Aquatopiast Posted October 4, 2013 Report Share Posted October 4, 2013 Hello, I'm a junior aquarist and I'm looking for some help on stocking. I'm setting up a 215L tank (AquaOne Aqua style large 980) and I am planning to have to following fish: 15 or so rummynose tetras 5 or so angels (common ones) And 6 bristlenose I have the trickle filter that came with the tank. I have a massive piece of driftwood for the bristlenose to suck on. The tank is heavily planted with an almost ready DIY Co2 unit, I have already provided laterite. The only fish I have so far are the bristlenose. It is being setup as an Amazon biotope. I would like to know If I have the right amount of fish for my tank and if I'm doing anything wrong or not doing something that I should be doing. Help is very much appreciated, Aquatopiast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricksfish Posted October 5, 2013 Report Share Posted October 5, 2013 Sounds good so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speet Posted October 5, 2013 Report Share Posted October 5, 2013 Just be aware that bristlenoses poop a fair bit, so you will have to vacuum the tank fairly regularly to keep it clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pk333 Posted October 5, 2013 Report Share Posted October 5, 2013 Are the aquarium dimesions: 98 W x 70 H x 47 D? If so, great height for Angels, but I worry the tank is a too small for six adult Angels. My concern is that there is not a lot of room if an adult pair form and spawn. Have you bought the Angels yet? I know a store with some Red-backed Manacapuru angels, F1 from wild stock in store. As for tetras, I'd happily put 15 Rummynose tetras as well as 15 Cardinal tetras, and maybe even a dozen Marbled hatchetfish, in with some juvenile Angels. And I agree with speet, that's a lot of Bristlenose for your tank. Maybe a pair and look to add half a dozen Otocinclus and half a dozen Corydoras. Royal whiptails are another awesome catfish that will fit in with your Amazonia theme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny@ageofaquariums Posted October 5, 2013 Report Share Posted October 5, 2013 I'd swap out the African rummynose tetras for something a bit more robust and biotype specific......... like white fin ornates, bleeding hearts, pristella, rosey or even lemons. Their higher body shape will also prevent them becoming lunch. Also be prepared to remove any angels that are getting picked on by the others. They can be rather nasty when they want to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pk333 Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 I'd swap out the African rummynose tetras for something a bit more robust and biotype specific........ Er, surely you jest Donny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopiast Posted October 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 I'd swap out the African rummynose tetras for something a bit more robust and biotype specific......... like white fin ornates, bleeding hearts, pristella, rosey or even lemons.Their higher body shape will also prevent them becoming lunch. Also be prepared to remove any angels that are getting picked on by the others. They can be rather nasty when they want to be. I am stuck on rummynose because they are easy to find in pet shops. I have put my tank specifics in AqAdviser and there is nothing wrong between the Angels and Rummynose. Thanks everyone for the warning on the amount of angels. Now I'm going to get 4 angels, should I try to get 2 pairs or just get 4 angelfish? Are the aquarium dimesions: 98 W x 70 H x 47 D?If so, great height for Angels, but I worry the tank is a too small for six adult Angels. My concern is that there is not a lot of room if an adult pair form and spawn. Have you bought the Angels yet? I know a store with some Red-backed Manacapuru angels, F1 from wild stock in store. As for tetras, I'd happily put 15 Rummynose tetras as well as 15 Cardinal tetras, and maybe even a dozen Marbled hatchetfish, in with some juvenile Angels. And I agree with speet, that's a lot of Bristlenose for your tank. Maybe a pair and look to add half a dozen Otocinclus and half a dozen Corydoras. Royal whiptails are another awesome catfish that will fit in with your Amazonia theme. The tank dimensions are: 98 W x 60 H x 47 D, the website for my tank is here aquastylelarge.php Yes, I've gathered that I have too many bristlenose, but I am prone to algae problems so they will help. What are Royal whiptails? Are they common in aquarium shops, do you know any shops that sell them? I'm quite interested in them. I might add some cories, as for Ottos, I can't find any in pet shops. The wild angels look cool but I'm on a tight budget so that may be a trouble. Thanks for your help very much. Aquatopiast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speet Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 If you are worried about algae maybe grab some golden mystery snails? I keep a dozen or so in my planted display tank and they help keep algae down. I think theyre pretty cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speet Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 I even have some im giving away at the moment, but probably not worth the drive from the sunny coast lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenswimmers Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 Hey mate just me personally id go just the one pr..so maybe grab 4 or so and let them bond naturally(then you should have 2 happy angels instead of an arguing group )...move along other guys....do take on board advice you receive from the guys who have had some experience with these fish...a computer program cant share the years of knowledge which has been experienced by the people who actually keep these fish(this after all is what actually powers such programs as AqAdvisor)...but to be fair you are doing research(much better than many)...just take in as much as you can because theres always something else..you never stop learning in this cool hobby...and some things are also best learnt for yourself(as everyone here has done!)