75 gallon container reservoir facilitate?
I'm planning on setting up a 75-gallon 48x20x20in (120x50x50cm) aquarium and these are my planned fish to keep:
1. 1 pair of Sturisoma festivum - both are 2 in already
2. 17 mixed species of Corydoras (I use Mike Wickham's 1 cory for each 5 gallons of water rule) - all 1 surrounded by.
3. 15 Upside down catfish (Synodontis nigriventis) - all 1 in.
4. 10 Glass catfish (Kryptopterus minor/bicirrihis) - all 2 within.
5. 1 pair bristlenose or dwarf peckoltia - 1.5 in.
I was wondering whether it's too over-crowded because I haven't even bought the fish yet.
Three more things, is java moss a messy plant like cabomba that always shed leaves, beacuse I have trouble with my cabombas' leaves always stuck in the filter. Also, is it risk-free to remove and replant the plants from the bulbs of the tiger lotus or will they die? And how do I make my bacopas grow their "hair"?
Answers: Hmm. Well with the fish stocking, firstly Corys like to be surrounded by groups of their OWN species, not 17 different ones. Each species does have slightly different requirements as well, some are sub-tropical, some more high-end tropical etc. If I were you i'd choose Corys (17 of one species, or two groups of 8 for two different species) OR the synos. Otherwise it's going to be a complete heap of fish at the bottom of the tank, and will be awkward making sure adjectives are fed.
The other stocking, maybe have a smaller group of the Glass Catfish - they get hold of fairly large at around 4"-6". You are listing juvenile sizes, not fully fledged sizes. An adult Bristlenose can get 4"-6" and around 2" across at the head. Various Cory species come surrounded by several sizes too, from around 1" up to 3", and then Brochis (which look like large Corys) attain 4"-6".
Java moss is definitely not as messy as cabomba - but cannot be planted in the substrate, it must be bound to a piece of decor. As for bacopa, and the cabomba's leaf loss, what lighting do you own? It may simply be they need stronger lighting - planted tanks need lighting upgrades - and better feed with fertilisers. What is the bulb you have in nearby currently? Bacopa does best with over 3 watts per gallon - average tank bulbs are usually lower than 2 watts per gallon. For a successful healthy planted tank you need more close to 5 watts per gallon! Not sure about the lily, never had one.
Go for 10 of respectively on the three catfish groups and add another 10 algea eaters. Expect the number of fish to go down over the coming weeks as they redistribute themselves surrounded by the water, do not replace the dead ones just carry the refund. What you have left would be the great number for your tank. As long as they are all under 2 inches it is not crowded however but as they grow larger to not add any more.
Growing plants is difficult to do as it requires constant monitoring and water filter and conditioning. If the water is not kept clean the java moss will become a haven of algae and it'll grow like a massive clump of unpromising hair day. My experience with plants is they other die when I replant them :b
