My community tank and fish

[Geordie Paul]

Here are some shots of my fish. All of these guys I've had over a year accept my Oto's they are about 4 months old. I feed them blanched zucchini

 

[JuiceBox52]

Nice photos

 

[vanalisa]

Here are some shots of my fish. All of these guys I've had over a year accept my Oto's they are about 4 months old. I feed them blanched zucchini

Healthy fish and a talented photographer!
Can you list the fish?
I see the Rasbora, Tetra, Guppy...
What is the other colorful fish with the guppy? Also, the last image?

 

[Fishguy13]

Nice photos

 

[Essjay]

I can see:
two guppies, a neon tetra, a panda cory and 2 fish in the background I can't see clearly enough
two harlequin rasboras
two neon tetras
a cory, but don't know which species
a panda cory
an otocinclus


Lovely photos and fish

 

[vanalisa]

So the Otocinclus is in the last image.

My next opportunity for education:
Corys and Otos and Loaches, Oh My!
And Dwarf somethings of one of those.

I'm working on stocking a 20g and need a bottom-ish gentle species. I am leaving room for 4 or 5. I think I may go with the Otos. BUT, I saw some dwarf somethings that came in salt and pepper, zebra, and a 3rd type. I want ones that don't get big, and will be peaceful and friendly to the others.
I'm excited about setting this tank together!

Any suggestions?

 

[Essjay]

Otos really need a mature tank. They graze on algae, and possibly the micro-organisms that live in/on the algae so the tank needs to have grown some before the otos are put in there.

The dwarf somethings - do you mean dwarf cories? There are 3 dwarf species, pygmy (Corydoras pygmaeus), salt & pepper (C. habrosus) and one that doesn't seem to have a common name (C. hastatus). In the UK, pygmies are the most common in fish stores, habrosus are less common, and I've only ever seen hastatus once, though it might be different in the US. These three need to be in groups of at least 10.
The next size up is panda cories, which be OK in 20 gallons.
I wouldn't keep any of the bigger cories in 20 gallons.

The smallest loach is the dwarf chain loach (Ambastaia sidthumunki) but they need a bigger tank. And a group of them.

 

[vanalisa]

Yes, pretty sure it was/Is Dwarf Corys. There were 3 types, I think spotted, striped, and salt and pepper, the last being myparticular fave.

What is a panda gar?

Are Corys ever referred to as Cory cats?
Do Cory's need mature tanks?

I'm quarantining the fish I got for the from the fish store for a couple weeks while I set up my 20 gallon. After that it's probably going to be another two weeks before I get my bottom occupying species.
If all goes well in the 20 gallon I will have 15-16 fish total. That leaves room for four or five "bottom-ish-scurrying-thingies," which I'm currently attempting to learn the names of.

 

[Essjay]

Cories are often called cory cats as they are a type of catfish. Cory is short for corydoras. Note that corydoras is both singular and plural (like the word sheep, one sheep & many sheep), there is no such things as a corydora
The dwarf species tend to be more delicate than their larger cousins; I would wait a couple of month before adding them to a new tank. Cories need a soft substrate as rough ones can damage their barbels (the whisker like things on their mouths). With the dwarf species it is best to use sand as even small grained gravel is big in comparison to the fish size. And as I mentioned before, these three do need a larger group than the larger cories.

More info on the three dwarf species - with photos -

Corydoras pygmaeus – Pygmy Cory — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Corydoras habrosus – Salt and Pepper Cory — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Corydoras hastatus – Tail-spot Pygmy Cory (Corydoras australe) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Panda garra -

Garra flavatra – Panda Garra — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

 

[Retired Viking]

Nice looking fish, looks like you have plenty of plants for your fish. That is good, I have neon tetras too.

 

[Geordie Paul]

So the Otocinclus is in the last image.

My next opportunity for education:
Corys and Otos and Loaches, Oh My!
And Dwarf somethings of one of those.

I'm working on stocking a 20g and need a bottom-ish gentle species. I am leaving room for 4 or 5. I think I may go with the Otos. BUT, I saw some dwarf somethings that came in salt and pepper, zebra, and a 3rd type. I want ones that don't get big, and will be peaceful and friendly to the others.
I'm excited about setting this tank together!

Any suggestions?

Hey thanks for asking! As for bottom feeding fish I would definitely go with Corydoras over Oto's. Oto's need live plants and will be stick to the plants and side of the tank rather than the bottom. Corys are so friendly and peaceful and fun to watch! I have 2 pandas and 2 sterbai corys in my tank. In a 20g you could easily put 4 or 5 in

 

[Geordie Paul]

Healthy fish and a talented photographer!
Can you list the fish?
I see the Rasbora, Tetra, Guppy...
What is the other colorful fish with the guppy? Also, the last image?

Thanks for the kind words! I have neon tetra, 2 large rasboras, 2 panda corys, 2 sterbai corys, 2 Oto's, 2 guppies, and 4 small danios.

 

[Geordie Paul]

I can see:
two guppies, a neon tetra, a panda cory and 2 fish in the background I can't see clearly enough
two harlequin rasboras
two neon tetras
a cory, but don't know which species
a panda cory
an otocinclus


Lovely photos and fish

The other corys are sterbai, not as common as pandas. They are more laid back and very friendly in the tank. I've had Bruce (in the closeup shot for about 2 years now)

 

[Geordie Paul]

Otos really need a mature tank. They graze on algae, and possibly the micro-organisms that live in/on the algae so the tank needs to have grown some before the otos are put in there.

The dwarf somethings - do you mean dwarf cories? There are 3 dwarf species, pygmy (Corydoras pygmaeus), salt & pepper (C. habrosus) and one that doesn't seem to have a common name (C. hastatus). In the UK, pygmies are the most common in fish stores, habrosus are less common, and I've only ever seen hastatus once, though it might be different in the US. These three need to be in groups of at least 10.
The next size up is panda cories, which be OK in 20 gallons.
I wouldn't keep any of the bigger cories in 20 gallons.

The smallest loach is the dwarf chain loach (Ambastaia sidthumunki) but they need a bigger tank. And a group of them.

I'm aware that Oto's do rely on algae and live plants. I feed mine blanched zucchini and cucumbers when the algae gets a little low and they always eat that. They have a round belly (which I heard is good) and so far after a few months they are growing and doing well. Thanks for your comment!

 

[Munroco]

Here are some shots of my fish. All of these guys I've had over a year accept my Oto's they are about 4 months old. I feed them blanched zucchini

Sterbais and pandas, two of my favorite corries.