What should I add?

[sharkweek178]

I have a heavily plants 29 gallon tank.

Current stocking is:
1 male honey gourami
12 neon tetras
12 pygmy corys
3 assassin snails
pest snails

I'm considering some additions. The pygmy corys are very shy. They mostly hide during the day. I know they're nocturnal and they do come out some at night. But I used to see them more during the day and they do come out occasionally during the day. I'm wondering if adding some more would encourage them to be less shy.
I also wonder if the honey gourami could use some company of his own kind. He's very mild mannered. Never any aggressive behavior towards his tank mates. He spends a lot of time in one corner of the tank but he also swims the rest of the tank. Would it be better for him to have another honey gourami to interact with?
So my question is: should I get 3 more pygmy corys in hopes that more will encourage them to come out more during the day or should I add a female honey gourami? Or split the difference and get two pygmys and a female honey? I don't want to overstock but I don't think the numbers I'm thinking of would do that.
Water hardness is 136 ppm/8 gpg.

 

[Byron]

I have kept pygmy cories for 30 years. Over the last 12 years I had them on their own which resulted in many eggs hatching and the fry easily surviving with no predators (this species is not one that eats its eggs voraciously, and I doubt they would ever eat their fry). Numbers are critical, along with tankmates. When I had them on their own, they were very secretive, but when I decided to move them into my blackwater 29g tank, with several upper level species in groups too, they were much more emboldened. Get a few more, it certainly will benefit rather than hinder. And increase the upper level fish, some additional species. The 12 neons are fine.

You have cooler tropical water fish now, the neons and cories, in the 74-76 F range. Keep this in mind, as you would not want to consider a warm water fish like say the blue ram which must have 84-86F and this would literally cook the pygmies and neons. Ember tetras did well in my 29g with the pygmies and green neons, and I had a group of Nannostomus eques pencilfish, and a group of marble hatchetfish.

 

[sharkweek178]

I have kept pygmy cories for 30 years. Over the last 12 years I had them on their own which resulted in many eggs hatching and the fry easily surviving with no predators (this species is not one that eats its eggs voraciously, and I doubt they would ever eat their fry).

I haven't seen any fry yet. I don't know what the odds are for eggs and/or fry with the gourami, neons and assassin snails in there.

Numbers are critical, along with tankmates. When I had them on their own, they were very secretive, but when I decided to move them into my blackwater 29g tank, with several upper level species in groups too, they were much more emboldened. Get a few more, it certainly will benefit rather than hinder. And increase the upper level fish, some additional species. The 12 neons are fine.

I was hoping that when I got the neons up to a good amount that they would be a dither fish for the pygmys. That doesn't seem to have happened yet.

You have cooler tropical water fish now, the neons and cories, in the 74-76 F range. Keep this in mind, as you would not want to consider a warm water fish like say the blue ram which must have 84-86F and this would literally cook the pygmies and neons. Ember tetras did well in my 29g with the pygmies and green neons, and I had a group of Nannostomus eques pencilfish, and a group of marble hatchetfish.

No plans to add any more species. I don't think I have enough room to add a sufficient shoal of something else.
My target temperature for the tank is 75 F. That way if something happens to make it waiver a bit, it's still within that window of an acceptable temp range for all the species.

 

[Byron]

I haven't seen any fry yet. I don't know what the odds are for eggs and/or fry with the gourami, neons and assassin snails in there.

None. All fish are egg eaters, the pygmies are just so small they are not effective, but the neons would gobble any cory egg they found, and the gourami too.

I was hoping that when I got the neons up to a good amount that they would be a dither fish for the pygmys. That doesn't seem to have happened yet.

No, neons are not particularly good at being "dithers." First, they are not active, second they prefer "hiding" themselves. My green neons were much more active, and higher up, along with the embers. Though I am not at all sure this matters all that much here, but it is still a consideration.

