Stocking a 54 liter tank

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You could have guppies, Endlers, platies. The other livebearers (mollies and swordtails) get much too large for this tank. As for numbers, it depends which, but three male platies and three or four male guppies should be OK if you are regular with your weekly water change of 50-60% of the tank volume. Having live plants helps this too, and floating plants are ideal with these fish as they like to remain near the surface.

Male and female is easy to ID with these livebearers. It is advisable to stay with only males; once impregnated, a female platy or guppy can produce regular batches of fry and not all will get eaten, and before long you have a way overcrowded tank and more problems. Endlers are not so bad for this as they are less productive. Endlers and guppies will cross however.
 
Would it really be necessary to have RO water to have tetras and cories
 
Ok I have come up with a modified list:
5 Green neon tetras
5 Rummy nose tetra
5 Pygmy cories
3 endler livebearers
 
We know from earlier posts that your tap water hardness is 259 ppm/18 dH. If you use pure tap water, only the endlers will be happy. Ideally, the GH should be round about the middle of a species' range.

Green neon tetras need hardness 18 to 143 ppm https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/paracheirodon-simulans/
Rummy noses need 2 to 15 dH https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/hemigrammus-rhodostomus/
Pygmy cories need 2 to 15 ppm https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/corydoras-pygmaeus/

If you use a 50:50 mix of tap water and RO water, those fish would be fine, but it would be too soft for endlers https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/poecilia-wingei/



The other problem you have is the numbers. Shoaling fish need at least 6, but small fish like the ones in your list need at least 10. If you use a tap/RO mix, just one of the tetras and the cories.

But if you use 100% tap water, only endlers.
 
That means the green neons don't work but everything else should. If you read the link it says 2-15 dH for the Pygmy Corydoras'.
 
Ok modified list based on my water:
6 x-ray tetra
6 black neon tetra
3 male Endler Guppies
1 male honey gourami
 
Stocking wise though, how many of what would be fine.
 
I misread the post where you gave your hardness :oops: It's deg Clarke that's 18!



But your hardness is still right at the top of the range for pygmy cories; ideally they should be kept in the middle of their rang

As for your new list:
X-ray tetras - fine
Black neons 18 - 215 ppm. At 259 ppm your water is too hard.
Honey gouramis have your hardness right at the top end of their range; they should ideally be kept in softer water.





54 litres is a small tank - I used to have one. In a tank this size I would go for just one species of shoaling fish, but have more of them. 6 is the minimum for shoaling fish but they always behave more naturally if there are more of them.
So maybe 8 X-ray tetras and 4 or 5 male endlers.
 
54 litres is a small tank - I used to have one. In a tank this size I would go for just one species of shoaling fish, but have more of them.
Definitely agree with that. I have a 54 litre tank and when I first got it I was terrified at the idea of trying to create a stable environment in something that small. I have been keeping fish for most of my life!

Don't let that put you off, it turned out easier than I thought as long as you keep up the discipline of changing at least 50% of the water every week. If it were me I would start with 6-8 endlers and nothing else (perhaps some cherry shrimp). Then you can review how you are getting on after 3 months and decide where to go from there.
 
What about if I could do a 60 liter instead does that change anything?
 

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