....love to see some snaps too mate as it comes along if possible...the royal whiptails are real nice fish mate ...can be pricey if your not buying juveniles...and ottos are out there...if you cant find any fish your hunting mate..start a WTB(want to buy)thread in the classifieds...and yeah love to see some pics mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pk333 Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 If you are having a problem with algae, instead of looking at trying to treat it with algae eating fish, look at what is causing it. The usual culprit is people leaving the tank lights on too long. Many aquarium plants can do with just 6 hours worth of lighting. Some plants are low light plants and don't really need direct tank lighting at all, as long as the room has good ambient lighting. Also the more aquarium plants in the tank, the more competition there is for the algae, as all the plants are competing for a finite amount of nutrients in the tank. One plant I really like for competing against algae is floating water sprite. It develops are large root mass that soaks up nutrients & nitrates (always a good thing) and out competes algae. It's also a good plant for making fish feel happy, as believe it or not, a lot of fish, like tetras and some SA cichlids, do not like tanks with a clear surface as this is where some predators come from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny@ageofaquariums Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 Er, surely you jest Donny. Dammit. I just read a book about african tetra you know. Got the bloody place on me mind. If only I'd said Asian instead. Then I would have still be wrong, but it would have been quirky and in some cases even correct! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopiast Posted October 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 (edited) Hello, Thanks again for your advice. My current plans for stocking are: 2 Angels , not planning to breed, but I don't want fights 15 Rummynose 10 lemon tetras (thanks Donny) 3 F 1M bristlenose, I'll sell some on trading section and buy a male (currently have no males) or trade 3 females for a male, (what'd' you think?) I'm planning to breed them, I allready have an ideal log for them. 2 royal whiptails Plants: Looking for one more plant that will appear a dense forestry/kelp sea sort of thing. Like the look of Brazilian water ivy, has anyone had some experience with this plant? Don't know if it's common in aquarium shops or in trading section on forums, and I'm pretty sure it's from the amazon area (hence 'Brazilian') Should I have some floating plants, the thing I'm scare of is that I need some algae for my bristlenose to eat so I don't want floating plants using up nutrients that grow algae. If I should, should I use Salvinia, Amazon frogbit or both, found them in a book and they are both from the amazon. Some pics as requested: Full shot Co2 unit, do I have enough bubbles? Yay, in not even a week 2 types of plants have made runners Max photos XD new post... Edited October 8, 2013 by Aquatopiast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopiast Posted October 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Drop checker Log behind One oft he smaller bristlenose Where I'm planning to put the Brazilian water ivy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopiast Posted October 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Bump bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speet Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Nice pictures, tank looks great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopiast Posted October 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Thanks! What do you think of my latest stocking plan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speet Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Hmm sounds OK to me, but I'm hardly an expert! I'd wait until some of the more experienced guys can give you their thoughts. It looks like sand in the bottom of your tank, I've never had it in my tanks but wonder if it would be hard to vacuum?? And I still think you should get a couple of apple snails cause they are cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopiast Posted October 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 (edited) I have gave the sand a vacuum. (I haven't had the tank for long so it's only had one vacuum) It is crushed quarts sand and it didn't get sucked up the siphon Internet pages said I would have to hover over the top of the sand because the sand would be sucked up into the pipe, but crushed quarts sand must be heavier and bigger grains because it wasn't sucked up. So much easier to clean than gravel cuz all the muck sits on top of the sand so you don't have to go deep into it. Edited October 8, 2013 by Aquatopiast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny@ageofaquariums Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 (edited) Giant cardamine is very similar to Brazilian water ivy, and readily available. "dense forestry/kelp sea" ~ that makes me think of lace plants, or balansae crypt. You'll like the lemons, they school very tightly. They can nip at the odd leaf, but I have not had a problem with them overall in a planted tank. Edited October 8, 2013 by Donny@ageofaquariums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopiast Posted October 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Ok. Giant Cardamine it is! I'm am very happy with my plants growth, they've been in my tank for less than a week (I mail ordered them from live fish) and they are already producing runners! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pk333 Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 The tank looks great. I used to have a similar looking tank, but didn't use Co2. I used thin val along the back and down one side. I like your stock list as well. Only thing I would query is using a display tank as a breeding tank for bristlenose. Bristlenose are pooing machines, and can make a mess of a tank. I used half a dozen Otocinclus as my algae control. It's not easy catching fish out of a nice planted tank without destroying half the tank, just something to keep in mind. I had a school of marbled hatchetfish in my tank as well, just gives a bit of movement at the surface. But you can not have any gaps with hatchet fish as they are notorious jumpers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
