JettsPapa Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 On 10/10/2022 at 12:47 PM, dangerflower said: @Anjum @_Eric_ thanks for the input both of you! Good point about the pygmy corys making things crowded! Definitely leaning towards the peppered. There are some really cool high-fin ones available on Aqua Huna right now that I sure hope will still be in stock when I'm ready to add fish. I set up the tank yesterday so here's a picture! I'll probably fiddle with the scape a lot more but I think it's a good start. Might add another Amazon sword or two even though eventually they'll get too big. The tint in the water isn't very strong yet - I'll need to get some different botanicals to make it darker I think. I'm seeding my sponge filters in one of my other tanks (that's why there's only one in there right now) and I chucked in a few ramshorn snails to get the cycle going. I hate this part 😬 One question I have is which fish to add first once the tank is ready? All the species I'm looking at seem to be on the sensitive side in terms of needing the tank to be very mature. I like it, and it's good to see someone else using magnolia leaves. As far as which fish to stock first, I'd probably go with whatever nano shoaling fish you decided on (rasbora, tetra, etc), but if they all seem sensitive I'd just let the tank sit for a while. This project has been in the works since April, so what's a few more weeks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjum Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 On 10/10/2022 at 10:47 AM, dangerflower said: One question I have is which fish to add first once the tank is ready? All the species I'm looking at seem to be on the sensitive side in terms of needing the tank to be very mature. The paleatus corys are pretty hardy. I'd say add them 1st. I'd try to feed them 2 or 3 times a day though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerflower Posted October 24, 2022 Author Share Posted October 24, 2022 Cycling this tank is going well, so I'm getting ready to start getting fish! (they won't be going in right away - I'll be doing a preventative quarantine / med trio treatment with all inhabitants just to be on the safe side). The tank is also currently undergoing the disgusting "goo phase" of a botanical style tank and everything is coated in biofilm slime 🤢 I'm glad I was expecting that, because it's nasty. I've been doing more research about the species I want to get, to make sure everyone's prefered parameters line up, and I've realized that corys like much cooler water than I thought! Particularly the peppered cory. Now I'm worried they will not be compatible. I was planning on keeping this tank between 74 and 76 F depending on what fish I select, although if I want to go for the sparkling gouramis it looks like they'd be happier with 77 or higher. Also, the room where the tank is has no AC, and probably gets to be 80 degrees on hot summer days. Oh no! Any thoughts on whether or not I have a chance at keeping happy corys in this tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjum Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 Hmm, I keep mine 75-77, and it probably got a bit higher in the summer (which is when I got them, so I haven't had them long). I see Planet Catfish lists 77 as their max temp, so if keeping them there long term is bad, I'd like to know too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minanora Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 On 10/23/2022 at 7:59 PM, dangerflower said: Cycling this tank is going well, so I'm getting ready to start getting fish! (they won't be going in right away - I'll be doing a preventative quarantine / med trio treatment with all inhabitants just to be on the safe side). The tank is also currently undergoing the disgusting "goo phase" of a botanical style tank and everything is coated in biofilm slime 🤢 I'm glad I was expecting that, because it's nasty. I've been doing more research about the species I want to get, to make sure everyone's prefered parameters line up, and I've realized that corys like much cooler water than I thought! Particularly the peppered cory. Now I'm worried they will not be compatible. I was planning on keeping this tank between 74 and 76 F depending on what fish I select, although if I want to go for the sparkling gouramis it looks like they'd be happier with 77 or higher. Also, the room where the tank is has no AC, and probably gets to be 80 degrees on hot summer days. Oh no! Any thoughts on whether or not I have a chance at keeping happy corys in this tank? My three stripe cories live in a tank that is usually about 77°. On hot summer heat wave days the tank can be 82-83. Cories are just fine so far. I have peppered in another tank that's at 75. Totally happy. All of them spawn. But that's just my fish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerflower Posted October 24, 2022 Author Share Posted October 24, 2022 @Anjum @MinanoraI'm glad to hear you both have had success keeping them at those temps so far! Maybe I'm worrying too much. It's hard because I've seen a lot of different temperature ranges for the same species depending on where I look. I'm now looking into sterbai corys - it looks like they are the most tolerant of higher temps. They're much more spendy, but very cute, and I think they're similar in size to the paleatus. I'm starting to feel like I'm trying to do too much with this tank in terms of all the kinds of fish I want in it. It's tough when you don't have space for a lot of tanks! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjum Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 On 10/23/2022 at 10:34 PM, dangerflower said: I'm starting to feel like I'm trying to do too much with this tank in terms of all the kinds of fish I want in it. It's tough when you don't have space for a lot of tanks That's definitely a concern, but it's understandable. When I started with my 10g, I quickly overstocked it. It could've been fine, parameter-wise, I just would've needed to watch it & do water changes as needed. But more than that, the 'vibe' was off, too much going on & none of the fish seemed content. I've since learned, I really like the feel of a heavily planted tank but understocked with fish. That's just me though. I'd say, list out your fish & rank them from most wanted to least. Then go watch them, either in the store or in videos. I've also found that while initially I like a fish for how it looks (that's all you can see in pics!), long term I enjoy them for how they interact with their surroundings. You may end up rearranging your list. Then just add the fish slowly so you can stop if you feel you've maxed it out. Hope that helps! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerflower Posted October 24, 2022 Author Share Posted October 24, 2022 On 10/24/2022 at 9:53 AM, Anjum said: That's definitely a concern, but it's understandable. When I started with my 10g, I quickly overstocked it. It could've been fine, parameter-wise, I just would've needed to watch it & do water changes as needed. But more than that, the 'vibe' was off, too much going on & none of the fish seemed content. I've since learned, I really like the feel of a heavily planted tank but understocked with fish. That's just me though. I'd say, list out your fish & rank them from most wanted to least. Then go watch them, either in the store or in videos. I've also found that while initially I like a fish for how it looks (that's all you can see in pics!), long term I enjoy them for how they interact with their surroundings. You may end up rearranging your list. Then just add the fish slowly so you can stop if you feel you've maxed it out. Hope that helps! This is such a good point! I was actually thinking this when I was looking at some fish at my lfs yesterday, and it's a big reason why sparkling gouramis have moved back up on my list. They had some in stock and I just love the way they look and move (I'm kind of a sucker for anabantoids). And I think rasboras would go nicely with them. I'm now scheming to eventually redo one of my 10 gallons, which has never really been a cohesive tank, and make it into a home for a group of pygmy corys so I can still get my cory fix 😁 the shrimp in that tank now would probably be fine living with pygmy corys, and the rice fish could easily be moved outside with the rest of my rice fish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerflower Posted November 6, 2022 Author Share Posted November 6, 2022 I decided to make a proper journal for this tank, so future updates will be posted there if anyone wants to follow along 😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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