# What to put in with corydoras??



## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Hi, i amk new to the whole forum thing so hopefully i put this in the right place. I was just wandering what would be best to put in with corydoras in an eheim 60-80 aquastar (are these tanks any good either)???? My local fish store said that i could put some plays or guppies in and i was thinking a group of male/female platys and a group of male snake tail guppys?? In with a group of abput 6-7 _corydoras julli_?? Is there any other fish to go in and are platys and guppys not suitalbe??
Thnx
thefishboy


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

hehe found it dont worry 

(for anyone reading this...that wont make sense haha)


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

What fish do u have in ur community tank?? is it a few corys and some gouramis^^^????
:-D


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

um i used to have 3 corys and a golden gourami (keeping more than one gourami together? NOT a good idea as i have discovered from experience in the past)
but the three corys died  actually having said that i hope im not putting you off lol. thing is corys are a little more delicate than some fish, they are quite hardy once settled in, but they are very sensitive to medications especially salt so they can be hard to treat if they get sick. 
i had two peppered corys who lived for like 3 years, surviving numerous cycling tanks, bouts of fin rot, treatment with salt and other inappropriate meds, and even one disaster which killed all the other fish...except the two corys! so those two were hardy. but my three panda corys all died of fungus for no apparent reason.
ah well things like that happen. i now just have the one gold gourami.


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

by the way, if you want to find out more about the species you are interested in, check out the tropical fish species profiles on here. just click on the 'tropical fish profiles' button on the menu bar type thingy near the top of the website, and then the fish are arranged into categories and you can click on them and select species


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Ur npt putting me of a tall, its good well not good to here how other people look after them and if they die ( sorry to here about that) how to stop that. Thats why im looking into it first so i know wat no wat do!!!
Im uploading a few pics of my goldfish now so......


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> I was just wandering what would be best to put in with corydoras in an eheim 60-80 aquastar (are these tanks any good either)????


um what do you mean by an 'eheim 60-80' tank...do you mean gallons or liters or some other measurement i dont know of


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Sorry i ment either an eheim 60 aquastar-( 54l, 60 by 30 by 30)
or an eheim 80 aquastar -( 94 l, 80 by 35 by 45)
sorry i made that 1st one a bit confusing!!


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

hehe 
the eheim 60 is just a little smaller than my tank (which is 60 x 30 x 45 cm or something like that)
both tanks are kind of small, so probably go with the bigger one if you can afford it. but with just corys and a few smallish shoaling fish you should be fine 
what filtration do you intend to use? and has anyone told you how many corys you need to keep? (they are shoaling fish in the wild so minimum 3, the more the better.)
just trying to help so you dont make too many mistakes, like i did...lol! (everyone inevitably makes SOME mistakes, but you learn from them..)


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

They sed more than bout 3 but i was thinking 5-6 corys and maybe 3-4 platys thats wat they sed i could have but if u say that they dnt like the same acidity or sometihng like that, wich i have heard before than maybe something different. Its an eheim filter appanretly its quite powerful and its one of the top makes


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

if u had corys and gouramis maybe could i have gouramis with my corys or is that a no no??


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

:-? how powerful? from my experience, most fish (at least the ones i've kept lol) dont like the strong current produced by a lot of internal power filters (assuming thats what you mean.) especially in a small tank like that, it could stress them a lot because they will constantly be having to battle the current. if it's bad enough, the fish have to expend so much energy to not be swept away that they can't even swim.

i know people do it all the time, but my experiences havent been good. that's why i have a homemade filter in my 60 liter tank. it's very effective and very gentle. fish taht have to constantly be battling currents will get very stressed. its especially bad for them when they are just settling into the tank i think, because that is when they weakest..
oddly enough i haven't heard people talk much about the stress of currents though, so i'm starting to think i'm the only one. 
are you buying like a tank kit or something, with everything included? and will it be planted?


