# Tank mates question...



## MrsCRCWilson (Apr 4, 2017)

I just upgraded from my 20 gallon tank to this one today and I'm absolutely in love. I know I need to get more plants (I didn't judge the size of the tank very well). I currently have a Betta sorority of 4 (which I plan on eventually adding to) I have some Sunburst Platies and a few neon Tetras. I want to get a few more fish but definitely want to provide plenty of space for the fish. What tank mates do y'all recommend?









Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


----------



## MrsCRCWilson (Apr 4, 2017)

MrsCRCWilson said:


> I just upgraded from my 20 gallon tank to this one today and I'm absolutely in love. I know I need to get more plants (I didn't judge the size of the tank very well). I currently have a Betta sorority of 4 (which I plan on eventually adding to) I have some Sunburst Platies and a few neon Tetras. I want to get a few more fish but definitely want to provide plenty of space for the fish. What tank mates do y'all recommend?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I should add that all 4 of my Bettas are very well behaved and get along wonderfully. There's very rarely any chasing going on.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

How many neon tetras is a 'few'? If it was my tank, I'd increase the number of neon tetras before adding further species of fish. This is simply because your neon tetras would be more comfortable in a larger group, particularly if you have less than six fish. 

Other than that, I'm not sure what other fish would be appropriate for your set-up. I'm not sure if Corydoras would have issues with the gravel substrate, and I think some of the smaller, more sensitive species of fish wouldn't do well. Also your tank is brightly lit and sparsely planted, and many fish would find this unsettling. Perhaps you might do better going with another species of livebearer, such as Endlers?


----------



## MrsCRCWilson (Apr 4, 2017)

LittleBettaFish said:


> How many neon tetras is a 'few'? If it was my tank, I'd increase the number of neon tetras before adding further species of fish. This is simply because your neon tetras would be more comfortable in a larger group, particularly if you have less than six fish.
> 
> Other than that, I'm not sure what other fish would be appropriate for your set-up. I'm not sure if Corydoras would have issues with the gravel substrate, and I think some of the smaller, more sensitive species of fish wouldn't do well. Also your tank is brightly lit and sparsely planted, and many fish would find this unsettling. Perhaps you might do better going with another species of livebearer, such as Endlers?


I currently have 3 neon Tetras. I had 6 to begin with. I only saw one that was dead a while ago. The other two must've died and gotten eaten, which happened recently. My 20 gallon tank was very heavily planted so it was hard to spot everyone. I was thinking about getting 6 more Tetras to increase the size of their school. And I will be getting more plants for sure. Are Corydoras the small bottom feeder type fish? 

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Definitely increase the number of neon tetras then, if there are only three. Corydoras are the smaller (I know very little about Corydoras but believe certain species can get fairly large) catfish that is generally found on the bottom of the tank although I think at least one species is described as being a midwater swimmer. 

I believe they do best on fine sand, as too coarse a substrate can cause problems with their barbels. 

However, this is only what I've gleaned from online reading. I have no actual experience with these fish.


----------



## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Corydora can range anywhere from .75" (Pygmy Cories) to 3"+ (I had some type of False Julii Cory that got 3", not sure what other species get this big.)

They do better on sand substrate in groups of 6 or more but I've heard that "they can't live on gravel" is just an old wives tale. I had some on EcoComplete for a while and they were fine.

The first thing to do before adding any more fish is adding plants. You shouldn't be able to see front-to back in that tank.


----------



## MrsCRCWilson (Apr 4, 2017)

ThatFishThough said:


> Corydora can range anywhere from .75" (Pygmy Cories) to 3"+ (I had some type of False Julii Cory that got 3", not sure what other species get this big.)
> 
> They do better on sand substrate in groups of 6 or more but I've heard that "they can't live on gravel" is just an old wives tale. I had some on EcoComplete for a while and they were fine.
> 
> The first thing to do before adding any more fish is adding plants. You shouldn't be able to see front-to back in that tank.


Thanks. I've already mentioned a couple times that I know I need to add more plants.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


----------



## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

I know, but sooner is better than later.


----------



## Animals15 (Sep 12, 2017)

Beautiful tank and stand you have!  What size is the tank? 


I would definitely add on to your school of neons making a minimum of 6-7. 8-10 would be fantastic. 

