# Tankmates for functioning 20gal sorority



## Randompie (Apr 23, 2013)

Hello everyone,

I have a 20 gal sorority with six betta females, 2 ADF, and 3 MASSIVE mystery snails (two of which will be transferred out soon) that has been in operation for roughly 3 months now. I have been thinking of getting more fish for this tank, and I am up for suggestions in what to get!

I live in Calgary so my water is a 'low' hard (avg. 11.5) and the ph is neutral.

My tank is heavily 'planted' with silk plants, although I am now experimenting with green cabombas and a java fern, and if all turns well I may buy more plants (if this helps out at all).

My substrate is the small gravel, so I think cories are out because of that.

I would like platies for sure (what amount?), and I am thinking of something like a bleeding heart tetra, which is a *see-through* fish. It doesn't have to be that specific species of tetra, but I would like something in which I can see the skeletal structure (glass bloodfin is another possible tetra species).

I have no idea for numbers, all I know is that platies and tetras need to be in shoals (6+?). Would this overstock my tank? Would I be able to cram in neon tetras if I put in more plants to help maintain the tank's nitrogen cycle? Even with my plants, I still do weekly water changes (30-40%), although I admit I am often 2-3 days late  (I have a crazy work schedual, but that's to be expected when one is doing snow removal in Calgary :roll

Anyways, ideas and thoughts are welcome! Any tips would be great too since I have never had a community tank with more than one species of fish, just snails and frogs.

Thanks in advance!


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

I'd be interested in potential tank mates too. I've got a 20g soroity with 10 girls and I have no idea what to put in there >.< Though I am not sure if large shoaling species would stress the girls out. You have less girls than I do though.

I wouldn't worry too much about being a couple of days late. This week I went about 4 days late because I got sick  If you can get some seachem prime that will put your mind at ease. It neutralizes the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate for about 24 hours.


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## Randompie (Apr 23, 2013)

from what I gather, a minimum of 3 platies are needed (2 female and 1 male) if you want a breeding pair. I just want females so that I don't have to bother with unwanted babies, but I like having odd numbers, so I think I'll go for 3 or 5 girls. They also grow about 2", and isn't the stocking rule 1" per gallon?

Still trying to figure out the tetras haha


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## Randompie (Apr 23, 2013)

Annnnnd Harlequin Rasboras are now on the table. I really need to stop fish browsing, every potential companion species are too pretty to pass up haha


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## Randompie (Apr 23, 2013)

Annnnnd Harlequin Rasboras are now on the table. I really need to stop fish browsing, every potential companion species are too pretty to pass up haha


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## logisticsguy (Sep 7, 2012)

Hi Im from Calgary too. My sorority has been going for quite a long time with Panda cories. Hardy lil guys that are a bunch of fun to watch. They like to be in groups of 6+ ime. No problems with the hard water and tireless bottom cleaners.


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## Crowntails (Feb 12, 2013)

My Glowlight Tetras have been great tankmate to my betta. They prefer schools of 6+


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Honestly, with a functioning sorority I would nix all schooling tetras/danios/rasboras. Even if they are peaceful fish, they can get rowdy within their schools and start to annoy the girls which may lead to other nipping/chasing within the girls and you don't want to upset that balance. The only schoolers I would get for a sorority would be cories, not Pygmies though since they are more mid-level swimmers. Danties and anything bigger would be a great addition. Even Glass Catfish would be fine, if you had the appropriate plant coverage.


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## Randompie (Apr 23, 2013)

hmm..... I may have to look into cories then, but since they are bottom dwellers would they bother my ADF at all? Also I heard that they need softer, smaller substrate than gravel, and I don't plan on changing my substrate. Am I hooped then for cories? 
lilnaugrim, if you are against schooling fish, then what...er...'individualist' fish would you recommend?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Actually, lol, I advise against all single fish and schoolers except cory's who can't actually harm your girls, well...they can, but normally they really don't. The reason I say this is because I had a functioning sorority in a 33 gallon, had 24 girls in there. I added a trio of German Blue Ram's which I had done plenty of research on and they were said to be fine with sororities so I threw them in. Turns out that I had a bully among the Ram's, the Boss Ram as I called him, killed his mate and shredded apart my females resulting in a huge disease breakout which basically aniallated my entire tank.......so while the fish can be peaceful, sometimes you aren't so lucky.

