60 gallon stocking

[SnailPocalypse]

I obtained a 55 gallon as a deal for getting rid of my 10 and one of my 5 gallon tanks.So I will be having (as of the moment)9 neon tetras,2 bristlenose plecs,a betta,a ghost shrimp,and two corydoras.
Thinking that this tank will be understocked with these fish I would like to go with some more fish.Do not worry raising the cory school is a must when I get it set up.Any ideas though?I would like some nice colorful,active,schooling fish.

 

[Knifeguy]

In my 65 gal. I have neons, bloodfin, rummynose, 2 Sterbi Cats, albino cat, two little cities, bristlenose, a butterfly loach, zebras, white clouds, a big large Betta rose petal I think, keyhole cichlids, and a Bolivian Ram. I also have a few silver tip tetras but Do Not add them. I put 5 little ones in and the terrorized all the schooling fish, to the point I removed 2 of the instigators, probably males. There is absolutely no fighting or any tension everyone gets along fine. The schooling fish I have 4 or 5 each, except the neons I have 11. Tank is a little over stocked but I have heavy filtration. Fairly well planted. Get the Rummynose, awesome schoolers. Get 5. The bloodfins are slightly too wild as are the zebras but they up top. The bloodfins cover the whole tank. Stay away from fin nippers. Read the descriptions and you will stock a nice peaceful natural looking tank.

 

[Byron]

Betta are not community fish, so my first suggestion would be to cross a Betta off your list.

Increasing the cories is needed, as you seem to be aware.

As for other fish...what are your source water parameters? GH, KH and pH...you may be able to ascertain these from your water authority's website if you don't already know.

 

[SnailPocalypse]

Hmm I see.Well let me say this as for PH.
Thats at a pretty solid 7.4-7.6
Cant test KH and GH and my water report does not show it so cant give those though.
Now the Betta.Realyl cant cross her off the list.She isn't agressive,and is female (if that plays a part in it).Never has she attacked the shrimp or anything.Very calm fish.

 

[Byron]

Hmm I see.Well let me say this as for PH.
Thats at a pretty solid 7.4-7.6
Cant test KH and GH and my water report does not show it so cant give those though.
Now the Betta.Realyl cant cross her off the list.She isn't agressive,and is female (if that plays a part in it).Never has she attacked the shrimp or anything.Very calm fish.

Female does make a difference, OK. As for the GH and KH, can you take a water sample (tap water, not tank) to a reliable fiish store? If yes, make sure they give you numbers, not vague terms like "moderate." Or perhaps call the water authority, they should know the GH at least.

 

[SnailPocalypse]

As I am a young and do not own a vehicle of any type.I can not do that,sorry.Also can not call as I o not own a phone either.

 

[SeanTrollope]

dem legs were made for walking.

 

[SeanTrollope]

them legs were made for walking.

 

[fish boi]

them legs were made for walking.

or biking

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Are you sure it isn't listed on the water authorities website? It may not be called gh and kh. It could be general hardness and alkalinity. You can post the link to it here and someone can take a look just to be sure it's not on there.

 

[SnailPocalypse]

That is true they are made for walking lol.Let me see....I think I foun dsomething.
It says Total alkalinity as caco3=81.8-437
An total hardness as CaCo3=2.82-3.98
Both are in mg/l?
Thats aout all I can get lol.

 

[Byron]

That is true they are made for walking lol.Let me see....I think I foun dsomething.
It says Total alkalinity as caco3=81.8-437
An total hardness as CaCo3=2.82-3.98
Both are in mg/l?
Thats aout all I can get lol.

That is all you/we need. GH (general or total hardness) is around 3 mg/l (mg/l is equal to ppm) which is very soft, next to zero. You are sure the unit is mg/l, and not degrees? Whichever it is still soft, so that answers the question. You want soft water fish species, and those mentioned in post #1 are that. Shrimp might be the exception, most prefer harder water, but I will leave that for the members with more knowledge of freshwater shrimp.

 

[SnailPocalypse]

lol yeah it sai mg/l.Pretttty sure.But thats weird cause I have that ph of 7.4 an right out of the tap it is 8.6.Hm but ok thats fine.Now thay we have that sorted what kind of fish wol fit this tank.

 

[Byron]

lol yeah it sai mg/l.Pretttty sure.But thats weird cause I have that ph of 7.4 an right out of the tap it is 8.6.Hm but ok thats fine.Now thay we have that sorted what kind of fish wol fit this tank.

The pH will naturally tend to lower in any aquarium with fish that are being fed due to the accumulation of organics. As bacteria break down the organic matter, primarily in the substrate, carbon dioxide is produced. This creates carbonic acid, so the pH lowers. There is no harm in this, provided it is understood and not allowed to become dangerous. And water changes, not overstocking, not overfeeding, cleaning the filter and substrate...all these help maintain a stable biology and chemistry.

The GH and KH factor in to this. The higher the KH, the more it "buffers" the pH. The three are closely connected, because generally the mineral content is behind them, and here you have very soft water with scarcely any mineral content. This is very simplistic, but it will serve our purposes. The higher pH in the tap water is obviously not due to dissolved mineral, so the water authority probably adds something to raise the pH. This is to lessen the corrosion of water pipes from an acidic pH.

As for fish, select soft water species (those you have are). Most of the fish from South America and SE Asia, with a very few exceptions, should be fine.

 

[SnailPocalypse]

Oh ok cool lol.There is one fish or two I was looking at and would like to make sure are ok.Glass catfish and congo tetras.Either one of these ok?