Stocking a 36 bow front... Angels/GBR

BigAds

BigAds

Big Fish in a Small Pond
Apr 19, 2008
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Madison, WI
I've had our new 36 gallon bow front set up for about 2 weeks now and it appears to be fully cycled (thanks to the filter from my established 10 gallon). It currently has 3 dwarf platies (which will be moved/replaced) and 6 peppered cories (that we are keeping in it). We've been looking into stocking it with the 6 cories, 7 harlequin rasboras, 4 ottos, and 2 small angelfish, but the more reading I do the more I'm unsure of this.

Since we're looking at only 2 young angels we're not likely to get a breeding pair (as I understand things), but will that mean we're probably going to end up with 2 aggressive angels? Would I be fine if we did 1 angel and 1 german blue ram or something else instead? or is 2 angels in that setup ok? We'd certainly prefer to have 2 angels but I don't want to force them into constant fighting. Any other suggestions with at least 1 angelfish and the 6 cories would certainly be appreciated too... we're trying to set this up as a colorful community tank in our livingroom.

(It's 30"l x 15"w x 21"h, running an Aquaclear 70 filter, Stealth 150W heater, and a 10-gallon rated air pump blowing some bubbles in one corner, relatively heavily planted along the edges (silk plants only) and I'm dedicated to testing and doing pwc, about 50% weekly but more lately to deal with my nitrites jumping to .5 over the last 2 days.)

Thanks AC.

Seeing this tank of the same size makes me think it's ok, but I'm still a bit concerned.
 
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Your tank is probably not cycled if you're having nitrite spikes.

Angels should be kept alone, in breeding pairs (which are very agressive), or in large schools. I wouldn't suggest two, because if they are of the same sex they will pick on each other until one of them dies, or they will become a breeding pair and will probably attack/kill the cories and other tank mates.

You could probably do one angel and a pair of rams, or, if you got rid of the otos (which may become angel food), a trio. Another replacement for the otos would be a BN.
 
That was the impression I was getting with angelfish... thanks for clearing that up.

So, one angelfish, 7 harlequin rasbora, two german blue rams, 6 peppered cories, and a BN would be fine?... or would I need to drop the rasbora?
Would it matter if the rams were both male, both female, or if I got 1 of each?

And with that, I'd need to have a couple caves & pieces of driftwood/roots for the rams, and a piece of driftwood (does it matter what kind?) for the BN... anything else I should have in the setup to keep them happy, healthy, and from tearing each other apart?

I've read some that GBR can be quite sensitive... any experience there?
 
Yes, you can keep the rasboras. If you got rams, you would probably want a male and female, or two females. It would be good to get 2-3 cave-like places, because the rams may want one each, and the pleco would like one too. The rams won't tear each other apart, they are far from agressive. The BN should have some driftwood (any old LFS driftwood will do) as a part of their diet. GBRs aren't really sensitive. Just don't be lazy with those WC's :)
 
Barring extreme and entirely uncontrollable circumstances, I will never miss my weekly water change... I hate the thought of fish having to swim in the same old water for long.

As for the bristlenose, it doesn't really matter then whether its smooth or gnarly african driftwood? Just seems to me like all those knots would make it more difficult and less enjoyable for them.

And I guess I'd want to break my large red-slate cave down from 7"h 12"w 7"d to 2-3 smaller caves... I spent so much time on it too...

So... 1 angelfish, 7 harlequin rasbora, 2 gbr, 1bn, and our 6 peppered cories... and perhaps our little mystery snail simply to get him out from his 2.5gallon home and in with more aquatic friends. 2-3 small caves (just big enough to fit the BN/GBR fine? Do they need backs completely closed?) 2 decent size pieces of driftwood, and a moderate amount of silk plants around the sides/back... Sound like a tank that'd keep everyone happy?

Almost forgot... My pH sticks around 8.2, water is hard/very stable, and I've been keeping the tank at 78degrees. My LFS does keep their angels (local tank bred) and GBR in almost the same water, just a little less hard, are there any concerns/issues or recommendations based on that?

Thanks a ton for your help... I've done lots of reading and will continue to, but I think that advice from someone with experience is invaluable.
 
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BigAds said:
As for the bristlenose, it doesn't really matter then whether its smooth or gnarly african driftwood? Just seems to me like all those knots would make it more difficult and less enjoyable for them.
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It doesn't matter.
So... 1 angelfish, 7 harlequin rasbora, 2 gbr, 1bn, and our 6 peppered cories... and perhaps our little mystery snail simply to get him out from his 2.5gallon home and in with more aquatic friends. 2-3 small caves (just big enough to fit the BN/GBR fine? Do they need backs completely closed?) 2 decent size pieces of driftwood, and a moderate amount of silk plants around the sides/back... Sound like a tank that'd keep everyone happy?
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Good plan. It's up to you whether you want the back part close or not? Either way still works.
Almost forgot... My pH sticks around 8.2, water is hard/very stable, and I've been keeping the tank at 78degrees. My LFS does keep their angels (local tank bred) and GBR in almost the same water, just a little less hard, are there any concerns/issues or recommendations based on that?
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You won't have any issues if the pH difference isn't too wide. Besides, most rams have been bred in captivity thus they can adapt really well even in high pH.
 
With the Blue Rams I would bump the temp up to around 81 degrees. The other fish should be fine in the warmer water.
 
Your PH is fine. The fish will adjust to it as long as it is stable and does not experience any wild swings. This is especially true if the water conditions such as the PH are close to that at the pet store. Whatever else you do, just do not get talked into using chemicals to mess with things like PH. They do more harm then good.

Marinemom
 
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