Need A Couple Bottom Dwellers

[vancouver]

I have a 40g square tank that has a lot of fake plants in it.. Couple pieces of driftwood as well.

I'm looking for a couple bottom dwellers..

The current stock is as follows:
2 angelfish (haven't been aggressive)
1 gold gourami - peaceful
4 hockey stick/penguin tetra
5 harlequin rasboras
3 glo lite tetra
7 guppies
3 platys
1 red tail black shark (hasn't been aggressive)

All but the RTBS hang out in the upper-middle areas of the tank.

I don't think corys would be interesting enough to amuse me.. Cant really be any kind of shark, as I don't want to upset MR RTBS

Maybe a small cichlid or 2?

Cant really think of much else.. I'm hoping someone else might have a good idea or 2..

Thanks for your time

 

[Duck and Dive]

Shoal of 5 corydoras? Or a group of pygmy chain loach?

 

[vancouver]

The only kind of loaches we get around here are yo yo loaches (I think).. I am quite interested in snails, so loaches of any kind probably wont work for me.

Someone local is selling blue and pink ramshorn snails, so I'll have to pick up a couple of each and let them multiply.. I just don't think they'll be enough for the bottom..

I might have to just go with corys..

A lfs had some nice dwarf african butterfly cichlids, but they were being somewhat aggressive at the store, which probably wont work.

I don't want anything to throw off the chemistry of my tank..

Thanks for your advice Might end up doing the cory thing.. Throwing together a few different kinds of similar size might be the best option.

 

[Harlequins]

I have just got some leopard corys,talk about active!

 

[saltynay]

Albino cories are very active, Khuli loaches but they are more nocturnal, java loaches (black khulis) are more active, ADFs are a possibility although may get bullied unsure on that front.

 

[pippoodle]

pitbull plecs stay small (about 2") and are excellent algae cleaners throughout their life - they like to have more that n of them in the tank
so you could have 4 albino or bronze (very active) corys and a couple of pitbull plecs - you could also add 5-6 khuli loaches to them as the khulis add very very little to the bio load - i find they usually come out around tea time - though if you have lots of tall plants -(now mine have grown ) khulis are out all the time hangong them,selves off the plants

 

[coldcazzie]

I agree - a shoal of corys are more interesting than just one or two. You could vary the type - 2 albino, 2 peppered, 2 bronze maybe? Depending on what is available at the time.

 

[kizno1]

a pair of bns or rams

 

[vancouver]

We don't often get quality rams around here.. It's quite risky buying them, as they usually die pretty quickly.

I do have a bristlenose pleco, but he doesn't really count as he spends most of his time munching driftwood.

I think I will go with cories.. Couple different kinds, then add some pink and blue ramshorns as well.

Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[snowflake311]

Bolivian Rams are hardy awesome little fish. the Nannacara anomala "Golden Dwarf Cichlid" is small 3" stays near the bottom.

one keyhole but they don't just stay at the bottom they get around.

a bristle nose would be good. or pit bull plecos. Corys are always fun.

 

[mattlee]

go for cory they are great fish, very active and fun to watch. i would get 4 of the same type though as they are shoaling fish and when i had a couple of different types they got on but the effect wasnt as good as they didnt all shoal together. try and find laser corys i think they are great and a bit more interesting than most others..... i also have polka dot loach and mine are very active and swim with the corys, beautifull fish too