stocking ideas for a 59gal

Joe1985

hello all,
i just got myself a 4ft 59 gal tank and am thinking about adding my 4 angels, 1 Clown Loach and my 4 bristlenose plecos into it, does anyone have any ideas of what else i can add that wouldnt cause too much chaos? is there any americans i can add?
any help would greatly appreciate thanks
:)

Termato

Hi Joe,

I have a few questions I'd like to ask before giving you any stocking suggestions.

I need to some know water parameters for the water you will be using for the fish tanks.

Do you know your gH or kH? If you don't you can find this information by contacting your local water company or taking a water sample to a Local Fish Store.

What is your pH Level?

What tank do you currently have these fish in right now, how big is it?

Just from what you have given so far, I would say to keep the Clown Loachs in the tank their in right now. They don't necessary go well with Angels because they are active swimmers. Here is some more information on them.

Compatibility/Temperament: Peaceful when maintained as a group in larger aquaria with suitably sized non-aggressive fish such as the larger peaceful barbs, danios, rasbora and cichlids; not recommended with angelfish or Discus due to their level of activity. Not a fish for the smaller (under 6 feet) home aquarium. A highly social fish, it must be kept in a group of at least five or six; with fewer than this, subordinate fish of the group will be harassed and other fish in the aquarium may be attacked particularly as the fish matures.

Read more: Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus) Profile

You only have one so he is lonely, they like to be in groups of 5-6 at the least. You could consider making them the main fish for your other tank. How big is the other tank?

Also, are your Bristlenoses ever aggresive towards one another? Males tend to be territorial, especially in smaller tanks. There is a lot of information here on the profiles for Bristlenose Pleco. Just click on the Grey name.

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I would say suitable companions (water parameters permitting) for an Angel fish would be something like a School of Harlequin Rasbora, like 15-25 of them. You could also look into some Cory Catfish. Some species like the Julie and the Pandas would do great. You want all these fish to be in a group of at least 6. They will be healthier and happier this way.

thekoimaiden

As Termato said, all stocking plans are pending based on your local water parameters.

I do have one comment about the Clown Loach: I know they are commonly sold as a good community fish, but they frankly aren't. They are a large fish that needs large schools to feel comfortable; these guys arne't recommended for tanks shorter than 6 feet long. The good news is there are alternative fish that look like clown loaches but aren't nearly as big. Angelicus Loach, Yoyo Loach, Zebra Loach, and the Burmese Loach all look very similar to the clowns but can easily live in your tank.

Joe1985

GH (general hardness): 60mg/L
KH (carbonate hardness): 45 mg/L
pH: 7.5-8 but stays on 7.6 most of the time

2 angels and Clown Loach came with tanks when i bought them, i bought a 65 liter(with the loach in it) and a 75 liter (angels came with it) tanks, second hand obviously and the owner advised me they hasve been in them tanks for around a year and ive had them for another 4 months on top of that, i know they are too small for them fish and ive bought this 4ft set up hoping to put them in and use my 3 smaller tanks for breeding my mollies, would that be a good idea?

Joe1985

and to answer the bristlenose aggression question i have 2 adult females and 2 young ones, the females i put in a tank together n they started fighting but that was in the 75 liter set up i am hoping theyd be ok in a bigger tank? im only keeping the loach is because it came with the tank, yo yo loaches would be proably a better alternative i do agree

Termato

GH (general hardness): 60mg/L = 60ppm which is about 3-4 dGH very soft water

Read more: Water Hardness and pH in the Freshwater Aquarium

This is good information and in my opinion, great water to work with. You have a low gH and Alkalinity so that is why you see the easily fluctuating pH levels. This shouldn't be a problem.

This water is good for the fish you currently have.

I would not add any more Angels as they might kill or harass the new comers. Usually you want to get them all at the same time, unless you want to get new angels for the bigger tank.

Read more: Scalare Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) Profile

You could even consider an Amazon biotope with a school of one of the above recommended tetras or rasboras AND a Bolivian Ram (Or a pair of them) with the new or already present angels. Add a species of Cories in there and you have a full Amazon Aquascape.

If you would like to go community style, you could do the Harlequin Rasbora with one of the species of suggested loaches by TheKoiMaiden:

Personally I like Discus, if you want to try them instead of angels. They are beautiful. You could do 2 of them and still do the rest I suggested.

Lots of options.

Termato

They could be ok, given enough hiding places and real driftwood. They NEED real driftwood. I'm still trying to find more to put in my tanks for both of mine (Their in separate tanks). I had two males in the same 29 gallon tank and they killed on another. Now I only have one per each, but their both males.

Females are not as aggressive so with the new tank you could be fine, in the end you could always take the aggressive one and put it in the 75L you have. Then you would have 3 in the big tank and the aggressive one in the small tank.

You could always try and sell the loache to a good home?

Joe1985

yea a mate of mine has Discus and they are beautiful fish, but my partner and i have fell in love with angelfish so id love to keep them and work everything around them, i was considering selling the loach but i like it and my partner she loves it and its personality so i most likely will keep it but would not have decided to buy one it just came with tank as i said, ive read up on rams but if u get a pair arent they very territorial? and they need alot of space? id love tio get some but dont want anything else aggressive preferrably as the angels r kinda aggressive as is, thanks heaps for ur help :) how can i monitor my GH & KH?

Termato

At least the bigger tank will allow the Clown Loach to have more room.

The Rams will get a little aggressive when breeding if anyone comes near their nest. Byron recommends only keeping One Ram or a Pair if you want to deal with it. You could always just go with one and not have to worry about it. When alone and not breeding, they are so peaceful. They will run away from trouble. Very peaceful fish. You can keep a single Bolivian Ram in a 20 gallon tank. The Bolivian Ram will co-exist with angels and discuss.

You can constantly monitor the gH & kH with a test kit. I would only do that if you will be changing your gH and kH. Instead you could monitor your pH which will fluctuate more. Unless you just want to know the numbers, its not necessary to spend the money on the test kit. In the case you do want to get it, API sells a test kit for gH and kH. THey also sell a general test kit for the freshwater aquarium. Both are water based tests which are most accurate than those strips.

Hope this helps. What fish are you looking at right now to put in with the Angels?

Joe1985

At least the bigger tank will allow the Clown Loach to have more room.

The Rams will get a little aggressive when breeding if anyone comes near their nest. Byron recommends only keeping One Ram or a Pair if you want to deal with it. You could always just go with one and not have to worry about it. When alone and not breeding, they are so peaceful. They will run away from trouble. Very peaceful fish. You can keep a single Bolivian Ram in a 20 gallon tank. The Bolivian Ram will co-exist with angels and discuss.

You can constantly monitor the gH & kH with a test kit. I would only do that if you will be changing your gH and kH. Instead you could monitor your pH which will fluctuate more. Unless you just want to know the numbers, its not necessary to spend the money on the test kit. In the case you do want to get it, API sells a test kit for gH and kH. THey also sell a general test kit for the freshwater aquarium. Both are water based tests which are most accurate than those strips.

Hope this helps. What fish are you looking at right now to put in with the Angels?