Gold Rams, comp., beh.  4/8/07
Hi People,
<Ruth>
Firstly I would just like to thank you for your great site. I've got a 60l tank (about 2 months old) with 3 Peppered Corys, 2 Schwartz Corys, 4 Longfin Leopard Danios and a pair of Gold Rams. The tank is well planted with live plants, plenty of bogwood and a rock cave.
<Sounds very nice>
Everything was great until about a week ago when the female ram started bullying the Corys at feeding times only.
<Mmm, unusual... unless... they're reproducing...>
The Rams aren't timid in any way and she only chases them if they run away, typical bully! I thought maybe they were trying to spawn so added a flat piece of slate at the bottom for them but nothing happened. Then I added the 4 Danios as ditherfish,
<Good idea>
funny thing is she seems to like them and doesn't bother them at all and even swims around with them. Is she just hungry? Or territorial because she and the Corys both eat at the bottom?
<Perhaps a bit of both>
She only fights over catfish pellets not frozen or flake food. I always sit and watch them eat and she eats like a pig and doesn't look pinched. Is my tank too full?
<Is near a "psychological" limit here>
Will the Corys manage with a bit of chasing at meal times (I'm 99% certain it doesn't happen at any other times) or would it be better to get rid of the rams?
Thanks very much,
Ruth
<I do think all should be fine here... The Corydoras/Callichthyids are quite armored... and the Rams know this... I might try feeding at both ends of this tank simultaneously... Please do read (on WWM, fishbase.org, elsewhere) re the water quality of Microgeophagus... perhaps lowering water temperature will reduce the agonistic behavior. Bob Fenner>

Cory-Eating Koi!  9/19/06
Hello,
<Hi Ben, Pufferpunk here.  Please try correct capitalization & correct punctuation in your email.  I have to fix this, before we can post in our Daily FAQs.>
Today I came home to find my ghost coy (spelled: koi) had tried to eat my small catfish.  I found it had lodged it's spines through the cheeks of the coy. I had to use sharp scissors to cut both front spines which were protruding on the cat fish and its top spine to remove the catfish and save the Corys life.  I removed the fish after some time but to my surprise the catfish was still alive!  After I had clipped most of his top fin down to his back, including its fin spine, I have put it in an separate tank in attempts to keep it sterile. I am just wondering if its fins will grow back from such massive loss of its top fin?
<You can add Melafix to his water, to keep him from getting an infection & to help his fins grow back.  You must keep this water pristine, by doing at least 50% water changes daily, since his tank isn't cycled.  Is there a filter on there?  He will heal best with a heater set to 78-80 degrees too.  I don't suggest putting him back in with your koi.  I'd also add Melafix to the koi's water, as his mouth obviously has been pierced  ~PP>
Regards, Ben Walker

Betta/Corydoras Comp., Sys.   8/2/06
I love your site! It is so helpful and the best one I have come across.  I have a new male Betta in a 3 gallon, filtered tank. It has silk plants. He refuses to eat anything but frozen Brine Shrimp
<Need to expand this diet... not nutritious completely>
and it an active little sucker.   My question is .. . is a 3 gallon too small to add a Cory catfish to?
<Mmm, no... is not too small for a small/ish species of Corydoras>
I am concerned about the size of the tank and how active the Betta is. Being that Bettas are territorial, I worry that adding a Cory is not a good idea. What are your thoughts?
Thanks!
Dawn
<Should get along fine. There is an occasional "super mean" male Betta that comes along, but most are so "autistic" that they leave such armored cats be. Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/betcompfaqs.htm
Bob Fenner>
Hi There,
<Hello again!>
Sorry, I found the answer. I kept reading and reading and found the same question. Whew! Thanks again!
Dawn
<Welcome. BobF>

