50G Community Tank

[Alba_Buzz]

OK, i Have a 240 Litre tank, 4ft on its longest side. It is lightly planted, and filtered by a fluval 305 external filter and supplemented by a fluval 2+ internal filter. At present it contains a school of 8 blackskirt tetras, 2 peppered corys, 2 clown loaches(2"), a bristlenose plec(2") and 3 otto cats. It does have a dozen guppies just now, but these are moving home soon.

Water is quite soft and pH is pretty much 7 in the tank. Its 8.4 from the tap, but a bag of peat in the filter and a small piece of bogwood stabilise this. I do add a little aquarium salt when changing water weekly, but its a small amount. If i tripled it i might be closer to achieving brackish water, but that wont suit my fish, or the plants. I've always done this, and none of the fish complain.


So the question is, what would you add?
There are some changes that i am already considering, but i would like the opinions of all here, and don't want to pollute your ideas with my own thoughts.

 

[crazyforcordoras]

Take out the Clown Loaches, they will outgrow the tank. Then add 4 more cories, for starters.

 

[denzil1nil]

be carefull adding salt weekly im no expert but im sure it doesnt just go away once its in the tank.

So I think its possible you may endup with brackish water anyway if you continue to add salt weekly

 

[Alba_Buzz]

be carefull adding salt weekly im no expert but im sure it doesnt just go away once its in the tank.

So I think its possible you may endup with brackish water anyway if you continue to add salt weekly

You're right in a way about the salt, it cant evaporate or anything, but approx 20% of it comes out with the water every week when i do a water change. I literally only add a large teaspoon to each bucket of fresh water. Its probably not enough to make much of a difference, but its always been that way, so I see no good reason to change it. I wouldn't go to full brackish due to the ottos loaches and corys, none of whom are fans, but i think the little thats in the water will help the fish with their osmoregulation.

I meant to say above, i keep the water at 25.5 C. Why the half? Well, i last set the heater at 26, and the thermostat on the other side of the tank says 25.5, and i know of no reason to change it.

Take out the Clown Loaches, they will outgrow the tank. Then add 4 more cories, for starters.

Why more cories? Apart from the fact these 2 i have are 2 years old already.

 

[Blitz]

Why more cories? Apart from the fact these 2 i have are 2 years old already.
More cories because cories are schooling fish. They're bottom dwelling, schooling fish.

And yes, I suggest you take the clown loaches out, they'll out grow the tank big time.

If that was my tank, what would I add... hmmmm... maybe add different kinds of tetras? Like a big school of neon tetras? Or a school of 6 platys?
I really don't know, I stink at giving stocking advices and I'm really not feeling good right now.

 

[Alba_Buzz]

More cories are on my list, i just wondered why they were suggested. I hadn't realised they were a schooling fish. Those poor 2 have only had each other for company all this time! Hopefully they dont have to be the same kind (peppered) do they, as i quite like the panda cory.

Are there any big fish that could be recommended. The idea is to replace the smallest fish (the guppies) with something big. The blackskirt tetras are about the biggest apart from the bottom dwellers. google hasn't helped so far.

 

[Tizer]

corys like to be with the same kind, some do mix and match but peppered corys like lower temperatures, 22 degrees max, while clown loaches prefer higher temps of 25+. So really, not the bext mix. While people are telling you to get rid of your clown loaches, at 2 inches, they will be fine for a couple of years in a 4 foot tank, however, they do grow big and again, need to be in larger groups than just 2, else they are shy fish and get stressed easily.

 

[Alba_Buzz]

corys like to be with the same kind, some do mix and match but peppered corys like lower temperatures, 22 degrees max, while clown loaches prefer higher temps of 25+. So really, not the next mix. While people are telling you to get rid of your clown loaches, at 2 inches, they will be fine for a couple of years in a 4 foot tank, however, they do grow big and again, need to be in larger groups than just 2, else they are shy fish and get stressed easily.

I wasn't gonna say, but you said it for me, I was planning on holding onto the loaches as long as I can, in the hope of getting a 400L+ tank. Both have co-existed for over a year now, although i know thats not exactly a lifetime, and the temp is kept at 25, so maybe a touch too high for the corys. I originally had 3 loaches, but stressed one out when i moved them from the 64l to the 240l tank. I cant decide wether to just get another 3 baby loaches (they come about 1" long at my lfs) and upgrade the tank within a year, or wait with just 2 loaches until i get the tank first. Of the 2 loaches that are left, 1 is reclusive and only comes out at night, and the other, well, he thinks he's a guppy, as he swims with them, mimics them at feeding, the works. The one that died was like that too (in the old tank), but became a recluse, in the new one, went pale, and died after a few weeks

 

[LucyB]

Uuuum I have been told cories would die if you added salt to their water? Someone explain!

