# Stocking question... (30 gal)



## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

Once I'm done buying stand, heater hood etc I am going to have to start saving up for my fish, and working out my loyalty card at my shop so I can get 20% off for the fish..

It's a 4ft (48x12x15) I'm going to be having a 3D background, some bogwood and plenty of plants and a couple of caves. I haven't made up my mind between sand or gravel yet.

I already have, 2 platy, and one bulldog pleco. These will be moving into the big tank.

I pretty much plan on having platy, neon tetra and another pleco.

What sort of numbers am I looking at? I know I should only add a few at a time, and I will be testing the water before adding.
I want the shoal of neons to look really good so I eventually want at least 10 of these.

I was also considering adding a couple of slightly bigger fish ie dwarf gourami or something.
I don't know what the other pleco is I'm going to get but one that does not get too big, I might go with another bulldog, or might have something else.

x


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## Guest (Aug 21, 2009)

You could quite easily have another Platy and a group of Neons. Instead of Dwarf gouramis I would look into Honeys (_Colisa chuna_) as a hardier alternatively. Many Dwarf gouramis are of fairly poor quality and are prone to bacterial infections and a virus known as DGIV.

As for the plecs another Bulldog (_Chaetostoma_ sp.) would be ideal however ensure that each has it's own rock so they can claim territories. Alternatively take a look at the smaller _Panaque_ or _Peckoltia_ species.


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

Thanks 

xx


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## sockyee (Aug 23, 2009)

Hi Poisongirl, just a note of caution. Just be careful if you are intending to add another pleco to the tank. bulldog plecos are known to be territorial and adding another one of it will cause the other to turn aggresive. Since you are keeping small-sized aquarium fish like platy and neon tetra, one of the best addition should be an otocinclus catfish, which also small-sized. They are also less aggresive towards other oto and they will live together as a community fish.

Since you have a 30-gallon tank which I think is rather cramped to accormodate all the fish, try not to overstock.


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## Guest (Aug 23, 2009)

sockyee said:


> Hi Poisongirl, just a note of caution. Just be careful if you are intending to add another pleco to the tank. bulldog plecos are known to be territorial and adding another one of it will cause the other to turn aggresive. Since you are keeping small-sized aquarium fish like platy and neon tetra, one of the best addition should be an otocinclus catfish, which also small-sized. They are also less aggresive towards other oto and they will live together as a community fish.
> 
> Since you have a 30-gallon tank which I think is rather cramped to accormodate all the fish, try not to overstock.


Read above, providing Bulldog plecs (_Chaetostoma_ sp.) are provided with their own, smooth rock then you can easily keep more than one in a tank. I've kept a group of five in a tank of a similar size without any problems.

_Otocinclus_ catfish aren't ideal for new aquariums as they are fairly sensitive towards poor water quality. I would only recommend these fish for tanks older than six months.


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## sockyee (Aug 23, 2009)

I do not know which strain of oto catfish you are referring to but they will be just fine especially in an aquarium with a lot of live plants 
5 bulldog plecos in an aquarium under 30 gallon? On my..


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## sockyee (Aug 23, 2009)

Otocinclus is just the genus. There are certainly much more than that 

Otocinclus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## Guest (Aug 23, 2009)

sockyee said:


> 5 bulldog plecos in an aquarium under 30 gallon? On my..


Yep, it can be done. Bulldog plecs are very different from the bog-standard L no.s including _Panaque_ and _Peckoltia_ species.


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

Thanks for the info 
I think I might go for just a slightly larger pleco than the bulldog... but will be researching carefully before getting one anyway.

x


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## Rhiannan (Jun 16, 2009)

Hello

As already mentioned, the dwarf gouramis can be prone to disease so perhaps a different gourami might be an option. The honey ones or the pearl ones are quote pretty. Maybe some Rainbows would be a good addition, I loved my rainbows when I had my community tank on the go. They look so plain in the shop, but in a tank with decor they soon blossom and look so colourful. They are lively and always darting about 
Might not be suitable for with neons though as they could munch them when they get a little bigger but will be fgine with platys.

Kribs can be really nice too, I had a beautiful pair who got along fine in the community. Although they were too at home and had babies which did make them a little territorial!


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