235g Stocking Options

[RockyProndoa]

Hello,

I have a journal for my new 235g build, but I thought I would create a seperate thread for help gain some alternate perspectives and ideas for a stock list for this tank. Generally speaking, this will be a high-tech, medium-to-heavily planted nature-style aquarium. Substrate is UNS Controsoil.

'Centerpiece' fish -Ivanacara bimaculata (x4) - and yes, I know they dig. Sort of a non-negotiable fish for me that I am definitely going to at least try. Given the size of the aquarium, I am hoping this will be limited to 'controllable' areas.

Top/Midwater - Pencilfish (Beckford's, Dip Tail, etc) x 20-30
- Tetras (Cardinal and Rummynose) x 20-30 ea

Bottom - Peacock Gudgeon x 10
- Corydoras x 10-15

Does anyone see any issues? Any creative alternate suggestions?

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

I think you could stock a lot more than that and still be fine!

My suggestion is a site-related one:

If you go to https://scapecrunch.com/account/account-details and scroll down, you can add a journal thread to your profile:



You can also add a link in your signature, to help us all find your journal! It will be worth it to keep track of

 

[BranchScape]

Hello,

I have a journal for my new 235g build, but I thought I would create a seperate thread for help gain some alternate perspectives and ideas for a stock list for this tank. Generally speaking, this will be a high-tech, medium-to-heavily planted nature-style aquarium. Substrate is UNS Controsoil.

'Centerpiece' fish -Ivanacara bimaculata (x4) - and yes, I know they dig. Sort of a non-negotiable fish for me that I am definitely going to at least try. Given the size of the aquarium, I am hoping this will be limited to 'controllable' areas.

Top/Midwater - Pencilfish (Beckford's, Dip Tail, etc) x 20-30
- Tetras (Cardinal and Rummynose) x 20-30 ea

Bottom - Peacock Gudgeon x 10
- Corydoras x 10-15

Does anyone see any issues? Any creative alternate suggestions?

I agree with Rocco you could do more fish. You could triple your stocking load and on a bioload level be fine but it would probably look too busy for my taste.

I like the idea of 20 cories and 40 of the tetras and pencil fish. Not a big fan of gudgeon's, pretty but boring. I would swap for two more peaceful dwarf cichlid species, some options top of mind are checkerboards, Bolivian rams, apisto borelli or red breast acara. You have such a large foot print you can fit more than enough territories without drama even when spawning. I would do 4 Red Breast Acara and 2 of either borelli or checkerboards. Then each zone has a little centerpiece fish that has a base in the hardscape that adds visual interest.

Ivanacara dig but they aren't nearly as bad as say my Keyholes. So I wouldn't worry about them too much. Especially if you add them after you give the plants a month to mature. Your tanks footprint is so nice. the possibilities are endless from a stocking perspective.

 

[RockyProndoa]

I think you could stock a lot more than that and still be fine!

My suggestion is a site-related one:

If you go to https://scapecrunch.com/account/account-details and scroll down, you can add a journal thread to your profile:

View attachment 18734

You can also add a link in your signature, to help us all find your journal! It will be worth it to keep track of

This has been on my list of things to do, thank you for making it easy to figure out!

 

[RockyProndoa]

I agree with Rocco you could do more fish. You could triple your stocking load and on a bioload level be fine but it would probably look too busy for my taste.

I like the idea of 20 cories and 40 of the tetras and pencil fish. Not a big fan of gudgeon's, pretty but boring. I would swap for two more peaceful dwarf cichlid species, some options top of mind are checkerboards, Bolivian rams, apisto borelli or red breast acara. You have such a large foot print you can fit more than enough territories without drama even when spawning. I would do 4 Red Breast Acara and 2 of either borelli or checkerboards. Then each zone has a little centerpiece fish that has a base in the hardscape that adds visual interest.

Ivanacara dig but they aren't nearly as bad as say my Keyholes. So I wouldn't worry about them too much. Especially if you add them after you give the plants a month to mature. Your tanks footprint is so nice. the possibilities are endless from a stocking perspective.

I probably should have clarified that this was my initial stock, not a final total, so yes, I agree more fish are possible.

To your point, however, I don't want it to look crowded or busy, but rather more relaxed with flashes of movement from the tetras.

I debated on the gudgeons as they are rather slow and methodical movers, but the thought was that it would help slow the rapid pace everywhere else.

I really like the idea of the checkerboards and red breast Acaras... I'll certainly look into those and adjust plans accordingly!

I will be receiving the plant order next week, so once those are in, I assumed to wait a few weeks before adding in the first wave of fish (tetras, cories), wait another two weeks and add in another wave of tetras and pencil fish. Last wave would then be the acaras and cichlids all at once to avoid giving anyone a chance to pre pick their territory lol.

 

[Koan]

This is a fun toy

Free Aquarium Stocking Calculator - Plan Your Perfect Fish Tank

Free aquarium stocking calculator with 800+ fish species. Calculate tank capacity, check compatibility, and plan your perfect aquarium.

www.aquariumstockingcalculator.com

Definitely does not account for heavy planting, so I have no concerns exceeding a max recommendation by 25% or more. Still helpful as a thought experiment

 

[Kwyet]

Gudgeons are cool fish, but they are great at hiding. They’re a bit like Kuhlis. You just have to assume they’re alive in there somewhere, because weeks can go by without seeing them.