Are your platy fish male or female? If you have both genders then they will overstock the tank quickly depending on how many adults you have. If this is the case then I would only recommend getting more neon tetras. 

If you have either only males,only females, or places to keep potential fry then you could increase the neon school, and add 2-3 more female Bettas safely without overstocking. 

Remember to quarantine any new fish unless bought by a trusted source. Some do not quarantine and have no problems, but it is better to wait and make sure they are healthy then to risk a disease spreading through the entire tank. 


Adding more plants is a must ( I know you have mentioned adding more plants). The best would be tall plants that will go to the full height of the aquarium as well as form a canopy along the surface blocking some of the bright light, while breaking line of sight for the females. 

I always quarantine live plants as sometimes they can come with parasites. 

Anyways, if you decided to add sand to your tank, pygmy Cories would be an excellent addition along with the new Bettas and neons.


----------



## Animals15 (Sep 12, 2017)

I forgot to add, is your air stone bubbler really strong? it appears like it would be. If this is the case I would add an air control valve to the tubing to slow it down a bit ( Bettas do not like a lot of surface agitation).


----------



## MrsCRCWilson (Apr 4, 2017)

Animals15 said:


> Beautiful tank and stand you have!  What size is the tank?
> 
> 
> I would definitely add on to your school of neons making a minimum of 6-7. 8-10 would be fantastic.
> ...


Thank you! I'm absolutely in love with the tank! It's either 50 or 55 gallons. I know there's a formula you can use with the measurements to figure it out but I have yet to do that. I got the tank from a friend and she couldn't remember the exact size. I have male and female Platies. Unfortunately the people at the pet store aren't as educated as they used to be and can't tell male from female 🤦. They have been breeding. I've lost 2 adults within the last month. But the number of surviving fry isn't large. I think my Bettas may be taking care of that lol. Circle of life I guess. I'm having problems finding plants that are as tall as the tank, unless I maybe look for something online. 

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


----------



## MrsCRCWilson (Apr 4, 2017)

Animals15 said:


> I forgot to add, is your air stone bubbler really strong? it appears like it would be. If this is the case I would add an air control valve to the tubing to slow it down a bit ( Bettas do not like a lot of surface agitation).


Yeah it is pretty strong, even for how small it is. I have it on one side of the tank. So far it doesn't seem to be bothering them but I'll definitely keep an eye on that! 

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


----------



## Animals15 (Sep 12, 2017)

50-55 Gallons is excellent for a sorority community tank! It gives them a nice area to claim territory, because with Sororities and fish in general, the bigger the tank the better.  

My pet store is the same way, they keep males and females together, but thankfully they at least separate the male and female Guppies. I love baby fish, but I do not want to overstock my tanks so that is why I have not gotten platies. Which reminds me, you could always get the neons, 2-3 more female Bettas, and if you are interested a small group of female or male Guppies or some endler livebearers you could always do that. Since your Bettas are doing well with the platy I doubt they would have problems with them. 
Do you like live plants only? If so I will give you some plant suggestions that get tall as well as floating varieties .  Live plants are excellent and natural for the fish, but if you would be willing to add a few silk plants I will provide links to some tall ones that provide a lot of cover.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask.


----------



## MrsCRCWilson (Apr 4, 2017)

Animals15 said:


> 50-55 Gallons is excellent for a sorority community tank! It gives them a nice area to claim territory, because with Sororities and fish in general, the bigger the tank the better.
> 
> My pet store is the same way, they keep males and females together, but thankfully they at least separate the male and female Guppies. I love baby fish, but I do not want to overstock my tanks so that is why I have not gotten platies. Which reminds me, you could always get the neons, 2-3 more female Bettas, and if you are interested a small group of female or male Guppies or some endler livebearers you could always do that. Since your Bettas are doing well with the platy I doubt they would have problems with them.
> Do you like live plants only? If so I will give you some plant suggestions that get tall as well as floating varieties .  Live plants are excellent and natural for the fish, but if you would be willing to add a few silk plants I will provide links to some tall ones that provide a lot of cover.
> ...


Surprisingly everyone got along just fine in my 20 gallon tank, even though it was a little over stocked. I've thought about getting some guppies. I've had them in the past and like them. I have some live and some silk plants. I like both though. I appreciate all your help! 