 

[Tizer]

salt burns them, thus they die of stress

 

[Alba_Buzz]

Uuuum I have been told cories would die if you added salt to their water? Someone explain!

I think if anything this conversation just shows that sometimes the 'rules' about fishkeeping, are more like guidelines. So far i've got these 2 year old peppered cories whose water has too much salt, are slightly too warm, and kept in too small a school, yet they have thrived, are active, and grown as big as i've ever seen peppered corys get. 2" long and an inch wide.

 

[LucyB]

Uuuum I have been told cories would die if you added salt to their water? Someone explain!

I think if anything this conversation just shows that sometimes the 'rules' about fishkeeping, are more like guidelines. So far i've got these 2 year old peppered cories whose water has too much salt, are slightly too warm, and kept in too small a school, yet they have thrived, are active, and grown as big as i've ever seen peppered corys get. 2" long and an inch wide.

Yeah, I have 3 cories and they are fine in a small group aswell

 

[MrCavs]

The only problem ive had with this site is people telling you what you should'nt do.....If everyone had to keep clown loaches in 5 ft tanks no one would have them, All fish start small and get big.....the onus is on the owner to provide the bigger tanks as the fish grow. Not posters saying no to a 2' clown loach! If the plan ( long term ) is to move stuff to a bigger tank Silver sharks are my suggestion.

 

[Llegmore]

The only problem ive had with this site is people telling you what you should'nt do.....If everyone had to keep clown loaches in 5 ft tanks no one would have them, All fish start small and get big.....the onus is on the owner to provide the bigger tanks as the fish grow. Not posters saying no to a 2' clown loach! If the plan ( long term ) is to move stuff to a bigger tank Silver sharks are my suggestion.

We don't advise newcomers to the site to keep fish in tanks they'll outgrow because we can't always be sure that they'll eventually upgrade. It's best to appear a little harsh and get the message across than pretend it's all OK and condemn the fish to a cramped life.

I personally have raised two little clown loaches from a couple of centimetres long in a 160 litre community and I'm upgrading them to a 240 litre at around Christmas time. There's nothing wrong with this as long as you plan for the future and make sure that the fish are always in a tank spacious enough for them to be comfortable in.

Some fishkeepers also believe that fish will grow to the size of their tank and by keeping young versions of large growing fish (such as clown loaches) in small tanks, their growth will be stunted, shortening their life-span. I personally don't agree with this but many do support it.

Sorry for ranting, Alba Buzz.

In terms of your stocking, cories do like to be in groups of their own kind. Peppered cories are my personal favourites and they're really worth having a shoal of 8+. I can't really recommend anything large. Angelfish maybe, although you'd need to start with a large group and with the loaches + cories you'd be overstocked.

Small fish are really impressive in large groups though. Get a big shoal of neon tetras. They rock.

 

[Alba_Buzz]

Theres a lot of "dont do's" on any forum, no matter what the subject. I never intended starting fights and thank everyone for input, wether or not i or anyone else agrees with it. A forum is after all, an open discussion.

Now, my father in law once kept sharks, and they got to about 4" and no bigger iirc, which i thought was quite small for sharks. I dont think they'd do well in my tank if they get bigger, for the same reason as my 2 loaches. I'd love more loaches, but as i think we've been over above, my tank is a touch too bright, and cool, and despite being 4feet long, will eventually be too small.

I have kept shoals of neons, and do like them a lot, but i've got lotsa guppies which seem so small in the tank, and unless i add a LOT of neons, ie a dozen or more, they'd be lost in the tank (fluval roma 240)

I dont believe in the theory on fish stopping growing, or stunting. First, i think its cruel to treat them like that, as i think it will harm them long term and secondly, some fish just dont know to stop growing! My 64 litre tank had an 8" pleco who showed no sign of slowing down. he's now apparently over 10" in a 500 litre tank, and growing.

We have found a new home for the guppies, and have put flame tetras x6 in there for now. Undecided on the cory/loach situation though. likelihood is for 4 new corys and 3 new ottos to give 6 of each. Then wait and see how we feel in 6 months about the loaches/tank size.