Suitable Tank Inhabitants

[sparkypenguin]

Anything under 40 - 45 ppm is fatal for fish (1.5 - 2.0dH). Yeah it's odd. Not sure whats right, now tbh. Well at long as your water hardness is in the range of all of those possibilities, you can't be wrong haha

Sorry I am getting confused I was thinking of pH levels of less than 4 killing fish -

 

[Maingano]

Sorry I am getting confused I was thinking of pH levels of less than 4 killing fish -

Yeah...not sure fish do so wepl in acid..

 

[sparkypenguin]

I researched this a few years ago for an article on water hardness and fish. This chart is accepted by the reliable sources. Just remember it is arbitrary and subjective terms ("soft, hard, very soft, etc) mean what they mean only to the person using them. But this chart is as I say a guide.

0 - 4 dGH / 0 - 70 ppm very soft

4 - 8 dGH / 70 - 140 ppm soft

8 - 12 dGH / 140 - 210 ppm medium hard

12 - 18 dGH / 210 - 320 ppm fairly hard

18 - 30 dGH / 320 - 530 ppm hard

over 30 dGH / over 530 ppm very hard

Numbers similar to mine but the descriptions vary and unfortunately like you mention the descriptions are flexible person to person, chart to chart. Hence surely we should stop using them and just use the numbers as this would remove the ambiguity?

 

[sparkypenguin]

Hi all and thanks for all of your replies.
From these 6 replies I have had 5 that say that they think that my inhabitants are all fine for my tank set up / water parameters and 0 that have said not.
So based on this I am keeping all that I have.

I am also looking to add some new inherited inhabitants over the next few weeks.
These include 3 Nerite snails, 3 Amano Shrimp and a Hong Kong Pleco.
As stated these are inherited and if they are not suitable then I should be able to take to my LFS for a credit note.
Then going forward I would like to add a group of about 6 Khuli loaches

My OP states all of my current tank inhabitants and parameters but I have listed the highlights below...

The Current Inhabitants
2 x Apple Snails
5 x Panda Cories
9 x Black Phantom Tetras
5 x Adult Mollies (all female)
5 x Adult Platys (all female)
Approx. 15 young mollies of varying sizes (mainly female) - 10 of these will be going to LFS.
Approx. 15 young platys of varying sizes (mainly female) - 10 of these will be going to LFS.

My tank is a 340L / 90G fresh water tropical with dimensions LxHxD = 120 x 50 x 50cm / 48 x 19.5 x 19.5".
I run the tank at around 24-26°C / 75-79°F.
Filtration media comprises of sponge and ceramic and the 2 filters theoretically turn the water over approx. 4 times per hour.
It has a sand substrate with drift / bog wood, quite a few plastic plants and a few live plants and 2 air stones.

I change approx. approx. 20% per week and a treat the tap water with Prime.
I use test tube API kits to monitor my water condition and I do not have any issues with NH3, NO2 or NO3.

Over the course of the last year....
My pH ranges from 7 to 7.5
My KH ranges from 3 to 6°dH
My GH ranges from 5 to 12°dH

As always any guidance much appreciated.
Kind regards,
Mark.

 

[Ichthys]

Why does your GH vary so much? A GH of 5 is way too soft for mollies. They really need the GH 12 or more consistently.

 

[ClownLurch]

GH changing is strange. Though Co Durham’s a strange place regardless.*





*I was born there so I can say owt I want.

 

[GaryE]

For many years I kept fish in water not unlike yours. Relax. They are all good. You are sitting around the middle of the zone for all those fish - not the best for mollies, not the best for phantoms, but good enough for all. You wouldn't be able to breed the tetras, but that's not your goal.

Since there's always a critic though - why so warm? If you have absolutely black mollies, they can be more temperature sensitive than other forms, but that's a tank that could run at 22 with longer lived fish and lower energy costs. I'd never go above 24, unless the heaters were off in high summer and I had no real control.

 

[Byron]

Two serious issues here. First @GaryE has identified--the high temperature. I don't understand the wide range (24-26°C / 75-79°F), but regardless the basic temperature should be no higher than 24 or at most 25C for the cories, and especially the panda species which occur in mountain streams in Peru that are cooler than down in the basins.

Second issue is the too few panda cories. Before getting more fish, increase the pandas to 9 or 10 minimum, or add another species of cory to have a group of 10+. This will make an incredible difference to the health of these fish.

I would not suggest loaches with cories in any tank, though having said that the kuhlii may be less problematic here than would the botine loaches. But it is still not advisable.

 

[sparkypenguin]

Hi all and thanks for replies...

Why does your GH vary so much? A GH of 5 is way too soft for mollies. They really need the GH 12 or more consistently.

