New to fish keeping.

[PheonixKingZ]

If I were to only get one Honey Gourami, what other small schooling fish could I keep besides the Corydoras?

You can keep most Tetra species with Corydoras. (In groups of 6 or more, preferably more.

(Be ware some tetras may be fun nippers - do your research before purchasing. )

 

[Shiverz]

You could always get some sparkling dwarf gourami, they are quite chill as far as I'm aware, maybe a group of three or four? they're smaller then the others, the only thing to watch out for is males not playing well with each other, so maybe a male and a couple/few females?

You could have some tetra's too, or maybe something like mosquito rasboras? naturally as schooling fish you'd need around 6 or more, I think I read somewhere on here that they're happier in larger groups, and many recommend between 9-12.

They should all be happy with each other, with possibly room to add another species of schooling fish in the mix too.

 

[HoldenOn]

These are all excellent suggestions, thank you! I just have to figure out which ones work best with my water and which ones I have space for. Also can I do the nitrogen cycle with my plants already in the tank?

 

[Shiverz]

Also can I do the nitrogen cycle with my plants already in the tank?

100% yes, plants are excellent for helping with the water chemistry in the tank. They do all sorts of wonders, some people don't even have filters and strictly use plants, so don't feel like you shouldn't add them.

 

[Naughts]

100% yes, plants are excellent for helping with the water chemistry in the tank. They do all sorts of wonders, some people don't even have filters and strictly use plants, so don't feel like you shouldn't add them.

Is it advisable to wait until the tank is cycled to avoid ammonia damage?

 

[Shiverz]

Is it advisable to wait until the tank is cycled to avoid ammonia damage?

I'll admit I'm a greenhorn when it comes to these matters, so take my word with a pinch of salt unless others agree.

However, I do believe that no harm will come to the plants, ammonia is a food source for the plants and will only help it grow. I know that ammonia in high concentrates can kill plants out of the water, though I'm not too sure if the concentration in a tank is strong enough to do the same to aquarium plants. I know alot of people introduce plants on day one of cycling as they are really good with the cycling process.

As I stated I am a novice, so my information here could be wrong, I'm just going off what I've seen/done/heard.

Edit -

so I had a little look around in order to help answer this question. Apparently high ammonia can kill plants in the aquarium, so I was wrong and I apologise for the information. A couple of notes however.

I've read that plants start to incur damage at levels at around 2ppm, or even lower if the PH of your water is higher then 7. Also some plants are more resistant to others when it comes to the tolerance of ammonia, where as others will "melt", as for the species of the hardier plants, unfortunately I cannot say, though I will delve deeper into this as it's caught my attention.

Again, my apologies for giving false information.

 

[Naughts]

I'll admit I'm a greenhorn when it comes to these matters, so take my word with a pinch of salt unless others agree.

However, I do believe that no harm will come to the plants, ammonia is a food source for the plants and will only help it grow. I know that ammonia in high concentrates can kill plants out of the water, though I'm not too sure if the concentration in a tank is strong enough to do the same to aquarium plants. I know alot of people introduce plants on day one of cycling as they are really good with the cycling process.

As I stated I am a novice, so my information here could be wrong, I'm just going off what I've seen/done/heard.

Yes, they do use the ammonia as in a Silent Cycle. Just wondered if some sensitive plants do less well during a cycle.

 

[Shiverz]

Yes, they do use the ammonia as in a Silent Cycle. Just wondered if some sensitive plants do less well during a cycle.

Yeah, I've been doing a little research into since you asked the question, I editted my post and added this information and apologised for my lack of knowledge. Yes there are different plants that can handle ammonia at different levels. Unfortnately I cannot say which plants are best and which are not.

I added plants to my tank since day one, and they all seemed to be fine with no damage, though that being said, I was using media that had already been in a cycled tank. That's probably why I didn't run into any whoopsies. Again, my apologies for misleading people.

 

[ClownLurch]

If I were to only get one Honey Gourami, what other small schooling fish could I keep besides the Corydoras?

Microdevario kubotai. They’re upper hardness range is just inside of yours.
The only reason I’ve not got a tank full myself is that my waters twice as hard as yours and I’m gonna wait a year or so before getting into any RO stuff. Mrs Lurch is mad about em.

 

[ClownLurch]

If I can do a silent cycle any fool can.

 

[utahfish]

Yeah, I've been doing a little research into since you asked the question, I editted my post and added this information and apologised for my lack of knowledge. Yes there are different plants that can handle ammonia at different levels. Unfortnately I cannot say which plants are best and which are not.

I added plants to my tank since day one, and they all seemed to be fine with no damage, though that being said, I was using media that had already been in a cycled tank. That's probably why I didn't run into any whoopsies. Again, my apologies for misleading people.

Most floating plants are good for cycling a tank as they are referred to as ammonia traps or wells because of the amount of ammonia they consume. Another plant that consumes large amounts of ammonia is swords. They have large root systems and bigger leaves that can actually store unused nutrients like ammonia. Avoid slow growing plants when cycling like anubius and java fern. Some fast growing floaters are anacharis, hornwort, frog bit, duck weed, salvinia. Hornwort and anacharis can also be rooted. Any rooted plant especially swords are going to need root tabs or some sort of root fertilization.

 

[Shiverz]

Most floating plants are good for cycling a tank as they are referred to as ammonia traps or well because of the amount of ammonia they consume. Another plant that consumes large amounts of ammonia is swords. They have large root systems and bigger leaves that can actually store unused nutrients like ammonia. Avoid slow growing plants when cycling like anubius and java fern. Some fast growing floaters are anacharis, hornwort, frog bit, duck weed, salvinia. Hornwort and anacharis can also be rooted. Any rooted plant especially swords are going to need root tabs or some sort of root fertilization.

Thank you for the insight.

I know the bare minimum when it comes to plants (and I mean BARE minimum). It's always nice to receive more information. I'll definitely keep this knowledge for future reference. I try my best with the plants, I trim them when they get really messy and take over the tank, but to be honest, I focus more on the fish and my knowledge on plants is very limited. So again, thank you for teaching

 

[utahfish]

Thank you for the insight.

I know the bare minimum when it comes to plants (and I mean BARE minimum). It's always nice to receive more information. I'll definitely keep this knowledge for future reference. I try my best with the plants, I trim them when they get really messy and take over the tank, but to be honest, I focus more on the fish and my knowledge on plants is very limited. So again, thank you for teaching

youre welcome! Theres a lot information and mis information and changing information out there and it can be tough to sift through it all. I appreciate all the contributions from posters on the board and the things they learn and share so thank you to you as well!

 

[HoldenOn]

What's a silent cycle? Also what I gathered is that I can start with plants like swords and floaters, correct?
Edit: spelling errors

 

[HoldenOn]

Microdevario kubotai. They’re upper hardness range is just inside of yours.
The only reason I’ve not got a tank full myself is that my waters twice as hard as yours and I’m gonna wait a year or so before getting into any RO stuff. Mrs Lurch is mad about em.

Perfect!