Are The Following Fish Ok Together In A Community Tank?

[Akasha72]

that 'darn algae eater' is also a murderous so-n-so .... seriously, don't go there. They've been known to eat some fish alive, latching on to them and eating their slime coat until they die. Horrible little blighters.
 
As for the 'fish guy' .... sounds like a staff member in a certain large British chain pet store. They seem to have at least one in every store lol
 
The best place for advice is here. We have nothing to gain from misleading you and if one person doesn't know the answer to your query someone else always will.
 
From what I've gathered you've got then now is
 
10 neon tetra (all good, a good number to have)
6 Harlequin Rasboras (not too bad but they'd do better in a larger group - similar to the neons, around 10)
6 peppered cories (all good there too)
 
 
So with your tank size I'd look to add 4 or 5 more harley's and if you want to go down the ram route you'll be fine, but I wouldn't add any more than 2. If you can get a paired up male and female you'll get to watch the relationship between them. My rams were kept with harley's and tetras and cories and I never had any problems. You could also add some more cories, although the peppered variety are on the largest side of cory species you could still get away with adding another group of 6 of another type. There are so many different types of cory and the more you have the better as cories are really social fish. I currently have 5 different types of cory in my 240 litre and they all tend to hang out together. My youngers ones all play together, it's really nice to watch

 

[hobby5]

@Akasha
 
I disagree on mixing rams and corys in such a small tank. The rams will constantly have to chase away the corys.

 

[Byron]

Still not certain of the GH (general hardness), but let's assume it is on the soft side as indicated; with the fish mentioned, knowing the exact number is not as significant as it would be if you were considering more demanding wild caught fish.  I would certainly not consider adding any Endler's livebearers, both from the water parameter standpoint and the other fish in this tank size.
 
I agree with Akasha's advice on upping the rasbora, and her other comments too.  But hobby5 has a very good point about tank size and the rams, so I will pick up on this.
 
Mikrogeophagus altispinosus, the Bolivian Ram, is a species that does very well as a solitary individual in a community aquarium.  Observations suggest they frequently live in isolation in their habitat, getting together to spawn obviously, so this is one option.  You certainly do not have space for a group, so I'll move on to a pair which could work.  However, this fish must select its own mate, or either may kill the other in short order.  If there is a tank of several in the store, you should be able to spot the "pairs" that are bonded.  The males will continually challenge one another, charging mainly though actual physical combat may occur depending upon the individuals.  The more restrained and somewhat less colourful fish that remains relatively close to a male and is basically ignored by the male, is a female that the male will likely accept.  This bonding/acceptance is very important; I introduced a female in with my male and they spawned four times before the male killed her; in hindsight there were obvious signs that they were on/off for the few months before the male had had enough.  And this was in a well-planted 5-foot 115g tank.
 
On the specific issue of rams and corys...yes, some corys clearly frustrate rams.  In my 115g, I have over 40 corys, of several species, and on his own, the male Bolivian became annoyed during feeding, since the rams are substrate feeders like the corys.  Corys poke their snouts everywhere, regardless, and some of mine were relentlessly getting pushed aside by the ram.  The corys didn't seem too bothered, they would dart off but return shortly.  I also noted that it was the spotted/blotched species of cory that seemed to annoy the ram the most; some of the others he ignored completely.  But the operative thing here is the space...with so much room, and food in several places, it was much easier for the corys to stay out of the ram's way if they wanted.
 
With a bonded pair, spawning will occur, regularly.  With corys present, don't expect eggs/fry to survive.  Corys are nocturnal, while rams are not, and either the eggs or the shoal of fry will be eaten often at night.  Years ago, I actually witnessed 3 or 4 corys make quick work of a shoal of fry being guarded by the female blue ram during the day; she tried, but the persistent corys with their "armour" protection were no match.
 
Byron.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I have cories with a single male Bolivian Ram.  I've never had any trouble with the ram and the cories.  The Ram (second one I've had with cories) also grabs his pellet and swims away to consume it.  He doesn't fuss with the cories and they don't worry about each other.  I've never seen any interactions between them that would be in the least concerning.
 
Footprint of the tank: 18 inches by 30 inches.  Lots of cover, lots of hidey holes.  

