Pet Information > ASK Experts > Pet Fish > Fish > Community tank

Community tank

23 11:14:57

Question
hi there, im going to be setting up my community tank really soon. its 385L corner tank (L shape rather than triangled) will be getting a filter for each end to get good filtration (im not sure how the corner affects the flow of things). one big heater placed in the centre of the tank. i havent set anything much up yet as it needs a leak fixed up. but i will put probably some live plants, i have some plastic plants too, pea sized gravel with bigger rocks mixed in and some self made silicone sealed rock houses for them to hide in (which will all be tested under the pressure of the full tank etc before i release fish near them.) im thinking of adding some slate caves, and will need bogwood for my bristlenoses for sure. hopefully thats enough background for the tank setup to be. i want to buy a large selection of fish so i can learn something about a lot of fish.

my question is about the types of fish i want to get, i want to know after filling in compatibility charts and calculators if these fish will all go ok together in the advice of an expert.

approx 3- bristlenose golden ancistrus plecs
approx 2-3 zebra plecs
minimum 6 glolight tetra
2x bolivian ram
pair of neon dwarf gourami
pair of flame dwarf gourami
pair of albino kribensis
pair regular kribensis
would love some rosy barbs but they need a lower temp which may make them incompatible (what do you think here?)
4+ panda corydoras
and possibly a group of guppies but only without the rosy barbs.

there will be sufficient tall plants to keep gouramis out of eye sight and plenty of territories.
i think ive done a good job picking out my fish before i get started, having a peaceful community lined up, and have chosen the prettiest and most appealing natures of the fish i have visited many times at the petshop. i want to quadruple check that my choices will most likely work together with the only give or take being the personality of individual fish. which temperature, pH and hardness would you recommend considering this mix of fish?

Answer
Hello,
I am very sorry about my slow response.

That sounds like a good mix, I personally like your choice very much, but the only things to be careful of are the cichlid and gourami pairs. The gourami might be a bit aggressive towards each other, and the cichlids will be very territorial if they ever choose to spawn, and with krib and ram, that is pretty much a guarantee.

I would recommend a temp of anywhere from 74-82 degrees F, a pH of around 7.0-7.4, and a moderate hardness.

Now, guppies would get eaten, but the rosy barbs would be fine. I have successfully kept them in thanks up to 86 degrees F.