stillnzcookie Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Hi! We have a 60L tank, planted with Cabomba and Java Fern and bogwood. We currently have 3 panda cories and a brown apple snail. Tank has been set up about 6 months, so we need more fish! Would appreciate advice on good fish to get and stocking levels. Our tapwater is variable but low Ph, so would prefer fish that are happy in about Ph 6.6 -7.0. The temperature in the tank fluctuates from about 23-26 degrees. I'd like to get some dwarf gourami but not sure how many? I've heard you should only get one pair, as males will fight, but would it be ok to get one male and 2 or 3 females? My husband would prefer some bettas - thoughts? Comments? I'd also like to get a couple more pandas, as they are such neat little fish (may have more soon anyway as they have just spawned today - what are the chances that any fry will survive?) Our biggest debate is what sort of schooling fish to get. I always said I'd get neons, but have heard they die really easily? My husband wants cardinals - are they more or less hardy than neons? I've become quite keen on harlequin rasboras but have no idea how hardy they are. Any advice about schooling fish would be appreciated - we want something colourful, hardy and non-aggressive. I have been given much conflicting advice on stocking levels - have been told that with 3 cories and 2 gouramis we could have anything from 6 to 30 neons. As we're novices I'd prefer to understock than overstock the tank. Finally, our lfs has dwarf gouramis, but when we went in to get them the tank had been quarantined. Do you think it's safe to buy fish from a tank that had to be quarantined? The fish all looked really healthy and no-one there could tell me what had happened (it was a weekend) but they are phoning me when they are ok to be sold again. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Gouramis can live in a pH of about 6.5 - 7.5, so should be ok in your tank. You're right about the males tending to get a bit aggressive with each other; if you want more than 1 male, you really need a big tank. Also, be careful when buying dwarf gouramis, they are known to have iridovirus, which is a horrible way for fish to die. Personally, I would find out exactly why the tank was quarantined; you may find that the stock was new. You may want to look into having a quarantine tank at home also. Harlequins are quite hardy, but tend to like a slightly higher pH - around 7.2 - 7.8. They're great fish, and look awesome in big shoals. Pandas prefer a lower pH - 6.5 - 7. They are awesome little fish, and prefer to be in groups of 5+. Depending on how planted your tank is, some fry may survive, but the eggs are quite sensitive to light and tend to fungus, but hopefully you'll find some babies in there in a few weeks! Neons are fantastic fish, and are said to be more hardy than Cardinals. Both prefer a slightly lower pH. Neons might be a better bet for you because they're cheaper so if you lose a few, you're not spending so much replacing them. However, I personally prefer Cardinals because they're more brightly coloured and are more striking. However, that said, they will scaol together. In a 60L I would choose either tetras or gouramis, as gouramis are known fin nippers, and both neons and cardinals don't stand for much nipping. Personally I'd go for the tetras - nothing beats 20 cardinals swimming together! I'd also reccomend getting a pleco or two to help keep the glass clean. Bristlenose are great as they don't grow too big and have awesome personalities. As for stocking, you can have about 22 - 26" of fish in a 60L tank - but of course, that depends on what type of fish and their bioload. You could happily add 10 cardinals/neons. Hope that helps, and good luck with the Panda babies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Cardinals are certainly hardier and live longer than neons. I like the harlequins and they will be fine. I also have Hengeli rasboras. These look like harlequins except they are smaller and have a neon bright orange stripe in them. Look really cool! Your pH isn't too low so most fish will adapt. I have never had much success with dwarf gouramis so can't comment on whether a pair or trio would be better. The speedier schooling fish don't go so well with bettas as they love nibbling on the fins and will beat them to the food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newfisher Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 I started with a tank the same size as yours with two DG's and neons. They were fun to start with then the DG's started attacking each other. I was told to get some more so they could share the aggression around so I did. Big mistake as the fighting got worse horrible to watch. Sent all the DG's back to the shop. In the end brought a bigger tank and now have 4 DG's that get along fine. They each have their own corner and chase each other around more of a game now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillnzcookie Posted September 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 Thanks, lmsmith and Caryl for the advice. I didn't know dwarf gouramis were fin-nippers - all the info I have found so far said they are peaceful except towards other male gouramis. Guess that answers the question of whether we could have both gouramis and bettas! I think we're tending towards the dwarf gouramis anyway...If they're not ok with tetras, would they be alright with the harlequins? All the info I can find says harlequins prefer slightly acidic conditions? I have also read that the one thing neons and cardinals can't cope with is changes in Ph, which is a bit of an issue for us as our water is so soft, so we struggle to keep the Ph consistent. Is there anything we could add to the filter to help keep the Ph steady? Lime chips? We will definitely get a couple more pandas at some stage (assuming we don't get any babies). I've been surprised at how active they are - will they keep swimming all over the tank once we add more fish or are they likely to spend more time at the bottom? Thanks again! Ps just previewed this and saw your post, newfisher - thanks! Did you have several male gouramis in your 60l tank? Do you think one male and a couple of females might be ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 There is a lot of conflicting advice out there about harlequins - I've had some that were happy in acidic water, and others that were just fine with a higher pH. I think the key is keeping the pH stable like you say. I think gouramis would be ok with harlequins or cardinals/neons - they're all pretty fast, and would be able to get away. I guess I'm biased towards the tetras, and tetras look awesome in big groups. The amount of nipping and chasing will depend totally on your individual fish, and how bored they are in the aquarium - if there are lots of places for them to explore and hang out, they'll probably be less likely to nip. I like Caryls idea of hengeli rasboras - rasboras are great fish and look great in an aquarium! http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Trigonostigma_hengeli.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newfisher Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 I have all males as they apparently are even meaner towards the females especially as they get older. My DGs now are fine living with phantom tetras & neons in a 135ltr tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillnzcookie Posted September 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 Thanks for your advice. Our current plan is to get a small school of harlequins (assuming lfs still has them) and let them settle in before we decide what else to get. The options we're considering are: 5 panda cories (have 3 already) 1 brown apple snail 7 harlequin rasboras plus pair of dwarf gouramis OR Male betta OR small school of neons OR a few more harlequins Hubby is keen on harlequins and neons, but I'm worried it would overload the tank to get a small school of each? I do agree with him that it would look great, but I'd appreciate advice on how many we could safely have. It sounds like the betta wouldn't be the best choice if the other fish are likely to nip him, but then the gouramis may also be a problem if they get a bit aggro. I guess it would depend on the individual fish? Are there any other options we haven't thought about? We're not interested in a bristlenose at this stage, as we don't have a big algae problem, plus that would definitely overload the tank. Are there other small gouramis that are not aggressive? I have heard of thick-lipped gouramis, but do they grow a lot bigger? Our lfs also has what they call honey dwarf gouramis, but I'm not sure they are, as they don't look like the pictures I've seen! They are quite colourless, with a horizontal dark stripe from gill to tail - they told me the females have a lighter stripe. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bedazzled Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 I have had the honey gouramis, they coloured up alot more after I got them home and fed them up lol, they vary from almost orange to pale yellow. I thought they were cool little fish but mine just seemed to drop dead for no apparent reason, I went through 3 all up and decided not to get any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spink Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 Honey gourami are really nice, I have a group of 6 in a large tank and they are lovely. But they do colour up better once you get them home. Another great gourami if you can get it is the sparkling gouirami - they are a smaller fish with brilliant blue and red sparkles! I have 6 in my 60 litre tank, and they do just fine with other tank mates. They may look good with the harlequins if you are wanting something with blue in it too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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