Stocking 40 gallon Tank - Fish List Approval

F

Freshwater Noob

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Dec 8, 2007
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I have done some research and I think that I have found a good mix of community fish for my tank.

Tank specs: ph 7.6-7.8, Temp.: 78 degrees, 40 gallon, fake plants, gravel substrate, UGF with two powerheads, hob 60 gallon filter

I picked these guys because they remain relatively small, they are good community fish, and if I want to eventually breed them there are a couple of live bearing species that I will have in the tank. Let me know if I would be overstocking or if you think there would be any issues with the following combination:

6 Neon Tetras – Max size 1.2”
4 Platys (1 Male, 3 Female) – Max size 2.4”
3 Fancy Guppies – (1 male, 2 female) - Max size 2.5”
2 Ottos – Max Size 2”
 
Looks fine to me. You could even add some corydorus to the mix (one of my favorites). You will not be overstocked but will want to add them a few at a time. That many at once is probably too big a change unless you have a very large bacterial population established. I am sure that you have at least started cycling the tank if you've been doing your homework. It would be best to finish it before adding the fish. I would start with the platties, let the water stabilize, then the guppies. After that its a toss up whether the neons or the otos would be next. I trying to give a sequence of least sensitive first just in case you are not as far along in the cycle as you think.
 
I would suggest getting that pH a little lower. Does anyone else agree? Neons like lower pH's, Platy's like around 7.
 
i wouldn't mess with your ph. if you have a steady ph and you acclimate them slowly. they will be fine. changing your ph and having it fluctuate can harm them a lot more.
 
charlie4486 said:
i wouldn't mess with your ph. if you have a steady ph and you acclimate them slowly. they will be fine. changing your ph and having it fluctuate can harm them a lot more.
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:iagree: All my tanks have a PH of about 7.8 and they do just fine(neon's included). Cycle first.And do you have a master test kit?
 
nh5 said:
I would suggest getting that pH a little lower. Does anyone else agree? Neons like lower pH's, Platy's like around 7.
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While it is agreed that the neons like softer acidic water, I think playing with PH will cause more problems. I avoided them for a while thinking I would have problems since I have very hard water with a Ph close to 8 but they are doing fine after a few weeks. The trick is the aclimation. I did a drip system with mine and out of 6 neons and 3 cardinals I only lost 1 neon
 
Freshwater Noob said:
6 Neon Tetras – Max size 1.2”
4 Platys (1 Male, 3 Female) – Max size 2.4”
3 Fancy Guppies – (1 male, 2 female) - Max size 2.5”
2 Ottos – Max Size 2”
Click to expand...

I would double the neon tetras, like jm1212 said, and add more otos, plus around 5 cory cats. Right now, that's a pretty light stocking list.
 
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