Is my new tank big enough?

[BenJames3445]

Hi,

I'm new to the hobby, and have been binge watching Aquarium Co-op 😂

I've done quite a bit of research, but I'd love to hear some opinions to see whether I've got a big enough tank for all of the fish I want to keep (at their full-grown size).

So my tank is 36 inches x 17 inches x 17 inches (190L, 50 Gallon) & I have a Fluval 307 & an airstone in there (heater set to 75f).

Here's the total list of fish I'm hoping to put into the tank (slowly, and in order):

5x Zebra Danio
6x Cherry Barb (2M, 4F)
6x Golden Barb
1x Siamese Algae Eater

I've done quite a bit of research and believe that they should be a good match in terms of water temp, parameters, temperament etc.

I went onto this website (https://aqadvisor.com/) and it provided the results attached (I've also attached a photo of the aquarium).

That website thinks I'm well within stocking limits, but I'd much rather be on the cautious side and provide more space for the fish than less.

I'm hoping this will be a beginner-friendly, peaceful tank that is full of hardy fish that will give me the best chance of keeping happy & healthy fish (and will house them once they've fully grown with appropriate space).

If anyone could advise me on whether the tank will be adequate that would be much appreciated!

Any other tips for a beginner with the plan listed above would also be a huge help!

Thanks,

Ben

[Lennie]

Hey Ben,

that’s a pretty tank.

Your fishy friends would love to to be in bigger groups and your tank can easily support bigger groups.  They enjoy their own kind a lot and the more the merrier! Also barbs usually are more peaceful in higher numbers as it helps to establish a pecking order, and one potential dominant fish cant be potentially aggressive or nippy. It is also good to consider male to female ratio. People tend to buy only males for example due to their better color display but for every male I would advice at least 2-3 females. Something nice to keep in mind! Or else males may show less color without a female around, and too low number of females may cause males to bully females and chase around nonstop.
 

I have never mixed two barbs together. @nabokovfan87 may help on mixing barbs maybe

 

Btw, something to keep about barbs is, they are considered to be nippy. So your tank size allows some big size fish options too. Barbs will be kinda limiting for any fish you wanna add in the future as they enjoy cooler waters high flow, crazy active and potentially nippy. Same kinda goes for danios. So you will need to avoid any long fin fish, or fish that prefer gentle flows or are slow eaters for example.

that is something to consider for future Ben’s decisions 🙂

Btw, what plant is that on right front? If it is some sort of anubias species, make sure its rhizome is not buried into the shbstrate or else it will die. You can attach it to rocks or between your driftwood gaps easily. Gradually they grow their roots and hold well!

Cherry barbs are usually on the peaceful side of barbs but gold barbs at my lfs were nippy to each other. 
 

In my observations rosy barbs and cherry barbs were the most peaceful ones at my lfs. I only kept rosy barbs myself and I like them. Sadly I had a really bad batch of them but within the first week, they gave me 3 surprise fry 🙂  

[Flumpweesel]

You seem to have a pretty good start up plan and I think that you will be able to house plenty more as the tank matures, stocking guidelines are useful when you start out but tend to be rather conservative. 

I would double the danio's ( just a personal preference they don't get that big and are more fun in numbers) and let the tank settle to them then add the next lot and see how the tank looks. 

SAE's do get pretty big but are pretty peaceful and are crazy good at hiding I have 4 in a 240litre and they are about 6 years old now so pretty big and I can go days without a sighting 

Just a note because you have a deep substrate and some nice big decor in there it is probably worth thinking of your tank as a little smaller than the box said more around medication than stocking. remeasure from the top of the substrate to the water line just to give you a guide. 

As I said above I have a 240litre which I tend to think of as about 200litres as far as meds and treatments are concerned. 

[BenJames3445]

Hi Lennie & Flumpweesel,

Thank you for the advice!

I'm glad to hear that I have more than enough room. I've been putting my tape measure next to the tank and eyeing off whether I think they'll have enough space 😂

I read up on Cherry & Golden barbs being the most peaceful of the barbs, so that's why I opted for them in my provisional setup. I did like the look of Scissortail Rasboras, but I saw they got quite big and was worried about not giving them the room to school and swim the length of the tank. Perhaps I could sub out the Golden Barbs and put them in instead if the space allows?

