Help tank stocking (36 gallon bow front)

[Crazypetlady]

Hey guys I just bought a top fin bow front aquarium last month. Now it’s time for me to figure out what to put in it. I’m hoping to stock top, middle and lower swimming levels but I don’t know what will work together.

My kids love platly and Molly.
My husband likes catfish and sharks (I don’t think any sharks will work in this size)
I like swordtails or Gouramis (dwarf)

The tank has neutral white and tan gravel, it will have Asian inspired decor once it comes in (a weathered looking buddha, a bridge, and a house on a hill with a cave under it, it will have a mix of fake plants and logs as well.

Am open to other suggestions

 

[SaraB]

All these fish should work fine together (minus the shark). I'm not sure about the gourami in the mix, mollies can be jerks.
Corydoras make good bottom dwelling fish, they are just smaller catfish. You can also look into smaller plecos (bristlenose are my favorite).
Just keep in mind that a lot of the fish you like are livebearers and should be kept in either a ratio of 1m:2f or all males/females. If males outnumber the females then they will pester them to death to try to breed all the time.
So your numbers should look something like this
Platys 3
Mollies 3
Swordtails 3
Corydoras 6

The livebearers will breed and fill up the tank.
*Note the swordtails and platys can interbreed.

 

[Crazypetlady]

Would it be better to get 6 of the Mollies or platlys instead of 3 of each?

 

[SaraB]

Like I said platys will interbreed with the swordtails while mollies won't. Platys also stay smaller and come in more colors. I find that mollies have a bit more personality.
It just depends on what you like more.

 

[BettaSoul]

I find the only issue with stocking livebearers and Corydoras is they need different water parameters. Livebearers thrive in harder water and corydora’s thrive is soft water. Check your tap pH, KH, and GH and figure out the best stocking plan. For instance, if you end up having really soft water, trying to change the water parameters to suit the livebearers may be problematic. You could add coral or limestone rocks to increase pH though. But if you increase the pH the corys will suffer.

Before I stocked my tank, I tested my water. Then I compared care profiles for the species I liked and tried to match them with my water parameters. I really wanted to stock rams, but with my slightly alkaline water and hardness, they were not a good fit. Now I have species that match my water so I don’t have to be a chemists and meddle with chemicals and natural remedies.