Which Is Best For My 22 Gallon Tank

[julsifer]

So i am going to set up a 22 gallon planted tank with silica sand containing slate caves and rocks, laterite and such......and yes i will be cycling it obv. (cardinal sin not to) but what i wanna know is which of these combinations would say would work best if at all???

Balloon Mollie x2
Neon Tetra x7
Peppered Cory Cat x3

OR

Guppy (2 inches) x3
Neon Tetra x7
Peppered Cory Cat x3

OR

Dwarf Guarami x3
Red Platy x3
Peppered Cory Cat x3
Neon Tetra x4

What do we think? Thanks guys and please any advice always welcome.

 

[meguro]

I'd personally go with the bottom one but increase corys to 5 and neons to 6. All the options seem ok though so it's really up to you.

Note: neons and corys are shoaling fish and prefer to be in groups, most people would agree with my numbers as being the minimum

Edit: forgot to say you should only get 1 male gourami, so that means 1m2f or 3f.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with meguro's comments.

I too like the bottom of the three and agree with the changes to that one mentioned.

The only thing about the middle one is realizing that any livebearers like guppies can change your stocking because of offspring (unless you get all males) and the offspring thing can be more of a hassle than many beginners realize.

The only thing about the top one is that mollys are a very different sort of fish, so its good to study up on them and be sure they're right for you. Some of them need very hard water (some more than others) so its important to see if your water fits the bill and also will be ok for other fish.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[STE_N_EM]

Hi,

Once again not to sound repetative but i'd go with the 3rd option, and again would advise you to get more Cory's as they are fantastic cleaners and work well in numbers of around 6.

Just make sure that the bottom of the tank e.g sand or stone isn't sharp or the Cory's may injure themselves. I found that sand works best.

Hope this helps

Steve.

 

[cowboy507]

agree with option 3

agree with the changes made by meg especially about the gouramis.
I would add a larger school of neons though. these are such small waste produces that it is alright to go over a little bit in the stocking numbers.

 

[youngfisher]

I like option three also.
But as stated above make sure you have 6 corys.
Just so they feel more safe and comfortable.

YF

 

[julsifer]

agree with option 3

agree with the changes made by meg especially about the gouramis.
I would add a larger school of neons though. these are such small waste produces that it is alright to go over a little bit in the stocking numbers.

okey kokey i didnt know this so i will be adding 6 neons

thankyou

I'd personally go with the bottom one but increase corys to 5 and neons to 6. All the options seem ok though so it's really up to you.

Note: neons and corys are shoaling fish and prefer to be in groups, most people would agree with my numbers as being the minimum

Edit: forgot to say you should only get 1 male gourami, so that means 1m2f or 3f.

thanks to everyones help and i will be adding 6 peppered corys (i think i am in love with them already, so cute) i new they shoal together but i wasnt sure if there was enough space for 6 but i trust you guys, so 6 it is the third one was my fave too.

 

[OldMan47]

I think you are doing the right thing by choosing a mix that you like. Far too often I have seen threads by people who say that one or another fish was recommended to them and now they want to know if they can get the fish they really like. Cories and neons both behave much better in large numbers. I would have a look at even increasing the number of neons up to 10 or so but not in a newly cycled tank. Try starting out the stock with just the gouramis and cories and come back a month or more later with the neons when the filter is a bit more mature.

 

[julsifer]

I think you are doing the right thing by choosing a mix that you like. Far too often I have seen threads by people who say that one or another fish was recommended to them and now they want to know if they can get the fish they really like. Cories and neons both behave much better in large numbers. I would have a look at even increasing the number of neons up to 10 or so but not in a newly cycled tank. Try starting out the stock with just the gouramis and cories and come back a month or more later with the neons when the filter is a bit more mature.

i was just considering today what fish to put in my tank first once cycled (spooky)

So should i put all the gouramis and cories in first, or just the gouramis wait for a while then the cories then wait some more etc??? i know you're supposed to add fish slowly, but how many at a time for my sized tank?

cheers