Betta and Corys  6/5/06
<<Hi, Chris. Tom with you.>>
I have recently added a Betta with 2 Cory catfish in a 10 gallon tank.
Sometimes the Betta chases the Corys around the tank.  I have seen the Betta take a nip at the Cory but the Corys have been fast enough to get away.  Could this be the Betta just setting up his territory?  
<<Most likely the case, Chris.>>
I have read Bettas and Corys are compatible.  Is my Betta overly aggressive?
<<Could be the "alpha" type but, as a recent addition, I wouldn't be concerned.>>
Anyway to calm him down?  
<<With good conditions, he should acclimate without much else being done.>>
Also, are there any other tankmates suitable?
<<A ten-gallon tank is, typically, a bit large for a Betta but I wouldn't hurry out to find more "tankmates". They'll do very well "solo" and I'm not a fan of mixing these with other fish. (The Corys, which I adore, are pretty inoffensive in any tropical tank so I would discount these as "other fish". :)>>
Thanks, Chris
<<Any time, Chris. Tom>>

Corys With Rams  4/27/06
Good Morning~
I've been at my aquarium hobby for about 6 months...learning a lot from this great site/people and really appreciate it!
I've spotted a dwarf ram that I'm interested in and have a couple questions.
The LFS has their temperature with these fish at 84 degrees...I've gotten my 12gal tank up to that temp....my tank was down for a while...bio-wheel.. have added dirty filter water & dirty gravel...about a week ago...will it be okay to put
about 3 or 4 rams here?....should I purchase a few danios/barbs at the same time to put in with them - or just the rams by themselves?
< Either way would be fine.>
(I'm planning to have a 20gal free in a couple weeks and intend to move them to that)
Also, I really like Corys and wonder if any particular one is okay with the higher temperature?
< Most Cory's can handle the elevated water temps. Some cannot but these are usually rare and expensive. Check out the Cory's at Planetcatfish.com if you are interested in a particular species.-Chuck> Thanks Again, Judy

Kribensis, Ram query... Corydoras comp.   4/21/06
Hi Crew,
<Jeff>
I hope all is well wherever you all are. Winter finally broke last week here in Edmonton, Canada.
<Thank goodness... my cold tolerance (and no preference) is "out the window" with advancing age>
Anyway, I have a reef invert question and a freshwater question.
<Okay>
Reef -  I recently added a frogspawn with three heads and a small xenia about 4 days ago. Both appear to be doing very well, the xenia is showing full movement (pulsing) and the frogspawn is still colourful and opens up very nicely during lighting hours. My system is a 29 gal with 130w of PC (10k & Actinic). Firstly, how often do I feed each species (Reefroids for xenia & Mysis for other).
<3-4 times a week>
Secondly, I have the frogspawn in the middle of the setup about 10 inches below the lights and set on my LR. Is it better to have it as low as I can and in the substrate?
<Mmm, I would keep this Euphylliid off the bottom. See WWM re>
I am letting the xenia tell me where it wants to be.
<Good... just do keep it confined>
Freshwater - I recently upgraded a 7 gal bowfront to a 25 gal tank. I had 4 Cory cats (5-6 years old each) and are very fond of them. I just added a male and female krib to the tank 5 days ago. I had not recently read up on the fish, just remembered that I thought they would be interesting and hardy. They are particularly beautiful specimens, but I am embarrassed to say that I didn't realize that they were bottom dwellers and would take nips out of my Corys.
<Too likely, yes>
My question is can I replace them with rams (tank bred) and have the Corys left alone?
<Yes... a much better choice>
If it is ok, I saw some very small and very red shrimp that would be neat to have, they are about 1/3 the size of my algae eating shrimp I have (2 only), would the rams bother the new small red shrimp.
<Not likely>
The shrimp remind me of camel backed shrimp for marine.
Thank you again for your time,
Jeff Morgan
<Morgan: "Man of the sea"... Bob Fenner>

