Hello there
I have a quick question on stocking... I currently have a Juwel vision 260 (260L) with 6 Discus, 8 duplicareus corys and a zebra plec. I have managed to convince my GF we could get more zebras but not to the point I can get a separate tank for the guys. Would adding another 5 zebras being overstocking in your opinion? How many do you think I could have, if any? Everyone seems happy and peaceful at the moment in the tank but I wonder if getting to 15 bottom dweller would not be overcrowding... I do not think corys would ever bother zebras but equally I would not want them to be bullied by the zebras due to lack of space...
Thank you very much for your help!
Florian
Quick question on stocking
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TwoTankAmin
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Re: Quick question on stocking
People have different opinions on zebras. Many prefer to keep them in a species tanks. In the wild you will not find the kind of fish you have with zebras. There is another aspect to all this. The Belo Monte dam in Brazil will more than likely cause the extinction of H. zebra in the wild. Many keepers believe they have a responsibility to preserve these fish in aquariums around the globe. As a result many keepers are also interested in spawning them. This pretty much needs to be done in a species tank to insure the best results.
That said, I had to park a couple of zebras for several years separately from my breeding group. I housed them in a tank with a lone discus pair as it was the only other tank at the time that I was keeping sufficiently warm for zebras. And this brings up another issue. Discus are normally kept in the 80sF and your duplicareus really should be kept cooler. (PlanetCatfish list the following temp. range for this cory: 20.0-24.0°C or 68-75.2°F.) So I would suggest you replace the duplicareus with sterbai which can handle those temps well. (Other corys that will handle discus temps would be amapaensis and oiapoquensis.) Next, I would suggest a bigger tank for keeping six discus as adults. In your current tank when they start to pair, you will have problems. So I would say your current tank is not really large enough long term for what you have let alone more.
You need to insure there is adequate cover for zebras. I suggest one cave per zebra be made available. Spread them around the tank as plecos are a territorial fish. Bear in mind they prefer tight spaces so smaller caves work best. They will also hide in wood a rockwork.
Finally, in terms of feeding, corys and plecos inhabit the same space in a tank and will compete for food there. But discus are grazers who tend to nibble all day long. They will readily feed off the bottom. So you need to insure you feed for zebras after lights out. At this time only the zebra(s) and corys will be eating.
That said, I had to park a couple of zebras for several years separately from my breeding group. I housed them in a tank with a lone discus pair as it was the only other tank at the time that I was keeping sufficiently warm for zebras. And this brings up another issue. Discus are normally kept in the 80sF and your duplicareus really should be kept cooler. (PlanetCatfish list the following temp. range for this cory: 20.0-24.0°C or 68-75.2°F.) So I would suggest you replace the duplicareus with sterbai which can handle those temps well. (Other corys that will handle discus temps would be amapaensis and oiapoquensis.) Next, I would suggest a bigger tank for keeping six discus as adults. In your current tank when they start to pair, you will have problems. So I would say your current tank is not really large enough long term for what you have let alone more.
You need to insure there is adequate cover for zebras. I suggest one cave per zebra be made available. Spread them around the tank as plecos are a territorial fish. Bear in mind they prefer tight spaces so smaller caves work best. They will also hide in wood a rockwork.
Finally, in terms of feeding, corys and plecos inhabit the same space in a tank and will compete for food there. But discus are grazers who tend to nibble all day long. They will readily feed off the bottom. So you need to insure you feed for zebras after lights out. At this time only the zebra(s) and corys will be eating.
What makes the common person uncommon is common sense.
