NEW Fish Selection Suggestions!!!!!!

[FishyWater2525]

Hi everybody!!!! I haven't been back in here in months, but I'm super excited to finally be back!!!!!!


About 3 months ago, my family and I moved, and along with us came the fish tanks. Everything went really smooth, but I'm afraid my 5 yr old Molly just couldn't take it with her old heart :'( After the move she began to get a little stressed, and a couple weeks later, she sadly passed on (SIP)
Now that it's been a while and things have shifted back in order, I think I'm ready for a new addition to the tank !!!

It's a 20gH. The pH stays at about 7.4-7.6. The temp. is about 76 F

The current stock is:

2 Mickey Mouse Platies
5 Harlequin Rasboras
4 Long Black Skirt Tetras
1 Zebra Nerite Snail
Live Anacharis Elodea



Do you guys think I still have room for a new addition??! I'm planning on adding a couple more snails in the future, but I was kind of trying to go for a centerpiece fish.... Please no live bearer suggestions! I've hade plenty in the past and I want to give other fish a chance... Lol
Oh, and of course, if you guys think I should up the number in my schools of fish, feel free to let me know and suggest a number!!!!!!
What do you guys suggest??? I'm open to anything and everything!!! And please tell me if something seems off, or if my tank is already stocked full! I'm happy to hear anything you have to say!!!!

Thank you guys soooooo much!!!!! You're Awesome!!!!

 

[PNWaquarist]

I'd get a few more Harlequins and a few more Black Skirts. Those are shoaling fish and will feel more comfortable with more friends.

I'd also suggest getting something for the bottom of the tank. Maybe five Dwarf Pygmy Corys or a single Bolivian Ram.

 

[FWFishTanks]

I'd get a few more Harlequins and a few more Black Skirts. Those are shoaling fish and will feel more comfortable with more friends.

I'd also suggest getting something for the bottom of the tank. Maybe five Dwarf Pygmy Corys or a single Bolivian Ram.

+1
I would do the same same thing.

 

[FishyWater2525]

Thanks you guys!!!!!

So how does this sound to you:


7 Harlequin Rasboras
6 Long Black Skirt Tetras
5 Dwarf Pygmy Cories/ 1 Bolivian Ram
2 Micky Mouse Platies
1 Nerite snail





A couple questions about the Cories:

Would they be ok with my gravel??? I heard they need sand and don't get on too well with gravel :/
I've also heard Cories are really sensitive and can die off easily.... This tank's been running for 5 years, so do you think they'd be alright? I certainly don't want to end up with dead Cories everywhere.... It would be heartbreaking..


And do Bolivian Rams get along ok with gravel??
Are they a type of bottom feeder or a regular fish tags hangs out at the bottom?
And are they sensitive?

Sorry for all the questions, but thank you for answering so quickly!!!!

 

[FishyWater2525]

Looked up Bolivian Rams!
They're Beautiful!!!!!

But I read they need a minimum of 30 gallons and are territorial????
Fact or False???
And that they like pairs... Would one be ok by itself????

 

[PNWaquarist]

If you have gravel, corys may not be the best fish. They're pretty hardy, but their barbels can get damaged by gravel. Sand is much better.

Bolivian Rams are relatively peaceful towards other fish, but I wouldn't put more than one in your tank that size. They do hang out at the bottom. Provide it with a couple of caves for hiding out and keep your nitrates at 20 ppm or lower.

 

[FishyWater2525]

So a Bolivian Ram wouldn't harm the others? Whew!!
And they don't eats snails, do they??
I'd have to buy some caves too......

I love the Bolivian Ram idea, but before I settle on one, I want to hear some more suggestions!! If your were in my place, what would you get??

 

[PNWaquarist]

Bolivians may eat snail eggs, but I've never heard of them eating full-grown Nerite snails. What is your tank's GH? Bolivians prefer softer water, though they should be OK with moderate hardness (up to 10 dGH or so). They're not as sensitive to water parameters as Blue Rams, but they will need a good 30% or more weekly water change. Supplement their diet with sinking cichlid flakes.

If you want a lower-maintenance bottom-dweller, Kuhli Loaches may work nicely in your tank. Get four or five of them and give them plenty of places to hide during the day.

