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Stocking question

2K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  Enkil 
#1 ·
Hi There.
I have just been to my local pet shop to check out their fish stock for when my 120 litre tank is cycled.
I wrote down the species i liked and wanted some feedback as to what will work.

Firstly i love the corys..they have peppered,albino and bronze,can i have two of each or does it have to be just one type and would six be to many?

I want platies..how many could i have?
Sword tails also how many?
And rosy barbs?
Maybe mollies?
I will also be adding my female betta fish,i have 4 but will perhaps get 2 more.

I obviously dont want to overstock so any advice/suggestions would be great.

Also possibly shrimp.

Thanks in advance.
 
#3 ·
that's about a 30 gallon tank? what are the dimensions?

for the cories, i'd do one species, and do six to eight, or do four of two species, but one shoal would be best- they'd be more secure in a group of their own

i feel like there might be some on your list that aren't compatible, but i do not know for sure...hopefully someone else will be able to help you better.

i'd try using aqadvisor.com to plug in your info, i used that stocking calculator in the planning of my own 29 gallon tank.
 
#6 ·
no brightly colored fish with bettas, they will try to nip their fins. I wouldn't get plates (bright colors) or swordtails(bright colors, too big).

I would stick with the 6 cories and 6 females(they prefer odd groups) some shrimp and live plants. Your tank would be stocked then.

Platies and swordtails woud overstock the tank(big and schooling).

good luck and post pics!

so u r doing a sorority? i would research that XD
 
#8 ·
I already have 4 female bettas in a smaller tank who seem to be getting along very well,but want to move them to the bigger tank once cycled and add 2 more...quite surprised that just 6 female bettas and 6 cories would stock the tank, had so much conflicting advice here.
I will also have many live plants and hideing places.
 
#9 ·
Fairy, I saw your 1-2 gallon fish bowl with the 4 betta females. I'm AMAZED that your girls actually seem to get along.


  • My group of bettas would DEFINITELY kill each other in a tank that small.

  • How long have your bettas been housed in that setup?
Also I would HIGHLY advise AGAINST the rosy barbs.

I have a school of 11 R Barbs. All of the Rosy barbs have harassed & nipped every single betta I've ever tried to introduce to their tank.

The barbs are just playing, but my bettas didn't find that funny.

I removed the bettas from the rosy's tank immediately before they could inflict any serious damage.

Cherry barbs may be a little more docile, but they're still in the BARB family.
 
#10 ·
Hi, its a 7 gallon bowl, thats why im upgrading to the 30 gallon.
They have been in there about 6 weeks...i originally had two because i had no idea at the time about female bettas and the LPS encouraged that they were fine and to perhaps later add a male.
After finding this forum i quickly realised that having two was asking for trouble so i only added two more to even it out.
Luckily they do a bit of chasing here and there but all seem to have a favourite plant or alcove and actually are holding their own.
Once i move them i will be useing the biorb for a single male betta.
I just thought in a 30 gallon i could maybe have three different species of fish together.
 
#11 ·
I would also watch the swordtails. They are known to be a bit nippy from what I've read (and also what I've seen when I kept them in my first aquariums years ago), and I'm sure your bettas would not appreciate that very much. I think the males are mainly the nippers (and they are known to be aggressive with other males, so you wouldn't probably want to have many males in the first place), so going with females may get you a more peaceful setup, but really it's up to the temperament of the individual fish as well. It's possible your girls may end up being more aggressive and they may not do well in a community setting at all just as it's possible you'll get fin nippers in other species.

Really you sort of have to experiment, but make sure you have a plan and somewhere to remove fish to if it doesn't work out seeing there is no real "rule" as to what gets along. There are trends that are true 95% of the time, but with all living things there will always be an individual out there that breaks the trend.

You may have more luck with the platies, but the cories would probably do best seeing they are bottom dwellers and will normally stay out of a betta's typical "domain." Of course, I have never kept bettas in a community setting like that, so I'm sure there are some trends I'm missing. The only time I kept a betta with other fish was a male with a few tetras and a pleco, and that was years ago when I was first starting out (and decided I wanted a betta vase, only to find out later my boy wasn't doing so well in it and my only other option was to plop him in my little community), and I don't really remember how things worked out.
 
#12 ·
I have now decided to stick with 3 albino cories and 3 bronze cories(i researched that they would be fine as a group)

Also about 8 or 9 betta females(i already have 4 in a tank ready to add)

Probably some shrimp as well.

My tank has finished cycling and i am going to start adding fish in a few days,should i get all the cories at once or 3 per week?

And as the females have to be put in together would it be ok to add 9 fish in one go?

Thanks.
 
#13 ·
  1. Make sure the plants are in there first. Make sure you're happy with their placement in the tank.
  2. Then put the cories in for at least a day or two. Make sure you feed them generously but only enough food that they can finish. You want to fatten the cories up as much as possible before the girls make their entrance.
  3. Finally introduce the girls the day or two after. You should have no problem with them since they ACTUALLY got along in the globe. I still can't believe that.

**Really anytime you buy a new fish, during the QT period. Always try to fatten them up just in case they were sort of neglected in the stores. That way when you introduce them to the main tank, the fish have time to explore before they need to learn how to compete for the limited amount of food.


  • This is the key point in why I recommend getting a filter with some sort of water flow control. Turn the filter to the LOWEST setting while you're feeding so the fish get the food and NOT the filter.


  • Also that's another reason to feed a little at a time and drop the food on the opposite side of where the filter is located.
 
#14 ·
Many thanks for the advice.
So do i put all the girls in at the same time or one every half hour or so?

The girls in the biorb really are getting along well..two of them even like to swim together and play in the bubbles..even when one flares they get ignored lol.:p
 
#15 ·
With the girls, try to keep it an uneven number. Even numbers seem to be bad luck. >>

As someone else said, try to find a nice filter that has an adjustable flow.
Let the cories have the tank first for a day or two at least. This will let you keep an eye on them and see if they are healthy.
I introduce 2 or more girls at a time.. Though I prefer the shock method. Since I stay right by my sorority after introduction, I don't usually have a problem. I only had 1 problem female who now has her own tank.
 
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