# Stocking My 15 gallon (45L) tank



## JustKeepSwimmingg (Dec 30, 2017)

Hi, so I have a 15 gallon tank long that I am getting and of course it needs to Cycle for 4-6 weeks But Í am planning what to stock it with, Í am not sure if this is too many fish so Í would love some advice of changing either the Number of fish or the fish species:

betta male x 1
corydora panda x 5 or 6
cardinal tetra x 7 or 8
Apple/mystery snails x 3 or 4


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## LouieTheBlueBetta (Nov 30, 2017)

Hello! The minimum Tak size for one betta is 2.5 same for one snail, the minimum for 6 cory cats is 10 gallons, And the minimum for 6 cardinal tetras is 15 gallons. I would recommend having 1 snail instead of 3-4. You should be alright with that having:
1xbetta 
6xpanda corycats 
6x cardinal tetras
mystery snailx1
Hope this helped!


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

45L is 11 US gallon.

A 11 gallon would be a bit too small for Cardinal Tetras. They also can be fin nippers, so they won't be good tank mates for a betta.


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## JustKeepSwimmingg (Dec 30, 2017)

ryry2012 said:


> 45L is 11 US gallon.
> 
> A 11 gallon would be a bit too small for Cardinal Tetras. They also can be fin nippers, so they won't be good tank mates for a betta.


Oh woops I meant 54L haha But is it safer to get neon tetras then? Or are they similar except for their look?


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

Oh I see 

Neon tetras are also fin nippers. I think all those similar looking tetras are fin nippers. Too bad because they are gorgeous...


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## JustKeepSwimmingg (Dec 30, 2017)

LouieTheBlueBetta said:


> Hello! The minimum Tak size for one betta is 2.5 same for one snail, the minimum for 6 cory cats is 10 gallons, And the minimum for 6 cardinal tetras is 15 gallons. I would recommend having 1 snail instead of 3-4. You should be alright with that having:
> 1xbetta
> 6xpanda corycats
> 6x cardinal tetras
> ...


Thank youuuu! ????


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## JustKeepSwimmingg (Dec 30, 2017)

JustKeepSwimmingg said:


> Thank youuuu! ????


thank you! <3 <3 ***


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## JustKeepSwimmingg (Dec 30, 2017)

Ok so I have quite a dilemma here, I really want 3 kinds of fish in my tank if possible: a betta, some corydoras and some other type of fish that has a pretty color because I like really colorful tanks (not too many fish that are dull in color), but I know that if a fish is too vibrant the betta might see it as a threat. 
Is there a fish, similar to tetras that aren't known for fin nipping? I am thinking about Harlequin Rasboras maybe but would be nice to know about some more


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

Chili Rasboras are tiny but pretty. They are pretty hardy. I have them in my non betta tank. Ember tetras are pretty if you like red color. I think it's best to have pH 7.0 or lower though. I would love to get them someday. Endlers are small and very colorful. But they would breed crazy, so you should only have males. 

You can search more about fish (such as pH and water hardness) on here. 
Seriously Fish ? Feeling fishy?
This site can give you some idea about stocking level.
AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

Make sure to get dark sand as substrate because big gravels/pebbles are bad for cories ;-)


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## JustKeepSwimmingg (Dec 30, 2017)

JustKeepSwimmingg said:


> Thank youuuu! ????





ryry2012 said:


> Chili Rasboras are tiny but pretty. They are pretty hardy. I have them in my non betta tank. Ember tetras are pretty if you like red color. I think it's best to have pH 7.0 or lower though. I would love to get them someday. Endlers are small and very colorful. But they would breed crazy, so you should only have males.
> 
> You can search more about fish (such as pH and water hardness) on here.
> Seriously Fish ? Feeling fishy?
> ...


Ok thank you so much !!!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Shoaling fish tend to be nippy the fewer you have. In a 15 gallon you could have 10-15 Neons and the aggression will be kept within the shoal instead of going outside. Short story on how I figured this out.

My husband is not an aquarium affectionado but he does like Neons. I had six in my 20 long and they were quite nippy but since my husband never says a word about how many tanks I accumulate I bought 15 more. Suddenly, no more nipping. The Betta's fins grew back. Through natural attrition the shoal lessened and the nipping behavior came back. No nipping as long as the shoal was 12+. So that's what I'd do.