 

[Fishfur]

I'm fond of loaches, and love to keep kuhlis, but the same issue with barbels applies to kuhli loaches as to cory cats. You can keep them on gravel, the down side to it is that gravel may cause excess wear and tear on their barbels. This does not prevent them from eating, though they do use the barbels in nature to find prey on the bottom. Barbels can grow back too, if the cause of the wear is remedied. But it can affect their ability to mate. They use the barbels to grasp their mates by the jaw. Even if you don't intend to breed, it doesn't mean the fish won't try to anyway.

Smooth, rounded gravels are reasonably ok for those bottom dwelling fish, it's the sharp, coarse stuff you really need to avoid. You should also avoid coarse or harshly surfaced rocks, like lava rock and some other types that have sharp edges.. so called dragon rock isn't so hot for these guys.

Loaches will try to wriggle into the smallest of spaces and if there are any edges, may damage themselves badly. Cory and loach both share the characteristic of having rather fine scales, sometimes said to be scaleless. Not really scaleless though, just very small and fine compared to most fish's scales. Make them a bit more sensitive to poor water conditions as well as surface damage.

But they're not fragile and they can live a long time. I had a kuhli loach live 11 years and the cories live many years too, given decent conditions. Feeding live or frozen foods is always helpful too. I'm not a big believer in feeding only man made fish food. It's like never eating eating anything fresh yourself.. not so good in the long run.

Rams are nice fish.. sadly, I've never kept one, so I can't offer much there.

 

[PNWaquarist]

Indeed, I had forgotten about the gravel!

 

[FishyWater2525]

I'm not sure what my GH is (don't have a kit for it)
I do have this one coral decoration that has rough spots and another one that's a little rough, so Cories and Kuhlis may not be my best option (sigh.....)

I'm a little scared now though about the Bolivian Ram... I don't have sinking flakes (but I do have flakes) and I have sinking algae tablets... Sometimes if I have a stressed fish that's hanging at the bottom (please don't misunderstand me. A stressed fish in the tank is NOT a regular occurrence, just very occasionally) I take the flakes and kind of push them underwater, so they float to the bottom to where the fish is, and they don't go hungry. Maybe that would work??

Any other suggestions before my final decision??

 

[Fishfur]

You can pre soak flakes or pellets to help them sink. And not to worry, we all have fish who aren't happy from time to time.. it's not an automatic sentence to the ninth hell.

 

[PNWaquarist]

Bolivian Rams aren't super-tough, but they're not guppys or platys either. They need a little more TLC than the average tropical fish. This includes weekly water changes and a varied diet (community flakes with occasional bloodworms and/or carnivore pellets). When you acclimate them to the tank, you'll want to give the bag 15 minutes to temperature-equilibrate, and then *slowly* pour a half ounce of tank water into the bag every 15 minutes for the next hour.

I'm sure that you could keep a Bolivian Ram without a problem, but it's just a matter of whether or not you want to put in the extra work.

If you like suckerfish, a Clown Pleco may work as a bottom centerpiece fish. Give it lots of hiding spots and driftwood to chew on. Feed it sinking algae wafers daily and blanched cucumber or zucchini 2-3 times a week.

 

[FishyWater2525]

Thanks for the suggestions!! I actually do have carnivore pellets too And I will definitely look into Clown Plecos! I will try to make up my mind and get back to all of you very soon!!!

 

[Brookster123]

No clown loaches in a 20 please.. nor the bolivians..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[PNWaquarist]

No clown loaches in a 20 please.. nor the bolivians..

A single Bolivian will work fine in a 20 if there are no other bottom-dwelling fish.

 

[Sawyer_Peyton18]

Can you give us a fts?? ?


"Mischief Managed"

 

[FishyWater2525]

I'm truly sorry, but what is an "fts", if I may ask?? Lol

And don't clown loaches get really big? But is there a difference between clown LOACHES and clown PLECOS??

 

[Sawyer_Peyton18]

Can you give us a fts?? ?


"Mischief Managed"

A front tank shot? sorry

I don't know what a clown Pleco is but yes clown loaches get near a foot long


"Mischief Managed"

 

[FishyWater2525]

Hahaha
Of course!? It would have to wait till morning though ?
I'll get it to y'all asap!!