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


----------



## trahana (Dec 28, 2015)

The male platies have a long, thin anal fin. Female platies have a quarter circle anal fin, and always look pregnant because they usually are. 
I used to breed them and raise the fry. Nowadays I only buy fry from local markets because I love how friendly fish are when you raise them yourself. 

Currently I'm in love with cloud mountain minnows(raising ten fry now), but I don't suggest them for a sorority tank as they love open, running water and bettas like calm pools with many plants. 
You can also look into having Kuhli loaches. They are eel like little fish and wiggle all around feeling for food along the bottom. They are quite fun to watch, just remember each has a different personality and some wiggle less then others(what you see in the store is what you get).


----------



## WillL (Dec 6, 2017)

I was at Petsmart the other day and I saw some pygmy cories around 1.5 inches did they just mis label them or something?!


----------



## WillL (Dec 6, 2017)

ThatFishThough said:


> Corydora can range anywhere from .75" (Pygmy Cories) to 3"+ (I had some type of False Julii Cory that got 3", not sure what other species get this big.)
> 
> They do better on sand substrate in groups of 6 or more but I've heard that "they can't live on gravel" is just an old wives tale. I had some on EcoComplete for a while and they were fine.
> 
> The first thing to do before adding any more fish is adding plants. You shouldn't be able to see front-to back in that tank.


I'm new at this so I screwed up the quoting but I was at petsmart and saw some pygmy cories that were 1.5 inches what's up with that?!


----------



## MrsCRCWilson (Apr 4, 2017)

trahana said:


> The male platies have a long, thin anal fin. Female platies have a quarter circle anal fin, and always look pregnant because they usually are.
> I used to breed them and raise the fry. Nowadays I only buy fry from local markets because I love how friendly fish are when you raise them yourself.
> 
> Currently I'm in love with cloud mountain minnows(raising ten fry now), but I don't suggest them for a sorority tank as they love open, running water and bettas like calm pools with many plants.
> You can also look into having Kuhli loaches. They are eel like little fish and wiggle all around feeling for food along the bottom. They are quite fun to watch, just remember each has a different personality and some wiggle less then others(what you see in the store is what you get).


I do have one of those eel like fish. He's definitely a wiggler lol. When I bought my Platies I tried to point out the ones I wanted, based on sex, but as soon as the net went in the tank they scattered. The worker had no clue how to tell male from female 🤦. It's not rocket science lady . Oh well, I'll never have to buy Platies again. 

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


----------



## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Are you sure they were Pygmies? My largest is an inch at most, and they're almost a year old now.


----------



## MrsCRCWilson (Apr 4, 2017)

MrsCRCWilson said:


> I do have one of those eel like fish. He's definitely a wiggler lol. When I bought my Platies I tried to point out the ones I wanted, based on sex, but as soon as the net went in the tank they scattered. The worker had no clue how to tell male from female 🤦. It's not rocket science lady . Oh well, I'll never have to buy Platies again.
> 
> Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


And go figure that all of my Platy fry that have survived are female. I only have two males. One is a Sunburst and one is a Painted. All of the fry are sunburst, so I'm assuming my painted male isn't breeding with the sunburst females

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


----------



## trahana (Dec 28, 2015)

MrsCRCWilson said:


> And go figure that all of my Platy fry that have survived are female. I only have two males. One is a Sunburst and one is a Painted. All of the fry are sunburst, so I'm assuming my painted male isn't breeding with the sunburst females
> 
> Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


Like humans, some animals are picky about their mates. But others doen't care as long as its got a pulse. I remember I had a male guppy that used to court the female platies I had, even when there was female guppies too. 
My horse only likes her boyfriend(s) to be tall and dark, so she doesn't care about short or light color geldings, even though she is yellow herself. 

Its a good thing you don't have mollies. I had three mollies that I got for free as fry, one female and two male. After they grew up the female died which left me with the two males. Two months later I have one male and one female, because apparently they sex change in a single gender environment. I thought I was not going to have to worry about fry, but they had other ideas.


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Sorry for being late to the party but I've been mostly off the Internet for a month.