Cory Cats co-livestocking   2/2/06
I recently set my son up with a ten gallon aquarium and after a  little research, talked him into putting Cory cats in the tank  instead of the Bala
sharks he originally wanted.  Currently, there  are 3 bronze Corys in the tank.  I wanted to build the tank community  up a little at a time.  They
have a cave, some plastic plants, and a  statue in their tank to hide behind.  They really love the cave.  The  tank has a Whisper 10-20 gallon
power filter.  I plan to get at least  2 more Corys, but what else could I put in the tank that would swim  in the middle of the tank.  I'm not real
keen on livebearers, and I  don't want to overstock.  The Corys are such fun fish.  They're  almost like little puppies when they swim out at feeding
time, or  just when someone walks in the room.
Thanks for your help.
Vicki
<Many choices... look on WWM and elsewhere re small barbs, danios, rasboras, small gourami species... Bob Fenner>

Platy - Gourami mix revisited: this time, +cats!   2/2/06
  Hi crew!
  Thanks for your quick+informative reply regarding my platies! The little guys look very happy! I followed your advice and bought a test kit: all very good readings:
  Ammonia: 0
  Nitrate:0
  Nitrite:25 - 50
<These last two are crossed-over... and nitrate's a bit high. Do try to keep below 20 ppm... means covered on WWM>
  Ph: not sure, as it was a funny light blue colour, but I'm guessing it was about 7.5, and they told me not to worry about it at my local fish store place.
   <Is likely fine... also covered>
  I did not buy the gouramis, as planned, but instead bought 2 little cats. I hope to get the gouramis later.
     My question is about my cats. In the shop, they were labeled as "speckled cats", but when I got them home and looked in a fish book, there was a picture of them... Labeled as peppered cories! I can't send a pic. with this, but I'm working on it! They seem very peaceful and fun loving, could they be the peppered cories?
   <Are very likely a species of Corydoras... maybe paleatus... covered on WWM... fine here>
  Thanks for replying to my email, and once again, thanks for your great site!
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Corydoras panda are losing their eyes!   1/26/06
I hope someone can help.  Recently I noticed 4 of my young pandas have lost their eyes.  2 have died so far.   After they lose their eyes they start to
loss their color and turn whitish. They still feed and act silly.  I've had pandas for a few years and have managed to breed them very successfully.  I
love my little guys and take good care.  Could this be a disease?
<Not likely>
or is someone attacking them?
<Yes>
  The only "new" addition is a very young Kribensis Cichlid (about the same size as the pandas).  I have a 60 gallon tank with
mostly tetra (cardinals and hatchets), 5 platies, 2 small angelfish, 2 yoyo loaches and 2 Plecos.
<I suspect the Kribensis or loaches... but could be an angel... only close observation or systematic removal will reveal the culprit. Bob Fenner>
Help me please - Sabiha

Oscar Tried To Eat Cory Cat   1/14/06
Hi, I’ve had my Oscars for about 4 months, the tiger is about 2 inches and
the albino about 6 inches.  There were also to albino bronze catfish in the
tank, the Oscars didn’t bother these until now.  I arrived home from work
today to find one of the catfish stuck in albino’s mouth, my dad arrived and
informed me that it had been there for most of the day.  I netted the Oscar
and carefully tried to remove the fish, eventually in came out.  The Oscars
mouth is now very open and I am worried as it is not feeding.  Do you think
that my Oscar may die from the trauma, and should I take it to a vet, thanks for your time,   Alex
< The protective spines of the Corydoras catfish work just as well in the aquarium as they do in the wild. If the spines broke off in your Oscar's mouth then you are in trouble. If you got the spines out then I would keep the water clean and treat with an antibiotic for infection. Your Oscar can go for more than a week without food. Give it a chance to heal and remove all the smaller fish that can be considered food by the Oscars.-Chuck>

Oscar Basking In the Moonlight was: Oscar Tried To Eat Cory Cat   1/22/06
Thanks for your help, he is back eating properly again now, his mouth has
closed up although it is slightly off centre, other than that he is fine.
I have been toying with the idea of getting a moonlight effect bulb for my
tank, will this confuse the fish and make them think its night time all the
time, or will they be okay with it??    Thanks again for your time,   Alex
< Oscars are pretty smart and will be able to tell the daytime from the night time from the ambient room light. I do' think you will be able to appreciate your Oscar too much under those lighting conditions.-Chuck>

