# 56 gallon planted tank stocking help!



## 1.0reef (Apr 19, 2013)

Hello, I'm not much of an expert on planted aquarium stocking but I know lots about saltwater and reef tank stocking. Now, the tank will be heavily planted, medium-high light no co2 lots of ferts and is 36 x 18 x 20in here's what I have so far... Any input would help lots! Thanks
10 rummy nose tetras (more??)
10 serpae tetras (might replace w/ less aggressive species)
A small group of rosé line sharks, discus(???), or angelfish
Some bottom dwellers, either Cories or dwarf chain link loaches
Filtration will be a 20g sump, not sure what filter to use (sponge, fuge, ???)
Thank you! I can provide Latin names etc in the next few days


----------



## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

I would skip the serpae tetras. If you get angelfish or discus they could nip at there fins. I would also not recommend discus if you are a beginner to freshwater. I like angelfish, but they can get a little agressive sometimes. I have an angel and he chases my rainbowfish every morning because he wants food. 10 rummy nose is a good number. I personally like one large shoal of tetra species. The rest of your stocking list sounds good though. I would do medium light because no co2 in high light will kill your plants. If you put a refugium in a feshwater you will need Bio-balls as plants won't really do anything. Or you could get a good canister filter.


----------



## 1.0reef (Apr 19, 2013)

1. OK no Serpae tetras, what about a substitute species? I like cardinals, I've had them in the past, great fish.
2. I think I'll save Discus for a larger tank.
3. I know angels are cichlids, so i guess that makes sense, kinda like how clownfish are relatives of the agressive damselfish.
4. I like diversity a LOT, so I think I'm going to do 2 tetra species, enough for me, but not too much. 
5. Lighting is going to be 6 Cree or Luxeon CW and 6 WW LED's with 40 degree optics, should get me 40 PAR on the Sandbed.
6. So my sump would be [Water from tank]Baffles[]Bioballs]Pump + any other media]
Do you think some Rosel Line sharks would be good?
I was thinking
10 Rummy Nose Tetras
10 Cardinal Tetras
3-5 Angels or Rose Line Sharks
3 Cories
5 Dwarf Chain Loaches


----------



## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

That sounds like a good stocking list to me. If you get angelfish I would get 5-6. Or you could do something like this: 

1 Angelfish
10 rummy nose tetra
10 cardinal tetra
5 rose line sharks
5 (or more) cories
5 dwarf chain loaches

If you don't want pairing angels causing havoc in your tank I would get 1. Also the cories should be in a school of 5 or more. They will be a lot more active in your tank if you get more. Rose line sharks are cool, I have never had any though. Get larger cardinal tetras or they will be eaten by the angel. One fish I just have to recommend is German blue rams. They are amazing little fish, full of personality and very cute to. If you can find a LFS that does not order the ones with hormones then I would get some. I have never had trouble with rams. They have never died on me once and have even spawned for me. For filtration I would maybe get some sponges to so bacteria can have more living space. Maybe some carbon to, that will help with nitrates. If you get carbon be sure to rinse it in waste tank water often because if you don't it will dump all the nitrates back in the tank. Hope this helps!


----------



## 1.0reef (Apr 19, 2013)

Thanks so much! I'll respond more once I get some sleep...


----------



## 1.0reef (Apr 19, 2013)

Shrimplett said:


> That sounds like a good stocking list to me. If you get angelfish I would get 5-6. Or you could do something like this:
> 
> 1 Angelfish
> 10 rummy nose tetra
> ...


1. Are you sure 1 angel would be fine alone?
2. In your view, what would be the best way to incorporate the rams, as I really like them!
3. For media I was thinking some carbon, sponge, biomedia, and maybe some ammonina remover when adding larger amounts of fish


----------



## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

1 angel will be totally fine. I have 1 and he is all good by himself. The reason I say get 1 or 5-6 is because if you have around 3-4 angels they could pair up and stress the rest of them. 5-6 angels reduces the aggression because they are not always picking on the same fish. I would recommend 1 angel because you will not have the pairing/spawning aggression to everybody else. Your second question is going to be just a little harder to answer lol. But here is what I would do, do not buy some untell you find the RIGHT LFS. By right LFS I mean a store that does not get the ones with hormones. Ask your LFS where they get there rams at. If they get them from Asia dont get any. When I first got rams I did not ask my LFS where they got there rams..... And I got lucky. My rams are hardy little things even living through nitrates of 40ppm at one time!!! I don't really know if that answered that question or not, but if you need more advice on the rams just ask! Now on to filtration.... Everything looks good except the ammonia remover. You should never add more than 4 small fish to your tank at a time. For adding larger fish I would only add 1 or 2 at a time. This prevents shock to your system. So if you cycle the tank right and don't overstock you should not need the ammonia remover. If you have any more questions just ask!


