Next Fish...

[Liquidshokk]

OK when I take a couple of our randy male Platys back to the shop at the weekend and get some female ones to correct the male/female ratio we hope to also buy our next couple of fish, would like to go for some quite exotic looking ones and need some ideas please...

obviously need to be able to live with 4 platys (will be 3 females and 1 male by then, which im guessing is a good ratio???)

I hear that its good to get some which help to clean the tank so this could be an option...

Thanks for any ideas in advance....

 

[n3ont3tra]

We need to know the volume of your tank in gallons or liters. If you're looking for a somewhat active fish, then HArlequin Rasboras are an option. Or if you want a little more personality, corydoras are good. If you have a small tank, you'll want pygmy cories.

Also, that's a good ratio for platies.

 

[dwarfgourami]

From your other post, this is a 96 ltr tank=25 US gallons, so corydoras would indeed be a good option. However, it is also a new tank, which is still going through the cycling process, so 4 platies is really all you want to keep for the next month or so. I would strongly advise you to spend money on a test kit, so you can monitor levels of ammonia and nitrites. Read the pinned topics on cycling and you will see what I'm on about. Once your tank is cycled- that is once there is no sign of either ammonia or nitrites even a week after a water change- you can slowly add more fish.
"Cleaning fish" may be a good option- simply because some of them are very charming fish, but you should not expect any fish to do all your maintenance work for you, and even "cleaning fish" need to be fed their own food. Some common cleaning fish include:

corydoras- these are peaceful schooling fish (so need to be kept in groups), which eat food that falls to the bottom, but not algae. They must be not be kept on a dirty substrate though, with old uneaten food, as this will make them ill. So you still need to gravel vac. IMO these are some of the most charming fish in the trade

a bristlenose plec- eats algae and fallen food, but produces a fair amount of poop, so you will still need to gravel vac, again peaceful (thought can be territorial amongst themselves) and quite happy to be kept on its own

otocinclus- small algae eaters that prefer living in small groups, very efficient but sensitive to new tanks

shrimps- eat algae and fallen food, like to be kept in groups, low bioload

All the above will get on well with your platies. Three fish to avoid are the common plec (aka sucking loach), the sailfin plec (d) and the Chinese Algae Eater (aka sucking loach/golden sucking loach). These will outgrow your tank and/or spell trouble.

 

[Liquidshokk]

From your other post, this is a 96 ltr tank=25 US gallons, so corydoras would indeed be a good option. However, it is also a new tank, which is still going through the cycling process, so 4 platies is really all you want to keep for the next month or so. I would strongly advise you to spend money on a test kit, so you can monitor levels of ammonia and nitrites. Read the pinned topics on cycling and you will see what I'm on about. Once your tank is cycled- that is once there is no sign of either ammonia or nitrites even a week after a water change- you can slowly add more fish.
"Cleaning fish" may be a good option- simply because some of them are very charming fish, but you should not expect any fish to do all your maintenance work for you, and even "cleaning fish" need to be fed their own food. Some common cleaning fish include:

corydoras- these are peaceful schooling fish (so need to be kept in groups), which eat food that falls to the bottom, but not algae. They must be not be kept on a dirty substrate though, with old uneaten food, as this will make them ill. So you still need to gravel vac. IMO these are some of the most charming fish in the trade

a bristlenose plec- eats algae and fallen food, but produces a fair amount of poop, so you will still need to gravel vac, again peaceful (thought can be territorial amongst themselves) and quite happy to be kept on its own

otocinclus- small algae eaters that prefer living in small groups, very efficient but sensitive to new tanks

shrimps- eat algae and fallen food, like to be kept in groups, low bioload

All the above will get on well with your platies. Three fish to avoid are the common plec (aka sucking loach), the sailfin plec (d) and the Chinese Algae Eater (aka sucking loach/golden sucking loach). These will outgrow your tank and/or spell trouble.

Thanks for that guys,

Yeah my tank is 96 ltres.. The guys in the shop said that it should be fine to put more fish in this weekend after having it for 2 weeks and having fish in there for a week... (guess they just want to make money....)

As for the testing kit i do have one, which tests for amonia, ph etc etc. I felt like a little scientist mixing all those chemicals up!!! All the tests came back ok according to the chart, going to do a part water change this weekend so will test again after that. (before i put the new fish in, guessing thats right?!?) As for the filters, i read that the filters shouldnt be touched for the first month to allow bacteria to form so I'll leave the filters alone this weekend when i carry outt he water change (apart from the white one which i change weekly...)

Think I will just replace two of the males this weekend and wait a little while before adding some more and will keep your suggestions in mind for sure...

 

[Breeze7050]

Liquid, Great idea to wait a little longer before adding more fish
Basically an easy rule of thumb to remember is 1" per 1 gallon. Basically you can have about 25 inches of ADULT fish in your tank.
Cories - would be great and give you some activity at the bottom of the tank - fun little guys and a good clean up crew - make sure you offer them some sinking pellets so they get food too!
You could also try a school of smaller tetras 6+ neons, serpae's, rummynose, ect.
As mentioned, ottos are great for eating algae - but VERY sensitive.
Sometimes it's fun to throw 6 or so ghost shrimp in. Active little buddies but sometimes you won't see them for months!!
HTH and have fun with you new tank!