Should I get get panda garra’s?

[Watersplasher909]

Hello fellow aquarists, I have a question. In my i tank I have the U4 fluval filter and a heater (plus thermometer)(photos attached) with plants, wood and rock in it and 1 zebra nerite snail, 3 amano shrimp, 2 bamboo shrimp, 4 bronze corydoras, 8 harlequin rasboras, 1 metallic Amazon blue angelfish and 1 platinum angelfish. they work great together and leave all the other fish alone, but recently I had a 2 corydoras catfish die randomly ( part of their tail missing)(I think they died in the night and got nibbled on) and wondered if I should move them to my 100I because I wondered if it would be better on their barbels( one or two have their barbles eroded). know that i like the look of panda garras but know they need fast moving water. so back to my question should I get panda garras and if so do I need any particular equipment like a wave maker or better filter. I may also get 4 more harlequin rasboras and still am dithering in wether I should move the corys. Any answers would be helpful

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Hello! I need some more info before I can answer your question, and maybe help with a few other things.

First, how big is your tank?
Second, is your tank cycled? If not, that could explain why your cories aren't making it.
Panda garra are among my very favorite fish, but I would strongly advise against adding any more fish until we help you get a few other things sorted out.

 

[Naughts]

Also
What is the GH and pH of the water?
What type of sand is the substrate? Is there anything other than sand in it?

 

[Watersplasher909]

Hello! I need some more info before I can answer your question, and maybe help with a few other things.

First, how big is your tank?
Second, is your tank cycled? If not, that could explain why your cories aren't making it.
Panda garra are among my very favorite fish, but I would strongly advise against adding any more fish until we help you get a few other things sorted out.

So it’s a 200L tank (52G), it’s been running for about 5-6 months (the first 2 months with only some added bacteria from a bottle, rock, wood and plants along with sand (plus filter and heater). I tested it and all seemed to be fine. I’ve only had those 2 Cody’s die. Everything else is thriving.

 

[Watersplasher909]

Also
What is the GH and pH of the water?
What type of sand is the substrate? Is there anything other than sand in it?

I’ve only got test strips so it’s a colour more than a number but GH is around 15-16 and pH was lower than normal (when the Cory died I wasn’t able to do a water change that day but did a test and saw everything was fine (I had to leave for 2 days)(I got someone to feed them daily)the pH is around 6.7-7.2. Hope this helps. Also the sand only told me it was aquarium sand. I even asked a worker and they couldn’t help so I accept it as aquarium sand. When I bought the sand I also bought pond soil which I was told would be ok for fish tanks. My plants like it and it is covered by the sand

 

[Watersplasher909]

Also don’t worry if I buy them I will do a huge water change in my 80L quarantine tank and then wait about 3-6 weeks before even thinking about buying them so my quarantine tank has got all the beneficial bacteria it can hold.

 

[Watersplasher909]

Also
What is the GH and pH of the water?
What type of sand is the substrate? Is there anything other than sand in it?

This is a test I just did. Everything seems fine.

 

[Naughts]

OK, we'd need the nitrite and ammonia readings to see how the cycle is doing. Those test strips don't show ammonia (it would be good if you could get an ammonia test) but they do test nitrite. What is the reading?

The GH shows you have hard water but your fish are soft water. It is not good for them as minerals build up in their organs. But that is unlikely to be the cause of the deaths.

More likely would be the pond soil which could be a source of ammonia and bacteria. As the cories feed in the substrate their barbels could get damaged and possibly infected.
What is the substrate in the 100l? It could be worth trying the cories in there if it is suitable. What do you have in there already?

I don't have experience with panda garra so others will advise but I recommend Seriouslyfish.com to compare their requirements with your set up.

 

[Watersplasher909]

OK, we'd need the nitrite and ammonia readings to see how the cycle is doing. Those test strips don't show ammonia (it would be good if you could get an ammonia test) but they do test nitrite. What is the reading?

The GH shows you have hard water but your fish are soft water. It is not good for them as minerals build up in their organs. But that is unlikely to be the cause of the deaths.

More likely would be the pond soil which could be a source of ammonia and bacteria. As the cories feed in the substrate their barbels could get damaged and possibly infected.
What is the substrate in the 100l? It could be worth trying the cories in there if it is suitable. What do you have in there already?

I don't have experience with panda garra so others will advise but I recommend Seriouslyfish.com to compare their requirements with your set up.

In my 100L I have fluval stratum

 

[Watersplasher909]

OK, we'd need the nitrite and ammonia readings to see how the cycle is doing. Those test strips don't show ammonia (it would be good if you could get an ammonia test) but they do test nitrite. What is the reading?

