240g stocking/compatibility help

[BenPen]

Hello,
I'm new to this site and to monster fish and giant tanks in general so I'm hoping someone can give me a hand with stocking a tank I'm going to be setting up in the near future. I'm still in the planning stages and don't have the setup yet, but it's going to be at least a 240g 96x24x25"(LxWxH).
I'm mostly used to smaller tanks(biggest I've had is a 55g) and the small fish and bioloads that go with them. I've had an Oscar(about 3") but unfortunately there was a lid incident and he didn't make it long enough to be part of this 240 set up. That being said I'm not really familiar with these crazy big fish that would muck up 55g in a matter of hours.

So, assuming my filtration is decked out, I'm hoping to stock something along the lines of:
1 Oscar
1 Ornate Biter
1 Black Ghost Knife
6 Silver Dollars
8 Boesemani Rainbowfish**
Is that too high of a bioload?
From what I've read these fish seem compatible but does anyone have any evidence stating otherwise/ recommended purchase size to avoid being food to someone else/ what order to introduce them?
**I love Boesemani rainbow fish and was wondering if anyone has had any luck keeping them with some of the aforementioned fish, Oscars in particular, since they seem to have a similar shape to SDs?
If it's not a crazy bioload and these guys aren't going to murder each other what else would you add?
I'm most interested in keeping the Oscar and Bichir so if that list is asking for trouble what other tank mates would you recommend or would those two alone put me at capacity? I'm planning to attempt a planted tank(yes, I can hear you laughing at me through the screen!) even if that means just a few giant pothos plants hanging off the side and some sort of floating plant or moss to help combat nitrates, but I don't want such a high load that I'd be doing water changes every couple of days.

Bonus question #1, thoughts on multiple Oscars in a tank of this size? From what I understand, your best bet is to get a breeding pair, but what are the odds of successfully keeping more than one in a tank this size if they don't pair up? Is that enough space to keep them from beating each other up?
Bonus question #2, would I have better luck getting answers to my "bonus questions" if I made separate threads? I'm new here and to forums in general so navigating this is a mystery to me.
Sorry for the novel!

 

[Bertie07]

The rainbows will quickly be eaten, otherwise the bio load is fine, you could have quite a few more fish in there if you wanted to, multiple oscars will be fine together usually but there are exceptions, it’s fine to ask more than one question in a thread as well

 

[JohnnyHyde]

Talking about bioload: First rule, which contradicts to many myths and is logical: fish don't produce waste. You do.
If you add low amounts of food, keep the fish in "a little bit more than underfeed" position - you'll save yourself of many troubles like algae, diseases, not stable water parameters and so on so on.
Second thing - filtration. You can keep a single fish, but if you won't have filtration - you'll need to change water frequently. Or you can keep many fishes with very good filtration and everything will be ok.
Now the problem with the fishes and your ideas - planted tank vs silver dollars. I also wanted silver dollars, but all the information i could see on the internet was that they eat plants. So basically what i understood: silver dollars = no plants. period. The only possibility which looks similar and won't eat plants (no idea about uprooting for fun) are meat-eating piranhas.
Also, that size bichir probably won't be good with carpet plants either...

 

[robham777]

Unless you are adding water volume no amount of filtration is going to move the needle on your max stocking level. Without using nitrate absorbing resins or live plants to remove nitrates all fish waste will add to your nitrate accumulation and biological alone will not remove it. The stocking level you propose seems reasonable, and you could probably do more with a large sump or frequent water changes. I agree with Bertie07 about the rainbows being eaten.

Edit: assuming adequate filtration, most people overfilter for redundancy and because determining the amount of biofiltration required is not an exact science.

 

[BenPen]

The rainbows will quickly be eaten, otherwise the bio load is fine, you could have quite a few more fish in there if you wanted to, multiple oscars will be fine together usually but there are exceptions, it’s fine to ask more than one question in a thread as well

Dang, even if I were to grow them out in a separate tank and add them at full size? Dare to dream, I guess.