 

[Akasha72]

@Akasha
 
I disagree on mixing rams and corys in such a small tank. The rams will constantly have to chase away the corys.

 
Disagree if you wish but I have personal experience of a pair of bolivian rams in my Juwel rekord 800 with 11 cories, 9 neons,9 harleys and a pair of leatacara curvicep cichlids too and that tank was only slightly smaller than Foz's 125 litre. I never had an inch of trouble. They were in there for around 3 months as young fish until I upgraded to 180 litre and added yet more fish - those being a BN plec and 6 more cories.
 
The rams ignored the cories completely and the cories couldn't have cared less about the rams or curviceps. As cichlids go the Bolivian ram and laetacara curviceps are of the more relaxed peaceful cichlid. You can add the keyhole cichlid too as being on the 'peaceful' cichlid list.
The German blue ram is slightly more boisterous - perhaps it is that one that you are thinking of 

 

[Foz]

Cheers for the help guys.

Currently going to let the fish I already have run the tank for a while, then decide which bigger fish will be suitable and add depth to it. All the small fish are nice, but it's always nice to have something bigger also to add a little depth and variation.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

 

@Akasha
 
I disagree on mixing rams and corys in such a small tank. The rams will constantly have to chase away the corys.

 
Disagree if you wish but I have personal experience of a pair of bolivian rams in my Juwel rekord 800 with 11 cories, 9 neons,9 harleys and a pair of leatacara curvicep cichlids too and that tank was only slightly smaller than Foz's 125 litre. I never had an inch of trouble. They were in there for around 3 months as young fish until I upgraded to 180 litre and added yet more fish - those being a BN plec and 6 more cories.
 
The rams ignored the cories completely and the cories couldn't have cared less about the rams or curviceps. As cichlids go the Bolivian ram and laetacara curviceps are of the more relaxed peaceful cichlid. You can add the keyhole cichlid too as being on the 'peaceful' cichlid list.
The German blue ram is slightly more boisterous - perhaps it is that one that you are thinking of 
 

 
I think one of the other elements is the order in which the fish are added.  In general, if the Bolivian is added last, as a juvenile, it won't have a 'territory' already staked out and the cories will already have found their hiding spots.  Then the Ram knows what real estate is available and each can have its own domain.  They will co-mingle to a certain extent, but I've never seen any aggression in over 6 years of keeping them together.

 

[Foz]

Cheers for all the help guys.

Ok, to update. It won't be any Rams, just the gouramis in the tank with the tetras and the harlequins and corys.

It's probably going to be the dwarf gourami due to it size and also because of the colour, the blue/red colour fits in well with the tank and stands out, where as the plain red or pearl etc just didn't really do it for me if I'm honest. I did like the yellow honey gourami though so who knows.

But for arguements sake, would dwarf gourami (diseases etc aside) be ok in the tank? And if so would tw maes (as females look a tad bland) be ok in it?

So, in a nutshell -

2 males, or 2 males and 3 females?

With the later though it's increasing my number of fish which though acceptable for the tank would just give me less room to manoeuvre elsewhere.

Cheers all.

 

[Akasha72]

if you go with the dwarf gourami have a read up on dwarf gourami disease that way you are well informed about it and can watch for signs of it in any fish you are intending to buy.
 
Good luck

 

[Foz]

if you go with the dwarf gourami have a read up on dwarf gourami disease that way you are well informed about it and can watch for signs of it in any fish you are intending to buy.
 
Good luck

I did bring this up in the shop and they gave me some pointers and suggestions.

With all that being said, which would be better and more idealistic?

2 males or 2 males and 3 females?

If 2 males will play nice and be ok then I will just get those.

Many thanks.

 

[Akasha72]

I can't help you there. I've never kept gourami's and so I'd rather not advise in case I get it wrong I think that two males will fight but I could be wrong 

 

[Byron]

Gourami.  The male of all gourami species is territorial, very similar to cichlids.  Now, as with both groups, some species are more aggressive in defending their space than others, or more intolerant of conspecifics, and sometimes individual fish within a species can vary too.  But in general terms, male gourami are going to have a territory and defend it.  As soon as you have more than one male, you are initiating risk.
 
