Do otocinclus catfish! They're great. They need a school of the same size as cories. Increase your tetras to 7 or 8 maybe too?
*Beginner* Starting a tank + Stocking - 60L
- Thread starter Mark17
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I do indeed like the look of the Otocinclus catfish.
Wouldnt adding more tetras lead to an overcrowded tank? or should i be okay?
It really depends on how large of a water change you do every week. I think if you had 8 otos and 8 tetras and did a 75% water change every week you'd be fine.
Thanks for this information mate
Oto's are great but make sure you add them further down the line when the tanks well established. They graze non stop and its not easy to always supplement their diet with algae waffers etc. Not a beginner fish imo.
Cories will be fine with the 60 cm length. Just go for one of the smaller species such as the Sterbi you mentioned or Panda's. Have a smooth substrate like sand and have a group of at least 6
Cories will be fine with the 60 cm length. Just go for one of the smaller species such as the Sterbi you mentioned or Panda's. Have a smooth substrate like sand and have a group of at least 6
So after reading most of the comments the past day or so I must say thanks to everyone.
I believe that from what I have seen I want to have the following:
A few plants like Java ferns as well as maybe some floating plants like frogbit?
A sand substrate that is smooth as its better for the cories or oto's
6 x Tetras
2/3 x Gouramis
6 x Sterbi Cories or Oto's
Also do a weekly water change of 50-75%
I believe that from what I have seen I want to have the following:
A few plants like Java ferns as well as maybe some floating plants like frogbit?
A sand substrate that is smooth as its better for the cories or oto's
6 x Tetras
2/3 x Gouramis
6 x Sterbi Cories or Oto's
Also do a weekly water change of 50-75%
Ive got a tank with the same foot print as yours. I personally wouldnt do 3 gourami with the tetra. May be pushing it a tad with the space you have.
Id do
1 x Honey gourami
8 x cardinals tetra
6 x sterbi cory
Or
3x honey gourami
6x sterbi's
2x nerite snails
Thats only my opinion tho
good luck with it all and keep us posted 
There are few options in a smallish tank. Loaches for example are out. But I wold not give up on cories. Corydoras sterbai was mentioned, and a group of 6 or even 7 would be fine here. Over smooth sand, and with chunks of wood, floating plants, and weekly 60-70% water changes.
The tetras presumably are still cardinal tetras, so I would up the group to 7. When one is dealing with shoaling fish, the number can be the difference, and their effect on the biological system can actually lessen with more of them simply because they are more relaxed, less stressed, and this impacts the system less than fewer fish under stress.
I personally would prefer to see a larger tank in volume, say 20g, for the Honey Gourami, but this can still work with floating plants and the rest. They will give you some upper interest, since the tetras and cories are both lower level species.
Otos have been mentioned (didn't spot this before my previous post). Keep in mind these fish do not live on the substrate, they remain on surfaces like plant leaves. I have had them in tanks where I never even saw them without sitting there for quite some time. If you want activity on the substrate level, for some interest, cories are about your only option here.
What about pygmy cories? I've never had them personally, but would they work here? I've never had otos but have read that they need a well established tank (as has been pointed out). I've also read that when introduced to a new tank, they frequently die because the tank is not old enough.
Corydoras pygmaeus is an option, you could have a much larger group (this species always does better with larger groups), say 15. They do spend a lot of time off the substrate, browsing every plant leaf. Corydoras habrosus is another "dwarf" cory; same number. A third is Corydoras hastatus, which spends almost all of its time off the substrate; this species seem quite rare these days, I have not come across it for years.
The oto issue has to do with the fish being almost starved to death by the time it reaches the fish store. If the otos have been in the store tank for a couple weeks, they are probably feeding from sinking algae-type foods. If they look full and healthy, and the store confirms they do eat prepared foods, you are safer to get them. The fish are wild caught, and not fed (obviously) from capture through transport to supplier to store, so they arrive nearly starved. The store tank probably has little if any algae, and without algae the fish often die from starvation. Once they learn that the sinking disks are "food" they tend to recover.
Geordie Paul
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Definitely get the Sterbai corys they are great. I have 2 in my 15 gal for a couple years now. They are generally a bit calmer than most other corys and will always be digging around on the bottom and swimming in and around the plants. They are super friendly and have a great colour pattern. I find that they are generally harder to find at fish stores than other breeds of Cory's. Good luck!
You could try dwarf coreys, either corydora habrosus or hastatus. Both stay under an inch.
They require being in groups. I also find them to be more active than most corydora species.
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