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> if u had corys and gouramis maybe could i have gouramis with my corys or is that a no no??


that's fine, just don't get more than one gourami, and don't put in any other anabantids (i.e. bettas) because they will fight. anabantids are really agressive!
gouramis are delightful, one of my favorite fish. they can get kind of big, so you'd probably want the larger tank if you had a gourami. or you could get one of the Dwarf Gourami, which are fine in small tanks...actually i would reccomend that  (p.s. if you click on the name 'dwarf gourami' above you should get the species profile for them)


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

gah i keep forgetting to say things in my posts  i meant to ask, how do you intend to cycle the tank?


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Ummm. I dnt think the filter is to powerful but its powerful in the wqta that its good if u see wat i mean. Maybe a gourami might be a good idea!! Just 1 do u think? Do they fight if they are in groups???
Cycling is wen u get the tank running and get the filter with the healthy good bacteria?? I am currently doing something like that in my goldfish tank it had high levels of ammonia but we have corrected that now now its the nitrates, nitrites we need to fix. Were using prime at the mo but it seems to be working. We taking a sample in on tuesday to chacke if its finnaly done. For the new tank im going to do similar to my goldfish tank, but probably maybe thats why i was gunna put a platy or 2 in to help hte cycle. It is gunna be planted with a lot of hiding places especially for the corys. and some hopefully floar=ting plants. But do u have any tips on how 2 cycle a fish ta nk well??
thnx


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

um ok first lets sort out the cycle as its really important 
whatever you do, DONT add any fish straight away, plant the tank first. also if you can afford it, get nitrite/nitrate/ammonia test kits (liquid ones)...they can be really expensive, but its worth it. and a liquid ph test kit if u dont already have one. it will save a lot of trips to the store 
i think you should start off with a few small hardy fish, so that if the plants dont use up all the ammonia and nitrate (nitrite will still be a problem) you aren't going to be killing fish. lots of people reccomend platys, but you might want to check with someone to make sure that's ok because as i have already said, platys need harder water (some people refer to this as 'basic' water.)
you'll need to monitor the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate daily to see what is happening. plants use ammonia and nitrate as food and can help control nitrate in a cycled tank. when the tank is cycling they will use up the ammonia. nitrite is still there at some point in the cycle, so regular water changes are essential to reduce that as well as other toxins. i'd say maybe a water change every second day during cycling? it sounds excessive but it's probably a good idea.
whatever the case, only once there are readings of 0 for ammonia and nitrite and hopefully not too much nitrate (in a planted tank there may even be none), should you add fish. i've never kept dwarf gouramis before so i don't know much about how hardy they are, but i'm pretty sure they've got to be hardier than corys, so maybe add one of those first.
and definitely only get one. or disaster will ensue :shock: haha!

sorry for long post! and sorry to fish experts if any of that cycling info is incorrect! :-D


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Thnk u, my local fish store is only a 2 minute walk and they do free liquid tests so i dnt mind going there all the time to get it checked. Cleaning them out isnt a prblem im cleaning my goldfish tank out every day and ive been doing that for about 2 weeks, because my water wasnt very good. and i needed to change it and add the chemcials so i coulod get a shriimp in there. I just looked up dwarf gouramis they are very beautiful fish it said to jeep them in pairs but i dont think i want lots of babys and if the male starts getting aggresisve i dnt have a big enough secong tank to separate them. But i think that might be a better idea. Than platys but i will see, because in the fish tankt he guppys and corys are in the same tank anyway. Thnk u for the advice on cycling that was very helpful.


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

i'm glad i could help 
you mean the guppies and corys are in the same tank in the store? just because two species are kept in the same tank in the store doesn't mean they should be kept together. the tanks in stores are just for holding purposes, and often there isn't enough space to put them in different tanks. or sometimes the shop people are just stupid  but mostly it's just a practicality thing. at my local pet shop (which, by the way, treats its fish TERRIBLY) they had several dwarf gouramis in one tank, and boy were they attacking each other. you'd want to be sure you got a pair and even then it's risky. i think one will be ok, but you should probably ask someone with more experience of gouramis.
good luck with the tank


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Thnx again, i think one gourami and a few corys should be enough, maybe even the corys may breed??? better to have more space rather than them being squashed!! Whats ur local pet shop called just wandering??? Because my local fish tank DNT TREAT ALL OF THERE THE BEST, ONE LARGE ABOPUT 25CM PIRANHA is kept in a cage about 30 by 20 cm!!


