I donāt think Iāll be able to soften my water, so Iāll have to swing more towards the hard water fish. I like the African cichlids but they canāt have many tanks mates. If I go with the swordtails then I can have mollies and other hard body fish. My question is what bottom dweller, tank helper can I have with them since Corydoras like soft water? I have corys in my 20 hex and they seem to be doing just fine with the hard water but my local fish store is like a block away and Iām sure is using the same tap water I am. I have an idea on the main fish I can have, but I didnāt know corys didnāt strive in hard water, and those are my favoriteWell first off, don't listen to that guy at the store. Oscars need a 55 gallon tank at minimum with no tankmates. This is awful advice and everything that guy says afterwards should be discredited.
You have lots of options here. Do you want a lot of fish? or a few larger ones? Most importantly, what is your hardness? You've mentioned swordtails, african cichlids, corys, and rams all of which fish are very sensitive to a specific hardness. Rams and corys prefer softer water where swordtails and african cichlids will prefer harder water. These are some of the fish where hardness is very important.
Khuli loaches are another option instead of corys.
I'll wait for more info on your water and interests to comment further.
Bristle nose plecos are pretty well known for doing well in wide ranges of water hardness. Thatās one of their more positive traitsI donāt think Iāll be able to soften my water, so Iāll have to swing more towards the hard water fish. I like the African cichlids but they canāt have many tanks mates. If I go with the swordtails then I can have mollies and other hard body fish. My question is what bottom dweller, tank helper can I have with them since Corydoras like soft water? I have corys in my 20 hex and they seem to be doing just fine with the hard water but my local fish store is like a block away and Iām sure is using the same tap water I am. I have an idea on the main fish I can have, but I didnāt know corys didnāt strive in hard water, and those are my favorite