Community Tank

[dreworz5]

20 gallon (us), external filter, sand substrate

one sidew of tank planted other side pretty open, there is also a cave

6 black neon tetras
3 broze corys----3+
2 albino corys----2=5
2 rams

would this work???

i actually like this set up more that previous one i have tried to run buy you guys. i know a lot of people are trired of me askin questions liek this, but please give me your opinions

 

[smmetz]

forgive my ignorance, but what are rams? is there a longer common name I can search for? Assuming they are not too huge and would be OK with the neons, that sounds like a nice tank to me.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

i think this setup will work. the rams might be aggresive towards the corys though(correct me if im wrong). ram is the common name try looking up a blue german ram or a bolivian ram.

 

[Nevergone815]

20 gallon (us), external filter, sand substrate

one sidew of tank planted other side pretty open, there is also a cave

6 black neon tetras
3 broze corys----3+
2 albino corys----2=5
2 rams

would this work???

i actually like this set up more that previous one i have tried to run buy you guys. i know a lot of people are trired of me askin questions liek this, but please give me your opinions

and i don't mind answering your questions, i have a question about this same thing. i just have lots of info on my "potential" tanks to give. check it out here and give me your input... further down i have my 20 gal set up possibility listed... http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=130006

ok lets run through the math:

6 black neon tetras= 2" each (6)= 12"
5 cory cats (3 bronze, albino)= 3" each (5)= 15"
2 rams= 2.2" each (2)= 4.4"

total= 31.4" of fish/bioload, way over stocked (to most people)

maybe this will work better
5 black neon tetras= 10"
3 cory cat (2 bronze, 1 albino, or whatever you like)= 9"
1 ram= 2.2"

total= 22.2" (not as badly overstocked)

personally i like to give a little room just in case i want to add something

i would personally go with this if i really wanted to add cories and neons and rams.

5 neon tetras= 1.2" each (5)= 6"
3 cory cat (2 bronze, 1 albino, or whatever you like)= 9"
2 ram= 4.4"

total= 19.4" of fish (alittle room to spare)

personally that is what most people will tell you but i have found out that you can really do like 5-10" per layer (top,middle,bottom) and the tank will not be overstocked. like in your first scenerio you have a balance of middle top and bottom and so the set up would work.

its really your decision but i would go with my last scenerio add the cory's let them settle, then add the rams (young ones) and lastly a while later add the neons because they add a bit of color to the tank that i enjoy. but make sure you get larger neons. (you could also reverse the neon and ram order also).

 

[Inchworm]

Hi dreworz5

Your tank sounds like a fine place to keep corys, but I wouldn't keep them with rams. I've heard stories of the rams attacking the corys and biting off their eyes. There are other fish that would be completely peaceful and get along with the corys and neons, so why take that risk?

 

[Dorkhedeos]

jeez, you have huge corys my bronze are barely 2 inches, and ive had them for 3 years already. i doubt that the neons will get to 2 inches, i would think that they will only be 1.5 inches max. you have to remember that things in the wild grow bigger than things in a tank.

 

[Synirr]

forgive my ignorance, but what are rams? is there a longer common name I can search for? Assuming they are not too huge and would be OK with the neons, that sounds like a nice tank to me.

http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/ramcich.htm

 

[Dorkhedeos]

speaking of rams, what is a balloon ram? my lfs is selling something called a balloon ram, but it looks exactly like a blue german ram. is a balloon ram a fat version of a blue german?

 

[Synirr]

speaking of rams, what is a balloon ram? my lfs is selling something called a balloon ram, but it looks exactly like a blue german ram. is a balloon ram a fat version of a blue german?

Yep. It's kinda like a balloon molly, but not to the same extreme.

 

[smmetz]

ram is the common name try looking up a blue german ram or a bolivian ram.

Ah - I used the search tool here on the fish index, but it requires at least 4 characters - so I could not search on "ram". I tried "rams", but got nothing. Thanks for clearing that up for me!

