Looking for stocking suggestions

[Digsy]

I lost interest in the hobby for awhile and didn't bother putting anything new in my tank for a very long time. There's so little in it now and I'm getting the urge to add something new again and need some help deciding which fish to add.

105 gallon, current inhabitants - 5 zebra loaches, 1 bristlenose pleco, 3-4 kuhli loaches, a few otos, 3 rummynose tetras (I used to have around 25 but lost them all one by one over the last year and a half). This is a low tech planted tank so, no CO2, 30% water changes 1x/month, nothing fancy. I want to keep the maintenance level the same as I'm expecting my first child in December and won't have time to devote to anything really picky, like discus. I'd appreciate any additional suggestions, issues you foresee or changes to numbers based on your experience with the fish.

Fish I'm thinking about:

- Building my Rummynose school back up to full strength, probably around 30 fish total.

- Some other type of tetra school, most likely Congos

- 8-10 roseline sharks

- 8-10 angelfish of some sort, I'm very unfamiliar with them but like that they are not spastic swimmers and seem a little more relaxing to watch

- Other suggestions?

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi Digsy,

Welcome back and congratulations! I remember your 105....a really nice tank!

I like angels but even 4 in a 45 gallon with about 9 Rummynose required me to do a water change at least 2X a month.....especially when they got larger. I like Rummynose, Cardinals, Rasboras, with a nice school of Cory sterbai. Another nice species are Rainbowfish. I have Turquoise Rainbows and they are peaceful, colorful, and active and they don't eat my plants.

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi Digsy,

Welcome back and congratulations! I remember your 105....a really nice tank!

I like angels but even 4 in a 45 gallon with about 9 Rummynose required me to do a water change at least 2X a month.....especially when they got larger. I like Rummynose, Cardinals, Rasboras, with a nice school of Cory sterbai. Another nice species are Rainbowfish. I have Turquoise Rainbows and they are peaceful, colorful, and active and they don't eat my plants.

 

[Digsy]

Thank you Roy! It is a nice tank, it's been a shame that I've neglected it so much. I briefly tried to sell it but when that didn't work, I started to get a renewed interest in getting it back into shape.

Your opinion and several others have convinced me that angels are probably not a good pick for my situation so, I'm glad to narrow things down there. I know my rummies are probably lonely so, if I don't beef up their numbers, I will probably just part with them and go with something else. I had a hard time finding a source for healthy rummies too, which doesn't make it any easier. I used to have bosemani rainbows but found that their frenzied swimming, particularly at feeding time, made it very difficult for all of my bottom feeders to get anything to eat so, while I think they're beautiful, I don't think I'll keep them again.

At this point, I'm looking most at either just a school of rummynose, adding a school of congo tetras or the roseline barbs. Anyone have any pros or cons of those suggestions that I should consider?