# 64 litre tank stocking



## Newbie.fishkeeper (Oct 16, 2020)

I want to ask for some advice regarding this tank as I am new to this.
It has an internal filter, heater, blue and white LED lighting, gravel substrate and an air stone. It is 60 cm long x 30 cm wide x 32 cm deep from top of the gravel to the waterline, probably only contains about 58 litres rather an the advertised 64 on the box. Tank has 4 live plants, 3 plastic ones and a plastic hollow log.
Tank has been running for over 5 weeks and the ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 20, ph7.6. I have test sticks but have been testing at the LFS weekly as well as it is more accurate.
I have a snail that was a stowaway on one of the plants and 4 male guppies added 2 days ago. My test strips show the same results as the day the fish were added so cycle still stable. Fish seems happy and playful.
The LFS recommended waiting another week before adding more fish if their test results are good.
My question is about stocking as I've read and been given conflicting advice.
So plan was 4 x guppies, 3 x male dwarf gourami (a powder blue, a blood red and a dwarf), 6 x neon tetra, 4 x panda cory and a few cherry shrimp. Each species added in the above order, a week apart if tank parameters are still good in the weekly tests. The numbers of each are their recommendations.
This was the conclusion of discussions with the man in the LFS.
But reading online it seems the pandas shouldn't be on gravel because it can damage their barbells making them prone to infection. The male dwarf gourami will be aggressive together. And this will be too many fish for the tank according to a community creator website.
So what should I believe?
What stocking would you suggest? I was considering otocinclus instead of the pandas.
Thanks


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