Upgrading to 48" 40g

[CoryFan]

My 36" 30 gallon set up will be moving into a new 48" 40 gallon.

I will be transferring everything. My sand, decor, plants, stock, and filter. I will be adding a second filter.

The tank is 20% planted and I have floating penny wort.

I will be upgrading to the coralife 48" aqualight dual strip t5.

Current stock:
3 young female betta
7 corydoras habrosus
2 corydoras trilleanatus

(I recently moved out danios and platy).

I will be adding:
2 German blue rams (pair)
Cardinal tetra school

Questions:
How big can I make the school of cardinals?
I am thinking of 6 Cory trilleanatus total, or 7 kuhli loaches. Is that too much?
Any other suggestions are welcome.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

My 36" 30 gallon set up will be moving into a new 48" 40 gallon.

I will be transferring everything. My sand, decor, plants, stock, and filter. I will be adding a second filter.

The tank is 20% planted and I have floating penny wort.

I will be upgrading to the coralife 48" aqualight dual strip t5.

Current stock:
3 young female betta
7 corydoras habrosus
2 corydoras trilleanatus

(I recently moved out danios and platy).

I will be adding:
2 German blue rams (pair)
Cardinal tetra school

Questions:
How big can I make the school of cardinals?
I am thinking of 6 Cory trilleanatus total, or 7 kuhli loaches. Is that too much?
Any other suggestions are welcome.

I'm not the best person to comment on stocking, but I wanted to ask your experience on your female bettas. I have a 10g that I have 4 platy fry in that I'm letting grow big enough so I can put them in my 30g. I would love to but a betta in my 10g. Would putting more than one in a 10 be completely out of the question? Have you had any problems with yours getting along?

 

[CoryFan]

I'm not the best person to comment on stocking, but I wanted to ask your experience on your female bettas. I have a 10g that I have 4 platy fry in that I'm letting grow big enough so I can put them in my 30g. I would love to but a betta in my 10g. Would putting more than one in a 10 be completely out of the question? Have you had any problems with yours getting along?

Let's do a new thread! I will go start it.
I am going to freshwater general.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Let's do a new thread! I will go start it.
I am going to freshwater general.

Awesome! Following it like a hawk!

 

[CoryFan]

Can a 48" by 12" footprint house a pair of GBR, a school of corydoras habrosus, a school of corydoras trilleanatus, and a school of kuhli loaches?
I am not sure about territory...

 

[CoryFan]

I found info! It said the GBR pair will want 24" and the cories will want 18", which would leave a 6" buffer. So I won't add the kuhli loaches.

 

[librarygirl]

You could do the fish you have now, up the dainty corys to 7 total, add about 12-15 cardinal tetra and the ram pair. Just make sure there's plenty of decor and plants to break up sight lines. If the rams breed the corys could become targets of aggression when they go after the eggs as the rams will also occupy the lower levels of the tank. Also a betta sorority is tough; they may get along now but as they mature they'll likely fight. I believe a sorority should be attempted with at least 6 females in a good sized tank.

@Mrs.h2012 I woudn't put more than one betta in a 10; they'd kill each other.

 

[CoryFan]

You could do the fish you have now, up the dainty corys to 7 total, add about 12-15 cardinal tetra and the ram pair. Just make sure there's plenty of decor and plants to break up sight lines. If the rams breed the corys could become targets of aggression when they go after the eggs as the rams will also occupy the lower levels of the tank. Also a betta sorority is tough; they may get along now but as they mature they'll likely fight. I believe a sorority should be attempted with at least 6 females in a good sized tank.

@Mrs.h2012 I woudn't put more than one betta in a 10; they'd kill each other.

Oh, thank you so much for replying!! I have empty five gallon tanks available. I will rehouse the betta ladies.

Is the breeding vs. egg hunting likely to result in death? For example, our gourami pair bred once & herded everyone in their tank to the end of the tank. It was like there was a wall there! But nobody got hurt. I am thinking that I will have to do two setups if these end up breeding...

 

[librarygirl]

From what I've read, mostly it's just chasing and the corys should figure out to stay away but I've also heard of corys being ripped apart by a breeding pair of rams. I haven't tried it in my tank for this reason. You can try it and see what happens but have a plan in case war breaks out lol

 

[CoryFan]

Thanks! I am SO excited. I miss my Bolivian. The GBR arrive tomorrow.

 

[CoryFan]

They are so awesome and adorable! They are only 1 to 2".

 

[CoryFan]

I added an album to my profile with more pictures.i love this tank.

 

[Rivercats]

I've never had any injury to cory's with breeding rams. The rams will chase any fish away from the spawning site or fry but after they chase the other fish off they will hurry back to the eggs/fry. In the 220g I keep 4 pairs of Rams with 25 cory's and never worry about the cory's.

 

[CoryFan]

I've never had any injury to cory's with breeding rams. The rams will chase any fish away from the spawning site or fry but after they chase the other fish off they will hurry back to the eggs/fry. In the 220g I keep 4 pairs of Rams with 25 cory's and never worry about the cory's.

Excellent! Thank you!

 

[CoryFan]

My current stock:

8 bloodfin tetra
2 GBR
2 corydoras trilleanatus
7 corydoras habrosus

Additions planned:
4 corydoras trilleanatus
Top swimmer:
Rasbora, marbled hatchetfish, sparkling gourami, honey gourami. I am open to suggestions. This is the list of possibilities I have found. I would only get one of these types.

Also, I have 2 diamond tetra that my sister needed to rehome. They seem too big and boisterous. So rather than increase them, I am leaning toward not keeping them. Thoughts please?

Thanks!

 

[Rivercats]

Diamonds are cool fish but need to be in a bigger group and they can get pretty big as they age. In your tank I'd honestly say rehome them. As for top swimmers I'd X off sparking gouramis as they are too small and shy and need a species tank. A Honey Gourami will move between middle and top so if you want a true top swimmer I'd go with either Marble Hatchets or Harlequin Rasboras.

 

[CoryFan]

Diamonds are cool fish but need to be in a bigger group and they can get pretty big as they age. In your tank I'd honestly say rehome them. As for top swimmers I'd X off sparking gouramis as they are too small and shy and need a species tank. A Honey Gourami will move between middle and top so if you want a true top swimmer I'd go with either Marble Hatchets or Harlequin Rasboras.

Thank you! I will probably get hatchetfish. My son loves them. Would glowlight rasboras be fine, or are the harleys better?

 

[CoryFan]

Oh! And do hatchetfish have a significantly different bioload than rasboras?

 

[Rivercats]

Thank you! I will probably get hatchetfish. My son loves them. Would glowlight rasboras be fine, or are the harleys better?

I don't know if the glowlights school as high in the tank as the Harliquens do. I have 12 Harliquens and they are always high in the tank.

Hatchets don't have that big of a bio-load at all. Even tho they look big there is nothing too them.

 

[CoryFan]

Thank you again!

I know you love the honey gourami, and I am still interested in them. Are they social with YOU like larger gourami? And will they prey on the ram fry?

I really appreciate your insight very much.