Hi I’m Craig… new to the forums!

[Badgers]

Hi all,

My name is Craig, I live in the U.K. and I am fairly new to keeping tropical fish..

I own an auction house so bought my tank second hand from a seller parting ways with their tank (Fluval Flex 123l).

Currently have the following:
6 neon tetras
5 dwarf gourami (3 blue 2 orange)
5 platys
4 peppered cory’s
3 rusty cory’s
3 julii cory’s
2 albino bristlenose catfish
1 clown pleco

The fish all seem to get along with each other, occasionally the pleco and bristlenose will have a little barging match when they are both after the same spot on one of my pieces of driftwood but asides from that they don’t really bother each other… already got my eyes on a bigger tank setup as I appreciate the bristlenoses will grow a bit more from their current size and trying to avoid overcrowding.

Really enjoying keeping fish and learning a lot as I go along! Seems like a good crowd on this forum and look forwards to talking to you all soon! Already been learning from some of the more experienced members posts on here, much appreciated!

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

 

[Badgers]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Thanks Colin! Have a great day!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Owning an auction house must be really interesting! I never imagined an aquarium passing through an auction house, but makes sense when you remember that all sorts of things pass through an auction house.

You're a bit far from me, otherwise I'd be hitting you up for tips on an antique writing bureau.... Surprisingly hard to source one that isn't either a wreck, or just a hugely expensive, elaborate and heavy writing desk. But I do like my quirky, real wood pieces over flatpack identikit stuff.

Back to fish - my tanks are all second hand too, cost of a brand new tank and equipping it are crazy!

What I'd suggest since you have a fair amount of bottom dwellers with the plecos & cories, then five gourami which are surface dwellers that can turn a bit more territorial once fully matured or if a pair forms and begins to breed (fish in store are usually juveniles, so sometimes people relax when they get along fine for months, then are caught off guard when behaviours change once matured and wanting to breed);

Is to focus on the tank design, meaning the hardscape and planting, to provide different area of territory for everyone. Helps to block line of sight if a fight or chase is getting out of hand. Dwarf gourami don't tend to be quite as temperamental as the larger gourami, but I've still seen a female kill a male in a 220L tank, so lots of floating plants, floating stem plants, or tall plants that grow the full height of the tank and reach the surface can help. Like vallis, l.sessiliflora, elodea...

Personally I'd have a larger group of the tetra - they're a shoaling fish that really needs to be in a good number of the same species, so I'd suggest 12 plus for neons, and you'd really see them at their best! You already have a lot of top and bottom dwellers, so filling out that middle section and increasing the neons company would have you pretty heavily stocked, but since you already plan to upgrade, if you also up the amount of live plants, go to a larger tank and perhaps upgrade the filter and/or maintenance to manage it, it should be do-able. I do like the choices of fish!

Nice to have a big group of cories! And they'll generally all get along and bumble about together, sometimes separating into their own species groups at night time. If the plecos are already squabbling over driftwood, then might be time to add some more driftwood, and could be a good idea to add some choices of pleco caves, some stone hidey areas, unless the bristlenose aren't a M/F, or they are, but you'd prefer they didn't breed?

Just ideas. Take anything you find useful, leave the rest, and welcome to the forum and a very addictive hobby!

 

[Coryking]

Hi and to the forum. If you need any advice don't be afraid to ask. Most of us would love to help .

 

[MattW]

Welcome to TFF

 

[fishorama]

Hi Craig! I'm new here too but not new to fishkeeping. I see similar problems as AdoraBelle said.

I think 5 gouramis will be trouble soon. Can you sex them yet or are they small? Females are almost colorless & kind of rare anymore. They're just not as pretty as the males so they can be hard to find sometimes.

I love corys! But I prefer to keep at least 6 of each species. It's not that they won't get along but not quite as cute in behavior & possible breeding fun.

I haven't kept livebearers in many years. They breed all too well unless you have all males. Females are likely gravid (carrying babies). Look for a "gravid dark spot" near their vents. At least some will be males, which leads to more babies. A never-ending cycle. Think hard!

I was given 2 tiny bn plecos, hoping for 2 females. But no, they were a pair. Tragically (or luckily?) the male died after 1 or 2? batches of fry. There are at least 4 fry survivors. I'll have to tear down their tank to find them. A club friend will take any I don't want to keep thank goodness.

You'll need to make a plan for the near future. We can help you.

We'd love to see pics of your tank & fish!

 

[emeraldking]

Hi & welcome to TFF...
Sufficient members present who can help you out with your questions...

 

[Sir Guppy]

Hello!

We need Whistlingbadger here..

 

[Sparx]

Welcome to TFF

 

[MonsieurLaGrenuoille]

Hier zappeln die Fische noch, wie im Wasser, very welcome!