Any suggestions welcome, please

[LostBear]

64l (approx 16 gall) tank, 24" x 12" x 15". Well established. pH around 7. Low to zero nitrate and nitrite levels. Slightly hard water, but don't know exact parameters. Lots of nice healthy plants

At present 5 neon tetras; 3 nerite snails (Bob, Terry and Tallulah), one small ramshorn snail (Yes! Thelma came back!); 4 amani shrimp.

Everybody is settled but one neon keeps away from the other 4 and only comes out for his dinner.

I would like more fish but don't know what to put in. I did have glowlight tetras, but lost them. I would happily consider more, but wasn't sure if the neons were taking their dinner money and sticking their heads down the toilet TBH - neons are bullies IME.

Can anyone suggest what (and how many) fish might be suitable? I would quite like something to hang around at the bottom if that's feasible - maybe a kuhli loach or small cory - but many bottom dwellers like to shoal, and I can't accomodate that in so small a tank. Really I suppose I'm looking for something that would not get picked on by the neons, and wouldn't eat my lovely shrimp. (I have fallen in love with shrimp - who knew an invertebrate could be such a delight!). Oh and hardy - nothing that needs very rigid and precise conditions.

I don't mind what I put in - another few neons if that's the only option - but I do fancy a bit of variety. Would a couple of female betta be okay with neons? I wouldn't put a male in for all sorts of fin-shredding reasons, obviously.

Thanks

 

[Fishiemang]

Glofish danios or barbs. There are more than just tetras. I've not had any issues with my tetras, but the danios are pretty neat. They stay pretty small as well...maybe 1-2 inches.

 

[Fishmar]

i have kept female betta in a community tank, but it was a much larger tank.
I think you should get 6 more neons, or cardinals, just to fill out that group and make them happier.

3 kuhli loach would be good.

Look at some nano fish too, you might be able to do like another small school in there as well

 

[Essjay]

Slightly hard water, but don't know exact parameters.

If I remember correctly, you are in north east England with Northumbrian Water? They don't give numbers for hardness but "slightly hard" means 5.6 to 8.4 dH/100 to 150 ppm.

I would call that middle to upper soft. Water company words can be very misleading.

 

[Essjay]

Ember tetras or Microdevario kubotai (sold as neon green rasboras or even green tetras).

 

[Naughts]

If the water is in the GH range that Essjay mentions you could go with 6 panda cories.

 

[LostBear]

If I remember correctly, you are in north east England with Northumbrian Water? They don't give numbers for hardness but "slightly hard" means 5.6 to 8.4 dH/100 to 150 ppm.

I would call that middle to upper soft. Water company words can be very misleading.

Thank you essjay - you are spot on regards my location. How many do you think I could comfortably accommodate? I

Fishmar - I had kuhli loaches some years ago (2) and they knocked seven bells out of each other - aren't they territorial? I'm not sure if a tank the size of mine would be okay with 3.

I like the thought of panda cories Naughts - but it's such a small tank I don't know if it would be ok with 6.

Could I safely accomodate either one kuhli OR 2-3 panda or julii cories, AND half a dozen ember tetras or another half dozen neons?

I don't know the bioload of the snails and shrimp - that's what's making it difficult for me. I aam not the sharpest knife in the box and the balance isn't easy for me to work out.

 

[ClownLurch]

More Neons. A crowd scene should make life easier for the shy feller surely? That’d be my main concern but I’m a big softy.

 

[Essjay]

Could I safely accomodate either one kuhli OR 2-3 panda or julii cories

Both kuhlis and cories are shoaling fish so they need to be in groups of at least 6.

Given the size of the tank, more neons would the best option, but a few more neons and around 8 ember tetras would be OK as long as you kept on top of water changes.

 

[LostBear]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I think I'll probably go for more neons as Fishmar, Clownloach, and essjay have suggested - they were less nasty to each other when we had a larger shoal. It's a shame in away as I'd have liked a little more variety, but they are pretty little fish.