No plans to add any more species. I don't think I have enough room to add a sufficient shoal of something else.

That's your decision. But you could easily have two or three groups (in the 12-15 range each) of suitable small fish. The pygmies would be less cautious.

 

[sharkweek178]

None. All fish are egg eaters, the pygmies are just so small they are not effective, but the neons would gobble any cory egg they found, and the gourami too.



No, neons are not particularly good at being "dithers." First, they are not active, second they prefer "hiding" themselves. My green neons were much more active, and higher up, along with the embers. Though I am not at all sure this matters all that much here, but it is still a consideration.



That's your decision. But you could easily have two or three groups (in the 12-15 range each) of suitable small fish. The pygmies would be less cautious.

What species would you suggest?

 

[Byron]

What species would you suggest?

There are some lovely cyprinids that remain small, I'm not all that familiar with many of these but other members have recently posted on them. Ember Tetras from S America. I think the pencilfishes Nannostomus marginatus and N. eques would be OK, the water is on the soft side. The Black Phantom or Red Phantom similarly OK with water. All of these are quiet rather than very active fish, which is what you want here.

 

[sharkweek178]

There are some lovely cyprinids that remain small, I'm not all that familiar with many of these but other members have recently posted on them. Ember Tetras from S America. I think the pencilfishes Nannostomus marginatus and N. eques would be OK, the water is on the soft side. The Black Phantom or Red Phantom similarly OK with water. All of these are quiet rather than very active fish, which is what you want here.

Hmmmm I'm thinking another honey, a couple more pygmy corys and 10 ember tetras.

 

[10 Tanks]

I have a heavily plants 29 gallon tank.

Current stocking is:
1 male honey gourami
12 neon tetras
12 pygmy corys
3 assassin snails
pest snails

I'm considering some additions. The pygmy corys are very shy. They mostly hide during the day. I know they're nocturnal and they do come out some at night. But I used to see them more during the day and they do come out occasionally during the day. I'm wondering if adding some more would encourage them to be less shy.
I also wonder if the honey gourami could use some company of his own kind. He's very mild mannered. Never any aggressive behavior towards his tank mates. He spends a lot of time in one corner of the tank but he also swims the rest of the tank. Would it be better for him to have another honey gourami to interact with?
So my question is: should I get 3 more pygmy corys in hopes that more will encourage them to come out more during the day or should I add a female honey gourami? Or split the difference and get two pygmys and a female honey? I don't want to overstock but I don't think the numbers I'm thinking of would do that.
Water hardness is 136 ppm/8 gpg.

Hello shark. You have a small tank. It seems overstocked to me. I hope you're changing at least half the water a couple of times a week. I have approximately the stock you've listed in 55 gallons of water and remove and replace half the water every week.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[Byron]

Hmmmm I'm thinking another honey, a couple more pygmy corys and 10 ember tetras.

There is a risk with another gourami. If the present one is male, he will likely view the tank as his territory and may be intolerant of another gourami male. If female, might work. But a male and female are not good, should then be two females to a male. I would leave well enough alone, and increasing the shoaling species by increasing the cories and considering additional species.

 

[sharkweek178]

There is a risk with another gourami. If the present one is male, he will likely view the tank as his territory and may be intolerant of another gourami male. If female, might work. But a male and female are not good, should then be two females to a male. I would leave well enough alone, and increasing the shoaling species by increasing the cories and considering additional species.

Understood. That's why I was specific about this being a female. I might shelf this idea until I get a tank where I would be comfortable adding two additional females. He doesn't show any signs of stress in his behavior. He doesn't side surf. He eats well. He has a corner he seems to prefer but he also swims around the rest of the tank. And he never shows any aggression to any of the other fish. Another issue is that female gouramis seem to be rarer than hens teeth around here. I haven't talked to any local hobbyists. But I rarely see females in any stores.
I think the plan for the time being is to add enough pygmys to get them to 14 or 15 and see how that goes.