No idea, I think it's the incoming supply and have tried discussing with Northumbria Water but it has been a complete waste of time.

that's a tank that could run at 22 with longer lived fish and lower energy costs

temperature should be no higher than 24 or at most 25C for the cories,

I will start to lower the temp gradually to 22.

Before getting more fish, increase the pandas to 9 or 10 minimum

I was planning to do this as well just did not mention in my post.

I would not suggest loaches with cories in any tank, though having said that the kuhlii may be less problematic here than would the botine loaches. But it is still not advisable

Why is it not advisable?

Also no comments about the 3 Nerite snails, 3 Amano Shrimp and a Hong Kong Pleco which is my main immediate question?

 

[Essjay]

Hong Kong plecs are not plecs, they are hillstream loaches, though there's more than one species sold under that name. They need highly oxygenated, very fast flowing, cool water. Although panda cories are one of the few cory species which can cope with a fast water flow, the other species would not be happy. I would not get one of these fish.

Butterfly Hillstream Loach (Beaufortia kweichowensis) — Loaches Online

www.loaches.com

Nerite snails would be fine, though the tetras may try to eat any shrimps.

 

[Byron]

I fully concur with @Essjay on the Hillstream Loach. Also, this is a shoaling fish so several are needed, but their need for flowing waterand lower temperatures can be problematic for other fish.

On the issue of loaches and cories. As I said, the botine loaches are more of a problem than the kuhlii may be, though this is debatable. Botine loaches are very social and very territorial, and they are what we term aggressive feeders. This means they will take control of the substrate to feed. Corydoras are not like this; they are active feeders but not at all aggressive. This means they can lose out to the loaches at feeding time. You also need a group of whichever, and that pretty well uses up the floor space if you have sufficient numbers of either the cories or loaches.

 

[sparkypenguin]

@Essjay
Thanks for the reply but I've already got the hillstream loach as I inherited it from someone else.
I guess it's a trip to the LFS for the little guy.

The shrimps are about 1.5" long so actually longer than my phantom tetras so do you really think there is a change that they may get eaten?
Also I have read that shrimp need a sponge covering the filter inlet to prevent the getting sucked in / injured, is this true?
I do like them as they are really interesting little things but do not want to put them at risk.

 

[sparkypenguin]

@Byron
Thanks for the reply.
I've had a bit more of a read about the Khuli loaches and most sites actually state that Corys are ideal tank mates for them, however I think my water will be too hard and pH too high anyway so unfortunately gonna have to give them a miss. Just looking for something a little different to add to my tank.

 

[Essjay]

Thanks for the reply but I've already got the hillstream loach as I inherited it from someone else.
I guess it's a trip to the LFS for the little guy.

The shrimps are about 1.5" long so actually longer than my phantom tetras so do you really think there is a change that they may get eaten?
Also I have read that shrimp need a sponge covering the filter inlet to prevent the getting sucked in / injured, is this true?
I do like them as they are really interesting little things but do not want to put them at risk.

I didn't realise you already had the loach - good luck trying to catch it if you do take it to the LFS

If the shrimps are that big they should be OK. They do need somewhere to hide when they shed their skin as they are vulnerable while the new skin hardens.
It's baby shrimp that can get sucked into a filter, they are tiny things. But yours are amanos which can't breed in fresh water - the eggs hatch to a larval stage which needs salt water - so no babies to get sucked up. The adults should have no problem.

 

[sparkypenguin]

I didn't realise you already had the loach - good luck trying to catch it if you do take it to the LFS

If the shrimps are that big they should be OK. They do need somewhere to hide when they shed their skin as they are vulnerable while the new skin hardens.
It's baby shrimp that can get sucked into a filter, they are tiny things. But yours are amanos which can't breed in fresh water - the eggs hatch to a larval stage which needs salt water - so no babies to get sucked up. The adults should have no problem.

Yes I've got the loach, snails and shrimp in a smaller 100Lt tank with 2 small fancy goldfish and I had experience experience of catching the loach when I got it so I know exactly what you mean. It was in a round bucket and just kept going round and round stuck to the bucket. It might be easier to just take the entire tank to the shop!

Regards the shrimp I just experienced my first shedding the other day and tbh I thought one of them had died as I did not know that they shed their skin. My larger tank has lots of bog wood, plants (mainly plastic), and a couple of halved coconut shells in at the moment so I think they should be fine. Also in the near future I am thinking of making some type of large multi caved accessory out of various pipe diameters, probably faced up in bog wood or maybe something out of fibre glass. I used to have something similar but basic made out of small pipes tied together with cable ties which acted as a great hiding place for any fish fry.