The GH shows you have hard water but your fish are soft water. It is not good for them as minerals build up in their organs. But that is unlikely to be the cause of the deaths.

More likely would be the pond soil which could be a source of ammonia and bacteria. As the cories feed in the substrate their barbels could get damaged and possibly infected.
What is the substrate in the 100l? It could be worth trying the cories in there if it is suitable. What do you have in there already?

I don't have experience with panda garra so others will advise but I recommend Seriouslyfish.com to compare their requirements with your set up.

Also i the picture it shows nitrate readings at around 0, I was going to buy a API master test kit but may just buy ammonia test strips tmrw. Thanks

 

[Watersplasher909]

Should I buy an api master test kit instead of strips?

 

[Watersplasher909]

A

OK, we'd need the nitrite and ammonia readings to see how the cycle is doing. Those test strips don't show ammonia (it would be good if you could get an ammonia test) but they do test nitrite. What is the reading?

The GH shows you have hard water but your fish are soft water. It is not good for them as minerals build up in their organs. But that is unlikely to be the cause of the deaths.

More likely would be the pond soil which could be a source of ammonia and bacteria. As the cories feed in the substrate their barbels could get damaged and possibly infected.
What is the substrate in the 100l? It could be worth trying the cories in there if it is suitable. What do you have in there already?

I don't have experience with panda garra so others will advise but I recommend Seriouslyfish.com to compare their requirements with your set up.

Also am I able to buy a GH lowering product to help my fish?

 

[Watersplasher909]

Also do really think it’s the soil? I don’t think I’ll be able to remove it all out of tank without removing everything and I don’t think that would be great. Will my other fish get ill? I do weekly water changes of about 50-80% because they’re only weekly. Would it just be better if I remove the corydoras??

OK, we'd need the nitrite and ammonia readings to see how the cycle is doing. Those test strips don't show ammonia (it would be good if you could get an ammonia test) but they do test nitrite. What is the reading?

The GH shows you have hard water but your fish are soft water. It is not good for them as minerals build up in their organs. But that is unlikely to be the cause of the deaths.

More likely would be the pond soil which could be a source of ammonia and bacteria. As the cories feed in the substrate their barbels could get damaged and possibly infected.
What is the substrate in the 100l? It could be worth trying the cories in there if it is suitable. What do you have in there already?

I don't have experience with panda garra so others will advise but I recommend Seriouslyfish.com to compare their requirements with your set up.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I recommend a master test kit. It isn't as easy to use as strips, but gives you a more accurate result. And it makes you look like a mad scientist, which is fun.

You'll get wildly different opinions on soil substrates. Some people seem upset by the very idea. All of my tanks for the past ten years or so have used soil under sand. There are pros and cons. Soil can leach a bit of ammonia, which is a problem if you don't have lots of plants and your tank isn't cycled. If it's covered with a good cap of sand, it shouldn't be the cause of the problem.

Just curious, though: What is "pond soil" exactly? I've always used just regular garden soil or even dirt from the yard.

 

[jaylach]

Others have asked the needed questions so I'll just go with the Panda Garras. I have 4 of the beasties in my tank and they are awesome, very active, and friendly fish. I can't reach in my tank without a couple attaching to my hand. Average mature size is ~3 inches.

They are voracious algae and bio film eaters but also need protein. They will clean algae off a plant leaf without hurting the leaf. As to protein I give mostly freeze dried tubifex worms and Hikari Carnivore Pellets but not at the same time. I feed a couple of days then skip a day on average. The Tubifex worms work quite well as I press against the glass and the Pandas tear it up then my cichlids eat up the floating stuff. They are also very hardy fish.

Reportedly they do fine solo but it is best to have at least 2, 3-4 seems to be best. While they are very peaceful the DO like to play and, if there is only 1 it will likely try to play with another fish which the other fish just might mot be pleased about.

You should also have a tight fitting tank hood as these critters can literally climb glass. This really does not seem to be much of a real issue as long as the water conditions are proper.
Water temperature: 22 C to 27 C or 72 F to 81 F.
PH: 6.5-7.5 in an aquarium. In the wild they are tighter on this.
Hardness: 36-215 PPM.
Basically they can thrive in just about anything as long as it is clean.

Oh, water flow... The filtration should push a average of 10 times the tank's volume per hour. My built in sponge filtration pushes ~5 water cycles per hour and my dual under gravel filtration pushes more.

You would want highly oxygenated water so bubbles and lots of plants are a good thing. They will also play a bit in bubbles at times. They are curious fish so some sort of cave system is not a bad idea.

All in all a friendly and entertaining critter that is not hard to keep.