Help...stocking Advice Wanted...

[lisa2701]

Hey - I totally get that! That's why I paid £3.20 for these! I'm so stinking impatient lol. My MA had them in but I was going to have to wait 5 days to get them because they had just arrived in store and were settling in lol - so I trotted on over to Dobbies and paid a fortune for them because I wanted them NOW! *sigh* now I'm not THAT wild on them, though they are very pretty I think they are kind of weird in my tank My husband absolutely loves them though, hey ho!

I've never kept dwarf corys but yes, I understand that they swim around a lot more than "regular" corys do

Re: Shrimp - Yeah I would think so, let your tank mature for a while first though. Shrimp don't produce much waste at all so unless you get like a huge population of them they don't really "count" so to speak. Be sure and get some moss or something for them, they like that

spending that on them if you love them is one thing, but to spend that on them and then not even like them that much. Mind you, if the hubby loves them and it keeps him happy maybe worth the £40?

I have the patience of a petulant child some times. I am SO glad I've had a head start in the cycling process... I think a two month wait would send me crazy... . However, we want the fish to be happy so will just have to wait. Even my 7 year old is getting annoyed at being dragged around looking at fish all the time. .

I've watched some videos of the dwarf corys, they seem quite active little things.

I will look into the moss, its not hard to find really is it.

Shrimp will be fine with corys and endlers they also like java fern and java moss

I have java fern, so will get some java moss if I get shrimp ...thanks Oh, do they like moss balls? I have 2 of those already in another tank?

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

lol I know It's sooo me.

Well I was just going to suggest those marimo moss balls, I seem to see them in shrimp tanks a lot. And your endlers will nibble at them too.

 

[lisa2701]

lol I know It's sooo me.

Well I was just going to suggest those marimo moss balls, I seem to see them in shrimp tanks a lot. And your endlers will nibble at them too.

Brillant, well I have 2 pretty large Marimo moss balls so I can pop one, or both in then. Any idea about the Cabomba or Elodea, are they any good for the Endlers or dwarf corys?

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

I've recently learned that elodea is better in cooler water but your cabomba would be fine.

 

[gregswimm]

3.20 doesn't seem so bad. I have spent 20-35 or more on a single species of Loricariidae and 20 each on my school of (11)cyprichromis; 3.20 really isn't that bad .

Elodea does very very poorly in warm water tank and I would stay the heck away from it. I would also stay away from moss balls; Cambodia is a good plant; very fast growing but the needles tend to drop off (akin to an old Christmas tree). Add some anubias to the tank; the corys should appreciate the big leafs and the ground cover they provide. I am also a HUGE advocate of Brazillian pennywort; this plant is fantastic and extremely hard to kill. These 'power saving' bulbs you mention are CFLs(compact fluorescent). Take a pic of the bulbs, ill see if i recognize them. You also won't be needing the blue light; I recommend replacing it with a 6500K or higher bulb.

 

[lisa2701]

3.20 doesn't seem so bad. I have spent 20-35 or more on a single species of Loricariidae and 20 each on my school of (11)cyprichromis; 3.20 really isn't that bad .

Elodea does very very poorly in warm water tank and I would stay the heck away from it. I would also stay away from moss balls; Cambodia is a good plant; very fast growing but the needles tend to drop off (akin to an old Christmas tree). Add some anubias to the tank; the corys should appreciate the big leafs and the ground cover they provide. I am also a HUGE advocate of Brazillian pennywort; this plant is fantastic and extremely hard to kill. These 'power saving' bulbs you mention are CFLs(compact fluorescent). Take a pic of the bulbs, ill see if i recognize them. You also won't be needing the blue light; I recommend replacing it with a 6500K or higher bulb.

Here's the picture of the lights:

.

They are Interpret 15w bright day or cool blue bulbs i believe (just *look* like energy saving)? My white light is a little temperamental, not coming on sometimes, so I don't know if to replace the bulb and see if that helps or to replace the blue bulb with a white one?

i will have a look at the plants you suggested.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

lol ok in terms of what one can pay for a fish no...I paid nearly £40 for a betta. But for something quite basic and easily reproduced, like an endler - I think it was expensive and I know they can be got much cheaper - was my point..

 

[lisa2701]

lol ok in terms of what one can pay for a fish no...I paid nearly £40 for a betta. But for something quite basic and easily reproduced, like an endler - I think it was expensive and I know they can be got much cheaper - was my point..

I agree, it depends on the fish whats expensive and whats not. I may be prepared to buy the endlers on line and just pay the £10-15 shipping costs if I become desperate but only because I am SO limited to what I can have and I really like them

 

[lisa2701]

OK - So my original plan was to go with Endlers and Dwarf Cory's... however... my husband and son seen a beta today and love them, and the husband would like a "fish you can see" . So would a Beta and Endlers live happily together? If so, and I had 1 male beta, how many Endlers could I have? And could I keep a snail in with those?

