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[jaylach]

Do you have some suggestions for James? I feel the guy is totally confused and overwhelmed here and is struggling to make a decision based on all the conflicting advice he's getting. It appears he feels despite his soft water that he's limited to what he can have due to compatibility. He already has 2 schools and would prefer not to have corys because of the high numbers he has to keep them in. He wants bright colours and just a small number so as not to overwhelm his new tank....could you add a suggestion?

My main advice has pertained to cichlids and that they are not a beginner fish regardless of species as they are totally unpredictable.

What I would recommend would just put forth my preference which means nothing.

Sigh, I think that I've lost track of the water conditions but seem t remember it being soft. South American cichlids are great for soft water but tend to be very aggressive unless in a pretty large tank. If my memory serves and the water IS soft most live bearers would not be a good choice as they tend to want hard water.

You want my personal preference? In my 20 gallon cube it would be my rope and 6 panda garra. This match is just awesome in a small to medium tank. I say small as no less that 20 gallons. Still, in my situation, these fish would be my choice.

 

[Essjay]

Does he need more females or will 2 be OK? Does he want more females?

Most people recommend 1 male and at least 2 females. However.....
I've kept honey gouramis as a pair and a 1 m 2 f trio. I had more trouble with the females squabbling in the trio than I've ever had with a pair. Yes, the males did chase the females when they wanted to breed but the worst that happened was a couple of small bits missing from the female's tail which healed within days. Honeys are at the very peaceful end of the gourami behaviour spectrum; just about every other species does need more than one female with a male.

I have also kept cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides) in a community tank, and they bred. The eggs didn't survive long and although the adults defended the eggs during the day, they never made physical contact with the other fish when chasing them away.


@777james777 Yes those are wild coloured honeys. I prefer that variety but round here they are not easy to find.
Here's your photo with labels. There's one gourami I'm not sure about because it's not a side-on view of that one.

 

[777james777]

I thought they would be a more yellow colour. Which is what I was looking for.

Ok well at least know pier does them,

I could get
1 male 1 female
1 male 2 female
Or if only sold in pairs 1 male 3 female

I guess now it’s the other breed. Something vibrant!

 

[Essjay]

The gouramis in the photo are the wild colour and they are not yellow. But there is a yellow variety, a man-made colour morph. Does Pier stock them?

Some shops only sell gouramis as 1 male 1 female pairs. They won't sell one fish and they won't sell three fish. It's the same with some species of dwarf cichlids - pairs only. Other shops will sell as many as you want. If fish are priced so much for a pair it usually means they'll only sell a m/f pair, though I would not rely on any shop to choose 1 male1 female as so many shop workers can't tell the difference.

 

[Essjay]

@777james777

Wait before deciding. Watch the fish you have now and see where in the tank they are most active. If there's a region they don't use, think about fish that swim in that region. For example, do the current fish stay in the middle of the tank, or the top third or the bottom third. If they swim lower down look for fish that swim at the top or if they swim at the top, look at fish which swim near the bottom.
It'll take a few days for the current fish to settle in and behave more naturally, then you can tell where they like to spend their time.

There's no rush to get more fish. Now that you have plants in the tank, they'll have chance to grow bigger. The bigger the plants get the more ammonia they'll remove so they'll be able to cope with more fish.

 

[BigBurgassio]

Pier sent me a video

But I can only upload photos here I think so I took a screen shot of the video.

Buy them all LOL

Only joking of course

Is that a Cory in the photo also ?

 

[777james777]

the rummies spend 99% of their time at the bottom front of the tank whizzing back and fourth,
The cardinal have gone *slightly timid* since more rummies were added they “hover”at the back middle of the tank, except for one which likes to swim with the rummies all the time haha

 

[Byron]

"If you're not getting corydoras then dwarf cichlids are fine."

@CaptainBarnicles Can you please explain what you mean here, I don't understand why cories and dwarf cichlids cannot be together, if this is what you meant. ?

 

[Byron]

Also wouldn't it be fine to have one species of cory (if he wants them) in a group of 6-8? Why does he have to have 3 groups of 5? Sorry not trying to make it more confusing then it needs be

The first thing is numbers, and in this sized tank a group of 15 cories will be better adjusted, healthier, and less stressed. The more the merrier, in other words. This is crucial to fish health. He can have all one species if he wants. The three groups of five was one suggestion if he prefers more than one species. He could have any number, but they do tend to do better if there is a small group of the individual species. I have maintained and spawned cories for years, 30 or so. This is one shoaling fish that doesn't seem to mind if they are one or more species in the group, but having said that, there are some species that definitely stay together more than some others. The need for numbers is in their genetic code, they expect it and require it.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

"If you're not getting corydoras then dwarf cichlids are fine."

@CaptainBarnicles Can you please explain what you mean here, I don't understand why cories and dwarf cichlids cannot be together, if this is what you meant. ?

Sorry @Byron we're getting all mixed up here aren't we

OP is happy with his two large shoals and would like something more as a centrepiece rather than another large group of fish to occupy the bottom of the tank. He's just getting back into the hobby and doesn't want to overcrowd the tank while it's still new. So I suggested that if he didn't want to go with the corydoras then the dwarf cichlids would be a good option as he feels he couldn't have them both

 

[Byron]

Sorry @Byron we're getting all mixed up here aren't we

OP is happy with his two large shoals and would like something more as a centrepiece rather than another large group of fish to occupy the bottom of the tank. He's just getting back into the hobby and doesn't want to overcrowd the tank while it's still new. So I suggested that if he didn't want to go with the corydoras then the dwarf cichlids would be a good option as he feels he couldn't have them both

I see no reason why the cories and a pair of cichlids can't be OK, along with the cardinals and rummynose. But it is confusing, especially 37 pages of posts.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

I see no reason why the cories and a pair of cichlids can't be OK, along with the cardinals and rummynose. But it is confusing, especially 37 pages of posts.

They can be OK, but OP doesn't want the numbers...it was an either/or situations

 

[AlexT]

I have just had a look on maidenheads and they actually look quite organised with the fish they have.
There’s two with 5 miles of me and you can search which fish is stocked at which store.

James you don't have the link for that by any chance?

 

[777james777]

@AlexT https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/storefinder/

Put in your postcode then in the box below press the plus sign and choose your fish

 

[777james777]

@Byron

As it stands I have 24 fish I’m my tank
(of 2 breeds)

So what I wanted to avoid now was adding in another big group of the same fish.

I would like some corys BUT everyone is saying the NEED to be in larger numbers.

I’m looking for about another 3 or 4 breeds of colourful fish that are in groups of one or two