40 Gallon Breeder Stocking

[Quetzel11]

Going to keep try to keep this short-ish. I haven't had any tanks for 4 years, and am just now getting back into the hobby by setting up a planted 40 gallon breeder. I've got all the hardware, and will start cycling it within the week, but I wanted to run the stocking scheme by some folks who might be more knowledgeable about this size tank than myself. I've never done anything with a setup like this, so there's a good bit of uncertainty surrounding what to do about stocking it. I'm tentatively looking at:

1 Spotted Raphael Cat
1 Leopard Ctenopoma
1 Sengal Bichir

Filtration is a Fluval 306, planning on bi-weekly 25-30% water changes (weekly if needed, will see how it shakes out)

So all that said, I have two questions today:

1: if the prospective stocking scheme is acceptable in the first place.

2. If it is, do any of you guys have suggestions for something somewhat smaller than the others that I could add 2-3 of to liven things up (dwarf gouramis, rams, that sort of thing), and that could avoid becoming food for the bichir and ctenopoma?

My experience with senegals is limited to a single juvenile I had for only a short time before tearing down my old tanks, so I don't know the upper range of what they'll hunt down at max size, and ctenopoma I've never kept at all, so the problem is the same for them.


Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[tlindsey]

Going to keep try to keep this short-ish. I haven't had any tanks for 4 years, and am just now getting back into the hobby by setting up a planted 40 gallon breeder. I've got all the hardware, and will start cycling it within the week, but I wanted to run the stocking scheme by some folks who might be more knowledgeable about this size tank than myself. I've never done anything with a setup like this, so there's a good bit of uncertainty surrounding what to do about stocking it. I'm tentatively looking at:

1 Spotted Raphael Cat
1 Leopard Ctenopoma
1 Sengal Bichir

Filtration is a Fluval 306, planning on bi-weekly 25-30% water changes (weekly if needed, will see how it shakes out)

So all that said, I have two questions today:

1: if the prospective stocking scheme is acceptable in the first place.

2. If it is, do any of you guys have suggestions for something somewhat smaller than the others that I could add 2-3 of to liven things up (dwarf gouramis, rams, that sort of thing), and that could avoid becoming food for the bichir and ctenopoma?

My experience with senegals is limited to a single juvenile I had for only a short time before tearing down my old tanks, so I don't know the upper range of what they'll hunt down at max size, and ctenopoma I've never kept at all, so the problem is the same for them.


Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Welcome aboard

I personally say the stock is fine just make sure there is no big difference in size among them.

 

[fishhead0103666]

I'm literally watching my ctenopoma right now. They will get to about... I'm not sure exactly. Mine is roughly 6 inches and that's how big they are said to get but I once saw one that was 8-9 inches. I'm not lying, I swear. Anyway, as long as you don't have them with anything they can fit in their mouth they'll be good citizens. I keep mine with cories so you can get an idea.
How about pearl gouramis? They are also kept with my ctenopoma

 

[J. H.]

We discussed ctenapoma size in this thread: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/20-gallon-long-stocking-ideas.696814/#post-7854021
Here is that same on, even biggernow, with some tankmates and commentary from its owner you can check out:

They get really beasty, but it takes a while. Should be safe in a 40 - not sure what you can keep with it full grown, but until then....

 

[fishhead0103666]

Bottom feeders, bristlenose plecos come to mind.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

A few large rainbowfish may work in your tank,adds a splash of color

 

[fishhead0103666]

Giving me ideas man.... ^

 

[J. H.]

We discussed ctenapoma size in this thread: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/20-gallon-long-stocking-ideas.696814/#post-7854021
Here is that same on, even biggernow, with some tankmates and commentary from its owner you can check out:

They get really beasty, but it takes a while. Should be safe in a 40 - not sure what you can keep with it full grown, but until then....

Sorry, the owner of that ctenapoma says " told I could keeep it in a 40, but that's not true.... got 2-3 years in the 40, though" (probably misquoted, 1:00)

 

[fishhead0103666]

The people that keep oscars in 40 gallon breeders peobably wouldn't see any reason not to keep a 10 inch one in a 40 breeder. Now that I think about it, they are a more sedentary species then oscars so they would be better then an oscar for a 40 breeder. Right?

 

[J. H.]

The people that keep oscars in 40 gallon breeders peobably wouldn't see any reason not to keep a 10 inch one in a 40 breeder. Now that I think about it, they are a more sedentary species then oscars so they would be better then an oscar for a 40 breeder. Right?

definitely.