# help with 40g stocking



## RylandVT (Jan 1, 2012)

I have a 40g tank that is hopefully nearing the end of its fishless cycle and I have been driving myself crazy with all the possibilities for stocking. I was thinking:
1 bolivian ram, a must for me
5 glass catfish, a must for my husband
8 tetras, cardinal or neon but I'm leaning towards cardinals
3 platys
4 corys, thinking sterbae or peppered
1 bristlenose pleco
1 honey gourami

The filter is an AC 70 and I was thinking 78 degrees. 
I would appreciate any suggestions or thoughts.
Thanks!


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## ufimych (May 9, 2011)

RylandVT said:


> I have a 40g tank that is hopefully nearing the end of its fishless cycle and I have been driving myself crazy with all the possibilities for stocking. I was thinking:
> 1 bolivian ram, a must for me
> 5 glass catfish, a must for my husband
> 8 tetras, cardinal or neon but I'm leaning towards cardinals
> ...


This is an excellent set of fish species. I only prefer gouramies and alike in pairs and my must species is tiger barb, at least five of them. However, tiger barbs are hardly compatible with gouramies.


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## congar15 (Dec 6, 2011)

I wouldn't do the platys, but other than that great choices. Platys poop alot and with them in it, you would probably be a bit overstocked. You could get away with it, so the decisions yours, I'm just saying


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## RylandVT (Jan 1, 2012)

Thanks for the comment about the platys. I keep going back and forth on those. If I drop those, would I have room to up the number of corys or tetras?


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## JonJonHobbyist (Aug 24, 2011)

I would seriously consider 2 honey Gouramis, a male and a female are very interesting together. I love sterbai corries, they look good and are really good at keeping the substrate clean aswell as get along well with the bristlenose, the larger the group the happier they'll be (I've currently got my LFS ordering more for me). If you go with the bristlenose or any pleco of that matter, give him some driftwood to suck on, he'll thank you for it. As for the rest I dont have any experience but whichever you go with for tetras let us know how you make out, I'm trying to decide if I could add cardinals or neons without overstocking my tank.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

The platys are hard water fish, so they don't really fit with the rainforest species you're aiming for. Platys in soft water are prone to ich or velvet.
I like your plan - it's well thought out. I'd suggest 4 Bolivian Rams though. They are social fish, and great to watch in groups. Even if they breed, they aren't psychos in defending their territories.
And go with sterbais - they are delightful. I just lost mine after 7 and a half years - they are long-lived and always beautiful.
I love honey gouramis, but so many are afflicted with viruses, especially the common hybrids. They have become so bad their importation into my country, Canada, is going to be controlled and they'll need quarantine and veterinary certification to be brought in. That's drastic, but there's concern one of the diseases they've been identified with could transfer to the wild. They are one of my ten favourite fishes, but if they are not wild source, I wouldn't put them in my tank.


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## RylandVT (Jan 1, 2012)

thanks for all the input! I think I'll leave off the platys. I like the suggestion of adding more rams. Would that make it too bottom heavy? And what should the male:female ratio be? Or would all of one sex work?


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

In a tank of that size, fish will move around anyway. I wouldn't see it as too bottom heavy. The altispinisa rams will cruise six inches to a foot off the bottom a lot.
They aren't easy to sex with great accuracy, especially at pet store sizes. You'd be taking your chances. In a perfect world, 1m 3f, but you'd need luck for that.
But while they are cichlids and will scrap, four will spread it around. Three is always a bad idea. 
Don't add all the fish at once (to not crash your cycle), but add all the cichlids at once so they can start fresh in terms of territory. They don't welcome new kids in their neighbourhood. 

Keep a close eye on glass cats.They need hiding places up high in the tank - plants are ideal for that. I would add them last, once you are certain your tank has cycled. They are painfully delicate, and are of the 'they die when someone coughs in the next room' class of fish for many hobbyists. Their advantage is that if they get ich or velvet, you see it!
You'll need regular 25% water changes for all those fish. A maintenance schedule will make that tank way more enjoyable than a more haphazard approach.


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

I think rams are beautiful fish and would compliment your tank quite nicely! Good luck!


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## ufimych (May 9, 2011)

I never tried rams. Now, I have a pair of kribensis instead. Because they want to breed and can harm other fish, I had to isolate them in a 10 gallons tank, where they reproduced successfully and it became their permanent home.


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## ufimych (May 9, 2011)

I agree that platies may be happiest in a tank with brakish water. I have never tried it, but I always have about 5 platies; regardless of conditions they seem happy and breed regularly. I am adjusting conditions to fit tetras, kribensis, tiger barbs or gouramies, but platies are doing well in any of my tanks.


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## RylandVT (Jan 1, 2012)

if three rams are a no, what about 2? or should I just go for 4 if I want more than 1? 
Thank you for the comment about the glass cats-I made sure there are plenty of upper level hiding spots. if they should go in last, what would be a good group to go in first?


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## ufimych (May 9, 2011)

Rams can be kept as a group of one male and a few females. However, if your conditions are exactly good for them, one pair will set up for breeding and chase away the rest of the group. When they breed, they are territorial and defend their place like dogs, disturbing the tank fish community.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

If you have three, the third will be picked to death. if you have four, they'll all scrap equally. If they breed, it'll stir things up, but they aren't super aggressive. Bolivian rams (M. altispinosa) are bigger and much hardier than Venezuelan rams (M. ramirezi). They are very easy going, but they are cichlids. The third fish always dies - you either have two, or four or more, and your tank's not huge.

Platys don't need brackish, but they have evolved over limestone in hard water, and are prone to parasites and over-all ill health in soft water. Mineral poor water is a big stress for their bodies. Most North American tap is moderately hard to hard, so they adapt easily. Where I am, the tapwater is quite soft, and I can't keep platys without doctoring the water (easy to do).

I would start with the rams, but since they are heavier bodied than the others, I would watch my cycle before I added more. I'd go rams first or tetras first, then corys, then finally glass cats, when things are REALLY stable.


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