Is it difficult to specify what sex you'd like when they look similar in infancy? Or is it pretty much luck of the draw?

Thanks for the tip on the anubias, you've got a good eye! I was just trying to get them all to settle and stop floating, but I'll fix that tomorrow and wedge it in a good spot 🙂

I'll definitely consider getting more Danios, perhaps another variety (leopard, perhaps?) or would it be best to stick with the one kind so they have as many school mates as possible?

I was looking to find a "centerpiece" fish to go along with the schooling types, and the SAE fits the bill perfectly I think. Fairly peaceful, look distinct from the other fish I chose, can be a lone fish and can clean certain algae too!

Thank you for the tip around measuring from the substrate & the associated values when it comes to medication & stocking. Very helpful!

My water parameters seem pretty good, but the only thing that is off is the hardness. In Melbourne it seems as though the water comes out rather soft (I measured with the API test kit, and it comes out of the tap at around 2-3 drops each) so I think I'll need to adjust that.

I bought these products (see below) to fix the issue. I was hoping I wouldn't have to mess with the parameters too much, but I think I'll have to up it a bit.

Do you have any advice around soft water parameters?

Sorry for the twenty questions, feel free to shut me down 😂

I've been spending hours reading and watching instructional videos, so being able to chat with people who are able (& happy) to speak on my specific questions is amazing!

So thanks!



 

 

[Lennie]

On 6/27/2023 at 4:29 PM, BenJames3445 said:

Hi Lennie & Flumpweesel,

Thank you for the advice!

I'm glad to hear that I have more than enough room. I've been putting my tape measure next to the tank and eyeing off whether I think they'll have enough space 😂

I read up on Cherry & Golden barbs being the most peaceful of the barbs, so that's why I opted for them in my provisional setup. I did like the look of Scissortail Rasboras, but I saw they got quite big and was worried about not giving them the room to school and swim the length of the tank. Perhaps I could sub out the Golden Barbs and put them in instead if the space allows?

Is it difficult to specify what sex you'd like when they look similar in infancy? Or is it pretty much luck of the draw?

Thanks for the tip on the anubias, you've got a good eye! I was just trying to get them all to settle and stop floating, but I'll fix that tomorrow and wedge it in a good spot 🙂

I'll definitely consider getting more Danios, perhaps another variety (leopard, perhaps?) or would it be best to stick with the one kind so they have as many school mates as possible?

I was looking to find a "centerpiece" fish to go along with the schooling types, and the SAE fits the bill perfectly I think. Fairly peaceful, look distinct from the other fish I chose, can be a lone fish and can clean certain algae too!

Thank you for the tip around measuring from the substrate & the associated values when it comes to medication & stocking. Very helpful!

My water parameters seem pretty good, but the only thing that is off is the hardness. In Melbourne it seems as though the water comes out rather soft (I measured with the API test kit, and it comes out of the tap at around 2-3 drops each) so I think I'll need to adjust that.

I bought these products (see below) to fix the issue. I was hoping I wouldn't have to mess with the parameters too much, but I think I'll have to up it a bit.

Do you have any advice around soft water parameters?

Sorry for the twenty questions, feel free to shut me down 😂

I've been spending hours reading and watching instructional videos, so being able to chat with people who are able (& happy) to speak on my specific questions is amazing!

So thanks!



 

 

I don't exactly know about these products, but to be helpful all around, It may be nice to provide detailed parameter readings of gh, kh and ph.

If your water is soft as you said, then you will probably need to increase gh.

Kh is more about carbonate and bicarbonates. You probably saw these during your researches, it basically helps to keep ph more stable.

GH kits for aquariums usually test the magnesium and calcium in the water. The higher the gh, the harder the water. The lower, the softer.

Ph is about water being acidic or alkaline.  Acidic < ph of 7 (neutral) < Alkaline.