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

um i cant tell you what its called, partially cos i can't remember but also i kind of dont want to name names if you know what i mean. i never buy fish there. i think pet shops are bad places to buy fish because they have so many other animals to look after, and they dont specialise in fish, so the staff are even less likely to know anything about what they are selling. 

i have a sad story about my local pet shop. about a month ago i went there just to see what fish they had. there was a lovely little female betta in a tank , along with another female betta who was looking listless and not swimming. i almost bought the healthy looking one because i thought she looked sweet and she wasn't being looked after too well (the tank was full of sick, dead or dying fish). anyway a few weeks later i went back to the shop and the poor little betta was lying on the bottom of the tank dead. the other betta that had not been swimming was in the same spot as i had last seen her, also dead or dying. i felt like crying. i should have bought that fish! 

needless to say, don't buy your fish from a shop like that. do you have any other local fish stores? i dont like the sound of the one you mentioned :-? its essential to start off with healthy fish or else things will not be good.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

There is a few but, if i do by them there i will only by them if they are in a tank not cramped they fins are not been nibbled
active and at there full colour.
I sort of ha ve the same story as u in my local fish shop the bettas are in tanks about 15 by 15 cm glass squares and half of them are dead, i almost got one instead of my goldfish, the dont even have a filter in there tanks


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

woah...definitely dont buy fish at your lfs! and yes, make sure the fish you do buy look healthy. if they are acting in any way abnormally dont buy them. i hope you manage to find some good quality fish. it might be worth going a little out of your way to find a good store...after all if you get them locally and then they all die its useless isn't it?
the tanks in my local pet shop arent tiny, they just dont' know how to look after fish. their guppies look alright, but other than that nearly every tank has dead fish in it. i often consider 'rescuing' fish in situations like that, but thats not a good idea if you can't accomodate them...


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

The only tanks which look alright are the mollys plec corrys and some the the gouramis


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

i still wouldn't trust fish from that store even if those tanks look ok. clearly they dont know what they're doing...but if it's the only option i guess it's ok considering that those are the fish you are looking at getting


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

Just FYI, I've kept 3 Gouramis (2x Blue 1x Gold) in a 30g for 5 years (yeah, old Gouramis xD) and they get along fine. They have a really strict social order though.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Sorry to be dumb wats fyi. and wat sort of care do gouramis need. Are the males differnat colour then females because i dnt rely want to breed them. would they be alright with some corys??
thnx


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

fyi means for your information 
also i think the tanks you mentioned (50 or 90 liters or whatever it was) are too small for more than one gourami. but i'll leave that to someone else to determine


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

I agree, one gourami (of these "large" species like Blue/gold) is it for a 15g or 25g tank, and the 25g would be best of the two. These fish grow to nearly 6 inches and finding suitable tankmates in a small tank is impossible. Please read the profile of this fish:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/profiles/blue-gourami/


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

Any chance of merging a couple of this guy's topics? They're all VERY similar. o.o


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

I know sorry i just made some and they ended up being the same!!


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

thefishboy said:


> I know sorry i just made some and they ended up being the same!!


If you give me the threads, I will merge them into one for you. I need the link, which you get by pointing the cursor at the underlined title of each thread (one at a time) in the forum list, right-clicking the mouse on "copy shortcut" and then pasting it in your reponse post here. I will merge them.

Byron.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-aquarium/what-put-corydoras-49895/

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/catfish/plecostumuss-49959/

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-aquarium/amano-shrimp-49964/

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-aquarium/tank-mates-49908/

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/cyprinids-atherinids/goldfish-cories-together-49907/

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-aquarium-equipment/eheim-49917/

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-aquarium/corys-plecostumus-49898/

Is this alright


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

thefishboy said:


> http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-aquarium/what-put-corydoras-49895/
> 
> http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/catfish/plecostumuss-49959/
> 
> ...


For some reason these links are not working. I'll get some help.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Sorry :-?


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Having seen the length of some of the threads, I'm thinking it may be best to leave them as is. If they are merged, it will create an enormous thread, with duplicate posts.

