Okay, so a little background, because why not. I was resetting up my 55 gallon aquarium to be a community planted tank which I had a very clear vision for that mostly consisted of guppies. My wife who had never really shown interest actually seemed into it this time. She surprised me one day by calling me up out of the blue and asked if she could add a Betta to the tank. I tell her to ask the LPS she was at what they thought, but I didn't see why not. So she comes home with a single male Congo Tetra they talked her into paying $20 for. I'm pretty livid about this but okay, it is what it is. Except ONE Congo? Nope that just won't work sure this one was mature so a higher price tag, whatever. I hop in my car and head to the closest big box. Congo Tetras $5 a piece, buy four get one free. Perfect.
Fast forward a bit, needless to say my guppies can't colony breed because the fry are getting gobbled up. My wife in the meantime has fallen in love with Cichlids, specifically Mbuna and Buffalohead. Wait Buffalohead... A diabolical plan begins to form in my head. Why don't we set up a Congo themed tank?! It's genius!
So here's where you fine #FishFam come in. I'm looking for stocking ideas. Plants, inverts, and fish. Specifically something like Congo versions of Corydoras. Are there Corys in the Congo? So me other type of small catfish to help with clean-up?
It's a 40 breeder, pH 7.6, running 2 sponge filters and a Tidal 55. Light is a Hygger Advanced Full Spectrum LED 36"-42". Stock is currently 5 mature Congo Tetras and 5 juvenile Steatocranus Casuarius (Buffalohead Cichlids). There are two Crinum Calamistratum and an Anubias on driftwood. I'd like add a Red Tiger Lotus and some Val (maybe Leopard Val).