# Stocking suggestions?



## Priya (Dec 31, 2013)

I have a 20g high currently cycling with TSS and one dwarf blue gourami (disregard my last thread regarding an orange gourami. It's gone. I only got the blue now). I am thinking of slowing adding more fish once the cycling finishes in about 10 more days (Ideally. This is day 4). I need stocking suggestions so if someone could give me some (instead of everyone ignoring like the previous thread), that will be appreciated. 

I don't want livebearers because I don't want to deal with frys. I want to keep it simple. My pH range is 7.8-8. I would like to have bottom feeders, some mid and top level fish (without overstocking, of course). Thank you!


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Rabsoras and danios are good. Maybe loaches.


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

people probably ignored the previous thread as it was in the introduction section and not everybody reads that, plus not everyone is on here each day. Cory cats are great bottom feeders, I personally enjoy panda corys the most. They stay relatively small so you can have a huge group of them. Many species of tetra are great mid level fish, like neons, emperor, rummy nose, just to name a few. They like a big group though (like the corys) with the more the merrier. And you already got a gouramy as a big centerpiece fish, maybe get it a partner.


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## Priya (Dec 31, 2013)

The thread was/is actually in this section  

This is the first forum where someone is actually recommending me a 2nd DG instead of going all haywire about having 2 DGs in the same tank. In this other forum..people keep discouraging me and talking about aggression issues...I keep telling them that I have done it before and know a couple of people who did it..and also had bigger gouramis with their little fish in separate tanks with NO aggression...but people in that forum just won't believe it and keep bringing up aggression issue. So THANK YOU BettaGuy!

What do you think of this stocking idea:
2 DGs
3 Cherry or Rosy barbs
3 cories 
Rummynose Tetras (how many should I get?)
2 African Dwarf Frogs 
1 snail

Is this alright in terms of bioload (I don't want to fully stock it), compatibility and acceptable numbers of each fish & inverts? Should I take anything out/substitute?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

You don't want rummynoses with a pH like that. Most times it doesn't matter, but sometimes it does, and rummys hate high pH.


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

Sorry TOS, didn't know that. I figured the fish could just adapt. 

Gouramis are aggressive fish, and they will chase each other, but with a lot of hiding spaces, plants, etc they will be fine. Just make sure its not two males as they are very territorial. I would also make it 4 or 5 cherry barbs and 4 or 5 corys, as they like bigger groups.


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

I agree with Betta. Barbs and Corys are best in multiles of 5 or more. I'm not too crazy about the frog addition but that's my opinion. 

How about some Cardinal Tetras?


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## Priya (Dec 31, 2013)

I read tetras aren't as hardy as they are marketed. They're actually very sensitive to water quality and pH and they aren't good for beginners..so as much as I like this fish, I thought of not including them. The dwarf gouramis I always got somehow ended up being VERY non aggressive. Even in my last tank I had about 10 platies, guppies and 2 dwarf gouramis and everyone got along great. Absolutely ZERO chasing. This time it was the same with blue and orange gouramis. The orange one got sick so I took it out. It later died. Otherwise this was a perfect pair. I don't want guppies or platies this time..so looking for other suggestions


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

Priya - tetras are hardy and the easiest to keep even for a beginner. Never believe what your read that all tetras are sensitive to water quality and pH. Neon tetras are extremely popular fish for beginners. I had 3 neon tetras in a 3 gallon tank for a year. Currently, I now have 5 neon tetras in my 10 gallon tank. I never had issues with tetras being sensitive to water quality and pH swings.


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

IME, tetras are not that hardy. I've never been able to keep them for long. At least neons.