More Corys, Crowding Concerns? - 12/18/2005
Gage,
Not to worry. I appreciate the reply. (My reply was largely rhetorical, anyway.)
<Hi, Tom; Sabrina with you today.>
Now, (refreshing your memory here), four Serpae Tetras, six Bloodfin Tetras, six Black-skirt Tetras and a Red Flame Gourami in the 50-gallon tank. Eight Panda Corys enroute to the QT. Can I add another school of Corys (six Serpae Corys) or, is this, now, overload?
<I think this is sustainable.  Go for it.>
My best, Tom
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Re: Freshwater planted setup
Howdy once again,
In regards to the sump for the 55 gallon live plant fish tank. I would appreciate your comments on the sump design (drawing attached). I'm kind of new at this fish stuff but have been doing a lot of research for the last six months and want my system set up right the first time. Thanks for your previous input and thanks for your input on this aspect in advance.
<missed the attachment, bud>
As to your first response on adding more Corydoras cats-Should I add more Panda Cory's or can I add the same amount of another Cory species (from what I read their all compatible, given water parameters are within reason).
<I'm inclined towards shoals of the same species and the panda specifically for warmer waters if you need that. Anthony>

Re: Oscars, Corydoras Cats Together
Bob, thank you for your quick response:)
I have a freshwater 150 gallon tank, that houses:
1 tiger Oscar
several small Corey cats
<Yikes... hope your Oscar can resist swallowing any of these 
Corydoras...
>too common cause of death...>
[smiles] They are well fed, happy Oscars, and never bother anyone. The
Corys are prolific breeders in the tank, though the Zebras and fire eel
seem to enjoy eating the eggs just as prolifically.
>1 random cichlid [about the size of a convict]
I would like to figure out what this cichlid is. It is almost shaped as a
convict, but a bit more streamlined. Very rich coloring, with bright
bluing around the eyes. Any good url that has pictures I can start
researching?
<Oh yes: fishbase.org The family Cichlidae is quite large... maybe start with Spilurum, the various re-do's of the genus Cichlasoma... and a very large pot of tea/coffee (to stay up late). Have fun.>
>and two young albino Oscars [about 7 months old, not true albinos, 
>having
>lots of darkness on their fins]
><Yes, "Gold" (xanthic) varieties>
Excellent, thank you:)
><Hmm do read over this (marine) piece on HLLE... and its cure... can 
>be
>done with vitamin and iodide adjunct to their foods:
>http://wetwebmedia.com/hllefaqs.htm>
These are the articles I read over, and it seems always to pertain to salt
water tanks. Though I salt a bit heavy due to the HLLE [hoping this will
keep down the other parasites while they are under stress] it is by no
means brackish let alone salt.
<The same causative mechanism/s exist in both marine and freshwater... lack of essential nutrients>
><Let's discuss this issue to the point of clarity for you... and 
>maybe
>we'll generate a definitive article on freshwater HLLE problems>. Be
>chatting. Bob Fenner>
We are discussing:)
What I am wondering is what vitamins? What changes in diet?
<Mainly C and D, some E... and iodide (often termed iodine)...>
I feed them Tetramin's cichlids pellets and sticks. Live feeders once a
month. Frozen brine shrimp, occasionally blood worms, crickets and other
assorted 'make my fish happy and give them treats food'.
In the last few days, the babies have gotten to look worse, with the 'caves'
beginning to look reddish, as if they are losing the last of the skin in
those craters. I would like to start treating them as soon as possible, but
really need to know what vitamins to give freshwater Oscars/cichlids.
<There are prep.s that are made/labeled for fishes et al. aquatics, but the compounds involved are the same as for tetrapods (like you and me), so "baby vitamins" (liquids) will do... or pet-fish ones like Micro-vit, Selcon... Add these to the food a few minutes before offering.>
Thank you Bob, for all your time and help on this issue. I am really
getting worried about them.
cj.
<Me too... do try the vitamins... they can/will effect a reversal at this point. Bob Fenner>

