Advice on stocking...

[Abby]

SOOOO xmas around the corner, bf asked what i wanted i said fish stuff.
Found a 4 foot tank for $80 with filter heater light gravel and ornaments
tank has leak.
We spent an hr and a half cutting the chunky crappy silicon job out of most of it, then spent the next afternoon resealing.

sealed good, water tested and there is still a small leak at the front in the middle. Draining tomorrow and cutting out to REseal that part.

all other seals resealed great.

so i have a three shelf 5 foot tall stand, i moved the 2 foot onto the top....A)cant reach very well, B) entire stand is a little wobbly with it up there so its on the bottom.

the 4 foot will go on the middle shelf due to the bracing.



WHAT SHOULD I STOCK IT WITH.

currently my tank situation:

2 foot:
1 male betta (sold as female, waiting on a cycling tank) and 9 female Bettas and one apple snail

20liter:
1 male betta, 1 bristle nose cat fish, 1 small apple snail and like 5 guppies

6 bay divided:
4 male bettas

Spawn tank:
1 male betta (attempt spawn fail, but hes still being silly over his nest, so not seperating him from his nest till im 300% sure there is NOTHING in it

4 bay divided:
currently cycling

3 x small tanks each with one male betta

EMPTY not set up:
4 foot will be a community tank

another divided tank (picking it up in a week)



so back to topic

What ya all think i should put in. i want NO guppies mollies platties or bettas.

i was thinking
Danios
red and blue tetras
maybe a red tail shark
bristle nose catfish

will be well planted

thoughts opinions welcomed

[Abby]

I want to mix it up a bit to have a bit of movement, none of this 9 fish sitting there not doing much lol

i have to check the ornaments i got (AND SCRUB EM) but im aiming for the natural look with drift wood, plants etc

substrate: fine-r gravel (the stuff it came withs quite yuck and too chunky)
or sand??? gravel i think is easier to plant in but sand gives a better look but takes ages to settle etc lol

[sunstar93]

We used to have tetras (the ones with the blue stripes). They are kinda funny, you get them in a big school and they just chill. They might seem boring but I like them lol.
And also...I don't have much experience with sand but I have read that it is a pain in the rear to keep clean, you have to hold the gravel vac just right or else you end up sucking it up and it ends up in the bucket. But it does look nice if you don't mind tedious cleaning! Especially with a planted tank, IMO they look nicer with sand lol. But maybe some other users have more experience with sand and can give you more advice!
Although, you could always go for the river rocks or the natural looking gravel. That would look nice too!
Whatever you decide...hope it turns out great and good luck with it!

[Phaydra]

Red & Blue Tetras! I love my Red & Blues but be warned they are a stalker fish. When you are close to the tank they will watch your every move so they can get the food first. Danios are great because they are hardy and you have a ton of choices for looks and sizes with them. Red & Blues combine well with Danios. I've kept them with Zebrafish and Pearl Danios. Oh and have a look at Celestial Danios if you haven't already. Congo Tetras are very nice looking fish but are large. Same with Blue King Tetras but they are a very pretty blue. Make sure to keep a bubble curtain in the tank. Red & blues as well as danios love to play in them.

Neon and Cardinal Tetras though pretty are really hard to stock a tank with. Years of inbreeding have made them a rather fragile fish. After this last shoal I have dies of old age I will not be stocking them again.

[LittleBettaFish]

There are so many neat schooling fish species available in Australia nowadays. Danios, red and blue (are you talking neon/cardinal?) tetras and a red-tail shark (wouldn't this end up big enough to eat/harass your other stock?) sound pretty stock standard and slightly same old, same old to me.

I love smaller native species. Blue-eyes are simply stunning and there are a plethora of species available. My particular favourite is Pseudomugil mellis or 'honey blue-eye'. The colour on these guys when the males are sparring is amazing. They are also extremely friendly. Mine used to mob and peck at my hand when I did tank maintenance and I use to tweezer feed them at the surface.

Species such as furcatus in my experience, are like a much more attractive alternative to a danio. They are quite feitsy, very active swimmers and boisterous. Also, if you find the right supplier they are only around $5 each.

Some other options are Microdevario kubatoi, Rasbora kalachroma, Danio nigrofasciatus, or even Green Neon Tetras.

CPDs in my experience have been pretty skittish and inclined to hide when startled, even in a heavily planted tank with lots of bolder dither fish hanging around. They are beautiful fish but I think in a 4ft tank you may be hard-pressed to see them a lot of the time.

Also, don't just be limited to what your LFS are stocking. Fishchicks, Aquagreen and Exotic Aquatic (Melb) all offer an exceptional range of fish and are all open to shipping interstate. I have had probably over 50 orders from Jodi-Lea and only one DOA. Dave at Aquagreen is awesome to deal with and always throws in a couple of free extras, and Adrian is my LFS man and he is also really friendly and his stock is always very reasonably priced.

Just thought I would throw out some alternatives as nothing worse than stocking your tank and then realising you hate every single fish in there. I've been there, done that and have the tee-shirt haha.

[Phaydra]

The big silver ones are Red & Blues.

[Abby]

Thanks all.

Red tail sharks are good on their own, can be aggressive to other sharks, but friendly to other fish or so i read.

i also want clown loach, yes the red and blue tetras (lim with the red and blue line lol), also maybe some black phantom tetras, they kinda creep me out cause they twitch lol

These are fish ive had before, so i do like them.

I will go gravel, just find it easier to work with planting wise..

At littlebettafish, my ex use to buy from dave, im not sure if i want to deal with postage etc, my new lfs stocks most i want or can get it.

[Phaydra]

I use gravel as well as the pic shows. I have 30 lb of a very fine gravel with 5 lb of a little larger heavy gravel because I find it makes anchoring rooted plants a bit easier. Also a better pic of the Red & Blues. First one doesn't do them justice.

[Juicebox]

that 20 litre sounds a little over stocked,you should probly take out the 5 guppies and maybe catfish

[ChoclateBetta]

Dont put a Male Betta with guppies. A 20 liter is too small for a Pleco. Dont Keep a Male Betta with Females. Red Tail sharks grow big. How big is your 6 bay? Danios need 20 gallons miniumum. I have red blue and red tetras are semi aggressive. Bristlenose Plecos either need 20 gallons or 30 gallons. How big is your spawn tank. How small are your small tanks?