just can't decide on fish!!!!!!

[houndour]

I thought I had decided last week on my stock:

19 gall uk (22 gallon US)
6 cory Metae
6-10 cardinal tetras.


Now i have snails and someone suggested snail eating fish to keep them in check...
so new stocking list:
6 cory Metae
2 Botia Striata (zebra loach) if I can get them.
6 Cardinal tetras.

But now I'm thinking 6 cardinals isn't much to have for the top/middle part. I just seem to prefer bottom dwellers.

I will not give up my Corys, and now I have my heart set on the Zebra loach. Can anyone suggest top/middle level fish instead of the cardinals.

I already asked about a Betta and i've decided to set up my small Hex tank for a betta instead of putting one in the community tank. Any excuse to set up another tank

I thought about dwarf gouramis, but surely for their size I could then only have 2 (1male/1 female) dwarf gouramis and nothing else (except my corys and botia).

My tank is planted as in sig below and I have no fish yet.

 

[MXPX4318]

ok if it was me I'd say go with the cories and loaches, then pick two schools of middle/top schooling fish that stay at or below 2" and get 6 of each, such as rummynose tetras, serpae tetras, whiteskirt/blackskirt tetras, harlequin rasboras, etc., and that will make a nice tank, or you could do one school of fish (8 instead of just 6) and a single gourami (males tend to be quite territorial to others of their own kind so I wouldn't recommend more then 1 in a tank that small) with the cories and loaches. just some ideas.

good luck,
Phillip

 

[BigC]

You could have 6-8 Marble Hatchets for the surface layer, seeing as you've already got the red and blue colouration in the cardinals, I would go for 4-6 Black Phantom Tetras as a nice contrast. I would also go for the smaller Pygmy Chain Loach (Botia Sidthimunki ) instead of Striata.

 

[sylvia]

I'd be a little worried about the zebra loaches. They can be quite nippy and aggressive IME and I'd be worried about them harassing the cories - in particular their vulnerable eyes. I have had some bad experiences with cories and somehwat aggressive loaches so I'd just warn you to be careful and watch for trouble. If they all have cover, there should be no confrontations - but you never know.

A good alternative to the zebras might be botia histrionica which also has a striped pattern but is more peaceful and also a little smaller. Or you could go for a dwarf chained loach like was already suggested

BTW, you don't need to get a loach to get rid of the snails - unless you realy, realy hate them - you could just put a peace of lettuce in the tank over-night every now and again and remove it with most of the snails in the morning. That would keep the population under control without completely irradicating them - snails are actualy quite useful little critters in some ways. For example, they make great scavengers, cleaning up left-overs, and many also clear up algae and they also harbour micro-organisms that make the perfect first food for tiny fry living in the same tank.

Hatchetfish would work great as top dwellers but I'd preffer some honey gouramies - a trio would be good - or a couple of dwarf gouramies or a banded or thick-lipped gourami or you could try one or two pearl gouramies or a single opaline (or any single three-spot variety) .

 

[pica_nuttalli]

here's an interesting fact: i regularly find my female kribensis eating snail eggs off my decor! no wonder i've not been able to grow any in her tanks.

its amazing the different sorts of fish that like to munch on snails.

 

[houndour]

Thanks for the replies guys...I have some questions based on them:

* Is 12 top level fish (small tetras that is) too much (including 2 loach and 6 corys?)

* Can you keep just one gourami?

* Would 1 gourami and 6 tetras be ok? Should the gourami be female rather than male?

You could have 6-8 Marble Hatchets for the surface layer, seeing as you've already got the red and blue colouration in the cardinals, I would go for 4-6 Black Phantom Tetras as a nice contrast.

Are you saying I could have:
6 cardinals and 4 black phanton tetras and 6 corys and 2 loaches?

* I read about Zebra loaches and it said they were of the less aggressive loaches. Would they really eat my corys eyes?

botia histrionica - I love this fish even more than the zebra!! do they eat snails? I can't find much info on them.

Botia Sidthimunki - not so keen on these as much, but may need to see them in the flesh. Do these def eat snails?

I've been to one fish shop already (although not my local) and only had clown loaches. What if I am unable to get one of these smaller loaches? Is it reasonable to request that your LFS tries gets them for you?

I do really really really hate snails. normal garden snails go in my spider category. I hate them. Snails in the aquarium are more bareable but I still hate them. Now that they are in there I can't bare to put my hands in the water.

So if I could incorporate a gorgeous looking fish like the zebra or botia histrionica that eats snails! I'd be very happy

 

[Bloo]

Well I do not have any cories, but quite a number of bottom feeders (see sig) and very varied community tank. But my 2 Angelicus loaches (Botia Kubotai) are gorgeous and ever so friendly - and really beautiful looking too
I see that you set the one tank up only mid March - that might be a bit young if you are stocking such a new tank so quickly. Do it slowly and in stages and check your water after each stock (if that's the tank you are thinking of stocking).
Also, do you have snails because of the sand ? I had a small snail population once and (I hate them as much as you do) but have been able to rid of them entirely by just removing them each time I spot one (in my gravel tank). I've been snail-less for probably a year now at least.

