Aquarium volume Q's, am I overstocked?

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Gary is right mostly Malawi, I think Mbunas but I can see a Midas or Midevil Cichlid in the middle and I think I see a Green Terror at the back?

Really good news on the tank though I wouldnt worry about 40cm vs 45cm, I wonder if 45cm is the width of a standard US tank? I think I've seen reference to SF using standard tank sizes for things like this rather than an actual requirement.

I'd probably say you have some space in there to add something new if you wanted too as well not sure what to suggest though... some of the fish are too small for a feature fish like a cichlid (which is my go to) but you could look at doing a big school of a small species as an extra feature to the tank. Like a big school of Galaxy Rasboras or Emerald Rasboras 15-20 of them?

Looking forward to seeing you get this set up!

Wills

Thank you so much! You helped me so much when I was struggling hard to scape this tank, I felt bad when I decided so soon that it had to go, lol! But it'll be better for the fish, and I think the scape options will be so much better in a longer tank anyhow
You're right, 40 vs 45 cms width shouldn't be a big deal and I'm overthinking it. The main thing is that they're not one of the plecos that get huge, so they shouldn't be cramped in a 120 by 40, and they have plenty of water volume. The American standard sized tank being what they use makes total sense too! I forget that there are some differences in US to UK aquariums. I wish the 20g long tank that's so available there was available around here more. Good for beginners, and would have worked well for my pygmy colony.

As for future upper levels stocking, I'm not worried about centrepiece fish or large ones like angels. I'm thinking about possibly the red neons (psuedomugli luminatus) going in there? Especially if I can get them to breed and raise the fry... long term dream, after the tetra and livebearers go, I'm thinking about maybe group of the red neons and a group of the celebes rainbows flitting about the top levels, while the cories bumble about below... I liked both when I saw them in the store tanks the other week, and even more when I saw them together in their gorgeous display tank together and he said they can live together! Since I was also able to get some luminatus from that hobbyist friend in trade, seems like it's meant to be, maybe!

 

[GaryE]

If I have a filter that flows in such as way that it affects the bottom, then I am looking for Corydoras. I once had a tank with about 50 Corys and no other fish, and it was one of my favourites to sit and watch. Those little guys do things.

I have a 15 gallon, sand substrate tank right now with only Scleromystax barbatus, a fish that used to be called Corydoras barbatus. I'm hoping I can get them to breed again - I used to have lots of them and want to get back to that.

That whole idea of centrepiece fish, levels etc is fun, but. I don't know if you're tall, but I am and in a tank 3 feet from the ground, I can't see surface fish anyway. What the aquarium world needs now is Corys, sweet Corys. With killies, it's the only thing that there's just too little of.

 

[Dexter Leopard Frog]

If I did I doubt that it would matter to me as it would just be a visit.

And they would probably be confused and ask you to use Liters

 

[Byron]

To the Corydoras, you have 18 which is fine, but you have space for many more. My 70g tank which has almost the same footprint (it was 120cm by 45cm) had 60 wild caught Corydoras for several years. Fry appeared often, usually when I cleaned the canister filter and almost always found one, two, or once even five, in the bottom chamber. Obviously hatched and got sucked in.

This assumes the "medium" cories. Schleromystax species are a very different thing. Males can be aggressive and are territorial. The Corydoras species are not, except for the species in lineage 1 according to Ian Fuller; these are not the common species so less likely to be seen in most stores.

I am in agreement with several sources (including Ian) that in general do not recommend other substrate fish with Corydoras, so you can increase their numbers for their benefit. Some of the loricariids are OK, I've had Farlowella vitatta, Rineloricaria parva, R. sp. 'red lizard,' Hypancistrus zebra, and H. furunculus in various tanks with cories. But none of the loaches and similar, as they can be too competitive for food, as well as territory.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

To the Corydoras, you have 18 which is fine, but you have space for many more. My 70g tank which has almost the same footprint (it was 120cm by 45cm) had 60 wild caught Corydoras for several years.

Eeeekk! Don't tell me that... there are so many cories I'd like to keep! More than I'd be able to in several lifetimes, by the sound of it

This assumes the "medium" cories. Schleromystax species are a very different thing. Males can be aggressive and are territorial. The Corydoras species are not, except for the species in lineage 1 according to Ian Fuller; these are not the common species so less likely to be seen in most stores.

Interesting, thank you! I didn't know there were any cory species (and don't know the lineages, although I've been planning to join Corydoras World for a long while, as well as wanting to get a print of some of Ian's wonderful art!) that can be more territorial/aggressive, but with such a variety of species I shouldn't be that surprised. But as you say, those are only likely to wind up in the hands of serious corydora keepers, not your average hobbyist buying from a store, so not a worry for here.

I am in agreement with several sources (including Ian) that in general do not recommend other substrate fish with Corydoras, so you can increase their numbers for their benefit. Some of the loricariids are OK, I've had Farlowella vitatta, Rineloricaria parva, R. sp. 'red lizard,' Hypancistrus zebra, and H. furunculus in various tanks with cories. But none of the loaches and similar, as they can be too competitive for food, as well as territory.

NCaquatics also successfully kept some of the more unusual species like farlowella's, and even some hoplos with her mixed cory school, and loved seeing those pics and videos. I'm not there yet in terms of experience or research to think about whiptails and other oddballs, but maybe in the future!

I do really like the botiid loaches a lot. When I inherited dad's tank there were two yoyo (or possibly similar looking species, hard to tell when they were adults and most photos show juvenile markings) loaches in there, and I loved them. He had been keeping them with a few cories, neither species in large enough numbers though, and I agree, I don't think they'd be good living together, with the way loaches can be in terms of bullying, territory and pecking orders, while cories don't even seem to be aware of those concepts! But while trying to rescue dad's tank I wound up researching the fish he had so I could try to get some friends for them, wound up increasing the bronze cory school and then them breeding, but I decided against getting more loaches in the end. He'd had those two for years and I couldn't even be 100% of the species, and knew I'd only be able to get juveniles even if I'd known, and no telling how it would have gone to try to integrate them into a group. One was clearly the dominant, I think a female since chunky, but she only chased the other one sometimes, and they'd hide out together otherwise, so I decided to leave them as they were and just let them finish their days out with us.

But the research along with having those two made me fall in love with them! It's great seeing large groups interacting with other and clowning around, it's so obvious that they thrive in big groups, so it's sad seeing so many kept isolated as snail eaters or whatever. Clowns are beautiful to admire, but too big for me to consider, but one day I'd love a large tank with a group of 8 or more botiids. Maybe a large-ish group of dwarf chains, yoyos, or one I really like the look of, Sinibotia robusta. But that would be a different type of tank set up to the cories, and not with them of course.

That won't be for a long while though! I'd really like to have some apistos at some point too, I find the fire reds really appealing! So many different tanks I'd love to have *sigh*, but there's never enough space, or time to maintain and enjoy them all! The current two tanks are enough for me at the moment. Having four tanks was definitely too much to handle, and I'd rather spend that time truly enjoying the two, rather than pushing to maintain four.