Freshly Cycled Tank - Stocking Recommendations Please

[SlippyGuppy]

Hi all,

Tank is now cycled, hurrah!

I have a 60L tank (hard water) and have been keeping the temp at 22.5°C.

Ive not yet bought any fish and had an idea of what I'd like to stock but would welcome any alternatives or advice if my plan isn't a good one!

Am thinking;

8/10 endlers guppy
3/4 corydora - I'm a big fan of the sterbei
5 shrimp - my local fish shop has just had some red Sakura shrimp in that I like

I'm cautious not to overstock or add too many fish too soon!

 

[Munroco]

22.5 is low for sterbais and presumably endlers. What are your water qualities? Cories do better in lower PH and endlers (if they have the same needs as guppies) prefer a higher PH. These reservations apart I don't think your tank would be overstocked.

 

[SlippyGuppy]

Thanks Munroco,

So I think I'll whack the temp up 2 degrees to 24.5 in that case.

PH is between 7.8 & 8.0 so that seems reasonable
Total Hardness mg/l 261

Ive just read on a different forum that cories should be kept together with 6 being a minimum but then also read that a group of 3 would be okay for smaller tanks so will probably opt for 4?

 

[Munroco]

That PH is pretty high for cories, and possibly the shrimp too. I would do some research on both before deciding.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Thanks Munroco,

So I think I'll whack the temp up 2 degrees to 24.5 in that case.

PH is between 7.8 & 8.0 so that seems reasonable
Total Hardness mg/l 261

Ive just read on a different forum that cories should be kept together with 6 being a minimum but then also read that a group of 3 would be okay for smaller tanks so will probably opt for 4?

 
That pH really isn't suitable for any cories, even hardier ones like sterbai.  The answer to the number of cories is... the more the better.  I'd never recommend fewer than 6 ever.  Proper husbandry for cories (or any shoaler) is that if you can't keep them in large numbers, then you just shouldn't keep them.  Same goes for their water parameters.  

 

[SlippyGuppy]

Thank goodness for this forum and shame on LFS for issuing such poor advice! Has anyone found a good website that compares a variety of fish and details which water parameters different fish have in common?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Thank goodness for this forum and shame on LFS for issuing such poor advice! Has anyone found a good website that compares a variety of fish and details which water parameters different fish have in common?

 
Seriouslyfish is a good resource and will tell you what parameters each variety of fish they have in their database prefers.  They do not go into comparisons though, that's for the keeper to do on their own.   But, they do have the information.
 
That's a rather small tank.  Guppies, endlers and platys would be good options.  But, not too many of them.  

 

[SlippyGuppy]

Thanks for the tip Eaglesaquarium that's a great site.

Yes tank is on the small side, impulse purchase with no knowledge... So far I'm enjoying the hobby so funds and time permitting I may upgrade to a bigger tank and keep this one for a betta and shrimps.

No. 1 priority is to not overstock! I like the endlers and platy seem like a good fit, tbh I've been enjoying watching the pond snail that's snuck in on some bogwood!