What's your gh, ph and kh are?

Also, deciding on stocking may help to decide if soft water is good or not. Like livebearers, snails, lots of cichlids prefer hard water higher ph. But it really depends on the fish you want.

That being said, as long as your fish are not wildcaught, and you get fish from somewhere local or similar parameters to yours, they should usually do fine. Aiming for very desired parameters are usually more needed for breeding action in my experience. But ofcourse keeping a guppy or snail in low ph low gh tank will impact them negatively for sure.

 

Speaking of golden barbs, I only had a chance to observe them at my lfs. Even after a couple weeks, I have been seeing some nippy behavior towards each other at the store. But yes, cherries are usually well known to be on the peaceful side. My rosy barbs are also extremely peaceful.

 

If you like barbs, maybe you can consider a huge tiger barb tank. What about that? They also come with green, albino, normal ones, long fins, etc. You can mix them together or stick with only one color if you like. Having a tiger barb only tank is a dream of mine for one day 🙂

I love the green  ones a lot. 

 

 

[Flumpweesel]

I have soft water and just don't worry about it I buy my fish as local as possible and I don't really have any issues. I do occasionally add some calcium to my shrimp tank but that is just a now and then thing if they measure very low.  

Most fish will adapt to your water. 

You have a really nice set up there and a nice not to fussy list of fish. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/27/2023 at 4:40 AM, BenJames3445 said:

5x Zebra Danio
6x Cherry Barb (2M, 4F)
6x Golden Barb
1x Siamese Algae Eater

Oooooh. That's a fun tank.

I try to keep my stocking at about 80% or so using that tool. Just meaning, if in at 100% I usually have a pretty dirty tank.  Maybe you have some room in there for some corydoras?

On 6/27/2023 at 4:40 AM, BenJames3445 said:

I'm hoping this will be a beginner-friendly, peaceful tank that is full of hardy fish that will give me the best chance of keeping happy & healthy fish (and will house them once they've fully grown with appropriate space).

If anyone could advise me on whether the tank will be adequate that would be much appreciated!

Barbs can get feisty but I think you're doing it right. The main barb, gold barb will be the feisty crew, and then they will chase around the danio and the Cherry's. Having more plants, tall plants helps them to have things to swim around and keep them busy.

Consider moving that sword to the right a little, basically, and then we'll see how things grow in.

Bacopa caroliniana is a fun one too.

[madmark285]

Another barb to look at, Odessa barbs. Mine are more hyper than the Tiger barbs. 

My Panda cory's get along fine with the barbs.

 

[Lennie]

Ohh! How can I forget mascara barbs. They look the most beautiful I think. But they are not as common and I have no clue about their behavior.

They just look pretty 

Edited June 28, 2023 by Lennie

[Guppysnail]

Your tank is very pretty and more than large enough. 
 

I find aqadvisor to be a good starting number. A tank can handle much more once it is aged and seasoned. My tanks that run for years can handle so much more than newer established tanks. Aqadvisor when I put in my stock on long running tanks basically says they will implode immediately. Yet they are thriving and producing babies. 
The bacteria grows with your fish. More hardscape gives bacteria more space to grow on. Plants that are established and thriving will help. 
 

Your zebra danios will want bigger numbers or they get nippy.  
For the zebra I would go with 10 to start. I’ve not kept the barbs so cannot speak from experience on the numbers they will want. 
Good luck and I’m looking forward to following your journey. 
 

[BenJames3445]

Hi everyone!

Thank you for all of the replies and advice!

I'll try to address as much as I can 😂
 

On 6/27/2023 at 11:47 PM, Lennie said:

don't exactly know about these products, but to be helpful all around, It may be nice to provide detailed parameter readings of gh, kh and ph.

If your water is soft as you said, then you will probably need to increase gh.

Kh is more about carbonate and bicarbonates. You probably saw these during your researches, it basically helps to keep ph more stable.

GH kits for aquariums usually test the magnesium and calcium in the water. The higher the gh, the harder the water. The lower, the softer.

Ph is about water being acidic or alkaline.  Acidic < ph of 7 (neutral) < Alkaline.

