Good Fish Ideas For My Tank?

[NeonSagaris]

Ok, that sounds like good advice, thank you! So I'll get the Cardinals and Corys or Pleco first.

If the Cardinals and other fish are in there first and then the Betta is added and everything is fine, what if, say, a few months later I decide to add a few more different fish, would the Betta attack the new ones?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

What the dimensions of the bottom of your tank? A 60l tall tank doesn't sound like there is much length to it at all.


BTW, I'm glad you went away from the black mollies. They are some of my favorite fish, but they REQUIRE hard water. They are very susceptible to disease, specifically ich when kept in softer water conditions. They do not require salt as some places will say, but they do need hard water (higher mineral content).

Be careful shopping for a pleco. That tank is very small for a pleco. A pitbull pleco would be a good choice, but even a BN might not be "happy" in that size tank.

Your choice of panda cories is a good one for this size tank. They are on the smaller side of the cories, which is ideal for such a small tank.

 

[NeonSagaris]

Thank you for the response, and as long as Panda Corys eat algae that grows on the gravel, on plants or on sides of a tank I will get them. I thought Plecos would've been too big. And with the dimensions; the test kit I have now isn't very good quality and is unreliable, but I've ordered an 'API Freshwater Master Test Kit' which apparently is brilliant, so I'll tell you the dimensions when I get that. (Still kind of new to all this, so if this isn't what you meant by dimensions, apologies.)

So, I am definitely planning on getting a male Half Moon Betta to go with the Cardinal Tetras and maybe Endlers (started thinking of getting those too if I can find any), and I'm curious. Would the small Cardinals or other fish nip at the Bettas large fins?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Corydoras are carnivores mainly, so don't expect them to eat algae. That's not their role.


By dimensions I meant the length and width of the tank bottom.

Cardinals are very docile, but a bit big (up to 3 inches) for this size tank (potentially). The endler's on the other hand would be a perfect size (~1 inch), but bettas and guppies don't mix. I'm not sure about endlers.

 

[NeonSagaris]

Oh, duh! Right sorry, I will measure it in a minute.

I know that Endlers are a kind of Guppy, but their fins and tail aren't very big. I don't think the Betta will bother them if I get them. With the Cardinals, I have wanted them for a very long time and I really, really like them. I am only getting a small group of them, maybe 6, and maybe if I can find Endlers, get 6 of them as well.

As much as I like Corys, I would like something that eats algae that would fit in the tank.... maybe snails. I could have about 5 Corys and some snails to eat the algae...

 

[JenJ]

Managing algae in the tank is your job, not your fish's

I really would hold off on the cardinals until your tank is established. I bought 9 shortly after my tank was cycled, 5 died within a week or so and I rehomed the rest as a result. It's a waste of your money and their lives.

I wouldn't recommend endlers with a betta. Anyway, with the betta, cories and eventual cardinals you'd be pretty well fully stocked.

 

[NeonSagaris]

At the moment, I'm going off the idea of Endlers too.

How long should I wait to put in Cardinals then?

 

[sadguppy]

After your tank has been cycled and had fish in it for a month, with no signs of death or disease, you should be ok to add them. It gives the tank a little more time to mature and get a good bio-film. I got 12 cardinals shortly after cycling in two batches of six, and contrary to what others observe have found them to be hardy as well as lively little chaps. They have all made it past the ten month mark unscathed, not a single loss despite filters going wrong, being moved several times and at least one mini-cycle after an overzealous cleaning job!

 

[NeonSagaris]

Ok, I'll get some Cardinals in a week, and see how it goes. Thank you.

 

[JenJ]

Forgive me if I'm confusing you with someone else, but aren't you in the middle of cycling? In which case I'd hold off the cardinals until, as sadguppy said, you've had a successful month post-cycling. I'd suggest maybe end Feb depending on how your tank is doing.

Sadguppy - that's good to hear your success with cardinals, I'd love to try them again at some stage.

 

[NeonSagaris]

I am no longer having a Betta! I know my choices keep changing, it's just having a Betta really limits as to what other fish you can have in the tank as well, it also takes up a lot of space. My final, final (hopeful) decision is -

• 6 Cardinal Tetras
• 6 Endler Guppies (I finally found them!)
• 2 Honey Gouramis
• 2 Otocinclus
• 4-5 Corydoras (not sure on specific species yet)

Also, for my 19 liter tank, I have found someone to give my Platties and Mollies to. I will buy a heater to attach onto the tank and stock it with a male Betta or some female Bettas.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I'd go with the smallest cories you can find, and up their number to 6. And add one more oto as well.


I forget how big the tank is now... more otos would be better.

 

[NeonSagaris]

I'd go with the smallest cories you can find, and up their number to 6. And add one more oto as well.


I forget how big the tank is now... more otos would be better.

It's a 60 liter and wouldn't adding more make it overstocked? I'm sure 5 is enough.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You are correct, but its already overstocked with that list for 60l.

I'd cut it down a bit... I'd go neon rather than cardinals, as they stay a bit smaller. I'd cut the endlers down to 3-4 (they are not shoalers, so they won't mind less numbers).

I'd also go with only 1 gourami, rather than 2.

Finally, 6 (yes, it is important to have 6) C. hastatus, C. habrosus, C. pygmaeus, or C. panda - as these are the smallest. C. Panda is the largest of these getting to 1.5 inches.


You'd be looking at:

6 neons
3-4 endlers
1 gourami
6 dwarf cory specie


I'd also forget about the otos. Algae can be controlled by other means than having a fish eat it. But, endlers actually will munch on algae a bit. If they can't keep up with the algae you have, you will have to take care of it manually. The biggest key with algae is to keep the light in the tank to a mimimum, unless you have live plants. (Live plants, btw, will also help to control algae, as it can outcompete the algae for nutrients.) Running the lights only during the time that you will be around to SEE the fish makes the most sense. I have my lights on a timer, and my plants can handle a bit more light, so my lights click on at 3PM and click off at 10PM. The fish don't need the light though, just the ambient light of the room is sufficient for them, and will keep the algae from getting too much of a problem.

 

[NeonSagaris]

The Honey Gouramis I saw in my LFS are fully grown at about 1.5 inches, they're very small for a Gourami. I'll think about having one, but two might still be fine. I still would really like Cardinal's but maybe Neons is the way to go... I've still got a lot of thinking to do on this!

I didn't know the Endlers weren't schooling fish, three or four should be fine then. With the Corys, I'm sure I could find some small species and add six of 'em in there.

Unfortunately, with the Otos, I have to put them in the tank you see. I'm giving my Platties and Mollies, which are currently in my 19 liter tank along with the Otos, to a friend. My friend doesn't need the Otos so I said I'll keep them, and my LFS doesn't take back fish, so I have to keep them.

I think they are fully grown now and they aren't very big at all, so hopefully it will be alright to keep them.

I have six live plants in there (4 big-ish ones and 2 small ones) and I usually put the lights on late in the morning, so eleven-ish, and turn them off at nine or ten in the evenings. Is that ok?

Thank you for the feedback by the way.