Help me stock a 300 gallon!

[CaptainAquatics]

Hello all!

I need help stocking a prospective 300 gallon aquarium. I’m hoping to get this tank in the next year as an upgrade for some of my current fish. Here is the current stocking list:

1x silver arrowana (NN)
2x Oscar’s (NN)
1x Rocket Gar (PN)
1x Fire Eel (NN)
3x Dinosaur Bichirs (PN)
1x Ornate Bichir (PN)
1x Common Pleco (PN)
4x Featherfin Catfish (PN)
2x Severums (LN)
1x Firemouth Cichlid (LN)
2x Pictus Catfish (PN)

NN = Non Negotiable
PN = Possible negotiable
LN = Likely Negotiable (may not be adding them anyway)

What I’d love to have is some type of stingray, and or a gar! Also at least 2 of the bichirs are NN.

The tank dimensions I’m going for are:
6’ - 8’ Long
3’ Wide
2 - 3’ Tall

Water changes are AT LEAST 50% weekly. Often times more.

 

[FINWIN]

Your first four selections are already a helluva load...forget 6 ft looking at around 10 ft or more. I'll let someone else chime in. Best to think maximum sizes to avoid trouble down the line.

 

[Joshuakahan]

Hello all!

I need help stocking a prospective 300 gallon aquarium. I’m hoping to get this tank in the next year as an upgrade for some of my current fish. Here is the current stocking list:

1x silver arrowana (NN)
2x Oscar’s (NN)
1x Rocket Gar (PN)
1x Fire Eel (NN)
3x Dinosaur Bichirs (PN)
1x Ornate Bichir (PN)
1x Common Pleco (PN)
4x Featherfin Catfish (PN)
2x Severums (LN)
1x Firemouth Cichlid (LN)
2x Pictus Catfish (PN)

NN = Non Negotiable
PN = Possible negotiable
LN = Likely Negotiable (may not be adding them anyway)

What I’d love to have is some type of stingray, and or a gar! Also at least 2 of the bichirs are NN.

The tank dimensions I’m going for are:
6’ - 8’ Long
3’ Wide
2 - 3’ Tall

Water changes are AT LEAST 50% weekly. Often times more.

I think you’re pretty much fully stocked with your NNs

 

[tlindsey]

stingray, and or a gar!

Too many bottom dwellers for a stingray imo.
A true like a Florida may work but your smaller rocket gar may be in danger of becoming a meal if Florida Gar catches it.

 

[Joshuakahan]

Too many bottom dwellers for a stingray imo.
A true like a Florida may work but your smaller rocket gar may be in danger of becoming a meal if Florida Gar catches it.

Yep, the sizes of his choices don’t mesh at all IMO

 

[fishhead0103666]

My $0.02 is I wouldn’t put senegal bichirs or pictus catfish with an Oscar simply due to body shape and the spines on the pictus could take the Oscar out with it.

 

[FINWIN]

Had an idea. Maybe you alter your dimensions a bit to accomodate 10ft if possible?

So instead of say 8' Lx 3'W x2'H (I'm tossing the 6ft) this is around 360 gallons

10'L x 2.5'W x2'H around 374 gallons

Your prime picks include very meaty fish with lots of bioload so the volume would work better than a 300gl. I've never had an arowana but from what I've seen they do better swimming length wise than in circles.

 

[aquaticeye]

Silver is viable in a 6 footer for a while, but ideally not forever

if starting from a baby silver you'll have at least 2-3 years before you might want to consider upgrading to an 8 footer or bigger

Are you sure you don't want to consider a black aro? Honestly look a lot better than a traditional silver aro IMO

fun to think up stock lists though stock list adjustments live rent free in my brain

 

[CaptainAquatics]

Thank you all for your advice!
I’ll keep everything noted.

 

[jjohnwm]

Every time one upsizes one's largest tank, it's really easy to get carried away with ideas about stocking; the new tank, especially when empty, looks like an ocean. And every time, one realizes shortly afterwards that their new XXX-gallon is still pretty small compared to any natural body of water. It's just as easy to overstock and overcrowd a 300-gallon tank as it is a 10-gallon.

Your tank may look a bit sparse at first, but even if you get only the three must-have species, it will still be very fully-stocked in a year or two. And even with just those three...you will still be doing plenty of water-changing, or at least you should be.

Four or five big healthy fish are much more attractive than 15 or more stressed-out, listless overcrowded specimens.