Second point is that with most species of gourami, it is best to have more females than male.  Gourami males of some species can drive females hard, to the point of death.  Again, species vary, and the tank size also factors in, as well as the aquascape.
 
So, keeping the above in mind, one male and two females (thinking the Dwarf Gourami, or the Honey Gourami, whichever species) would be the best option in the subject aquarium.
 
Now, to the iridovirus.  This is a serious issue, and should be taken as such.  Dr. Neale Monks continually advises in PFK and elsewhere that this species should not be acquired unless you know the breeder source.  This means not the store selling them, but the breeder/farm where the fish were raised.  Many--not all certainly, but many--of the fish are raised in the Far East, and this virus is prevalent.  It is mainly confined to the Dwarf Gourami species Trichogaster lalius, but there is some evidence that it may sometimes spread to other species.  There is no cure once it is present (it is a virus).  So, if you really want this species, track down a local breeder or be certain of where the fish originates.
 
Byron.

 

[Byron]

I think one of the other elements is the order in which the fish are added.  In general, if the Bolivian is added last, as a juvenile, it won't have a 'territory' already staked out and the cories will already have found their hiding spots.  Then the Ram knows what real estate is available and each can have its own domain.  They will co-mingle to a certain extent, but I've never seen any aggression in over 6 years of keeping them together.
 

 
This can sometimes work, primarily with species that both establish territories, but the situation here is different.  Corydoras are not territorial fish, but the Bolivian Ram definitely is.  It is an inherent trait of male cichlids that they have a territory, and in an aquarium with just the one male Bolivian Ram, the entire tank will be its territory.
 
"Aggression" means different things to different aquarists.  I did not mean to imply any physically-damaging aggression previously, but unless the male Bolivian is not in good health it is going to exert its dominance.  As I noted in my situation, this is just an on-going bit of pushing and shoving, and it certainly differed according to the cory species.  My male lived into his eighth year, which is pretty good for a fish with an expected lifespan around four years.  But he owned the entire tank.  Not too long ago I was sitting quietly observing the fish after I had fed them, and I noticed all seven of the Bleeding Hearts were together in the upper third of the tank, something I had never seen previously.  The reason was the Bolivian, who had positioned himself mid-tank a few inches below them, and he was keeping them together out of his way; he simply turned toward any individual who began to stray outside of the group and it returned.  I assumed he had become fed up with their continual poking at the food tablets he was trying to eat.  There was no physical interaction, but the allomones from the Ram were being read by the tetras loud and clear.

 

[Akasha72]

after reading that Byron it would seem I got lucky! My Bolivians were really really good. They were in with my curviceps and they had sorted out territory early on - the rams had the left side to themselves and curviceps had the right side. If either strayed too far beyond the middle the males would dart in, gills flared and the other would just back off. A gentle "oy, get out" warning was enough.
 
Neither cichlid bothered the cories, they were happy to share food but that said I did use to spread the food around the tank. 
 
Because the other fish were middle to top dwellers there was never an issue there either - unless they had fry and the tetra's were after a free feed. I guess it just goes to show how behaviour differs from fish to fish. We constantly tell members not to keep angels with small fish but my angels are great with my small fish and have never tried to eat any of their tank mates. Then I read horror stories of people who add a new shoal of tetra's only for them to be expensive food for large cichlids.

 

[Byron]

after reading that Byron it would seem I got lucky! My Bolivians were really really good. They were in with my curviceps and they had sorted out territory early on - the rams had the left side to themselves and curviceps had the right side. If either strayed too far beyond the middle the males would dart in, gills flared and the other would just back off. A gentle "oy, get out" warning was enough.
 
Neither cichlid bothered the cories, they were happy to share food but that said I did use to spread the food around the tank. 
 
Because the other fish were middle to top dwellers there was never an issue there either - unless they had fry and the tetra's were after a free feed. I guess it just goes to show how behaviour differs from fish to fish. We constantly tell members not to keep angels with small fish but my angels are great with my small fish and have never tried to eat any of their tank mates. Then I read horror stories of people who add a new shoal of tetra's only for them to be expensive food for large cichlids.

 
There may have been some luck, Akasha, but with two cichlid species what you describe is quite possible, though individual fish may decide otherwise.  "Territorial" comes in many varieties.