 

[Gourami Swami]

The bichir will eat the rainbows, Oscar could while they are smaller as well. You bioload is fine. You could do a few Oscars in there. I can't comment on the BGK, don't have much experience with them, but I have seen others keep them in similar situations and seemed ok.

 

[BenPen]

Talking about bioload: First rule, which contradicts to many myths and is logical: fish don't produce waste. You do.
If you add low amounts of food, keep the fish in "a little bit more than underfeed" position - you'll save yourself of many troubles like algae, diseases, not stable water parameters and so on so on.
Second thing - filtration. You can keep a single fish, but if you won't have filtration - you'll need to change water frequently. Or you can keep many fishes with very good filtration and everything will be ok.
Now the problem with the fishes and your ideas - planted tank vs silver dollars. I also wanted silver dollars, but all the information i could see on the internet was that they eat plants. So basically what i understood: silver dollars = no plants. period. The only possibility which looks similar and won't eat plants (no idea about uprooting for fun) are meat-eating piranhas.
Also, that size bichir probably won't be good with carpet plants either...

That’s good to know, the eating habits of silver dollars didn’t even occur to me; I was too busy worrying about the carnivores! Do you think I could get away with it if I provided enough duck weed or something easy for them to munch on?
I don’t really mess with carpeting plants as the majority of them seem to need CO2 to be successful and that’s something I don’t wanna mess with right now. I was planning on some things like anubias and java fern attached to some type of wood or rock as well as something fast growing like an aponogeton. Doesn’t have to be the prettiest thing in the world so the occasional munching wouldn’t bother me as long as plants aren’t being completely decimated. While I love the look of plants, in this application it’s mainly for the filtering properties so if I’m stuck with pothos then I wouldn’t be completely heart-broken.

 

[BenPen]

Unless you are adding water volume no amount of filtration is going to move the needle on your max stocking level. Without using nitrate absorbing resins or live plants to remove nitrates all fish waste will add to your nitrate accumulation and biological alone will not remove it. The stocking level you propose seems reasonable, and you could probably do more with a large sump or frequent water changes. I agree with Bertie07 about the rainbows being eaten.

Edit: assuming adequate filtration, most people overfilter for redundancy and because determining the amount of biofiltration required is not an exact science.

Very true! Guess I should have been more specific about my filtering plans. I was looking into an AquaClear 110, a 55g sump, a sponge filter for added biological, as well as plants. Hoping to have a planted tank but I understand I may be stuck with a bunch of pothos considering what I’m planning to stock. And perhaps I worded that poorly; I’m not trying to get away with over-stocking, but rather wanting to know where I stood with my suggested list and if that would have been considered overstocking with out having a massive sump. Thanks for your input!

 

[BenPen]

The bichir will eat the rainbows, Oscar could while they are smaller as well. You bioload is fine. You could do a few Oscars in there. I can't comment on the BGK, don't have much experience with them, but I have seen others keep them in similar situations and seemed ok.

Dang, it was worth a shot. Thanks for your input!

 

[BenPen]

Unless you are adding water volume no amount of filtration is going to move the needle on your max stocking level. Without using nitrate absorbing resins or live plants to remove nitrates all fish waste will add to your nitrate accumulation and biological alone will not remove it. The stocking level you propose seems reasonable, and you could probably do more with a large sump or frequent water changes. I agree with Bertie07 about the rainbows being eaten.

Edit: assuming adequate filtration, most people overfilter for redundancy and because determining the amount of biofiltration required is not an exact science.

Basically, in all my tanks I try to stock at a level where nitrates are kept at a safe level without the help of a sump even though I intend to have one in this setup. Which is why I like planted tanks so much. I like to play it safe since life happens and who wants to deal with water changes every couple of days anyways? I’m not familiar with fish this large which is why I wanted some insight on where I stood concerning bioload.