What's your gh, ph and kh are?

In terms of parameters, the pH was pretty much right on 7.0 (Tap water was around 6.6). The GH & KH were around 3 drops each on the API kit, which suggests somewhere around 50PPM (I think?).

I'll be doing another test tomorrow, so I'll have a better idea of the stability then.

 

 

On 6/27/2023 at 11:47 PM, Lennie said:

That being said, as long as your fish are not wildcaught, and you get fish from somewhere local or similar parameters to yours, they should usually do fine. Aiming for very desired parameters are usually more needed for breeding action in my experience. But ofcourse keeping a guppy or snail in low ph low gh tank will impact them negatively for sure.

That's very interesting. I'm thinking I'll opt to put the Zebra Danios in first, and monitor their well being with the softer water. I'll be buying the fish very locally, so if this holds true I'm hoping it'll be okay 🤞

 

 

On 6/27/2023 at 11:47 PM, Lennie said:

Speaking of golden barbs, I only had a chance to observe them at my lfs. Even after a couple weeks, I have been seeing some nippy behavior towards each other at the store. But yes, cherries are usually well known to be on the peaceful side. My rosy barbs are also extremely peaceful.

Forgive me if this is a silly question, but what does LFS stand for? Appreciate the info around the Golden Barbs, so I'm definitely open to swapping them out for something of a similar size. I've kind of got my heart set on the SAE & the Cherry Barbs. Zebra Danios could potentially get the chop, we'll see 😂

I've been looking for alternatives that grow to a similar size, but I'm struggling to find a lot of fish that top out around 3-4 inches (who would go well with the other fish). Some websites have Scissortail Rasboras growing to 3.5 inches, and some have them growing over 6, so that's confusing!

 

On 6/27/2023 at 11:47 PM, Lennie said:

If you like barbs, maybe you can consider a huge tiger barb tank. What about that? They also come with green, albino, normal ones, long fins, etc. You can mix them together or stick with only one color if you like. Having a tiger barb only tank is a dream of mine for one day 🙂

I love the green  ones a lot. 

Those Green ones do look nice, but I don't know if I can go for a full change of everything like that. I've spent way too much time as a beginner planning things haha

Sounds like a cool idea though, maybe for another tank!

 

 

On 6/27/2023 at 11:57 PM, Flumpweesel said:

have soft water and just don't worry about it I buy my fish as local as possible and I don't really have any issues. I do occasionally add some calcium to my shrimp tank but that is just a now and then thing if they measure very low.  

Most fish will adapt to your water. 

You have a really nice set up there and a nice not to fussy list of fish. 

Thanks!

Thanks for the tip about the soft water, I'm hoping it'll be okay to leave for the time being, as I'd like to keep the variables to a minimum in the beginning as I'm getting to grips to it.

 

On 6/28/2023 at 1:25 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

Maybe you have some room in there for some corydoras?

Hi nabokovfan87!

Time to research corydoras!

 

On 6/28/2023 at 1:25 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

Consider moving that sword to the right a little, basically, and then we'll see how things grow in.

Bacopa caroliniana is a fun one too.

It's been moved a few inches over, thanks for the tip!

That was the one other plant I was going to buy haha, but I didn't want to overdo it early on

 

 

On 6/28/2023 at 11:16 AM, madmark285 said:

Another barb to look at, Odessa barbs. Mine are more hyper than the Tiger barbs. 

My Panda cory's get along fine with the barbs.

Those are very pretty!

Definitely going to consider them as an alternative to the Golden Barbs, especially if their temperament, size & behaviour is similar

 

On 6/28/2023 at 4:20 PM, Lennie said:

Ohh! How can I forget mascara barbs. They look the most beautiful I think. But they are not as common and I have no clue about their behavior.

They just look pretty 

These are awesome too!

I'm going further and further down the rabbit hole

I thought I had it all figured out 😂

Thanks for all of the information everyone!

I'm going to do a bunch more research and see what fish I'll settle on

I'll post in here to see what you all think, but feel no obligation to reply or anything!

