Maybe livebearers

Hi guys
I am contemplating trying some livebearers, as I realistically never had any, except as a child and some unfortunate guppies.


I have three potential issues:
1. water parameters
2. what fish to choose
3. fish that are still there

For the livebearer experiment I am considering the following tank: 110 cm x 40 cm x 45 cm which would be around 150 liters. It sits now at 25°C with a heater. Has been running around 2 years now.
Inhabitants I cannot move - 7x panda garra (a mixed group of 2 years olds and 1,5year olds), 3x dario hysginon (wild import, has been with me since February), 100+ shrimp, some brotia snails
Inhabitants I can move - 10 white cloud mountain minnows (1,5 years old)


The water though. According to my water provider, I am somewhere around 7-7,5 pH and slightly above 1 mmol (1,13 to be precise), which should put me at a 6°dH. Overall soft water, not very soft. Very low conductivity too (32mS/s). I know livebearers are a hard water fish. Maybe not all?

The fish choice is also problematic. I do not like overly round fish (looking at you baloon mollies, what abomination is that), I was not impressed with the rape behavior of guppies and their genetic weaknesses due to strain overbreeding. Are there any choices?

Tank pictures, now the moss is not cut, I am not in the mood, the second picture is when it was cut




Thank you

What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website (Water Analysis Report) or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

Depending on what the GH of your water is, will determine what fish you should keep.

Angelfish, discus, most tetras, most barbs, Bettas, gouramis, rasbora, Corydoras and small species of suckermouth catfish all occur in soft water (GH below 150ppm) and a pH below 7.0.

Livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), rainbowfish and goldfish occur in medium hard water with a GH around 200-250ppm and a pH above 7.0.

If you have very hard water (GH above 300ppm) then look at African Rift Lake cichlids, or use distilled or reverse osmosis water to reduce the GH and keep fishes from softer water.

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Most common livebearers sold at pet shops have intestinal worms and should be dewormed before being added to an established aquarium. Section 3 of the following link has information on deworming fish.

So much depends on how many good aquarium stores or dealers you have around you. Livebearers are incredibly diverse, though you'd never know looking in an American or Canadian shop. We do, however, get our higher priced rarities from the.... Czech Republic.....

GaryE said:

So much depends on how many good aquarium stores or dealers you have around you. Livebearers are incredibly diverse, though you'd never know looking in an American or Canadian shop. We do, however, get our higher priced rarities from the.... Czech Republic.....

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The Eastern part of the country is on a hard water supplier, same as Slovakia. I know there are clubs here who keep special natural and F1 live-bearers but that is not unfortunate near me or on my water supply. I will go check my numbers and try to convert and come back

Common livebearers are hardwater fish. Some of the really nice ones it's hard to get here are from softwater.

Beastije said:

I know livebearers are a hard water fish. Maybe not all?

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Not all livebearers need hard water. That's just a generalization. Yes, most do need hard water but there are a number of livebearer species that are doing well in soft water.

@emeraldking, do you send fish to the Czech Republic?
If yes, maybe the OP can get some fish from you.