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Jujubee

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Oct 24, 2013
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A little backstory so everyone knows what's going on.

I had a 30 gal tank which I planned on having 2 german blue rams, a school of rummy nose tetra, and possibly a few marble hatchet.
Well things happened in my 10 and 20 long and I eventually ended up with 4 adult platy 3 juvenile platy a ballon belly molly and 2 nerite snails in the 30 gal. That in turn messed up my original stocking plan.
Now I have 2 tanks with the need of new stocking ideas!

So to sum it up I have
20 gal long : 1 male betta
30 gal : 7 platy & 1 ballon molly

I do like german blue rams, Bolivian rams, goramis, barbs, hatchet, rummy nose tetra, panda Cory's.

I'm really unsure what I want to do and put who where. Does anyone think they could throw some ideas out there for me to play off of?
Any suggestions would be awesome ;)
 
You could definetly put the Cory's in both. As for the 30 I think you could still get your rams and you would be nearly stocked if not stocked. As for the 20 with the Betta and Cory's I think a school of runny noses would look great!
 
You could definetly put the Cory's in both. As for the 30 I think you could still get your rams and you would be nearly stocked if not stocked. As for the 20 with the Betta and Cory's I think a school of runny noses would look great!

If I did the rams do you think it'd be better to do 2 females or just one either male or female? Or even 1 Bolivian ram? Or would he get too big. I do agree that Cory's and rummy nose in the 20 would be a great idea :) do you think 4-5 Cory's and 6 rummy would be decent numbers for schools? My betta is super nice so I'm only worried about him getting picked on since he has been before.
 
With the rams (either species) they would "color up" best if paired with a female and male. One is fine too but only male will color. On the other end of the spectrum 2 males would give the best color but they both would need plenty of spots to hide and claim on opposite sides of the tank. Also dark gravel tends to cause the fish to display their colors more vibrantly.

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I suggest avoiding 2 female rams. Go with a pair, or just a single. I have kept Bolivians because they are often said to be hardier than GBR, and are definitely a lovely fish when they settle in.
A couple other options to look into are paradise fish and rainbows (threadfin, furcata, celebes, praecox).
For your 20g tank, I would start with 10 rummies. You have space, and they make a very impressive school. They are very peaceful, and should not be an issue for your betta whatsoever. 4-5 cories is definitely good as well. I think you would be ok with a couple more of them as well eventually. It is not a bad plan though to start small and work your way up. It is often easier to add fish than to remove them after all. :) Once you see the fish in the tank, and see how active they are and how much space they need, you can always add a few more if you think it would be good for the tank.
 
I suggest avoiding 2 female rams. Go with a pair, or just a single. I have kept Bolivians because they are often said to be hardier than GBR, and are definitely a lovely fish when they settle in. A couple other options to look into are paradise fish and rainbows (threadfin, furcata, celebes, praecox). For your 20g tank, I would start with 10 rummies. You have space, and they make a very impressive school. They are very peaceful, and should not be an issue for your betta whatsoever. 4-5 cories is definitely good as well. I think you would be ok with a couple more of them as well eventually. It is not a bad plan though to start small and work your way up. It is often easier to add fish than to remove them after all. :) Once you see the fish in the tank, and see how active they are and how much space they need, you can always add a few more if you think it would be good for the tank.

Thank you! I was deff considering a single Bolivian for my 30 I know they may not be as bright as say a blue or golden ram would be but he'd make for a fantastic centerpiece. I did not think id be able to do 10 rummy I was planning on starting with maybe around 5.
I do have a question about the Cory's my 20 gal is mostly black gravel with some sand and my 30 is mosty sand. Will the Cory's still thrive in a tank with gravel substrate? Thank you for your input :)
 
I would add a BIG java fern :D

Thank you :) I actually do have a a rather large java fern in the center of my tank haha it has lots of little ones growing off of it :) deff isn't as heavily planted as my 20 though :(
 
Thank you everyone! I have some playing room and I'm happy you guys have added some ideas to help it's quite fun thinking about stocking :) both tanks have been up for a few months now without too much change
 
If I did the rams do you think it'd be better to do 2 females or just one either male or female? Or even 1 Bolivian ram? Or would he get too big. I do agree that Cory's and rummy nose in the 20 would be a great idea :) do you think 4-5 Cory's and 6 rummy would be decent numbers for schools? My betta is super nice so I'm only worried about him getting picked on since he has been before.


I think you could do atleast 10 runny noses
 
Thank you! I was deff considering a single Bolivian for my 30 I know they may not be as bright as say a blue or golden ram would be but he'd make for a fantastic centerpiece. I did not think id be able to do 10 rummy I was planning on starting with maybe around 5.
I do have a question about the Cory's my 20 gal is mostly black gravel with some sand and my 30 is mosty sand. Will the Cory's still thrive in a tank with gravel substrate? Thank you for your input :)

I have kept cories on both gravel and sand, and honestly I have never seen a difference at all. Keep the water clean, and vacuum the substrate, and gravel is not an issue.
It is fine if you want to start with a couple fewer rummies, but I suggest starting with at least 6. In my experience, they can be a little shy and really do best in nice sized groups. Also, they can be sensitive, so many people will lose a couple when they get them.
 
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