40long stocking ideas/advice?

[ffblight]

currently have a 20gal freshwater community and i am considering upgrading to a 40 long, once the tank is cycled and ready for fish what could i add? (Tank will be heavily planted)
i currently have:
1 german blue ram (f)
6 panda corydoras
3 longfin zebra danios

would i have space in the 40long for a bolivian ram as well? more cories? and how many more danios would be ok? thoughts and suggestions pls

[Aiken Drum]

You could easily have 3 or 4 times more fish in your larger tank than you currently have.

I would however flag up an issue with your blue ram. Blue rams like the water hot. Much hotter than the danios and corys like. Personally i wouldnt mix bolivian rams with blue rams because, again their temperature requirements dont overlap. I have tried keeping blue rams in community tanks at typical community tank temperatures and it hasnt been a great success. They are prone to ill health and have shortened lifespans due to the lower water temperature. If you raise the temperature to a suitable one for the ram, same problem with the other fish.

Not sure what to say for the best, as you already have your blue ram and i presume you dont want to rehome it. The best thing to do for the ram is to get her in an environment more suited to it, and stock fish that like water up at 28/29c. Keep the other fish in a tank at 24c with more fish that like that temperature including bolivian rams.

Or set up your tank at 24/25c and just accept the ram will be more prone to ill health some time down the line. To give you some comfort, from my previous trys at keeping blue rams, 1 is still with us and doing good. So its not a guaranteed death sentance, but its not a good idea and i wont do it again.

[ffblight]

Originally Posted by Aiken Drum

You could easily have 3 or 4 times more fish in your larger tank than you currently have.

I would however flag up an issue with your blue ram. Blue rams like the water hot. Much hotter than the danios and corys like. Personally i wouldnt mix bolivian rams with blue rams because, again their temperature requirements dont overlap. I have tried keeping blue rams in community tanks at typical community tank temperatures and it hasnt been a great success. They are prone to ill health and have shortened lifespans due to the lower water temperature. If you raise the temperature to a suitable one for the ram, same problem with the other fish.

Not sure what to say for the best, as you already have your blue ram and i presume you dont want to rehome it. The best thing to do for the ram is to get her in an environment more suited to it, and stock fish that like water up at 28/29c. Keep the other fish in a tank at 24c with more fish that like that temperature including bolivian rams.

Or set up your tank at 24/25c and just accept the ram will be more prone to ill health some time down the line. To give you some comfort, from my previous trys at keeping blue rams, 1 is still with us and doing good. So its not a guaranteed death sentance, but its not a good idea and i wont do it again.

okay great thankyou, it was cooler before but ive have my temp set closer to 28° for the few months that ive had the gbr and havent noticed a difference in the cory+ danio behaviour but, i will definitely set up separate tanks with the appropriate fish, with that being said, do you have any recommendations for german blue tankmates? i will probably keep her in the 20gal

[Aiken Drum]

Rummynose tetras, gold tetras, kuhli loaches, Otocinclus, maybe a dwarf gourami, all have temperature ranges that get up towards 28c.

[Fishlegend]

a male mate and then youl have babies!

[josh752]

I would highly recommend you bump those danios number up to 10 in your new tank and add 2 more females and 1 male ram add 4 more cories and a bristlenose pleco to keep algae under control plus I love bristlenose pleco in general haha. I would also add another school of schooling fish perhaps 10 serape tetra? Or just have a big school of like 18 danios and call it a day.

[Danio8]

Originally Posted by josh752

I would highly recommend you bump those danios number up to 10 in your new tank and add 2 more females and 1 male ram add 4 more cories and a bristlenose pleco to keep algae under control plus I love bristlenose pleco in general haha. I would also add another school of schooling fish perhaps 10 serape tetra? Or just have a big school of like 18 danios and call it a day.

I agree, Zebra Danios are schooling fish so it is always better to have more