stalking and plumbing

teddyzaper

ok so first off i put this in this section because it will mainly be about stalking. i already posted one post but i think it is done so i will start another.
so im going to the fish store today and i would like to get some fish to stalk my 29gal.
what i would love to have is:
cory, prob like 10 pandas
Discus: 2 orange or red ones
eel: peacock eel or a eel of the spiny eel type.
GB rams: german blue rams a mating pair
tetras: like 40-100 rummy or neon tetras

i do have some fish in the tank:
Convict Cichlid: about 4 inches, one of them
spotted Sailfin Pleco: 3-4 inched, also one of them

i got the convict from a person that had babies and didnt want them, and i bought the pleco when i wasnt knowledgable and put it in my 10gal planted. i could give the pleco back to the store but they dont accept convicts so idk what to do with it, but i dont want it. i was hoping when i took the convict that i could give it away once it got bigger. so if anyone lives in washington, near seattle and wants either a nice pleco or a convict just tell me, the convict is beutiful it just wont work with any of the fish i want except mabey the eel if its big enough.

ok so i have some big decitions. i like the idea of have 10 panda cories and mabey 50 tetras of some type. would that be overfrowded? i also like eel with GB rams. Discus would be mostly by itself maby 20 tetras. am i pushing it?


ok so my second problem is my diy sump filter.

i made an overflow and all the tubing and its all sealed. it goes through the filter matirial then through a big pump and back in. for some reason my water lever rises when i get it all going. i know there is prob a very easy solution but i just cant think of it. im pretty shure its that my pump is to powerful, does this means the whole thing has to be very persise? also could i just put a valve in it? and wouldnt that crat to much preasure and have the whole thing spew water all over the floor? i tried a bunch of things but the only thing that worked was take all the water out of the sump, start a suction in the tank and turn on the pump, but that means it runs dry part of the time and makes a huge noise. there is already enough noise in my room, i dont need any more!

teddyzaper

ok so now that i think about it i will get rid of the pleco and the convict and get 10 panda cories and 50neon tetras. it says that will be 124% stocked which is a lil overstocked but i think i could pull it off

teddyzaper

could someone please help me? i dont really know what to do. i am now thinking of rearranging the tank so cories will like it more so how many cories can i put in, i will want a group of like 10 tetras and also i was wondering if i could add some rams to the mix? please someone answer becuase i ordered rams at a lfs and they get them friday. PLEASE!

mollies

If im not mistaken your rams will get large enof to eat your tetras if you went that rout. If it were me i would go with 20 neons, 5 cory, and a rubber pleco. not the rams or the convict or the comon pleco. You should do a lot more research before geting your stock. Check the compatabilty, the ph, the water parmas, the substraight, the temp. ECT. Of each fish that could go together. Now with that said you could do what ever you want. But if some one tells you some thing i would reserch it and make sure it will work. Alot of people on here have experiance. And quite a few like your self are asking for help. We are glad to help. But you will have to listen to what we say. Sorry bout being blunt, but thats the way it is. If i can help any more then just ask. Best wishes to your restocking.......PS also corys need sand for there substrat

teddyzaper

THANKS! i dont mind you being blunt, its the easiest way to get your point across and now i understand. so ive been reaserching for a bit now and i have figured out that my pleco gets up to 7inch, would that still be small enough for the tank. i also figured out that its a 30gal normal tank, so could i put angels in there? i would like about 4 angels and a lot of cories and the pelco. although i oculd also have 4 angels, 2 GB rams, and some cories. would that be overstocked. i would like around 6-10 cories.

Byron

I would not have a 7-inch pleco in a 30g aquarium. If the store will take it in exchange, as you mentioned earlier, I would exchange it for either a small pleco (there are species that max out at 3-4 inches) or the corys. Six to ten corys would work; select minimum 3 of each species for best results (assuming you want different species, or they can all be the same obviously).

A 30g is too small for angels, which should be in a group so 4 is OK but not in a 30g. They need considerably more room to properly develop as they grow or health issues are probable.

A pair of rams would work, but what are your water parameters? The common ram is sensitive to water conditions and requires soft slightly acidic water and warm temperatures (above 80F) which may not suit most corys that prefer it below 80F (78F is fine for most).

Byron.

mollies

I agree with byron>>>>>>>

teddyzaper

my hardness is soft and my water is partially acidic so i think the rams would work. if i took out the pleco and didnt add a smaller one, what other fish could i add?

mollies

As others will say do you have a liqiud test kit? IF not your lfs may test Your water. what is your exact parma's. amon, nitra, nitri, ph, gh, kh, ECT. We need to know that befor we could realy make a recomendation.

teddyzaper

ok well the lfs is like 2hrs away so i cant go there but i can give:
Nitrate 20ppm
nitrite 2.0ppm other two tests said 1.0ppm... should i be woried, just did pwc and dont have filter up yet
hardness 100ppm
alkalinity 150ppm
ph 7.0