I'm a little disappointed that I can't have anything snuffling round the bottom but such is life. I'm keeping my eyes open for some cherry shrimp, too. I really like them but haven't been able to get any locally.

Thank you everyone - much appreciated.

 

[LostBear]

Glofish danios or barbs. There are more than just tetras. I've not had any issues with my tetras, but the danios are pretty neat. They stay pretty small as well...maybe 1-2 inches.

I did consider barbs, Fishiemang, but was worried they'd savage my dear little shrimp - danios are a nice idea, though - thanks.

 

[Utar]

I have found I really like snails, my mystery snails are clowns.

 

[LostBear]

I have found I really like snails, my mystery snails are clowns.

We don't have mystery snails in the UK - they are banned! However I have to confess that I an very taken with my Nerites. We had two (Bob and Terry). Bob escaped (or possibly Terry escaped!) and by sheer good luck we found him covered in dog hair several days later. As his little trapdoor was tightly shut we took a risk, crossed our fingers and popped hm back into the tank. After a short time he began to peep out and soon he and Terry (or maybe Bob) were locked in a passionate embrace on a flat rock. I had to cover the dogs' eyes!

Thelma the rams horn appeared with some plants as an egg - some weeks after putting them in the tank this tiny snail was seen zipping about (good turn of speed on her, I can tell you!). She disappeared after a couple of weeks and we assumed she had slithered into the filter and died, but just a couple of days ago she was back, a little larger and just as cute.

Meanwhile we had got another Nerite (Tallulah). Since this one moved in, not only is it like some sort of gastropod orgy in there, but there are eggs appearing all over the place. I know conditions won't allow them to hatch, but they look a bit unsightly, and I'm concerned that if they rot they'll poison the water, so I'm scraping them off when I do the weekly change and hoovering them up. So either Tallulah is a girl and both the lads are besotted with her, or she is a boy and the others are girls and are now in his harem, and everyone has the wrong name.

I read somewhere that is can be good for your snails to have a piece of cuttlefish bone in the tank, for calcium. Is this ok for the fish, does anyone know, and would the amano shrimp benefit from it too.

Asking for an invertebrate . . .

 

[Naughts]

Thank you essjay - you are spot on regards my location. How many do you think I could comfortably accommodate? I

Fishmar - I had kuhli loaches some years ago (2) and they knocked seven bells out of each other - aren't they territorial? I'm not sure if a tank the size of mine would be okay with 3.

I like the thought of panda cories Naughts - but it's such a small tank I don't know if it would be ok with 6.

Could I safely accomodate either one kuhli OR 2-3 panda or julii cories, AND half a dozen ember tetras or another half dozen neons?

I don't know the bioload of the snails and shrimp - that's what's making it difficult for me. I aam not the sharpest knife in the box and the balance isn't easy for me to work out.

Pandas are the smallest of the 'regular' corydoras and don't need the swimming space of danios or barbs. As you say, they just bimble about. My daughter has them in a 10 gallon with a betta. If you only have the 5 neons with 6 pandas the bioload will be reasonable. I consider snail and shrimp bioload to be negligible as they eat the debris that is already in the tank. I doubt the snails need extra calcium with your GH - do you know your water's calcium content?

 

[LostBear]

Pandas are the smallest of the 'regular' corydoras and don't need the swimming space of danios or barbs. As you say, they just bimble about. My daughter has them in a 10 gallon with a betta. If you only have the 5 neons with 6 pandas the bioload will be reasonable. I consider snail and shrimp bioload to be negligible as they eat the debris that is already in the tank. I doubt the snails need extra calcium with your GH - do you know your water's calcium content?

I don't - the water board don't give these parameters and the kit we have (API) while excellent in other respects doesn't test for calcuim- TBH, I can't say I've noticed one that does.

I am tempted by the pandas, I must admit.

Some people don't like corydoras, but I think they have oodles of charm.