my wishlist

[Andy123]

hey all
in my 165L i have
1xred turq discus
2xboesmani rainbows
2x bristlenoses

i would like to add
1xblue turq discus
1xother type of discus?? unsure(tbd) any sugestions
3xclown loaches
5xneons?
5xrummynoses?
2xelephant noses
2xbristlenoses(more)

will they all go together??
also i need some advice on some driftwoods/designs for the aquarium..can you post some pics for me so i can get ideas for my tank?

any one able to give me on any info on elephant noses??

thanx
fishkid

[FishLover]

You are going to be way over stocked. 165L is about 45 US gallons according to my numbers.

You are close to the upper bio load limit of your tank size as is. You maybe able to add in one discus (I really don't think you should). The problem is most likely these two will fight all the time till one of them is dead.

As for the clown loaches, they need a tank at least 90 g size. They get about 30cm long. No way you can fit three of them in a 45 g tank. Other fish like Elephant nose, BN get big too. If you are talking about Gnathonemus petersii for elephant nose, they get about 35cm long. The smallest tank for one of them is going to be over 200L. There is no way you can house them in your current 165L tank.

I would say your safe bet is go with the tetras. Rummys will be fine. Neons are not good for discus tank.

I can see you like big fish. My advise is to get a bigger tank if you want them.

I'm no expert. Even I can see you will have problems with your list.

[Andy123]

hey
thanx for reply
atm the tank only has 5 fish in there-the discus, 2 boesmani rainbows, 2 bristle noses. and it is looking really bear. i hav had 3 discus in there before and they were all fine. at that time i also had kuhli loaches, clown(2), loaches, bns(2), corydoras(2)the boesmani(2) and of coourse the discus (3) and they were all happy.
does anyone else have any idea.
fishkid
ps the tank is a 3ft tank.
pps i have seen people keep up to 3 clown loaches in a 10 gal(40L) tank. but ofcourse that was really small

[Andy123]

also i hav done reasearch just then and found this-------->
The Clown Loach
Scientific name: Botia macracanthus
Minimal tank size: 40 gallons
Max growth: 7-12 inches*
Special requirements: Enjoys company and higher temperature. * Very slow grower and rarely reaches a foot in length in home aquaria.

and i have heard in other places and by friends that i can keep a few in this tank...
fishkid
ps not meaning to question you at all, im sure u no what you are talking about

[FishLover]

12 inches is about 30cm. I'm not sure what do they mean about 40G. Most 40G is about 12" to 15" wide, which means your loaches will have hard time turn around in the tank. That's why you need a bigger tank, 90g at least.

Just because you were able to keep these fish in a small tank for few months does not mean you can keep them there forever. I would wonder what happened to your other fish?

[ILLUSN]

Clowns can and do often reach 30cm in length. also they are a schooling fish and are "happier" with a few of their own kind.
the thing you need to remember when stocking is the adult size of your fish, both your bosemanni's and bristlenoses will reach 5 inches in length, not a bad size for a 160L. with your tank I'd add 3 more discus( for aggression issues) but remember that recomended stocking is 1 adult discus/40L. in addition to that I'd add 8-10 small tetras(neon or rummynose) and thats it.
if you want loaches for snail control or scavenger duties I'd go with dwarf loaches, if all you want is scavangers try kulli loaches but no more then 4 of either. at that level you tank is FULL!!! make sure you have a VERY GOOD filter keep up the water changes and post lots of photos :D
hope that helped.

[DiscusEden]

Hi Andy,

I'm no expert on this, but:

The rule of thumb is 1 discus to 40L, so having 2 or 3 in there should be no problem, particularly when they are smaller. Oh, and they're happier in groups.

Although the clowns do eventually grow, they take awhile to do this. Where are you from? Certianly most LFS in Adelaide are very happy to buy/swap larger fish from you, so you could always get some & swap them when they get too big, in a couple of years. 3 sounds like a good number, but I would either get them or the extra BN, as they tend to poop. Lots.

The neons & rummynoses look good. As a personal preference I think I'd stick with 10 of one or the other, rather than 5 of each, as the schools tend to mix, but as I said this is personal preference, and makes no difference.

I would suggest though, that cardinals handle the higher temps that the discus need (28 - 32c) better. Although they cost more initially, you won't be replacing them as often.

I'm not sure about the rainbows, and the elephant noses are a bit of a mystery to me. But again, if they did get too big, you do have the option of selling or swapping them for younger ones from the LFS.

HTH

[DiscusEden]

Hi Andy (again),

Didn't see Illusn's answer as I was typing at the time, but he has words of wisdom for you, and far more experience than I do - go with that!

Good luck, and let us know what you decide to do?

[Andy123]

i am still not sure what ill do. I have done my research and found clown loaches will rarly reach 30cm(1foot) in aquariums unless they are really big. i have kept them in this tank before and they have done magnificently.
Fishkid
Ps. i bought a beautiful blue diamond discus today. He was 50% off and i paid only $22.50 for him. He is still rather small though.!!

[ILLUSN]

If you really want clowns then go for it, buy small ones. Yes you can keep them in a 160L and yes they do grow slow but in 5-7 years time (they should last more then 10) they'll be big, remember fish grow from birth til the day they die, the only reason a fish doesn't reach full size is cause the tank is too small, if a fish gets stunted and cant grow it will get sick and sicker and sicker and die, thats how I lost my 1st saratoga which i stupidly tried to keep in a 3 foot tank, hge dies at 19 inches in length with a badly curved spine at 6 years old. also clownes are messy so regular water changes are a must say 40-50% twice a week as a minimum and get a filter that turns over your tank atleast 8-10x an hour thats the best size for messy fish and over stocked tanks (try looking up forums on big preditory fish to get an idea of good filtration). good luck with it keep us posted how you go.