alright i think ive finally decided what i want to stock. Could i do an apistogramma, 12 cardinal tetras, a siamese algae eater and some cory's

[nathanm]

Could i do an apistogramma, 12 cardinal tetras, a siamese algae eater and some cory's in a planted fluval flex 123l or would the bioload/ aggression be too much. If so please suggest how i could change some of the fish to make it more suited while keeping the same backbone. I really want some algae eaters in the tank to combat algae but I'm worried about agression on the bottom of the tank with the apisto.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

too many territorial and aggressive bottom dwellers. Apistos territorial, cories bumbling around would anger them. I wouldn't mix them.

 

[mbsqw1d]

I wouldn't go for a single SAE, they do better in groups, 5+ however such a group would require a bigger tank than a 123l

One apisto might be ok, they're mostly aggressive when spawning. Saying that, forget about the corys and get a mating pair of apisto, that'd be fun!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I wouldn't go for a single SAE, they do better in groups, 5+ however such a group would require a bigger tank than a 123l

One apisto might be ok, they're mostly aggressive when spawning. Saying that, forget about the corys and get a mating pair of apisto, that'd be fun!

Or maybe go with cories and a bolivian ram?

 

[Naughts]

What is the GH your source water? London tap water is going to be too hard for those fish.
I have rummies not cardinals, but I keep all the other fish together in a 180l. No aggression so far.

 

[Byron]

Agree with most of the above. The SAE is not workable here, as another member noted; it needs a small group and it gets 5-6 inches which means a larger tank.

You have all lower-level fish, so the upper half of the tank will be "empty." Might want to consider suitable fish for the upper level.

"Algae eater" is a bit of a confusion, because the few species of fish that will (or might) eat "algae" are usually quite selective as to the algae species they eat. Common green algae is easy to deal with, but any of the "problem" algae species are best solved by dealing with the source of the algae problem, which in a planted tank is always the balance of light/nutrients.

 

[nathanm]

What is the GH your source water? London tap water is going to be too hard for those fish.
I have rummies not cardinals, but I keep all the other fish together in a 180l. No aggression so far

I need to change my location, so many people on this forum just talk about water hardness. 1. if I'm buying fish used to London water it could be more harmful to change it 2. I'm mixing ro water and tap water to lower it to like 140-60ppm.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I need to change my location, so many people on this forum just talk about water hardness. 1. if I'm buying fish used to London water it could be more harmful to change it 2. I'm mixing ro water and tap water to lower it to like 140-60ppm.

wow, rude.

They were trying to be helpful. Apparently pointless with some people who are defensive and rude.

 

[Naughts]

if I'm buying fish used to London water it could be more harmful to change it

This is not the case. What the fish (meaning species not individuals) are 'used to' is the water they have evolved in for thousands of years. Any temporary captive habitats do not change their evolution and functioning. So a soft water fish has evolved to accumulate all the [limited] available minerals to ensure it has enough to function. In hard water it will continue to accumulate minerals over and above it's requirements which damages it physiologically and shortens it's life.

However, now the use of RO is identified the hard water itself is not an issue. A specific GH should be achieved so that the range does not regularly fluctuate between 140 and 60ppm.

Other issues have been highlighted however.

 

[Tacocat]

This is not the case. What the fish (meaning species not individuals) are 'used to' is the water they have evolved in for thousands of years. Any temporary captive habitats do not change their evolution and functioning. So a soft water fish has evolved to accumulate all the [limited] available minerals to ensure it has enough to function. In hard water it will continue to accumulate minerals over and above it's requirements which damages it physiologically and shortens it's life.

However, now the use of RO is identified the hard water itself is not an issue. A specific GH should be achieved so that the range does not regularly fluctuate between 140 and 60ppm.

Other issues have been highlighted however.

This is true, but given the fact that these fish are likely locally bred and/or captive bred, they are more resilient to water parameters than wild-caught ones. Therefore although it is safer to have their natural water params, having neutral parameters will likely work just as well(referring to pH 7) However for GH it is probably better to have the correct parameters because of the problems mentioned above.

 

[Kolykaf]

Mixing R/O with tap is a good idea, although captive bred apistos are not as fussy when it comes to water parameters. Since you plan on keeping one apisto I'd say go for the corydoras. It's true that the cories may face some aggression with a spawning pair, but a solo should work fine. I've kept breeding apistos with cories, but it was in a larger aquarium. I would add something like a red lizard whiptail cat instead of the siamese algae eater. Cardinals are a great choice. I might also add a small school of dwarf hatchets or hockey stick pencils for the top layer.