1 Betta
10-15 Neons
6 Cory
1 Mystery Snail.

If you can find Habrosus Cory I'd get those. Bottom dwellers and small.

My pH is around 8 and water is "semi-hard." If the fish are tank-bred as opposed to wild-caught those two parameters are not as significant.


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## JustKeepSwimmingg (Dec 30, 2017)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Shoaling fish tend to be nippy the fewer you have. In a 15 gallon you could have 10-15 Neons and the aggression will be kept within the shoal instead of going outside. Short story on how I figured this out.
> 
> My husband is not an aquarium affectionado but he does like Neons. I had six in my 20 long and they were quite nippy but since my husband never says a word about how many tanks I accumulate I bought 15 more. Suddenly, no more nipping. The Betta's fins grew back. Through natural attrition the shoal lessened and the nipping behavior came back. No nipping as long as the shoal was 12+. So that's what I'd do.
> 
> ...


Is the tank not overcrowded by now or is it ok to have 17 different fish in a 15 if most of them are tiny?


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

The keys to have many fish are

1) heavily planted
2) matured tank (months after the tank is cycled)
3) have a filter with bigger capacity. IF your budget permits, I'd recommend to have a canister filter.


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## JustKeepSwimmingg (Dec 30, 2017)

ryry2012 said:


> The keys to have many fish are
> 
> 1) heavily planted
> 2) matured tank (months after the tank is cycled)
> 3) have a filter with bigger capacity. IF your budget permits, I'd recommend to have a canister filter.


Ok thank you so much


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

JustKeepSwimmingg said:


> Is the tank not overcrowded by now or is it ok to have 17 different fish in a 15 if most of them are tiny?


If you can find Habrosus Cory you will be fine as they are so small. There are three "dwarf" Cory: Habrosus, Hastatus and Pygmy. The latter two are mid-tank dwellers.

You look at tanks at levels:

Top: Betta
Mid: Neons
Bottom: Cory

You would have an overcrowded tank if all of the fish were of the same level. This way you've spread it out.

Afterthought: Make sure to get a bottle of Seachem Stability and dose it whenever you add new fish.


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## JustKeepSwimmingg (Dec 30, 2017)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> If you can find Habrosus Cory you will be fine as they are so small. There are three "dwarf" Cory: Habrosus, Hastatus and Pygmy. The latter two are mid-tank dwellers.
> 
> You look at tanks at levels:
> 
> ...


Ahhh ok that makes a lot of sense thanks


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> If you can find Habrosus Cory you will be fine as they are so small. There are three "dwarf" Cory: Habrosus, Hastatus and Pygmy. The latter two are mid-tank dwellers.
> 
> You look at tanks at levels:
> 
> ...


I've never had a community tank with betta and am curious. Which fish should OP add first, second and last? 

By the way, the tank would look pretty. Neons are jewels!


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## JustKeepSwimmingg (Dec 30, 2017)

ryry2012 said:


> RussellTheShihTzu said:
> 
> 
> > If you can find Habrosus Cory you will be fine as they are so small. There are three "dwarf" Cory: Habrosus, Hastatus and Pygmy. The latter two are mid-tank dwellers.
> ...


I was thinking about putting the corys and either neons or endlers in at the same time and let them get used to the tank for á few weeks and then add the betta but I'm still not sure if I should rather put just one at a time I haven't had a community tank yet. Í am at least 100% sure that I will put the Betta in last so he doesn't get all terratorial when the other fish get added


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

As Betta are more hardy than the others I prefer a fish-in with the Betta. What I mean by "hardy" is they can handle parameter changes better than Neons or Cory.

It doesn't really matter, IME, which goes in first. The trick is to float the new citizens in a darkened tank, transfer and leave the lights off for at the very least one hour but overnight is great. This way the Betta doesn't become frustrated and aggrieved by the motion in the bags and, once released, the newbies have a chance to learn the tank.

As long as you dose the Stability when you add the new fish you can add both Neons and Cory at the same time. For lack of a scientific term, Stability "fertilizes" the existing beneficial bacteria so it can deal with the added Ammonia levels. I wouldn't be without it.


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