The latest posts in several are much the same, fish with corys. If you could stick to just one thread with this topic and let the other threads die naturally, it would be best.;-)

Byron.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Sorry for all the hassle, im new to this so i didnt quite no wat to do :-?
Cani just ask a quick question?
My brother is pestering me to get nemo fish (clown fish) are the marine tanks, harder for maintanance, upkeep etc....................?


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> Sorry for all the hassle, im new to this so i didnt quite no wat to do :-?
> Cani just ask a quick question?
> My brother is pestering me to get nemo fish (clown fish) are the marine tanks, harder for maintanance, upkeep etc....................?


yes they are :-? if you're new to freshwater fishkeeping, you definitely shouldn't be trying for a marine tank yet.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Ok thnx i was just wandering, i prefer fhresh water/tropical anyway


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> Ok thnx i was just wandering, i prefer fhresh water/tropical anyway


yeah and marine fish are usually REALLY expensive...i kind of feel sorry for clownfish having that reputation as 'the nemo fish' haha


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

I knwo my brother runs in the shop and shouts 'nemo fish' were are they!! anyway i think ive decided on what im having in my fish tank yay!


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> I knwo my brother runs in the shop and shouts 'nemo fish' were are they!! anyway i think ive decided on what im having in my fish tank yay!


hahahaha oh poor fish...they have become like a pop culture icon. :|
i'd love to know your stock list :-D


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

I think ive decided a trio of female Honey Gouramis
6 _corydoras jullis_
A Bristle Nosed Plecostumus
Maybe im not sure 3 platys
And im quite keen on the green snake tail guppys
Are u going to re stock ur tank??


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> I think ive decided a trio of female Honey Gouramis
> 6 _corydoras jullis_
> A Bristle Nosed Plecostumus
> Maybe im not sure 3 platys
> ...


yup  (btw, i thought guppies weren't a good idea because they're fins could get nipped? and the plecos can get quite big and be a bit territorial towards the corys, although that shouldn't be a problem if there's plenty of hiding places)
i'm going to make mine into a south-east asian biotope. not a really strict biotope, but south-east asian fish nonetheless. if you dont know what a biotope is, it's a habitat made up of fish and other organisms from the same area, all natural 
today i also got a gorgeous little female betta to put in my 6 gallon spare tank. she is such a cutie..her name's Flame. you can see piccys in this thread: http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/betta-pictures/i-rescued-betta-50028/


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Shes lovely nice choice!!
I am gunna make sure there are lots of hiding places especially for the corys and platys, i think im going to plant live plants, along the back and around the sides for the gouramis and lots of free swimming place, with a central ornament, probably a large peice of wood or decorative item, plus im going to maybe get some java moos, and some drift wood towards the to corners and floating plants!! im so excited and its going to be quite A WHILE until its all going to happen and come 2gether!!!


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> Shes lovely nice choice!!
> I am gunna make sure there are lots of hiding places especially for the corys and platys, i think im going to plant live plants, along the back and around the sides for the gouramis and lots of free swimming place, with a central ornament, probably a large peice of wood or decorative item, plus im going to maybe get some java moos, and some drift wood towards the to corners and floating plants!! im so excited and its going to be quite A WHILE until its all going to happen and come 2gether!!!


wow that sounds amazing! looks like you've got it all sorted out  and yes it will take a while.
i have to make some changes to the layout of my main tank and i imagine that won't be happening for some weeks! good choice with the live plants, they help keep the water quality good.


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

Post your water parameters? I still think Platys are a bad fit.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Im not sure! My mum doesnt know either i might leave platys out!


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> Im not sure! My mum doesnt know either i might leave platys out!


do u have test kits for ph, nitrate, nitrite etc. ?


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

I only take my water from my goldfish tank to my LFS for a free test, its only doen the road.


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> I only take my water from my goldfish tank to my LFS for a free test, its only doen the road.


Do they tell you the results in PPM or do they just tell you, "Oh, looks okay."