You've all been a huge help 🙂

[BenJames3445]

On 6/28/2023 at 8:46 PM, Guppysnail said:

Your tank is very pretty and more than large enough. 
 

I find aqadvisor to be a good starting number. A tank can handle much more once it is aged and seasoned. My tanks that run for years can handle so much more than newer established tanks. Aqadvisor when I put in my stock on long running tanks basically says they will implode immediately. Yet they are thriving and producing babies. 
The bacteria grows with your fish. More hardscape gives bacteria more space to grow on. Plants that are established and thriving will help. 
 

Your zebra danios will want bigger numbers or they get nippy.  
For the zebra I would go with 10 to start. I’ve not kept the barbs so cannot speak from experience on the numbers they will want. 
Good luck and I’m looking forward to following your journey. 

Hi Guppysnail!

Thank you, I'm excited to see how the plants develop and the tank comes alive once the fish go in!

I love that I found that website, it's the best calculator I've found so far. Allows me to play around with things as a newbie

Thanks for the info too!

I'd definitely be up for upping the amount, but would that be too many for the initial stage when the tank is quite fresh?

I'm a bit worried about overdoing it and getting into a place where I'm battling to keep parameters & the nitrogen cycle under control.

[Lennie]

On 6/28/2023 at 3:14 PM, BenJames3445 said:

Forgive me if this is a silly question, but what does LFS stand for?

Lfs= local fish store

 

On 6/28/2023 at 3:14 PM, BenJames3445 said:

I've been looking for alternatives that grow to a similar size, but I'm struggling to find a lot of fish that top out around 3-4 inches (who would go well with the other fish). Some websites have Scissortail Rasboras growing to 3.5 inches, and some have them growing over 6, so that's confusing!

For catfish species, I like planetcatfish. 
for puffers, I like pufferfish enthusiasts worldwide

for fish in general, I like seriouslyfish.

seriouslyfish says 15cm adult size. That is a size of sae. I’m kinda surprised too, as they are being sold much smaller at my lfs. Well, also saes are super tiny at the store too.

If I were you, I would try to have some contrast going on in terms on fish color. You will already have zebra danios which are not colorful. Again, SAE. These fish will help cherry barbs pop more. But I would personally not go for another silver toned fish myself.

Also in length the tank can be a lil short for a 15cm schooling fish.

[Guppysnail]

On 6/28/2023 at 8:22 AM, BenJames3445 said:

I'm a bit worried about overdoing it and getting into a place where I'm battling to keep parameters & the nitrogen cycle under control.

No 10 in a 50 gallon to start is just fine.  You may see tiny touches of ammonia or nitrite even with 5 but I doubt it even with 10. Just do not overfeed and keep after removing any uneaten food. 
For the tiny amounts new tanks can experience a product like Fritz, AmQuel or Prime that removes ammonia and nitrite can be a great help. Here is an article on those products. 
 

By the way I run Fluval 07 series on 8 of my display tanks  if you ever have questions feel free to tag me and don’t forget to use silicone grease on your o-rings  

 

[Guppysnail]

To add- a fish tummy is supposed to be the size of one eyeball to help you gauge feeding. 

Here is a helpful thread to decipher all the acronyms we use. 🤗

 

[BenJames3445]

Thank you both heaps!

I've got to get head off to bed, but I may have found my 4th fish 🙂

I know you said to potentially avoid another predominantly silver fish, but...
 

These look like an ideal fit!



I'm thinking

8x Cherry Barb
8x Zebra Danio
8x Red-tailed Rasbora
1x SAE

[Lennie]

On 6/28/2023 at 5:03 PM, BenJames3445 said:

Thank you both heaps!

I've got to get head off to bed, but I may have found my 4th fish 🙂

I know you said to potentially avoid another predominantly silver fish, but...
 

These look like an ideal fit!



