60L - Not 'mature' Tank

[quartex2003]

Hi folks,

I've been reading loads of info on the forum over the last few months all of which I'm finding very helpful to a complete beginner like myself.

I thought it best to check before I go any further so I hopefully someone can help. I have a 60L tank that I have very carefully followed the fishless cycling instructions for and a few weeks later I had a successfully cycled tank. It was at this point that I possibly made my first mistake and purchased 6 neon tetras, only to read later that they don't do well in tanks that are less than 6 months old. Six weeks on I'm pleased to say that all the fish are still doing well.

Now what I'm after is advice/suggestions before I get anything wrong on what I can put in next. I'm thinking of maybe 1 or 2 centerpiece fish and a group of bottom dwellers so the tank will look busy and active. I will also be looking to replace the plastic plants I currently have with any suitable real ones that are suggested.

Any advice really would be gratefully appreciated.

Darren

 

[lilfishie]

how about dwarf/honey gourami?

then (depending on substrate) a group of corydoras for the bottom, there very active and playful

 

[Joshwainwright]

I also suggest Dwarf Gouramis. A pair (1 male + 1 female) would look great.

 

[quartex2003]

Firstly many thanks for your suggestions. I really like the idea of Dwarf Gouramis and Corydoras but I also fancy having 6 Harlequin Rasboras.

So my question is, if I do purchase 6 Harlequin Rasboras to go with my existing 6 Neon Tetras how many Dwarf Gouramis / Corydoras would I have room for?

Darren

 

[tanksalot]

Hi Darren,

I have a tank the same size as yours - give or take a litre or two - and I went with a mixture of neons and harlequins, but in retrospect I rather wish I'd stuck to one mid-tank shoaling fish because in a small tank you can end up with it looking very "bitty" if you chuck too much variety at it. If I were in your position (and indeed I was as I started out with neons too!) I would add a pair of dwarf gouramis (a pair is all you'll get away with I believe), then five or six pygmy corys (allowing time between for the filter to catch up) then eventually bump up the neon numbers to ten or so - I think the effect would be more pleasing that way.

If you're determined to have two mid-tank shoalers, then I would choose espei rasbora rather than harlequins: they look virtually the same but the espei are a smaller, slimmer version and won't tax the bioload as much.

You also need to consider your substrate. If you have gravel it would be preferable to swap it for some nice smooth sand before you get any corys - it's much more natural for them and won't erode their barbels.

As for plants, I don't know what lighting you have or whether you intend to use carbon dioxide, but some good, tough beginner plants would be anubias, Amazon swords, cryptocoryne and Java ferns (I haven't managed to kill any of these yet, so they must be tough ) Make sure you do your research though, because some species of these get BIG and will swamp your tank if you're not careful. Somewhere like The Green Machine (online plant company) has good info about all their plants to help you make appropriate choices.

Hope that helps!

 

[quartex2003]

Many thanks for your detailed response it all makes perfect sense.

One thing that you mentioned that I had overlooked is my substrate which is currently smooth gravel, so presumably I will have to swap that out in favour of sand before purchasing any Pygmy Corys as I don't wish to do them any damage. I also need to confirm what lighting I have on the tank as this is something that I have not checked before purchasing my first plants.

Would it be feasible to add any Shrimps (not sure what sort) to this suggested stocking?

Kind Regards
Darren

 

[tanksalot]

If your gravel is smooth then your corys might do okay, but they really are happier and better off with sand - their natural behaviour will be much more in evidence apart from anything else - so I would swap if I were you. And consider that if you don't, then decide further down the line that you want to, you'll have a much bigger task if you have a lot more fish to deal with during the changeover. I'd get it over with now if it were me, lol. Here's a really old thread with advice on how to do it click here

Re: shrimp, you can certainly have a few of those as they affect the bio load very little. Most people seem to start with Red Cherry - readily available and easy to accommodate across a variety of water parameters