Tank mates recommendations for social corys, guppies, squeaker catfish ( 220 litre tank filled to 200 litres )

[LuluH]

Hi eveyrone, Id like to know if you think I can add more Corys , loach of tipped tetras to my existing tank mates without too much adjustment to the currently stable water levels. My largest fish is feather finned squeaker catfish approx 6 inches, had 7 months, hes a fast grower and eats everything he finds low down in the tank, along with 2 upside down catfish, 18 months old only 4 inches long, very shy, but come out to feed, with an albino hopli loach. All of these get on, although they compete for food so i distract the squeaker and watch that the others get food at the other end of the tank via a plastic tube / sinking pellets / wafers. The rest of the tank has about 20 assorted guppies (some fry i manage to isolate into floating tiny tank until they grow too big for certain mouths)...two fancy tailed female platys and 3 harlequins who are active - all are non aggresive and non-nippy tank mates. I also have a giant African shrimp i adore, and 4 more wood & amano shrimp. ONe snail, not invited but not a problem. So wha kind of fish could make a nice social and visual addition to my current family ? I love catfish but concerned this maybe a limit .. ( I lost two albino corydoras and a peppered cory between decemebr and january, I cant find a reason - plenty of feeding places, good water levels, plants, bogwood .. sand mainly, stones for plants...) i look forward to your advice thank you

 

[Naughts]

Hi,
We need to know your water parameters and tank dimensions. I wonder if the cories were struggling with a high GH?

 

[LuluH]

all the water levels check out when i take samples to shop and measure at home, tank is 220 litres filled to 200 litres .. the only level i have seen is water hardness kH be a little below ideal range.. what effects the GH ?

 

[Naughts]

Sorry we need numbers and units. Some fish (like your guppies and platies) thrive in hard water (high GH around 200ppm); others thrive in soft water including most corydoras.
The GH is a measurement of the hard minerals like calcium and magnesium.
If you don't have a test kit you could look on your water suppliers website for the water quality report. If you're not sure what is relevant, post a link and we can see if the information is there.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Hastings is hard water

 

[LuluH]

70inches tall x 40 x 80 wide.. thanks for this correction,, so what can i do as all the test kit levels are good ?

Hastings is hard water

 

[LuluH]

'Moderately hard' is their definition for Hastings Uk and
Fluoridation
None of the water supplied by Southern Water has fluoride added to it. Fluoride occurs naturally in very low levels.

 

[Essjay]

The words water companies use are not the words we as fish keepers would use.
What is the name of your water company?


Edit -
I've just entered the postcode of a business in Queens Road Hastings into Southern Water's hardness search. That too says moderately hard but also gives a hardness of 103 ppm (they call it mg/l CaCO3). Does your postcode give a number - see image for what I mean

 

[LuluH]

The words water companies use are not the words we as fish keepers would use.
What is the name of your water company?


Edit -
I've just entered the postcode of a business in Queens Road Hastings into Southern Water's hardness search. That too says moderately hard but also gives a hardness of 103 ppm (they call it mg/l CaCO3). Does your postcode give a number - see image for what I mean
View attachment 129635

mine is 101

 

[Essjay]

I said above that water companies definitions are not the same as in fish keeping.

101 ppm, which converts to 5.6 dH, is soft in fish keeping terms, not moderately hard.


Of the fish you mention in your first post, this is good for tetras, cories and harlequins, but too soft for guppies and platies.

 

[LuluH]

I said above that water companies definitions are not the same as in fish keeping.

101 ppm, which converts to 5.6 dH, is soft in fish keeping terms, not moderately hard.


Of the fish you mention in your first post, this is good for tetras, cories and harlequins, but too soft for guppies and platies.

Yes my own test kits show water is soft below the ideal zone on the KH.. the guppies are prolific and have fry often, there is a platy/molly hibrid amongst them.. its my cories i lost, some new, some 18months... so sad as they are my facourites - albino corys are my 'pig fish' .. i miss them, but losing fish makes me very sad. thanks for guidance on water levels

 

[Essjay]

Ignore what testers say about KH, there's no ideal. All KH does is buffer pH and stop it changing. When KH is low, there is a risk the pH could fall. I have low KH and with regular weekly 50% water changes, my pH remains stable. It's when tanks are very overstocked with infrequent water changes that the pH can drop.


Are you sure it's a platy/molly hybrid? Platies and mollies are in different genuses. Platies and swordtails can and do hybridise (most of the common swordtails in shops are hybrids); the various molly species can hybridise; guppies and endlers can hybridise. It is even possible for mollies and guppies to hybridise though the offspring are very weak. But it's just about impossible to hybridise a Xiphophorus and a Poecilia.

 

[LuluH]

its a molly hybrid - they had a name, maybe i got the platy wrong.. it has an amazing tail and two colour body .illl try to take a photo next feeding time ..

 

[Essjay]

Yes, please if you can manage a photo I'd love to see it