29g com tank

[I Like Rare Fish]

I’m new to community tanks. I’m going to the store later today to purchase 4 more corys. This is the stock:

4 Platys
4 Amano Shrimp
Pair of guppies
6 Cardinal Tetras
Pair of corys

Can I add 4 corys And perhaps a centerpiece fish like a ram?

 

[anewbie]

Probably not - but there is some missing information. First what species of cory and what species of ram ? Also I would not keep the cardinals with platy for two reasons - first the cardinals prefer soft to very soft warm water; the platy lean towards harder waters. It doesn't mean it won't work to keep them together but it forces a certain amount of compromise.

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

Probably not - but there is some missing information. First what species of cory and what species of ram ? Also I would not keep the cardinals with platy for two reasons - first the cardinals prefer soft to very soft warm water; the platy lean towards harder waters. It doesn't mean it won't work to keep them together but it forces a certain amount of compromise.

The cardinals I bought were captive bred and therefore much safer for PH. I talked to the owner and he said that my ph is fine for both fish. Bronze corys. I’m going to talk directly to the store owner, who knows tons of stuff and ask him what he thinks, because he lives here and knows the water best.

 

[FF_Member146894]

The cardinals I bought were captive bred and therefore much safer for PH. I talked to the owner and he said that my ph is fine for both fish. Bronze corys. I’m going to talk directly to the store owner, who knows tons of stuff and ask him what he thinks, because he lives here and knows the water best.

general hardness (hard or soft water) is not the same as pH and is much more important for a fish's biological functions
platies prefer significantly harder water than soft water fish such as cardinal tetras or corydoras and for that reason should never be kept together long-term (and in my opinion any sort of "compromise" or middle ground of parameters should not be maintained because it will only put stress on both fish)

if your store owner told you that keeping these fish together will work, then I doubt their knowledge or willingness to provide truthful information over making a sale and I would not trust anything further from them

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

I’m sorry, they are neon tetras, not Cardinal tetras. I get them mixed up because they look so similar.

 

[FF_Member146894]

I’m sorry, they are neon tetras, not Cardinal tetras. I get them mixed up because they look so similar.

neon tetras are soft water fish too

 

[otterblue]

You're more knowledgable than me, so my only advice is don't get a German Blue Ram. Their ideal temperature doesn't match the rest of your stocking.

 

[anewbie]

Bolivian rams can live at the same temp as your other stocking but not german blue ram. nearly all south american tetra are soft water fish - natively very soft and while others disagree i believe they will do ok in moderately soft water; most live bearers prefer hard water - i keep mine in moderate soft water (gh 7) and teh swordtails tend to last 5 years and the guppies not as long (but most of these fishes also suffer from poor genetics from heavy inbreeding and this seem to impact guppies more than swordtails and platies. Anyway you didn't mention your gh. The general rule i hear is that SOME softwater fish can adapt to harder (not hard) water better than hard water fishes to soft water but i find tetra and many sa cichild more fragile than platies and swordtails. However there are central american fishes that prefer harder water.

Back to your original question you can add 4 more cory and should but it would be good to know the gh of your water. For a center fish (depending on your water) I would recommend borelli apistogramma as this is a hearty fish that can tolerate a wide range of temp and water conditions - having said that the negative is that it will not dominate the platy in size but of course it will dominate the tetra.

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

My guy Sam, who is the owner of Aquarium Fish Depot, said that captive neons are normally adapted to harder water.

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

You're more knowledgable than me, so my only advice is don't get a German Blue Ram. Their ideal temperature doesn't match the rest of your stocking.

Don’t worry. I don’t really like the way they look anyway. But they need hot water, whereas the community tank is around 78-79 degrees

 

[anewbie]

You keep throwing around generalities and not specifics. You say things like "harder water" but what gh is 'harder' and what gh is your water.

 

[Naughts]

Question: Can I have this fish?
TFF answer: Yes IF you have the APPROPRIATE:
tank size, cycled tank, cleaning schedule for high water quality, GH, temperature, foods, substrate, water flow, shelter from lights and other fish, tank mates aren't aggressive, tank mates won't compete for territories, tank mates aren't too active, tank mates won't outcompete for food...
LFS answer: Yes. Ker-ching.

The answer we like isn't the same one as the fish like.