?? >.>


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

This was my last water results before the one ijust had tested:
1st 2nd now
pH 7.7 7.2 closer to 7 now

ammonia 4 0 0

Nitrite .25 5 0

i think its .25 but im not sure cant read there writing
i must seem rely dumb :-(


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> This was my last water results before the one ijust had tested:
> 1st 2nd now
> pH 7.7 7.2 closer to 7 now
> 
> ...


How long between tests? Rapidly changing PH. 

And no, not dumb. Just new. I was new to this not that long ago as well so don't worry about it.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

I took a sample in and the 1st set of readings was my normal fish water,
they gave me interpet ammonia remover went away for for 5 days took a sample back (2nd readings)
I just have to get used to all this testing and stuff


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> I took a sample in and the 1st set of readings was my normal fish water,
> they gave me interpet ammonia remover went away for for 5 days took a sample back (2nd readings)
> I just have to get used to all this testing and stuff


You should take a sample with normal tap water in it so you can see what the parameters are like straight out of the tap, mainly PH, since it seems to have dropped a lot somehow.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Well i might take a sample up there sometime to check is my readings not good or something??
:-?


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> Well i might take a sample up there sometime to check is my readings not good or something??
> :-?


7.7. to 7 is quite a ph drop, thats all. at what intervals were these three tests done?


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

dorabaker said:


> 7.7. to 7 is quite a ph drop, thats all. at what intervals were these three tests done?


I think he said 5 days between the 7.7 to the 7.2 reading... You said you added some kind of product for ammonia control, fishboy?


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

1st test 12 of august to yesterday
12th- 23rd august


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> 1st test 12 of august to yesterday
> 12th- 23rd august


that's a reasonably long time between tests. i think the ph of my tank probably drops at that rate. it's a natural process in a cycled tank, but if your tank isnt cycled yet i'm not sure what's causing it...should probably ask someone who knows about these things 
just to be clear is that 4.00, 40.0 or 400 ppm of ammonia? hehe...


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Yeh so...
on the 12 of august i took a sample of my fish water into my LFS, they gave me ammonia remover
.ph 7.7
nitrate 0 .25
ammonia 4.oo ppm i think


5 days later on the 17th of august i went back and my
ph was 7.2 and 
nitrate 5
and ammonia they then gave me prime and said do 25 percent water changes everyd ay for a week.

so i did that and went yesterday with a new sample and it
ph; was roughly below 7.2 and above 7
i forgot to take my slip but they sed it was around that i cant remeber

hope this helps:-(


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

and i cycled my tank for a week before adding one fish and a further week before adding the other, but to get my shrimps i need to to all the testing, improving


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> Yeh so...
> on the 12 of august i took a sample of my fish water into my LFS, they gave me ammonia remover
> .ph 7.7
> nitrate 0 .25
> ...


do u mean nitrate or nitrIte? because you said nitrite in an earlier post... and that would make more sense, as the cycle goes in this order: ammonia spike, nitrite spike, nitrate spike...ph drop! something like that. :-D oh by the way do you have live plants in the tank.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Sorry im being realy dumb nitrite, im getting so confused...,.:-? in my 'aquarium' list there is a pic i got 2 new amano shrimps yesterday and a plant, i jsut made a thread bapout it i cant remeber its name!


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> Sorry im being realy dumb nitrite, im getting so confused...,.:-? in my 'aquarium' list there is a pic i got 2 new amano shrimps yesterday and a plant, i jsut made a thread bapout it i cant remeber its name!


hehehe dont worry i'll find the thread, and nitrites and nitrates are really confusing...not to mention its difficult to say 'nitrite' and 'nitrate' and make them actually sound different! haha..
sounds like your cycle is going as it should. try to get some more plants as soon as possible, you can never have too many (well as long as the fish arent getting tangled up in them) and they can only do good in a cycling tank.they used ammonia and, later, nitrate as food so there will be less of a buildup of those toxins. therefore less stress on fish, and less likeliness of losing fish..