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## Priya (Dec 31, 2013)

I still have no idea what fish to get. I got 7.8-8 pH. What can tolerate that and live with my very docile dwarf gourami? I am finding lots of people with not so great experience with tetras. I really like them but I don't wanna get any fish I will not be able to keep. I lost about 10-12 fish last time I had a tank. Guppies are supposed to be hardy..mine turned out to be not so hardy and poor swimmers. I found a lot of them stuck on the filter with their fins cut off. Some died right in front of me. They were not sick. I don't wanna go through that hell again. My source water has ammonia, I suspect. I am using Prime. Will this detoxify the ammonia that comes with the water? Tank is cycling with TSS (did my research..it seemed like a good product. Lots of positive review, nothing negative, so I went with this cycling method). The water also has Prime in it (added after the initial 24 hrs of adding TSS). I haven't changed the water in a week because it needs to cycle for 2 weeks. I will do a full water test with the API master kit when the cycling is done. Leaving things alone for now. My dwarf gourami looks good. I still need to find out what else can I start adding in there in another week.


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

you can consider rasboras, hatchet fish, maybe even a pair of german blue rams, swortails, can't remember anything of the top of my head from the store. I really don't know how these guys react to different ph though, I always figured they will all adapt to a slight ph change if you adapt them slow enough (over an hour or so)


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

Okay - here's the problem. Quit using Tetra Safe Start! From my own experience Tetra products are pure GARBAGE!! I use only 2 API products and they do a far better job than Tetra brand. They are:

Stress Coat:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754036&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No

Stress Zyme :

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754033&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No

Try it. You'll be glad you did.


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## Priya (Dec 31, 2013)

Well I can't take the TSS out since it's mixed in with the water which has been cycling for 1.5 weeks now. TSS is not a dechlorinator. It's a bottle full of beneficial bacteria. I have done research on cycling and went with TSS method because everyone else had success with it (I am a member of 2 other forums). I used Tetra AquaSafe Plus as a dechlorinator...which didn't remove ammonia from my water and ultimately that killed my fish (which didn't get their fins caught in the filter). So if you mean Tetra products suck as in their dechlorinator suck, yes I agree. Hence I have switched to Prime. It takes out all heavy metals. TSS is a different story.

BG: that's what I know too...that most fish adapt to pH. But there are some I hear have requirements and they don't always adapt to higher/lower pH...so just trying to figure out which fish will be OK with what I have. Water chemistry is a very complicated thing for me!


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## blindkiller85 (Jan 8, 2011)

Priya said:


> I read tetras aren't as hardy as they are marketed. They're actually very sensitive to water quality and pH and they aren't good for beginners..so as much as I like this fish, I thought of not including them. The dwarf gouramis I always got somehow ended up being VERY non aggressive. Even in my last tank I had about 10 platies, guppies and 2 dwarf gouramis and everyone got along great. Absolutely ZERO chasing. This time it was the same with blue and orange gouramis. The orange one got sick so I took it out. It later died. Otherwise this was a perfect pair. I don't want guppies or platies this time..so looking for other suggestions


While neon's and cardinals are a little sensitive like jakem said, they aren't to the degree you're describing. Most of those posts you were reading were probably beginners to the hobby and probably playing with pH adjustments via bad advice from a big box store.

I've kept neons for about a year in 7.8 ph. They were alive, I got rid of them and changed for new fish, before I joined FF and started really learning something. Rummynose I can't say anything about because I've never kept them. But if you're using your local water, ask your LFS if they are as well and just treating the same things you are. Chances are that if you get local bred fish, they are already used to near the same parameters you won't have many problems with the initial water quality and your fish. It's the maintenance of that water quality that hurts fish.

I was just talking to a fellow hobbyist here in FL that keeps discus, denison barbs and angels in just dechlorinated tap water at the same ph as I have, 7.7 (well I have 7.8). Full grown from being juviniles, super healthy and vibrant colors. I was jealous. They were also bred and raised in that pH range.


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

blindkiller85 said:


> I've kept neons for about a year in 7.8 ph. They were alive, I got rid of them and changed for new fish, before I joined FF and started really learning something. Rummynose I can't say anything about because I've never kept them. But if you're using your local water, ask your LFS if they are as well and just treating the same things you are. Chances are that if you get local bred fish, they are already used to near the same parameters you won't have many problems with the initial water quality and your fish. It's the maintenance of that water quality that hurts fish.


Good advice!


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