1. Up that school of Neons to 15+

2. Hastatus and Pygmy Cory are not bottom feeders. They spend most of their time mid-tank level; they especially love broad Anubias leaves. Habrosus Cory are dwarf Cory that prefer the bottom. In that tank you could easily have 9+

3. To determine gallons: L x H x W divided by 231.

4. IMO, one must consider all of the species in a tank. I have or have had bubblers in all of my Betta-based community tanks and set them on fairly high. As long as as the entire surface is not disrupted so fish can't eat or find a quiet place near the top then surface agitation is good for oxygenating the tank and water movement. I have found that in well-oxygenated water Betta very seldom go to the surface. Gills are their primary breathing organ; the labyrinth is for specialized occasions and in the home aquarium not needed (unless you let the water get to an inch or so deep).

an't say much on livebearers as I haven't kept Platies, Mollies, Swords, etc., in years but I am in anticipation of an order of Dwarf Moscow Guppies from one of our members. 

This Saturday night, December 16, is AquaBid.com - Sell or buy aquarium equipment and fish in an auction format SNE from 7:00 EST until ??? You'll find good buys on plants if you click on "One Hour Auctions" during SNE hours. Next one is the third week in January.


----------



## MrsCRCWilson (Apr 4, 2017)

trahana said:


> Like humans, some animals are picky about their mates. But others doen't care as long as its got a pulse. I remember I had a male guppy that used to court the female platies I had, even when there was female guppies too.
> My horse only likes her boyfriend(s) to be tall and dark, so she doesn't care about short or light color geldings, even though she is yellow herself.
> 
> Its a good thing you don't have mollies. I had three mollies that I got for free as fry, one female and two male. After they grew up the female died which left me with the two males. Two months later I have one male and one female, because apparently they sex change in a single gender environment. I thought I was not going to have to worry about fry, but they had other ideas.


I didn't know that they could change their sex! That's crazy! I've never had luck with Mollies lol. And smart horse  I prefer horses of color myself (I have a sorrel Quarter Horse mare)

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


----------



## MrsCRCWilson (Apr 4, 2017)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Sorry for being late to the party but I've been mostly off the Internet for a month.
> 
> 1. Up that school of Neons to 15+
> 
> ...


Great thank you! 

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I had a shoal of 15+ Neons and 21+ Pygmy Cory in my 20 long.  That's the beauty of Nano over livebearers other than Endlers and Dwarf Panda Guppies which are .5-.75 inches long. 

Oh, and I over filter with two filters for 40+ gallons.

These are not my Dwarf Panda/Moscow Guppies:


----------



## MrsCRCWilson (Apr 4, 2017)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I had a shoal of 15+ Neons and 21+ Pygmy Cory in my 20 long.  That's the beauty of Nano over livebearers other than Endlers and Dwarf Panda Guppies which are .5-.75 inches long.
> 
> Oh, and I over filter with two filters for 40+ gallons.
> 
> ...


How many Bettas would you recommend for my sorority? I want to expand it a little. I didn't he formula to get the size of my tank and it's 50 gallons. I plan on having no more than 12 Tetras. Gotta add more plants first, then I'll add the Tetras. My four Bettas get along extremely well right now.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I'm going to sound like Debbie Downer but I don't like sororities and don't recommend them because of the stress they cause the females and resulting repercussions. On this forum (and on other groups I haunt) they have seldom been successful for more than six months to a year before something wiped them out. IMO, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

Adding new females, from what I've read, can cause a lot of hierarchy problems so I'd be content with the four. When they're gone I would see out someone who can provide you with siblings; someone more knowledgeable could tell you how many in a 50 gallon but I would guess 10 or so. I've read that there's less chance of failure if the sororities are comprised of siblings-only. 

Make sure you add more photos when you get more plants.


----------



## MrsCRCWilson (Apr 4, 2017)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I'm going to sound like Debbie Downer but I don't like sororities and don't recommend them because of the stress they cause the females and resulting repercussions. On this forum (and on other groups I haunt) they have seldom been successful for more than six months to a year before something wiped them out. IMO, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
> 
> Adding new females, from what I've read, can cause a lot of hierarchy problems so I'd be content with the four. When they're gone I would see out someone who can provide you with siblings; someone more knowledgeable could tell you how many in a 50 gallon but I would guess 10 or so. I've read that there's less chance of failure if the sororities are comprised of siblings-only.
> 
> Make sure you add more photos when you get more plants.


Thanks! I definitely will! 

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


----------



## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

In general, I agree with Russell on sororities.

One thing: With sororities, I believe that each fish should have at least 5 gallons of territory; therefore, theoretically, you could have 20 fish in your tank. But, I don't like sororities, so IMHO I would divide the tank and separate the females.


----------

