stocking suggestions

[celloplayer]

Ok, so I am thinking about getting a new tank(s) I have 48"x16" to put the tank, so I'm thinking that I would get 2 10g leader tanks (which are 20" long), or a 65/55 gallon tank
So, the basic setups would probably be

10 gallon tanks:
1.(quarantine/planted) I would probably move my old quarantine into position, put in plants and sand with cichlid fertilizer (i.e. sand from my 75) in it and a school of pepper cories (I would try it sans filter, or share a filter with the other one)
2.(planted) dwarf puffers or dwarf panda cichlids species tank. I'm getting a bit bored with cichlids, so the puffers will be my decision, ultimately.
3. (brackish) a school of swordfish, maybe a little crab, if I can find one small enough
4. FW inverts, planted tank with shrimp and snails and, as my brother put them "bugs"
5. Bettas...

65/55 gallon:
(saltwater): a few easy and safe to keep, fish such as clowns and damsels, plus live rock and sand and a few motile inverts

(FW community, planted) umm... not too much to say, schooling fish, umm... plus something showy like a discus

(SA cichlids) Angelfish or firemouths... don't know too much about SA cichlids

"Wet Pet" tank... A pacu, oscar, gar, or piranha or something else that you would recommend, I know very little about those fish, so I don't know whether or not those meet tank specs...

umm... I was wondering if you have any more ideas for me, or if you would help me stocking some of my theoretical tanks (like the SA cichlids or basic SW tank)... or even if you had any more ideas on possible tanks for a 48x16 area... Oh yeah, I'm also looking for sheerly awesome ways to filter tanks always, so if you could suggest any non-traditional approaches that would be great! Thanks!

[Lab_Rat]

10 gallon tanks:
1.(quarantine/planted) I would probably move my old quarantine into position, put in plants and sand with cichlid fertilizer (i.e. sand from my 75) in it and a school of pepper cories (I would try it sans filter, or share a filter with the other one)
2.(planted) dwarf puffers or dwarf panda cichlids species tank. I'm getting a bit bored with cichlids, so the puffers will be my decision, ultimately.
3. (brackish) a school of swordfish, maybe a little crab, if I can find one small enough
4. FW inverts, planted tank with shrimp and snails and, as my brother put them "bugs"
5. Bettas...

Any of those sound good, though I have no idea on the brackish.


65/55 gallon:
(saltwater): a few easy and safe to keep, fish such as clowns and damsels, plus live rock and sand and a few motile inverts

(FW community, planted) umm... not too much to say, schooling fish, umm... plus something showy like a discus

(SA cichlids) Angelfish or firemouths... don't know too much about SA cichlids


Either the SW option or a nice planted tank with CA/SA cichlids as a centerpiece and build a community around it. A colony of dwarf cichlids (rams, apistos, keyholes, checkerboards) would be cool and fill it out with tetras, cories, etc. You could also do a small school of roseline sharks for a centerpiece instead of cichlids. African cichlids (peacocks, mbuna, or tangs) would be another option.


"Wet Pet" tank... A pacu, oscar, gar, or piranha or something else that you would recommend, I know very little about those fish, so I don't know whether or not those meet tank specs...

Pacu you really need a gigantic tank, think swimming pool. Oscar need a 75g minimum since they can hit 14" long, gar get large (don't know much about them but have never heard of one suitable for a 55g), piranha need 20g min per fish and are a schooling fish, so 120g+


umm... I was wondering if you have any more ideas for me, or if you would help me stocking some of my theoretical tanks (like the SA cichlids or basic SW tank)... or even if you had any more ideas on possible tanks for a 48x16 area... Oh yeah, I'm also looking for sheerly awesome ways to filter tanks always, so if you could suggest any non-traditional approaches that would be great! Thanks!

There's really no point in trying to narrow down stocking until you decide what sort of tank you'd like to go with. If it were my tank, I'd probably do something like 6 curviceps, 16 emperor tetras, 10 cories, and a bristlenose in a heavily planted tank. For filtration, canisters are great or you can do a wet/dry or sump. Not sure what you're looking for in the way of "non-traditional".

[celloplayer]

I think that I'm going to do SW...
I've heard of people keep single Oscars very successfully in tanks as small as 30g, btw, although he has to make the tank look very boring in order to do so), although I see your point about 14 inches... Also, I had no idea about Pacu, or gar, or pirhana, As I said, I know very little about those fish
my idea of non-traditional would be like, filterless systems and DIY things, like, things like a concrete sump (not sure if that would work, but it would be really, really cool)
so, SW tank...?
in a 50 gal. + a sump/refugium
umm...
something like 30 lbs. live rock
10 pounds live sand+40 pounds crushed coral
1 flame angel
3 clowns
1 blue fin damsel (?)
2 turbo snails
1 sally lightfoot crab (?)
cleaner shrimp
any other suggestions?

[Lab_Rat]

I think that I'm going to do SW...
I've heard of people keep single Oscars very successfully in tanks as small as 30g, btw, although he has to make the tank look very boring in order to do so), although I see your point about 14 inches... Also, I had no idea about Pacu, or gar, or pirhana, As I said, I know very little about those fish
my idea of non-traditional would be like, filterless systems and DIY things, like, things like a concrete sump (not sure if that would work, but it would be really, really cool)
so, SW tank...?
in a 50 gal. + a sump/refugium
umm...
something like 30 lbs. live rock
10 pounds live sand+40 pounds crushed coral
1 flame angel
3 clowns
1 blue fin damsel (?)
2 turbo snails
1 sally lightfoot crab (?)
cleaner shrimp
any other suggestions?

Only suggestion from me about saltwater is to post in the saltwater section so those who know what they're talking about in this regard see your post. :hmm3grin2orange: