# 30 gallon stocking idea



## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

First, planning to have all the smaller fish, plus 2 angels, plus the gourami I'd say means you'd be overstocked.

It really depends on the angels if they make a meal of the small fish. The shrimp would more likely become a meal for any of the fish especially when they molt. 

Kissing gouramis can get fairly large at up to 10 inches, they are also not recommended for community tanks because they can be aggressive. Minimum tank size recommended for them is 50 gallons.

If it was me I'd do
7 glowlights, 7 neons, 3-5 ottos, 2 angels


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## gmt980 (Jul 7, 2011)

kamikazi said:


> First, planning to have all the smaller fish, plus 2 angels, plus the gourami I'd say means you'd be overstocked.
> 
> It really depends on the angels if they make a meal of the small fish. The shrimp would more likely become a meal for any of the fish especially when they molt.
> 
> ...


Thank you for sharing. I agree with your stocking but he really wants a kissing gourami and they are pretty small upon purchase. I like your stocking list tho! I will let him know. Anyone else?


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## NStarr (Jun 3, 2011)

gmt980 said:


> Hey guys my friend has had his 30 gallon running with a few fish for 2 months now and we think it is finally time to start stocking it up now. We wanted to run his stocking list by you smart folks because i had some concerns but i was not sure. Keep in mind that is tank has many hiding place and fake plants
> 
> Here it is
> - 7 glowlight tetras
> ...


Mollies are better off in a brackish water aquarium. 
The Kissing Gourami grows too large and would make lunch out of the smaller fish. 
1 Angel in a 30 gallon is a tight fit, needless to say that 2 in a 30 gallon is even a tighter fit. 
Ghost shrimp are easily eaten by other fish. 
Otocinclus like schools.


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## tkbellwood (May 16, 2011)

I also thought that Mollies were best off in Brackish water, but in a recent thread several people indicated they had good success with Mollies in fresh water. 

Otos do better in schools and you might be better off putting 4 or 5 of them in the tank to get the schooling behavior and as cleanup crew. 

I find Amano shrimp are better community shrimp than ghosts, partially because they get a little bigger and can protect themselves a little better, but no shrimp is going to do very well against a full sized Angel and Gourami determined for a snack.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

Don't Angels like to eat small fish and shrimp?????????

Plus a _kissing_ Gourami indicates there should be two.


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## NStarr (Jun 3, 2011)

tkbellwood said:


> I also thought that Mollies were best off in Brackish water, but in a recent thread several people indicated they had good success with Mollies in fresh water.


Depends on what that success was. Mollies tend to show better coloring, activity, and size when kept in Brackish water. The salt also boosts their immune system, so they're less suspectable to disease. 

Mollies also naturally inhabit salt water marshes and usually transition from full salt water to full freshwater, usually many times a day. Of course, it's difficult to transition them from both multiple times a day, so it's best to keep it right in the middle of salt-freshwater, Brackish.


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## sp33drhno (Jan 8, 2009)

in my opinion the tank will be well overstocked. the shrimp will become a tasty snack in no time, and the gourami will get too big for the tank. also the two angels will probably get in a territory dispute. i have two in a 55, and they don't always get along.

if it were my tank i'd get 15 neon or glowlight tetra, 1 angel, 3 otos and 5 corydoras. one large school looks better than two small schools, imo.


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## gmt980 (Jul 7, 2011)

Thank you for your input guys! It has helped him a lot. Personally, i keep my angel with my 2 balloon mollies and 2 platys using just some conditioning salt to keep them all happy. I think most fish like conditioning salt anyways, so mollys can be kept with other fish if some is put in.

So far the new stocking variations given are:

*1)*7 glowlights, 7 neons, 3-5 ottos, 2 angels
*2)*15 neon or glowlight tetra, 1 angel, 3 otos and 5 corydoras

I also agree with sp33 in saying that one school is better than 2, but he wanted both. And there is no point in having an aquarium if ya cant get what ya want 

We will see if we can get him to drop the kissing gourami. When we researched him online, the common minimum gallons recommended was 30, but it sounds like they need more than that in reality. Also i heard they do well alone, but some tend to disagree.

Well, we appreciate all of your insite and please post more stocking ideas with these fish in mind if you have em.


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## NStarr (Jun 3, 2011)

I'd bump the number of Otocinclus to 5.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

I can only house 1 Angel in my 46g. That being said I think 1 would be max in a tank that size whether they mate or not (as a permanent home in a community) I would also go with black neon tetras. They are bigger. Neons will get eaten. I would also do a school of Cory's and oto's and plant the tank. That gives you a chance to keep shrimp and keep water quality much more stable for longer. I've got 6 Angels 10 black neons, 2 Oto's, 6 Amano shrimp and 5 Ghost shrimp in my 75g.


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## gmt980 (Jul 7, 2011)

The Dude said:


> I can only house 1 Angel in my 46g. That being said I think 1 would be max in a tank that size whether they mate or not (as a permanent home in a community) I would also go with black neon tetras. They are bigger. Neons will get eaten. I would also do a school of Cory's and oto's and plant the tank. That gives you a chance to keep shrimp and keep water quality much more stable for longer. I've got 6 Angels 10 black neons, 2 Oto's, 6 Amano shrimp and 5 Ghost shrimp in my 75g.


Dang only one angel for a 46g. I feel like you could put at least a pair in there. Well i wish he would plant it but he is new to aquariums and he doesnt want the extra work and money involved. So your suggested stocking would be like:

*3)* 1 Angel, 8 Black Neons, 5 otos

The problem is that he already has the other tetras in there and i have not seen black neons in my area.


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## NStarr (Jun 3, 2011)

Then I'd keep the Glowlights instead.

1 Angel, 7 Glowlights, 5 Otos (or something on the lines of that)


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## MissCoryCat (Jul 5, 2011)

For a more peaceful aquarium you might take out the angelfish and gourami (or at least pick out a dwarf species instead). Also the mollies can get bigger compared to some of the other fish and have a heavier bioload. They also often prefer some salt in their water unlike some of the other fish on the list. Otos also like to be kept in groups, I'd say get at least 4.

With these changes I think you'll not risk over-stocking and also have happier fish in the long run.


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