I'm thinking

8x Cherry Barb
8x Zebra Danio
8x Red-tailed Rasbora
1x SAE

You zooming into the very tiny red on their tail made me laugh 😄 

Ah dude, it was just a suggestion. Ofcourse you can keep the stocking however you like as long as you give them the ideal conditions, tankmates and swimming room. It’s your tank, you will look it everyday. Noone can make me buy something I don’t like just because they like them for my displays tanks.

if you liked this fish, I would recommend checking white cloud minnows, or gold versions.They also like conditions of good flow, colder water, big school, etc. they can get their part of food in a tank wjth crazy eaters like barbs and danios too.

Normal version:

long fin version(im not sure how barb safe but looks majestic)

 

Gold version:

 

Also, If I were you, I would consider panda garras and Hillstream loaches too. They would like your lots of oxygen, good flow setup. 

 

 

 

 

 

They usually love non sharp rocks but whats that rocklike thingy u have there? Any nonsharp rocks in the tank?

Panda garras:

 

hillstream loaches:

While checking fish species spotlights, always check Rachel O’Leary’s videos too!

Edited June 28, 2023 by Lennie

[anewbie]

I'm not sure i would put in either hillstream loach or panda garras. I have a group of panda garras in my 40B and they are not bad fishes but they are a little annoying and pesty. I suspect the other fishes you have would not appreciate such a boisterous fish.

 

SAE i would be a little concern in your aquarium. These fishes are quite larger as adults but they move extremely fast and your aquarium offers very little room for them to er zoom across. Also while you can keep a single one (I have); they are similar to other cat fishes and prefer large groups (something your aquarium most definitely could not support). Also they are sort of an odd fish out - being a giant among a bunch of smaller fishes. I know you want a 'center piece' but these guys are not oppose to hiding and will frequently be found in areas along the edges grazing. They don't really fit your typical 'center piece' fish that stays out in the open looking pretty all day long. Oh and they most definitely are not interactive. 

Edited June 28, 2023 by anewbie

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I found this algae eater blogpost that could be helpful @BenJames3445.

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/algae-eaters

Love that you ran your stocking plan thru aqadvisor as an extra precaution too.

Your tank is beautiful!  Great job! I love it 😍❤️

 

 

Edited June 28, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Lennie]

@beastie can you please share you experience regarding your asian tank and pandas +hillstreams.

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/28/2023 at 7:54 AM, Lennie said:

Normal version:

There is also a newer discovered Vietnamese version. Slightly different but similar. They should be more available these days for hobbyists.

On 6/28/2023 at 8:41 AM, anewbie said:

SAE i would be a little concern in your aquarium. These fishes are quite larger as adults but they move extremely fast and your aquarium offers very little room for them to er zoom across.

I've had multiple types of Cyprinidae species in my tanks and it's been in various sizes. Ultimately, an SAE can be such a chill fish. Yes they can dart and swim and jump when under stress, but they normally do not really do that.

My tank was a bit specific because it was very clear the SAE we're not the boss.  They laid on leaves, on wood, on the substrate the same way a puffer would and they were often seen napping more than anything..... Once they got big and chonky.

I've had a single SAE in smaller tanks for months to help with algae. I think that's honestly more normal than people would like to say they keep them in massive tanks.

If you're willing to give the fish the right conditions that they want, they can be a really nice fish and something that works well in just about any aquarium. 40B, 75G being the preferred sizes as a minimum, but I wouldn't hesitate to have a single SAE in a 29G or 30L, etc.

On 6/28/2023 at 8:41 AM, anewbie said:

I know you want a 'center piece' but these guys are not oppose to hiding and will frequently be found in areas along the edges grazing. They don't really fit your typical 'center piece' fish that stays out in the open looking pretty all day long. Oh and they most definitely are not interactive. 

They are definitely the lazy whales of the fish tank if they want to be. 😂

On 6/28/2023 at 5:14 AM, BenJames3445 said:

I've kind of got my heart set on the SAE & the Cherry Barbs. Zebra Danios could potentially get the chop, we'll see 😂

I've been looking for alternatives that grow to a similar size, but I'm struggling to find a lot of fish that top out around 3-4 inches (who would go well with the other fish). Some websites have Scissortail Rasboras growing to 3.5 inches, and some have them growing over 6, so that's confusing!