 

[dreworz5]

so will my rams and corys get along ok?? it says in most ram profiles that they are very peaceful.

I was also asking about the corys because everybody told me how i had to have 5. I did not want 5o waste room with 5 bronze, but if i can put some albinos to add variation than i would love to have 5 of them. I want to have the rams to also help add a nice variation. i am not familaure with rams at all as i have never kept them, but i really do want to get them now after researching them, they sound awsome.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi dreworz5

If the bronze and albino corys are the same species (C. aeneus) and they usually are, they will get along fine and you can mix and match them in any way you like. Even if they breed together you will have no problems and it would be quite ethical. Five of them would make a nice group.

Here's a picture of some young bronze and albinos that I raised together:

Rams are cichlids and as such can be aggressive. It's a matter of whether you want to take that chance. If they do turn against the other fish in your tank, are you prepared to re-home them?

 

[dreworz5]

will groups of them make that less likely??

of id thereintroduced last?? cant that help sometime?? as they wont feel asthough the otehr fish are invading there teritorry.

 

[Nevergone815]

jeez, you have huge corys my bronze are barely 2 inches, and ive had them for 3 years already. i doubt that the neons will get to 2 inches, i would think that they will only be 1.5 inches max. you have to remember that things in the wild grow bigger than things in a tank.

i know that the fish probably won't turn out as big. i just naturally assume the largest possible scenario a fish could get in an aquarium. you're right, the chances of a cory getting 3" is slim to none and the chances of having a "full" sized fish. i did though get an emerald cory that is 3.5-4" and the estimated size for them is 4" my albino cories were gotten as babies and they are already like 1.5-2". maybe its something in my water because i also have swprdtails that grew to like 3" from 1.5-2" in like 2 weeks. i am feeding them tetramin tropical flakes and i do keep their water really clean... so i don't know if thats it or what. my emerald though i got when it was returned to the petstore from another person. i din't wantto see the fish die in a tank by this HUGE pearlscale glodfish that kept bouncing around in the tank (literally it didn't swim it bounced) and landing on the poor cory. so i saved him from that life. he could've been in a huge aquarium before that so i don't know if that contributed to his size also.

i have never owned black neons but i have owned the regular neons. and they barely got an inch long each. like i said before i just assume the largest possible size for the fish, this way i am not overstocking it and if the fish don't grow to max potential then i can still add some fish because i have the extra room.

his first scenario should work but i would maybe think about an alternative to the rams. mostly it just depends on the fish's temperment. i have a male CT betta in with a community tank and he lives in peace. he even swims kind of in a school with the platties every once in a while, but i tried some of my male VT bettas and they went right after the platies attacking them... so you never know what could happen.

personally i would take a risk with the rams and just make sure i have a seperate tank lined up just in case they do get aggressive towards your corys. rams are really nice fish to own... the hardest part is deciding what fish would work best.

will groups of them make that less likely??

of id thereintroduced last?? cant that help sometime?? as they wont feel asthough the otehr fish are invading there teritorry.

this could work out really well. give the other fish time to grow and introduce the rams after that. but make sure that the rams are really young so that you can "mold" them into your tank, thats what i did with my CT and the one VT that did work. (to bad i changed my VT for CT in the community they both were good. when i get a seperate tank for my female bettas i will put my VT in with my other community tank)

 

[dreworz5]

i think i will try to stock this scenario, as if there are any problem i will just have to transfer.

I am no antispating my corys to grow to 3" more like 2-2.5, again, i will tranfer if i must.

so..

6 Black neons about 2 inches each = 12"
5 corys about 2.5 inches each = 12.5"
2 Rams about 2 inches each = 4"
------------
28.5" total at adult size

Over stocked by about 4" but the fact that it is a balance of bottow dwelellers, and mid range to even some what top for the Black neons, i think I will be ok.

do you guys agree???

I would be getting the Blue German Rams