feeling overwhelmed (with bad advice!)

[NickAu]

I'm afraid you have very hard water which is not suitable for ember tetras.

You could look into Endlers ( N class )

 

[cavies]

You could look into Endlers ( N class )

I'm not sure I could cope with livebearers as a first fish! which is my other concern, ideally If I do opt for pygmy corydoras and some small tetras, I'd prefer for them to be males (I understand the females can lay eggs weeks later, even after being separated) but I presume the smaller the fish the harder they are to tell male from female?

Also, if I were to find some eggs in the tank, I don't feel i'd be in a position to raise too many of them as I do have limited space. Other than taking them to the LFS is there another "kinder" way to ensure they didn't hatch? or would the fish instinctively eat them?

 

[Essjay]

It is only livebearers that can have babies weeks later without a male. Tetras and cories need a male present when the eggs are laid or they won't be fertilised.

A tank of male endlers would be very suitable. Provided you don't get females they are no harder than any other fish. They are very easy to tell apart, though i would not trust a shop worker to know the difference. Male endlers come in a variety of different colours and patterns and are very pretty fish. Though to get class N endlers you would have to go to a breeder as all the endlers in shops are endler-guppy hybrids.