Before when I also just had 9 girls in there I tired 9 Neon Tetra's, they weren't nippy to the girls but they did get rowdy among themselves and I noticed that started to stress my girls out. Once I took the Tetra's out, everyone was back to normal and all happy.

So I don't just speak randomly about sororities anymore, it's always for a purpose as I don't want others to have to go through what I went through, a long three month process that ended with me having the flu and having to euthanize the remaining girls who had powered through the disease ridden tank. It's never fun, so if your sorority is functioning well right now, I wouldn't add any single or schoolers besides the cories. You could however do small Pleco's like Bristlenose, they would be fine as well or Oto's but you do have to give them veggies and stuff to keep them happy, it's not too hard though.

The cories will be okay as long as your gravel isn't sharp, if it's sharp then they wouldn't be good. Otherwise they can adjust to most water chemistry as well. They shouldn't bother your ADF but you may want to research a little more on that as well just to make sure. But for the most part, they play with each other and don't really bother other fish.


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## Randompie (Apr 23, 2013)

Ok then cories it is hahaha
Bit of a horror story you have there lilnauggrim.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Yeah....sorry lol. It was a horror to go through though and I just really don't want to see anyone else have to go through that. I mean, it does depend on the situation, how long they've been quarantined, what their temperment is. You can get away with getting single fish like 1 female Ram or Apistogramma, or a bottom dwelling goby like a Rainbow goby would be fine but just really know your sorority and their personalities. Also make sure to float any new comers to the tank for a while, I liked to do at least a weeks work of floating which also served as part of their QT period. This gives the girls a chance to check out the newcomers without getting too stressed or being able to pick on them. Then they get used to the new fish and won't bother them as much when they are introduced to the tank.


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## Randompie (Apr 23, 2013)

Floating would be a good idea since I have to do that with every new girl or else everyone gets into a big snit over how the hierarchy changes. With floating, the new girl sees what the hierarchy order is in advance and disturbs it only minorly in order to make her place in it, rather than fighting everyone at once, which causes everyone to fight each other all over again (what a nightmare, had that happen twice before I started floating newcomers).


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## Randompie (Apr 23, 2013)

Cories are surface breathers right? So if I just get them I don't need an air pump?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Yeah, with my newcomers of Betta girls I would actually use the entire two week QT period to float them in the tank so they really got comfortable with each other. And then if I had a bully, I would float her for another two weeks so she would eventually calm down and just slip right into the hierarchy! Same pretty much goes for other fish as well, although I know it can be hard to float schoolers if you get more than three at a time lol

And yes cories will occasionally swim to the surface to breathe. You shouldn't really need an airstone, it's more for looks really. You should have enough surface agitation with a regular filter.


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## Randompie (Apr 23, 2013)

That's what I figured since I have a Aquaclear 30 HOB filter that seems to make enough ripples in the water, and if that's not enough I can lower the water level enough to make a waterfall out of it. All of my critters in the tank take their oxygen from the surface anyways, so they are not taking that much out of the water. I have to admit, I am still thinking of maybe trying tetras, neons this time, but if that does not work out I have my 10 gal quarantine tank that I can keep them in as permanent residence, which has a filter that aerates the water pretty well too.

Of course, I will be quarantining everyone for 3 weeks before I add them to the 20g. Did not QT once and I learned a sad lesson from that (lost my favorite girl to some internal disease that was brought in).


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## Randompie (Apr 23, 2013)

Also thinking of adding some java moss too, so that should help out with the oxygen too


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Yeah, that's fine. I think the most important thing in sororities is just to QT of course but floating for at least a week should be good, thus allowing everyone to get used to each other.


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## Randompie (Apr 23, 2013)

Alright, thanks for all your help, especially with suggesting the cories because I really thought that was something that I couldn't do. 

Have a good New Years Eve!


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Yeah! Happy New Years to you as well! :-D Happy to help ^_^


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