 

[houndour]

oh they are gorgeous...stop it you guys are killing me!! I never even thought of loaches before and now I'm addicted.

The Botia Kubotai might be a little big for my set up. Says they grow to 4-5 inches.

 

[Bloo]

oh they are gorgeous...stop it you guys are killing me!! I never even thought of loaches before and now I'm addicted.

The Botia Kubotai might be a little big for my set up. Says they grow to 4-5 inches.

Mmmm - yep I've had my Botai Kubotai for about a year now and they are about 4" big - so probably just a bit big for the setup you have in mind. Ps: I would not bother with just having the 1 gourami. Stick to the tetras and you'll be fine. The stock levels you are talking about should be fine too, but only if introduced slowly and over a period of time in such a "new" tank.

 

[houndour]

Yep it is the tank in my set up and yep I am going to introduce them slowly. I would just like to get my stocking plan organised now so that I don't get disappointed when I've already got a fish that isn't compatible with one I really like.

I'm just finding it difficult to get a balance for the mid/top levels cos I just seem to love bottom dwellers.

I have live plants so they came in on those. I had my tank set up 2 weeks prior the plants and no snails. A week after planting I can now see hundreds of tiny tiny snails. They are too small to fish out, but I can squash them against the glass (with my fish net) there's no way I'm touching them things!

Once I've decided on the fish I then need to decide on the order! When I was planning just corys and cardinals, I was going to get in the order of
week 1: 3 corys
week 2 or 3: 3 corys
week 4, 5 or 6: 6 cardinals.

Or the cardinals first. I was going to see how the water was to decide on how often to stock up.

But I expect the final decision will be down to whay my LFS has in stock and what the quality of fish are like on the day.

So many decisions

 

[sylvia]

To answer your original questions:

* Is 12 top level fish (small tetras that is) too much (including 2 loach and 6 corys?)

---- This would work if you stuck to smaller loaches and got tetras of about 1" each. I'd just watch the params. carefuly and keep up with water changes and then even slightly bigger top dwellers would work fine

* Can you keep just one gourami?

---- Yes, and I love gouramies so I think they are worth it (it's entirely up to you though) If you do decide to get just one, I'd get one of the bigger species to make it worthwhile. An opaline male always make a great centerpiece fish - as do blue, golden or pearl gouramies (BTW, golden, blue and opaline are all the same species and more territorial than the lovely pearls).

* Would 1 gourami and 6 tetras be ok? Should the gourami be female rather than male?

---- It would be fine and the sex doesn't realy matter if you have only one though males are a little more aggressive (particularly with the three-spots). If you go for a pearl or the colsa species (dwarfs, honeys, thick-lipped, banded), the males are the ones with the brighter colors. With three-spots (blue, opaline, gold) it doesn't make much difference though the males have slightly longer fins.

botia histrionica - I love this fish even more than the zebra!! do they eat snails? I can't find much info on them.

---- Honestly, I'm not sure if they do but I would think yes. Most loaches love snails and I see no reason for these to be an exception.

Botia Sidthimunki - not so keen on these as much, but may need to see them in the flesh. Do these def eat snails?

---- I'm pretty certain these do eat snails.

I've been to one fish shop already (although not my local) and only had clown loaches. What if I am unable to get one of these smaller loaches? Is it reasonable to request that your LFS tries gets them for you?

---- Deffinately ask the LFS to order some in for you. If they refuse (which is unlikely), try another LFS until someone agrees

Anyway, regardless of what you end up choosing, post some pics!!!

 

[houndour]

Thanks for your reply sylvia.

I do like the opaline, but I think it'll be too big for my tank. If I get a gourami I shall stick to the dwarf one. I like the colours and it stays reasonably small.

My nitrites are almost at zero so I am nearly ready to put my first fish in

Here's my up to date stocking list...

1 gourami
6-8 cardinals (or other tetra, maybe rummy nose or glowlight) - will see how water params go to see how many i get
6 cory metae
2 botia (of the smaller variety...although not made up my mind which one yet).

Is this OK do you think? It feels wrong just having 1 gourami. will he/she be ok on his/her own?

 

[houndour]

I've just phoned my fish shop and they have 1 botia striata, dwarf gouramis, lots of tetras and no cory metae.

He said if I was getting dwarf gouramis to get 1 female and 1 male.

I don't know what to do. I was hoping to get my botia or cory first. I don't think I can fit 2 gouramis and have a small school of tetras.

If the botia is in good condition should I go for it? He said they would order more in for me.

How about I scrap the school of tetras?

How's this?

6 cory, 2 botia, 2 dwarf gourami, 3 male guppies.

 

[Nuttygal! :0)]

I say go for it!