Well there's a lot of good information here.

Rasbora definitely stay on the smaller side. White clouds, smaller. Danio, not too big but they are slender and fast. Barbs are the chonky boys of that type of a tank. They are a bit more of your traditional "fish shape" and the average length for the species is probably right where you want it to be.  Having a single SAE and then having a good school of cherry barbs sounds like an awesome start. Start there. Add in corydoras it you with and stuff like 1-3 Hillstream loaches (or check out the Borneo loach because they are slightly smaller but extremely similar).

I would encourage a more mild tempered barb. Something like the Odessa is a great recommendation, but it's all about the color and pattern you enjoy.  Check out what's known as a melon barb (there's a few names) as a really beautiful compliment to the Cherrys.  You can also add in a clown pleco too and it'll do well in that setup.  Tank temp around 74 degrees and a good amount of oxygenation, beautiful setup and it's about 99.99999999% of my tanks and how I have them..... Except during the hottest days of summer. 😂

[beastie]

I have a similar sized tank, 110cm instead of 90cm length, a bit lower. Mine is about 150 liters or maybe less, given the ammount of stones

I am a big fan of one species in large shoal rather than multiple species in smaller shoals, as I believe the behavior is more insterresting in larger numbers. In my asian tank, which might inspire you, I have 20x white cloud mountain minnows, 5x hillstream loaches and 4x panda garra.

I took quick pictures, so sorry about the glare and the quality. As you can see (or as I keep telling myself), the one shoal does not make the tank look as empty as one would expect

I originally considered odessa barbs but decided against it, they are known for being slightly agressive in lower numbers and the tank lenght does not support large numbers. I did consider danios too, I have had them in a 120cm long tank and in 60 cm long tank at one point too, they are very adaptive, and if you add a little flow, they enjoy swimming against it and they are super fun swimmy fish, but not necessarily fun behavior fish

Given both danios and barbs (any sort) are boisterous nippy fish, I would not add anything else to them (as in the rasbora) in the middle region, and rather up the numbers of these two shoals or just went one way (the barbs I guess). If you decide these one or two species and add higher flow to the tank, you may still consider the panda garra and or hillstream loaches. They are fun fish, but should not be added for months, since they feed on the biofilm and algae growth so 4 months at least and high light. As you can see from my pictures, they do not clean the algae, I have so much the glass and the stones, so do not get them if you think they will clean it. They like it, they eat it, but they dont "clean" . Panda garras are fun and also boisterous fish, so they could match the others well, but they may be bullied by the other fish when it comes to food. Hillstream loaches ( I have the sewellia linoleata) like to hide and would need way more stones and caves. They are usually not bothered by other fish, I suspect mostly because other fish dont consider them fish

I so understand your situation, I cant decide stocking all the time, keep watching more videos, keep thinking of new fish, new options, new combinations,...

What I would do is decide on the main fish, one or two shoals, add those (ideally at the same time, so the other fish wont consider the tank territory if you decide to go with two) and then decide on a third fish for bottom regions later on once you see the tank working, how the cleaning goes, how do the fish work together

I would also absolutely not recommend long fin danios, especially if paired with barbs. If you forgo the barbs, you can have long fin danios, but not the large flow. They dont swim very well

On 6/28/2023 at 7:04 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

There is also a newer discovered Vietnamese version. Slightly different but similar. They should be more available these days for hobbyists.

It is almost two centimeters smaller. But same behavior, same breeding, similar look. Available from local breeders here  too, better for smaller tanks I think

[beastie]

Made a super quick feeding video (pellets)

 

[Lennie]

On 6/28/2023 at 9:34 PM, beastie said:

Made a super quick feeding video (pellets)

 

Can't wait to visit you and steal this panda garras :))) 

[madmark285]

On 6/28/2023 at 1:04 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I would encourage a more mild tempered barb. Something like the Odessa is a great recommendation, but it's all about the color and pattern you enjoy.  

 

The Odessa barbs I have are not laid back fish, even my Tiger barbs can't keep up with them. During a morning feeding, one jump right out of the tank.