First Time Trying a Community Tank

[I Like Rare Fish]

Finally got around to making a community tank. I've always had aggressive fish or fish that need to be solo, because community tanks bore me in a way I can't explain. But decided against Shelldwellers and tried something different, and made a community tank. So far, stock is 3 Platys, 2 VERY large Cory Catfish Pair from my other tank, 1 Female Betta, 6 Neon Tetras (Not Added), 5 Guppies (Not Added), 4 Amano Shrimp (Not Added), and 1 Ghost Shrimp.

So, this will be my journal!

 

[Sgooosh]

Finally got around to making a community tank. I've always had aggressive fish or fish that need to be solo, because community tanks bore me in a way I can't explain. But decided against Shelldwellers and tried something different, and made a community tank. So far, stock is 3 Platys, 2 VERY large Cory Catfish Pair from my other tank, 1 Female Betta, 6 Neon Tetras (Not Added), 5 Guppies (Not Added), 4 Amano Shrimp (Not Added), and 1 Ghost Shrimp.

So, this will be my journal!

Get rid of the platys and make the ph and gh more neutral and better for these soft watrr fish like bettas。cories can live in neutral i think
Try getting more cories? They like to be in big schools of 6+
dont add more livebearers

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

Get rid of the platys and make the ph and gh more neutral and better for these soft watrr fish like bettas。cories can live in neutral i think
Try getting more cories? They like to be in big schools of 6+
dont add more livebearers

The Corys were rescued, and are a pair. They killed my other ones In my other tank. They have bred multiple times. My PH is 7.4

 

[Sgooosh]

The Corys were rescued, and are a pair. They killed my other ones In my other tank. They have bred multiple times. My PH is 7.4

oh ok
what happened to the babies?
i hope they are ok
yep bring it down to 7 cuz the other fish can handle that, but put the platy in a tank w ith high ph

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

I thought platys and bettas shared the same ph? Babies were eaten by the Congo Tetras

 

[Sgooosh]

I thought platys and bettas shared the same ph? Babies were eaten by the Congo Tetras

oh no...
nah livebearers had high ph.
bettasare usually in low ph

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

Don’t Corys have the same ph?

 

[Byron]

The GH is more important than the pH, so determine if you have softish water, or moderately hard or harder (track down the actual number to be certain). The fish have definite requirements respecting hardness, as it impacts how they function ("live" day to day).

Corydoras "killing" other fish including other cories is rare to the point of being improbable, but it might be seen in some of the very large corydoradinae species in the genus Schleromystax. I've no experience with how thorough they are at this, but I have heard they can get aggressive.

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

Corydoras "killing" other fish including other cories is rare to the point of being improbable, but it might be seen in some of the very large corydoradinae species in the genus Schleromystax. I've no experience with how thorough they are at this, but I have heard they can get aggressive.

They did. I watched them pick at them while defending eggs. I’m sure they killed them.

The GH is more important than the pH, so determine if you have softish water, or moderately hard or harder (track down the actual number to be certain). The fish have definite requirements respecting hardness, as it impacts how they function ("live" day to day).

Ok. Thank you!

 

[Uberhoust]

The GH is more important than the pH, so determine if you have softish water, or moderately hard or harder (track down the actual number to be certain). The fish have definite requirements respecting hardness, as it impacts how they function ("live" day to day).

@Byron you have mentioned a few times that the general hardness is more important than the pH, is that based on personal experience or have you come across any research to that point? In either case I think a number of people would be interested in knowing the rational, is it simply a matter of the osmotic balance? Feel free to start a new thread on it or ask me to do so if the response is outside the scope of this thread, I don't want to take over @I Like Rare Fish thread.

 

[Byron]

@Byron you have mentioned a few times that the general hardness is more important than the pH, is that based on personal experience or have you come across any research to that point? In either case I think a number of people would be interested in knowing the rational, is it simply a matter of the osmotic balance? Feel free to start a new thread on it or ask me to do so if the response is outside the scope of this thread, I don't want to take over @I Like Rare Fish thread.

Will respond here just to acknowledge and we can start a new thread. There is certainly scientific proof that the GH directly affects how a fish functions, meaning the physiology and metabolism.* The pH is secondary but still important, but when you have calcium in hard water causing blockages of the kidneys and other issues leading to "mysterious" deaths, or in the opposite situation, hard-water-requiring fish forced into living in soft water that does not provide the minerals they absolutely must have to function normally--in both cases the health of the fish quickly deteriorates and is without question linked back to the GH.

*There is some sound factual data on this issue of water parameters in Chapter 3 of The Manual of Fish Health, authored by some of the leading biologists in the field--Dr. Chris Andrews, Dr. Neville Carrington, Adrian Exell, and Dr. Peter Burgess, along with specialist advisors.

 

[Sgooosh]

Will respond here just to acknowledge and we can start a new thread. There is certainly scientific proof that the GH directly affects how a fish functions, meaning the physiology and metabolism.* The pH is secondary but still important, but when you have calcium in hard water causing blockages of the kidneys and other issues leading to "mysterious" deaths, or in the opposite situation, hard-water-requiring fish forced into living in soft water that does not provide the minerals they absolutely must have to function normally--in both cases the health of the fish quickly deteriorates and is without question linked back to the GH.

*There is some sound factual data on this issue of water parameters in Chapter 3 of The Manual of Fish Health, authored by some of the leading biologists in the field--Dr. Chris Andrews, Dr. Neville Carrington, Adrian Exell, and Dr. Peter Burgess, along with specialist advisors.

Ph swinging and gh and stuff is very very dangerous…. another reason im scared of fish in cycle

 

[Dajuyu]

I will always see Community tank as a challenge but to bring all those compatible fish together in one eco system now thats a bliss ....

Besides in river basin and in the wild there are not only one fish that lives there right ...

 

[Lajos_Detari]

Community tank is always the best.
You can have fish and invertebrates(shrimps) at all levels in your tank rather than just a few big fish swimming in a big tank.

Avoid aggressive fish and you will have plenty of choices.
Get some schooling fish and some intelligent, unique fish and watch their interesting interactions.

 

[Sunnyspots]

I will always see Community tank as a challenge but to bring all those compatible fish together in one eco system now thats a bliss ....

Besides in river basin and in the wild there are not only one fish that lives there right ...

That's a really good point. I suppose the problem arises when we try to mix fish from different ecosystems.