs. we would like to get another angelfish and I think id like to get a small school of something. not all at once of course, also were not sure what the gourami, or the angel for that matter, will do when we put a small fich in there. what do you think we could do with what we already have now?? is there anywhere I can go that has a really good reference of fish so I can see whats out there?? any recommendations?

also everywhere I read it seems to say vary the diet of the fish, this is basically my first experience with my own aquarium, ive always wanted one though, my GF has experience with them. she has only ever fed her fish flakes and says we dont need to vary the diet, I want to, so I got some different flake food, with seemingly different ingredients, were feeding them tetramin right now and some dried hikari bloodworms for an occasional treat. what do you guys think vary or not?? and if so with what??

thanks in advance.
 
ok its not showing my sig for whatever reason so heres the setup:

50 gal (given to us fish and all)
1 pretty big black veil angel
1 pink kissing gourami
1 pleco
1...I think hes a dojo or wheater loach
thats all...for now
 
your stock may be the problem. if your pleco is a common or one that is over 10" long, chances are it has taken up most of the bioload in the tank. what are your water parameters?

with a gourami already in the tank, i wouldnt add any tohers, especially a blue, gold, or snakeskin gourami. all can be pretty aggressive, more so with the blue and gold gouramis. also, keep in mind that your kissing gourami is going to get far to large for your tank; many can surpass 12 or even 14 inches in length because they live for a pretty long time.

your pleco may get to big for the tank, depending on the species.

the angel will not get to big for your tank.

dojo loaches prefer colder water than an angel or kissing gourami will permit, and they get to over 10 inches and like to be in groups of at least 5.

vary their diet as much as possible. it will lead to better colors and growth. you could feed a couple of different types of flakes, perhaps some pelets for the angel and gourami, algea tabs for the pleco, and then some sinking food for the loach. live.frozen food every now and again is also good.
 
In regard to food, would you want to eat the same thing every single meal? Yes, varied diet is not only good, but essential for fish to thrive. Sure, like you, they can live on the same thing all the time, but they aren't going to be at their very best.

I would suggest some rainbowfish like praecox. They are pretty, won't nip the angel's fins and swim in the uppper/middle part of the tank in a school.

The snakeskin shouldn't be a problem as they are very peaceful and very different than the pink.

Danios are an easy schooling fish and there's quite a few varieties.
 
The idea behind feeding fish a varied diet is similar to the reason humans are supposed to have a varied diet. You can live on a sandwich everyday, but you're healthier if you have different types of food so you can get all the vitamins, proteins, etc your body needs. Supposedly providing a varied diet is also supposed to help prevent fish constipation, but I'm not sure how true that is.
 
I have multiple Gourami in 2 tanks, but would probably choose to avoid it if I didn't already have them. If you do, try to make sure that they're a pair (M&F). On the advice I've received here, I am sending my 3 plecos (1 per tank) to a new home and would probably encourage you to do the same. As far as varied feeding, I may be going overboard, but I mix in frozen bloodworms and live brine shrimp as a treat every now and then.
 
your stock may be the problem. if your pleco is a common or one that is over 10" long, chances are it has taken up most of the bioload in the tank. what are your water parameters?
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im really not sure what kind he is, hes pretty much like any other pleco ive seen, so whats the most popular one and hes probally that, hes probally about 6 inches right now. as for water paramaters all I can tell you is temp and ph. the temp hangs right around 78 degrees and the ph is around 7.6, as the only test kit that came with the tank was for ph. what other paramaters are you looking for. ill probaly be going to the store tonight and getting some strips for ammonia and nitrites and will test for that. the water is clear right now, we really think it was the filter in the tank, the person we got it from really didnt do much maintinence on the tank, I dont think, Like I said it was full of algae and the water was pretty bad also when we picked it up.
like I said that water seems fine now, theres just what appear to be tiny worms floating around in there, this was happening before we got the other filter and they are still there, Im hoping the new filter will get rid of them, but I dont know, honestly with the second filter running since last night I was hoping they would be gone, or are they normal.

mind that your kissing gourami is going to get far to large for your tank; many can surpass 12 or even 14 inches in length because they live for a pretty long time.
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I know, hes about 4 inches right now. how long do I have before he outgrows the tank?? hopefully its enough time until were ready to upgrade to a larger tank, eventually I want something over 100 gallons, but it probally wont be for a while. also she says that the fish will only grow as large as the tank will allow them too, ive heard this a lot also. true or not??

dojo loaches prefer colder water than an angel or kissing gourami will permit, and they get to over 10 inches and like to be in groups of at least 5.
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like I said I think thats what he is, im not sure thats what he looks like from the quick internet search I did. hes probally about 6 or 7 inches, he seems pretty happy in there though. sometimes he goes crazy and will swim back and forth in that tank and up and down, stop for a second and do it all over again. hell go at it for probally 30 minutes to an hour, maybe more.

what kind of live food could I feed them?? fish, she really dosnt want to get into all that, so that may be out of the question.

Id love to get a snakeskin, they get big, maybe even bigger than the kisser, right?? I dont know though, a snakeskin would also definitly outgrow the tank, plus with already having the kisser, it may be too much.

on another note, like I said we just put the second filter in last night, its on the oppisite side of the tank as the built in one, is this ok or should they be near the same side to kind of make a bit of a current.

the filter is an aquclear 70. the angel LOVEs the bubbles. it just stays right there near them, to the extent that its pretty much staked a claim in that area of the tank and will nip at anyone else that gets near it, especially the gourami, because it will come right up to it and the angel will hit it a couple of time and chase it away.

thanks again I know its a lot of questions.
 
she says that the fish will only grow as large as the tank will allow them too, ive heard this a lot also. true or not??
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Not true. Horrible water conditions can stunt a fishes growth (which is prob. the cause of the small tank = small fish myth).

what other paramaters are you looking for.
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Ammonia, NitrItes, and NitrAtes. Get a liquid test kit. Strips are horribly inaccurate, and you get less tests in a box.
 
Lots of good advice for you here. Make sure you do get a kit that tests for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Ammonia and Nitrites are the two most important tests, more important than pH even.
As for gouramis, you could get pearl gouramis. They reach up to 5 inches and are probably some of the most docile gouramis. Dojo loaches will eat smaller fish. I have a friend who had dojos with some guppies, tetras, and blue gouramis. The dojos ate the guppies and tetras. Now he has dojos and blue gouramis and is trying to get rid of the dojos. If you want some small fish like tetras, you'll have to lose the dojo.
 
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