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Ok ill try and get another one of my 'mystery plants' tommorow hopefully, the plant begins with v and is grass like


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

For californiafishkeeper: do u still think platys are a bad idea i totaqlly understand if not


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> Ok ill try and get another one of my 'mystery plants' tommorow hopefully, the plant begins with v and is grass like


u should get some java fern if you have a rock or piece of wood to attach it to - i highly recomend them.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

I was going to get that but at my LFS they sell them on a bit of drift wood but there are pricey so i think ill stink to the other plant and get java moss in my new tank


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> For californiafishkeeper: do u still think platys are a bad idea i totaqlly understand if not


No, they should be fine after all... I thought you had previously said that your PH was much lower. My bad. :3


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> I was going to get that but at my LFS they sell them on a bit of drift wood but there are pricey so i think ill stink to the other plant and get java moss in my new tank


java moss is a good idea. maybe you could get cryptocorynes then? they are a nice foreground plant and good for corys to hide among.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Ill should definatley get that for my new tank
and how many platys could i get away with and does this sound like a good list
a trio of honey gouramis (female)
5-6 corys
a bristle nose plec
4 platys
3 guppys??
thnx agen for all ur help


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> Ill should definatley get that for my new tank
> and how many platys could i get away with and does this sound like a good list
> a trio of honey gouramis (female)
> 5-6 corys
> ...


How many gallons/litres is your tank again?


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

90l 25 gallons, 80 by 35 by 40, those fish are what my LFS said but they did say in that sized tank i coyld have 7-9 dwarf gouramis!! i thought they may of made a slight mis calculation on that one


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> 90l 25 gallons, 80 by 35 by 40, those fish are what my LFS said but they did say in that sized tank i coyld have 7-9 dwarf gouramis!! i thought they may of made a slight mis calculation on that one


woah, woah, woah. slight miscalculation? thats the understatement of the year...:shock: they dont know what theyre talking about lol...
are you getting all male guppies, or males and females?


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> 90l 25 gallons, 80 by 35 by 40, those fish are what my LFS said but they did say in that sized tank i coyld have 7-9 dwarf gouramis!! i thought they may of made a slight mis calculation on that one


I would say you're overstocked then. Maybe remove 1 species and bulk up another school?


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

I would prfer only males or only females, beacuse i dont rely want them to breed......:-?
could u give me a good list out of the ones ive got 
i would liuke to definatley have the corys! but do i need to get rid of a species or.........................?


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> I would prfer only males or only females, beacuse i dont rely want them to breed......:-?
> could u give me a good list out of the ones ive got
> i would liuke to definatley have the corys! but do i need to get rid of a species or.........................?


give me a moment and i will write you a stock list


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> I would prfer only males or only females, beacuse i dont rely want them to breed......:-?
> could u give me a good list out of the ones ive got
> i would liuke to definatley have the corys! but do i need to get rid of a species or.........................?


In my opinion, yes. Even going by lame 1 gallon = 1 inch rule.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Do u have any good stock list californiafishkeeper, around the sort of fishi have?? ill wait to see wat u come up with dorabaker


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> Do u have any good stock list californiafishkeeper, around the sort of fishi have?? ill wait to see wat u come up with dorabaker


heres my attempt, probably still overstocked but it was worth a try..

5-6 corys
3 female honey gouramis
bristlenose plec
4 platys OR guppies

you could probably have fewer corys, the more the better but 3 or more is ok.
also the plec will contribute hugely to the bioload.
i wouldn't get both platies and guppies...choose one or the other. the males are prettier in guppies, so you'd probably want to get those. i have heard they can be nippy though..
you could also only have one gourami.


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

dorabaker said:


> heres my attempt, probably still overstocked but it was worth a try..
> 
> 5-6 corys
> 3 female honey gouramis
> ...


Male Platys are more aggressive than any fish I've ever had... About equal with my male Bettas. Yes, seriously.

Would circle each other nipping fins until I put my hand between them in the dang tank! Eventually I ended up with 3 dead Platys and a couple more that I gave away.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

That sounds better im still not sure yet, platys or guppys?? Or even just 1 dwarf gourami instead. but i think i would keep the plec because they are very nice fish and they eat soem of the algea. decisions decisions
thnx for the stock list


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> That sounds better im still not sure yet, platys or guppys?? Or even just 1 dwarf gourami instead. but i think i would keep the plec because they are very nice fish and they eat soem of the algea. decisions decisions
> thnx for the stock list


I would get a smaller Pleco... would cut down on your bio-load alot.


