General stocking questions

[Jared Learn]

Just recently got a 20 gallon long tank. And currently 4 weeks in, doing fish in cycling. Still waiting to show nitrites but I'm patient. Been doing 2 water changes a weekish, and dosing about every day with prime. Anyways I've been cycling with two mollies and a DG, once my tank cycles I was thinking of adding 1 male German blue ram three or four pygmy Cory's and I was thinking of a small school of like for Black phantom tetras. Just curious if anyone thinks that would be overstocked. I have a hang on back 30 gallon filter and a sponge filter 20 gallon. Any info would be appreciated thank you guys.

 

[Naughts]

Sorry, what is a DG?
It's not overstocked in numbers, in fact it's understocked in terms of group size for the schoaing fish - corys and tetras should be in a group of 6 plus.
But the biggest concern is providing the correct water conditions for the chosen fish - if it's hard enough for the mollies it will not be suitable for the corys etc who need soft water.
It Is best to find out your GH/ PH then post these or check 'seriously fish' to see which can be kept in those conditions.
Good luck!

 

[Jared Learn]

DG is dwarf gourami. My pH is about 7.8 to 8.0 and yes it is hard water but if I'm buying fish from local fish stores the fish are coming from the same kind of water so I assumed they would be okay at least that's what I've been told by the local fish store that I've been talking to. And I'm not talking about Petco or PetSmart. in fact in most tanks that I've seen at the local fish stores they've had all these different kinds of fish and the same water. Thanks for taking time to answer I appreciate it.

 

[Naughts]

We have to ask ourselves why the pet store say these things. At best it is because they don't know enough, at worst it is because we will keep coming back to spend money when things go wrong.

Dwarf gouramis can be aggressive, I wouldn't recommend putting in another territorial fish like the ram. And pygmy coydoras are small enough to end up as snacks for a gourami. Fish in stores are usually younger and smaller so less aggressive and territorial. When we provide them a permanent home it needs to be suitable for their whole lives.

The same principal applies to water Conditions. The fish may be ok for a while but longer term they will become weak and prone to disease if the conditions are not suitable. The mollies require 15-30 dH whilst the corydoras need 2-15 dH. As there is no cross over one of them will be suffering.

Yes there are average water Conditions and fish with average needs so the store can generalise, but if you find out your PH and GH you can choose fish to fit these exactly and are a lot less likely to have problems. You are in a good position to do this whilst you only have three fish. There are some extremely experienced people on this forum who can help you get the right stock.

All the best!

 

[Jared Learn]

I understand what you're saying and you're obviously much more experienced than I am. What I'm saying is they are coming from hard water from the local fish store. Correct? These are tank bred fish from my area from the exact same kind of water. How is the water at my local fish store different than mine we have the same water supply? I understand that in the wild some of these fish are low PH soft water fish. But I am not buying fish caught from the wild. not trying to be a smart-ass or annoying just trying to make a point I understand yours as well.

 

[Jared Learn]

both the fish stores in my area not including PetSmart and Petco that I have asked have the exact water parameters I have basically

 

[Jared Learn]

I'm not going to be buying any fish anytime soon as I said I'm waiting on my tank to cycle. Your points are all well taken I do not want to harm any fish. I'm only trying to figure out the right way to do it as there's so many conflicting points and opinions in this hobby. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

 

[Jared Learn]

Sorry to be so long-winded. I have done quite a bit of research the past 5-6 months trying to be as prepared as possible but I am still just getting started. So I guess my question would be could you recommend any fish that tolerate high pH maybe some South American Cichlids that can tolerate high pH I'm pretty interested in dwarf cichlids if it all possible. And if Cory cats are out of the question due to the water specifications what would you recommend as a bottom dweller

 

[Naughts]

I'm not the most experienced but I have read this forum a lot and the most experienced people say match the fish to your water. I've had success when doing this, and failures when not doing it. I respect that you are not relying on Petsmart/ Petco for information. There are other fish stores with great staff who care a lot about the fish, but at the end of the day they are a business. I recommend researching for yourself before acting on anything a shop tells you.

Sorry, our posts crossed. Can you find out your GH from your water suppliers website? This is more important than PH.

 

[Jared Learn]

Fair enough can't argue with facts. Just trying to figure out something other than live bearers which seemed to be some of the only higher pH fish but I've come across.

 

[Naughts]

I totally understand where your coming from with the conflicting information. It's very frustrating. As time has gone on I have become more discerning about the information I can trust but it's still a minefield sometimes. Even on this forum where most minds think alike there are still differences of opinion from time to time.

 

[Jared Learn]

I'm not the most experienced but I have read this forum a lot and the most experienced people say match the fish to your water. I've had success when doing this, and failures when not doing it. I respect that you are not relying on Petsmart/ Petco for information. There are other fish stores with great staff who care a lot about the fish, but at the end of the day they are a business. I recommend researching for yourself before acting on anything a shop tells you.

Sorry, our posts crossed. Can you find out your GH from your water suppliers website? This is more important than PH.

I'm having trouble finding those exact parameters on the local water website. I tested my water although it's with the crappy strip tests and it's saying around 150 for GH.

 

[Naughts]

That will do!
I think that 150GH converts to 8.4dH- someone please check this!!! @essjay , @Byron - not a problem for most tropical fish.
If I am right though it's not good news for your mollies.

 

[Jared Learn]

That will do!
I think that 150GH converts to 8.4dH- someone please check this!!! @essjay , @Byron - not a problem for most tropical fish.
If I am right though it's not good news for your mollies.

Hmmm that's not good. Should it be higher or lower for the mollies?

 

[Jared Learn]

Hmmm that's not good. Should it be higher or lower for the mollies?

I don't quite understand the conversion from KH to dh