Second Fish

[homerhotspur]

Have got 5 Danios which appear OK and am thinking about the next fish to introduce in a few weeks time. Have been recommended Corys ( smaller variety), the idea being these are bottom dwellers etc. With the best will in the world, these are not the most attractive fish and I was wondering if there are any alternatives which may be recommended to serve the same purpose. I have a 60 litre tank and am trying to avoid live bearers. I certainly haven't ruled out Corys, so if these are highly recommended please say so.

 

[waterdrop]

lol, you are indeed correct that these are first recommended because of being bottom dwellers, thus giving you some presence and action in that part of your community tank. They serve an important function of helping to clean up the inevitable extra bits of flake food, besides eating their own sinking pellets they like. But I think the bit you are missing is that they come highly recommended not for their color patterns, which are generally subdued compared ot other species, but for their playful spirit and lively fun, which comes out especially when kept in groups of about 5 or more corries. They are known to playfully zip around and sometimes play in the areas of higher water movement, clearly enjoying it! They can also have a sort of fun "whiskered" personality that people come to enjoy seeing in the lower reaches of their tank.

Hope this helps you understand the recommendations a bit!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Colin_T]

as long as the filters have established you could use twig or whiptail catfish, Siamese flying foxes, dwarf botias (like B. sidthimunki or B. lohachata), or even a rainbow shark to pick up food off the bottom.

 

[jacko9901]

you could get a bristlenose or pitbull plec

 

[homerhotspur]

I think I am coming around to the idea of the Corys, having read up some more about them! The only points I have are that it seems that it recommends around 6 and I can really only accommodate 3-4 max. Also, it says they should have a sandy substrate and we have a fairly sharp gravel. Would either of these be a real problem to them or are we just talking about their ' perfect' conditions which will be unlikely to be achieved in such a community tank?

 

[RedeyesUK]

Having just 4 should be fine, although you'd miss out on a lot of their behaviour. Still pretty cool though.

The gravel is a problem though - corys use their barbels to search the substrate for food, and sharp gravel will damage these. A change to a sandy, or smaller sized gravel might be worth considering, and might not be as much work as you think.

As far as other species are concerned, bristlenose plecs make very good algae eaters, although (depending on your point of view), they might not really be considered good looking! I'd back up Colin_T's recommendation of the Siamese Flying Foxes - great fish and voracious algae eaters - except I think they're a little too active for your size tank.

 

[doresy]

A community tank without a group of Cory is a shame. There are soooo many variations, some a bit plain and many that are very striking.
Do get at least 4 and of the same type if you do choose to keep them.

My personal suggested addition is getting 1 siamese algea eater (SAE) or flying fox (very similar, depends on your LFS) I had 3 and when they were small they were great little workers. They do get to be 3" fairly quickly and then they tend to bicker but only with each other. I re-homed 2 and just kept the 1. It is an extremely handsome fish and a great compliment to the over-active Danios