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

CaliforniaFishkeeper said:


> In my opinion, yes. Even going by lame 1 gallon = 1 inch rule.


i dont like that rule either. i use the 12 square inch of surface area to 1 inch of fish rule as a guideline...


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Ok thnx california fish keeper i think illgo with the stock list dorabaker gave me a forget about the platies guppys are prettier anyway.
Are the femalehoney gouramis quite dull or are the nice looking??


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Ive heard a clown pleco is smaller but u hardley ever see them??


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> Ive heard a clown pleco is smaller but u hardley ever see them??


have a look at this 
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/profiles/clown-pleco/
it says they reach 3.5 inches. sounds like the ideal fish to me, i adore plecos. i wish i could find one of these somewhere. do u know if your lfs stocks them?


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> Ive heard a clown pleco is smaller but u hardley ever see them??


Are you able to special-order fish or are you stuck with what's in stock at your fish store?

I still advocate Rio ***** Pleco over Clown Pleco. :\


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Yeh there are the ones they showed me they have both types of pleco plus lots of other plecos, i suppose it doesnt matter about the not seeing them part because as long as u put all there hides in the right place you should be able to find them, plus there £7 cheaper plus clown plecos need a ph of around 7!!

3 honey gouramis female
6 corys
1 clown pleco
and 4 male guppys


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

I dnt think they have them and im pretty sure they dont special order??


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

CaliforniaFishkeeper said:


> Are you able to special-order fish or are you stuck with what's in stock at your fish store?
> 
> I still advocate Rio ***** Pleco over Clown Pleco. :\


i just read that the rio ***** pleco can grow to 4 inches. its only half an inch difference and it probably varies a bit...pity there isn't a species profile on here for them.


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> I dnt think they have them and im pretty sure they dont special order??


Have you asked? Anyway, if the Clown Pleco suits you that's fine. They are very similar species. Clown just hides more.


@dora. I just don't want him to get stuck with a reclusive fish that he never sees... My uncle has a Striped Raphael Catfish that only comes out like once every freakin' year. Pisses me off.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

ill double check next time im i n there, probably tommorow!


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

But as i sed it all depends on how you lay the tank out , if i lay it out nicley still putting in what they nedd then i should be able still to see them


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> But as i sed it all depends on how you lay the tank out , if i lay it out nicley still putting in what they nedd then i should be able still to see them


i think they are still just naturally reclusive.
maybe observe how they behave in the store and see if they are irritatingly shy?  although fish always behave diferrently in the store to when they are in an established tank.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Well in the shop there is quite a few small 1s about half an inch or so and there very active but they dont rely have the option to hide they only have a few artificial plants


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

dorabaker said:


> i think they are still just naturally reclusive.
> maybe observe how they behave in the store and see if they are irritatingly shy?  although fish always behave diferrently in the store to when they are in an established tank.


All catfish like to be under and/or in things... under rocks, or driftwood, in tunnels.


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> Well in the shop there is quite a few small 1s about half an inch or so and there very active but they dont rely have the option to hide they only have a few artificial plants


exactly...oh well they still have to come out at feeding time dont they? 
anyway i have to bid you all goodnight now, as its 2 am here :shock: haha..


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

wow 2am im guessing ur in america?? its only 5 pm in england!!


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> wow 2am im guessing ur in america?? its only 5 pm in england!!


haha no im in australia  its probably more like 5 am in america, i dont know...maybe even midday!


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## CaliforniaFishkeeper (Jun 29, 2010)

dorabaker said:


> exactly...oh well they still have to come out at feeding time dont they?
> anyway i have to bid you all goodnight now, as its 2 am here :shock: haha..


The SRC that I was talking about doesn't come out at "feeding time." Bugger makes his own schedule... every fish is different.


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Soz lol, well probz be talking to u in another thread tommorow!!


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## thefishboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Lol, is that your uncles fish did u say?? catfish im guessing!!


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## dorabaker (Jul 3, 2010)

thefishboy said:


> Soz lol, well probz be talking to u in another thread tommorow!!


yup  goodnight all! (silly raphael catfish..haha)


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