possible tank mates

[MissJay]

hello! i'm currently in the process of fishless cycling my first aquarium. i am ~one week into the cycle and it's going fine so far (no nitrates yet, but i don't plan on adding fish until it's done(in 1-2 months), don't worry). here are the specs:

30g high (30x12x19")
Hagen Aquaclear 50
black moonsand and play sand (washed)
one heater (75°F)

ph: 7.0

plants: Hornwort, Brazilian Pennywort, Cardinal plants

what i plan on getting:

1 dwarf blue powder gourami
10 harlequin rasboras
6 bronze or panda cory cats
10 ghost shrimp

SO, i have two questions. the first is that i'd like to add another fish/school to this group, since i believe i have the room for it. what do you suggest? i'm open to anything, but i'd rather get fish that don't create a lot of waste or can get too aggressive. i also don't have a lid on my tank so anything that jumps i'd rather avoid.

second, which fish would you recommend i start out with once my tank is fully cycled? i was planning on putting in just 5 rasboras to start, then add the rest incrementally.

thank you for reading! i would love any advice you have to give!

 

[ambush0908]

hello! i'm currently in the process of fishless cycling my first aquarium. i am ~one week into the cycle and it's going fine so far (no nitrates yet, but i don't plan on adding fish until it's done(in 1-2 months), don't worry). here are the specs:

30g high (30x12x19")
Hagen Aquaclear 50
black moonsand and play sand (washed)
one heater (75°F)

ph: 7.0

plants: Hornwort, Brazilian Pennywort, Cardinal plants

what i plan on getting:

1 dwarf blue powder gourami
10 harlequin rasboras
6 bronze or panda cory cats
10 ghost shrimp

SO, i have two questions. the first is that i'd like to add another fish/school to this group, since i believe i have the room for it. what do you suggest? i'm open to anything, but i'd rather get fish that don't create a lot of waste or can get too aggressive. i also don't have a lid on my tank so anything that jumps i'd rather avoid.

second, which fish would you recommend i start out with once my tank is fully cycled? i was planning on putting in just 5 rasboras to start, then add the rest incrementally.

thank you for reading! i would love any advice you have to give!

I bought a pair of Bolivian Rams about 10 months ago after a 3 month cycle. I started with red fin tetras during cycle. I did the cycle with frequent water changes and it seemed to be successful. All the original tetras made it through the cycle. 50% changes twice a week. My Bolivians are thriving. Their colors are awesome and they greet me every time I come in the room. I do have lots of plants, caves and rocks which they are constantly swimming in and out of. I have had no issues with them with other rams, cories, loaches, tetra and shrimps. I would highly recommend them. Good luck.

 

[flitabout]

Maybe a small school of rummy nose tetras those are really pretty

 

[V227]

Without a lid, you are likely to lose a few Cory cats. Cories occasionally swim up to the surface to gulp air. Sometimes they break water, which might result in a swan dive to the floor.
I suggest getting a lid. If your tank is an odd size, making it difficult to find a lid, make a lid out of plexiglass. Real cheap at Home Depot, or Lowes.

 

[MissJay]

oh! i had no idea cory's could jump like that. there are lots of DIY lids i can make myself, i will be sure to make it before putting anything inside. thank you!

 

[MissJay]

those guys are super cute! do they have nice personalities? if i was getting a tetra school, i like the look of glowlights and lemons, but the runnynoses are nice too. i'll have to see what would match/contrast my rasboras best.

 

[MissJay]

they are beautiful, but i've heard lots of horror stories about those rams randomly dying. aren't they pretty sensitive?

 

[ambush0908]

I heard that as well but from the research I did Bolivians can be the hardiest of the rams. I did lose a blue ram and a gold ram over the last year, and I believe the blue rams are the hardest to keep. My Bolivians are over a year old and going strong. I guess it is possible I got lucky. I am very diligent about water changes doing 50-60% every 5 or 6 days. I am slowly working down to once a week because I have found my parameters are good after 6 days. I think it is overkill but I don’t want to mess with success. My LFS had Bolivians for only $5.00 each which made initially choosing them a little easier. It turned out to be even more of a bargain than I thought.