----------



## 1.0reef (Apr 19, 2013)

OK how bout
2 Rams (_Papiliochromis ramirezi_) OR (_Microgeophagus altispinosa_)
10 Rummynose Tetras (_Hemigrammus bleheri_)
10 Cardinal Tetras (_Paracheirodon axelrodi_)
5 Rose Line Sharks (_Barbus denisonii_)
5 Cory Catfish (_Corydoras sp._)
5 Dwarf Chain Loaches (_Botia sidthimunki_) OR Kuhlii Loaches (_Pangio sp._)


----------



## 1.0reef (Apr 19, 2013)

Thanks, when I ment "large amounts" I meant around 4-5 smaller fish 
Aqua Forest Aquarium and Albany aquarium are two LFS's of mine that are REALLY good.
Thank you so much for the advise 
ATM I have 4 Serpae tetras and 1 fat lazy SAE to get rid of...


----------



## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

That seems like a good stocking list to me. With the rams though, if you want a pair get 1 male and 5 females so they can pair up. I had two female rams that did not get along. So I took 1 female back to the LFS and got a male. 5 days later they spawned. 3 days later the eggs where all eaten and the male hated the female. It was so bad I had to take my nice female back to the LFS. It was very sad and I want a pair, but I think I got a rogue male that will never pair up. So the moral of that story is if you want a pair do it right or you will have rams that will try to kill each other. Same with the Bolivian ram. Oh...the LARGE AMOUNTS makes sense now lol . It's always nice to have a good LFS around. If you have more questions please ask as I will be happy to help you!


----------



## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

I have a question for you now. What substrate are you going to use? With what you are trying to accomplish with the plants and no co2 I would try the EL Natrual method.


----------



## 1.0reef (Apr 19, 2013)

20LBS (Approx.) of Unknown Black Gravel (Bottom Layer)
20 LBS of the Potting Mix (Mixed in w/ bottom layer)
9 Liter bag of Aquasoil Amazonia


----------



## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

Seem like you are doing EL Natrual already. Good luck with your tank!


----------



## 1.0reef (Apr 19, 2013)

OK, after some discussing, I have decided to not go EL Natrual...


----------



## 1.0reef (Apr 19, 2013)

Anyone else have any input?


----------



## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

Do you know what your going to do instead?


----------



## 1.0reef (Apr 19, 2013)

Gravel.


----------



## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

Just gravel? Most plants dont grow very well with just gravel. If you do lots of ferts though then they may grow better.


----------



## 1.0reef (Apr 19, 2013)

Gravel towards the bottom, better substrate in the middle, Aquasoil on top.


----------



## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

Oh, ok. Good luck!


----------



## 1.0reef (Apr 19, 2013)

Thanks! And some extra thanks for being such a great help 
Also, GO WARRIORS!!!


----------



## 1.0reef (Apr 19, 2013)

OK what do you guys think, single angel or ram cichlid pair.


----------



## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

Do what you like best! But I will tell you the positives and the negatives of both. I like angels a lot as they are very friendly and like to say hi, or beg for food lol. The down side to them is they are cichlids, and that means aggression. The aggression is differnt for each fish, but can be anywhere from abnormally peaceful to mortal terriers. Mine is in between, as he ingnores his tank mates half the time and the rest of the time he chases them like there is no tomorrow. A single one will do better than two because he will have nobody to pair with. Now the rams have many positives, mine have also been very people friendly! Also if you start a pair the right way, it's really cool to watch them interact with each other. To me there are only two negatives to rams, 1. They can be sensitive to water quality and 2. If they spawn the eggs will more than likely not live very long in a community tank. So if they spawn and you do not want the eggs to get eaten you need a second tank for the fry. If you want a peaceful community I would say the rams. Angels are cool to, but it will be a semi- agressive community. If you get an angel expect them to chase tank mates at least half the time. My angel does not real like any large fish, but is fine with smaller fish. It's all up to you though because you are the one to look at it everyday! Hopefully I helped a little on your decision. Oh, and sorry for my novels, I uselly don't wright long novels lol.


----------



## 1.0reef (Apr 19, 2013)

I think I got a final list
2 Rams (Papiliochromis ramirezi) OR (Microgeophagus altispinosa)
10 Rummynose Tetras (Hemigrammus bleheri)
10 Cardinal Tetras (Paracheirodon axelrodi)
5 Rose Line Sharks (Barbus denisonii)
5 Cory Catfish (Corydoras sp.)
1 Big SAE


----------

