stocking advice

[Bambithegirl]

Hi everyone,

I am so close to being cycled. Readings this morning, ammonia 0ppm and nitrites 0.1. Hopefully within the next few days.

i have decided on 1 male betta and 6 pymy or dwarf corys for my 30L tank.
Just a few questions,

1. should i first get the betta and then introduce the corys or the other way around?

2. I have a peace of driftwood and some rocks on the gravel, do the corys need more open space as they are bottom dwellers?

3. my LFS suggested galaxy rasboras for my sized tank as their average size is only 2cm. What are your thoughts on a school of these? And how would they do with a betta? It would either be the rasboras or the corys, not both.

Thanks for all the input, wouldnt have been able to do this without this forum

 

[Rivercats]

Personally I would add both the betta and cory's together. Since you've done a fishless cycle your BB is going to be built up to a high level which will support all fish being added together. I would not add CPD's with a Betta personally as he might decide to hunt and snack on them due to their tiny size.

 

[Fishperson]

I agree with rivercats. Also, I think that a 30L might have too small a footprint for pygmies. It certainly isn't preferable.

 

[Bambithegirl]

What are CPD's? FIshperson, which corys would you suggest instead of pygmies, for my 30L tank? I am definitely going to get a male betta and I love corys which is why i wanted a few of those.

Also, is this gravel too coarse for corys?

 

[Golfball98]

Yes the gravel is too coarse for small corys. It needs to be very fine and soft

 

[Bambithegirl]

so could i just take some of this gravel out, leave a thin layer and add very fine gravel or sand on top?

 

[Fishperson]

What are CPD's? FIshperson, which corys would you suggest instead of pygmies, for my 30L tank? I am definitely going to get a male betta and I love corys which is why i wanted a few of those.

Also, is this gravel too coarse for corys?View attachment 214118

CPD stands for Celestial Pearl Danio, which is the same as the Galaxy Rasbora. That was its original name but it was renamed from Microrasbora sp. "Galaxy" to Celestichthys Margaritatus a year after its discovery, in 2007, and was given the common name Celestial Pearl Danio. The it was again renamed, this time to Danio Margaritatus when it was put in the Danionin family. So it is the same thing as the Galaxy Rasbora or the Fireworks Rasbora (just older or unofficial names). Anyway, a male beta probably would not do well with CPDs. But with cories it might be okay. However, I always thought that dwarf cories (Corydoras Pygmaeus, Pygmy Cory; Corydoras Habrosus, Dwarf Cory; and Corydoras Hastatus, Dainty Cory) needed at least a 10 gallon tank, and it this is a 30 liter tank that is only around 7.75 gallons. Depending on the footprint of the tank; the bottom dimensions, you may or may not be able to have dwarf cories. I think that since the footprint of a ten gallon is 10 by 20 inches, or 200 square inches, your tank should have at least 175 square inches for a few cories.