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We are going to need a lot more information here, before we can help you. 1 - What are the dimensions of the tank? 2 - What fish are you keeping? 3 - Are they all the same species? 4 - Was the tank cycled before introducing the fish? 5 - What are the water parameters of the tank? Temp, ph...

Sadly, swords will also require hard water, harder even than the guppies. And the cories really should be kept on sand, as much as possible.

I agree with essjay. Your water will allow a multiplicity of fish species be kept in that tank. And the size of the tank will also open up a lot of options. I'd suggest starting with about a dozen neons for the baseline of your stocking plan. Corydoras (with sand) Smaller cichlids...

I wouldn't increase the ammonia level... Too high and you are encouraging the wrong bacteria... and could potentially harm the plants. The plants are only good at absorbing ammonia at low concentrations... it has to do with the connection between ammonia and ammonium. The plants use only...

Shrimp are very low bioload. I don't know this for certain, but I believe that amano shrimp and platies get along just fine. I know that platies are very good community fish and amano won't be a problem with most community fish. So, I think its all good, but would wait for confirmation from...

What's the lighting situation in the tank? It might be too bright for them. Maybe a bit of floating plants would help.

Uh oh... MTS has set in. That didn't take long. (Multi-tank syndrome)

Look for a rhizome (it looks like a 'horizontal stem').... If the leaves are growing out of a rhizome... and then there's long green roots coming off that as well, then it's anubias. It does appear to be anubias to me. BUt, the key is to check the plant. The rhizome will be fairly obvious if...

Hmmm... this is an interesting one. A few questions: What's the gH and kH of your water? Adding a bit of buffer can help... a calcium carbonate or even sodium bicarbonate could potentially give a boost to the process as the bacteria require inorganic carbon to grow and process ammonia...

"best" is subjective. But, Nerites are some of the best algae eaters in the snail population. I believe Olive Nerite are the least picky and will eat 'just about' any algae. Though, they will likely still require a bit of supplementary food. Nerites can also completely protect themselves...

Are you sure that its the ammonia that's 20 ppm, and not the nitrate? If it has been set up for 4 months, then the ammonia should not be that high... BUT... if that is the case, then you are still in a cycle and that ammonia is poisoning the fish, that's the problem. Ammonia poisoning takes...

Another good question.

What are your water parameters? Generally, you need harder water for guppies. If your water is soft, that's likely the cause of the problem.

We do that sometimes... lol

Guppies are really best with higher pH and some hardness in the water. The guppies of yesterday had a much wider tolerance, but selective breeding to get more specific color strains has made them much more delicate.

Its not really recommended. First, that tank would be too small for nearly any fish that eats algae. Second, the betta would need to be chill with other fish. Nerite snails would be suitable.

It could be stress related, yes. Are any other fish showing those symptoms?

A single ram cichlid is fine alone, or more exactly with small shoalers.

Word of warning on the play sand.... RINSE IT! 5 gallon bucket... pour in some sand (outdoors... on a windy day is best... from about 2-3 feet above, and let the wind blow away the lightest dust). Then, using your hose, add water and mix the water in stir and stir... then pour off the cloudy...

20%-25%

Sounds like it needs to be cleaned. Rinse the media in old tank water.

Always.

Keeping her in a small 5 gallon tank as a quarantine isn't a problem, assuming its cycled. Keeping her long term in there would be an issue. Are there other fish in there now, or can you boost the heater a bit for her? Its possible that you have two males... and this is the less...

I see. So you are working with an existing stock. You are right.... the barbs can handle 78, but that's pretty much the highest of their tolerance. Harlequin rasboras (a bit smaller than the barbs) would fill a similar role in the tank as the barbs and are super peaceful mid-water shoalers...

Are these rams a bonded pair? Or did you just put them together hoping that they would bond? It could be that this female has been rejected by the male and is dealing with that stress... you might need to keep them in separate tanks. Personally, I'd isolate the female in a QT (if possible)...

There's a few things to mention... the temp you choose to keep the tank will be important. GBRs get sick if they are kept in too cold of water... but those other fish are near their top tolerances... 80F (27C) is likely the optimal temperature for all involved here. Next... you are...

Its not as much about roughness. Cories actually sift sand grains through their gills searching for food. They can't do that on gravel

Nice. Ok... well, the answer next is that adding a few more males would likely spread that aggression out. Adding 2 more would work. Keep an eye on that last one. Fish will turn on weak, injured or sick individuals. In the wild, sick/injured fish attract predators, so its not in their best...

This is an old thread. BUT... you are correct. Do not add aquarium salt to the tank. Liverbearers do not require salt, they require water HARDNESS. And whenever adding salt, it is ALWAYS best to dissolve it first, though it should only be used as a remedy for a problem, not a general tonic.

Different species of cories have different hardiness. Some are more tolerant of harder water than others. But, that's because they come from such varied regions of the Amazonian tributaries. They do best on sand rather than gravel as well... so that's something else to consider. Regarding...

Well... the biggest question is regarding the genders of these fish. You said 'he'... but are you sure its a male? Platies are livebearers which means they are constantly looking to breed. Males will harrass females unmercifully, which is why the general recommendation is 2-3 females per...

The most important question is regarding your water chemistry. What are your water parameters? Cories generally prefer soft, acidic water. Platies are best in neutral to slightly alkaline water and with some hardness. As far as their temperaments, they will get along fine. The issues...

We are used to it. Honestly, its better to waffle now with a cycling tank and get the right fish when the time comes... than to go full bash with the wrong fish and then regret it after you find out and you have an uncycled tank. We've seen situations where someone comes in and says they...

ok. Then we are all straight. 56 Liters 12.3 Imp Gallons 14.8 US Gallons

There are multiple reasons for a cycle to crash. The nitrite bacs we are trying to get to populate the tank are the kind that thrive in extremely low concentrations... but when the nitrite builds up too high, we don't get the ones we want. OR... when the bacs use up the minerals they need...

Always better to get more of ONE species than to go with a mix of two and hope that they mix. 12 habrosus or 12 pygmies... gotta choose one or the other, sorry. And I second, Byron's question. The volume of this tank seems to be a question as it does seem to be fluid at the moment.

Since no one else addressed this part, I figured I would. The bacs can go quite a while without ammonia, but would go dormant... we want to avoid that, so we suggest a 'snack dose' every 3-4 days while waiting for the nitrite spike to end. Patience during this part is hard, but it pays off...

I believe that temperature will be fine for them. Regarding adding a second male... the general rule is 2-3 females for every male. So, that ratio still works... though being the lone male in the tank, introducing a new male...might be a bit dodgy. If the new male is significantly smaller...

Also it will become far more skittish and reclusive as it matures.

Bristlenose is a commonly available pleco that would be about 5 inches. And the pic... well it could be any of a plethora of species based on that. Id believe them if they said it was a BN. Lovely fish. Make sure there's a bit of wood somewhere in the tank. They need it for proper digestion...