EDIT: If a Betta isn't suitable its not the end of the world ( I still LOVE the dwarf corys), I just thought I could ask. I know they're not always the best tank mates. Just wondered on people opinions/experiences? I DO have a 6g tank I could set up for a betta but feel "if" it can live happily with Endlers then it'd be better in a 12g tank.

 

[gregswimm]

Male bettas cannot live happily in a tank with current, their long ornate fins drag them down and they will die an early death from stress. Female bettas do better in tanks but in my experience they are a bit too aggressive for endlers. Dwarf corys come from places with relatively high flow and high oxygen levels while bettas come from places with little flow and low oxygen levels(the whole reason why they evolved the labyrinth organ). They could coexist in a larger tank but there is no where for the attacked fish to run to in a 10 and no real place for the betta to hide/get out of the flow(thick plant growth); if you want diversity a 29gallon is a much better option but still on the tiny side. Not to mention the long betta fins may prove irresistible to the endlers. My advice would be to find a fish you like and mimic its biotope, endlers(Poecilia wingei) and dwarf corys(Corydoras hastatus) come from roughly the same region and tolerate roughly the same conditions (dwarf corys - amazon) (endlers - Venezuela mangrove estuaries + lots of flooding).

http/www.viviparos.com/Fichas/Endler%20eng.htm
http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=324
http/www.ibettafish.com/2010/08/betta-fish-facts.html

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

I disagree about the current thing but that's kind of besides the point since this is a small 48L/12g tank with little flow (Interpet PF1 filter) so doesn't apply here.

The short answer is yes, you can add a betta to this tank. Unfortunately the long answer is a bit more complicated lol. Some bettas will tolerate endlers just fine, mine lives quite happily with endlers in my 180L tank but there are those bettas who will try to snack on them as well. The reverse also applies - guppies/endlers do on occasion nip and harass the betta, people often forget about this. My attitude is to always give it a try as you can never know for sure. Luckily for you, you've got that 6g tank you could move the betta to if things don't work out.

Lastly, make sure you've added all other fish/snails, etc. to your tank first before adding the betta. Bettas are very territorial and if he feels the tank is "his" then he may not accept roommates However, if he feels he's moving in to their turf he'll be less likely to pick fights. It's hit or miss with bettas unfortunately so just make sure you are either willing to set up that other tank or rehome either him or the other fish

 

[lisa2701]

I can turn the flow of my filter down if this is an issue. As AA said I do have a 6g tank that I would set up out of precaution.

Thanks for both your replies, its definitely given me some things to think about. Some research is needed I think. *hypothetically* if were to get a betta, how many endlers could I keep along side it? Obviously I'd need to add them before the betta, along with the snail I am thinking of getting. I'm not going to be able to get the dwarf corys for a while anyway so I've got some time to ponder over it and come to a decision. My husband and I were discussing upgrading the tank perhaps at the end of the year, probably to a 30g+.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

I don't think the flow will be an issue. Even if he struggles at first it'll only be because he's not developed good muscle tone after being kept in tiny containers his whole life and will eventually adjust to the flow in your tank.

I've never kept endlers in a small tank so I'm not sure. Bioload wise you've got room for maybe10-12 but since your tank is cube shaped (instead of long) I'm not sure if that will make it seem more cramped. If they are cramped it may make it more likely for them to nip the betta - but I'm speculating, I don't really know for sure. Why don't you try 8 endlers, the snail and the betta and see how it "feels"?

 

[lisa2701]

I don't think the flow will be an issue. Even if he struggles at first it'll only be because he's not developed good muscle tone after being kept in tiny containers his whole life and will eventually adjust to the flow in your tank.

I've never kept endlers in a small tank so I'm not sure. Bioload wise you've got room for maybe10-12 but since your tank is cube shaped (instead of long) I'm not sure if that will make it seem more cramped. If they are cramped it may make it more likely for them to nip the betta - but I'm speculating, I don't really know for sure. Why don't you try 8 endlers, the snail and the betta and see how it "feels"?

i think I am definitely going to get a Betta, if I keep it in beside the Endlers or if I keep it in the 6g is yet to be decided. My 6g is about to become vacant (the triops have started dropping like flies-they are old) so once they all go I will get the tank cleaned out and set up for a betta. I am going to get one from the same place as you got Zod, I was noseying last night .

I have a tendency to agree with you about if there are too many Endlers (even if the filter can cope) they are more likely to get nippy, again, I am also speculating though, but it seems fair to make this assumption. Like you said, 8 may be a nice number. My tank is cycled now (processing 2-3ppm in approx 12 hours - the 'issues' I was having was in that I was reading my tests in the wrong light nothing to do with my filter not being cycled, i'm not the brightest bulb in the box sometimes ). Have located some endlers so I am going to head out today and get them. .

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Excellent! I'm sure you'll be pleased with what you get from Kash