Molly - Cory compatibility
Doctor Fenner,
<Call me Robare, just not late for din din>
My wife and I recently started an aquarium in our apartment. While I was
growing up, my grandfather was an avid fish keeper, and it really rubbed off
onto me. Finally, I have a setup of my own, and we bought four beautiful
black lyre tail mollies to start.
<Ah, great>
I've heard from several sources that Cory cats are good tank mates for
mollies. However, I wanted to make sure before I head out to my local
aquarium shop that Corys can handle the slightly harder water that mollies
need. Thanks for your help!
<Yes, good question... "modern" Corydoras catfishes are much more "plastic" (tolerant of wide, varying water conditions) than those of yore. Will do fine with Mollies, even tolerating a modicum of salt. Be chatting, Bob Fenner>
Chris

Up late stressing about my four Corys
<Ananda here this late night/early morning, fielding the puffer questions...>
I just did what now seems to be a very stupid thing. I had an overflow of snails so I read all about loaches and went to the local aquarium store to buy myself a small pack of them, having read they where a schooling fish. I was a little nervous about this and was easily manipulated by the evil aquarium experts?  .  
<Always stick to your guns when you have researched something...keep in mind that the people at the store are trying to sell you something and that non-commercial web sites about fish generally have the fishes' best interests at heart.>
Anyways they told me I would be better off buying a single Puffer fish, and after asking what fish I already had in my aquarium told me to add a teaspoon of rock salt per gallon of water to my aquarium.
<Knowing you had Corydoras catfish? Shame on them!!>
It has been a little over a week now and my Cory Catfish are not eating, and I just read that Corys can not tolerate salt,
<Usually not well at all. I would do a 50% water change with no salt in the new water.>
but I now have a green spotted puffer fish as well.
<Cute and intelligent fish, requiring salt as they mature.>
Tell me how to safe my fishies without buying a second aquarium please.  :(   
<Oh my. That is difficult, because the puffer needs salt, and the Corys can't tolerate it. Very young green-spotted puffers (under 2" in length) can tolerate freshwater for short periods. But your long-term solution is another tank for the puffer.>
<Best wishes, Ananda>  

Panda Corys
Hi. Are panda Corys compatible with other Corys species? I have read they are sociable and like to be in a group. I have one remaining panda having 6 that died. I want the panda to have company but I do not like the fish store where I got the pandas from and can't find pandas where I want to purchase...so I'm looking at getting other Corydoras species. You think? Thanks Marty
<Hey Marty, they will do fine together.  Corydoras are one of my favorite fish.  In my experience, I have noticed that although they do not bother each other, they do stick with their own.  My Albino Corys hang out with the other Albinos, and the Peppered Corys hang out with the other Peppered Corys.  What is interesting is the Albino Corys do not hang out with the Bronze Corys even though they are both Corydoras Aeneus, go figure.  One thing you may want to look into is why the other 6 died, that is not a good sign. fishbase.org is great for information regarding water parameters and what not, the link below is a fun Cory site. -Gage
http://www.nettaigyo.com/corydoras/encyc/index-e.html >

Panda Corys
Thank you so much Gage. I will check out the info you sent me. The fish store where I bought the pandas is not someplace I want to frequent any longer. Their Corys had no barbels to speak of, and the Corys were very little. I watched the guy catch them and it looked like a slaughter rather than a netting. Marty
<Good plan, no barbels is a very bad sign. -Gage>

Pandas and Barbs Incompatible?
Hi!
I have a 10 gallon tank with 2 striped barbs and 2 long-finned danios.
All 4 fish are about 1" in size.  Tank has been cycled and water tested.
They have been living together for a few months now and get along great.
I do a 20-30% water change every week.  The other day I added 2 small
panda Corys.  Right away, one striped barb started chasing one of the
Corys.  This went on for a few days. Every time the panda tried to rest,
the barb would seek him out and chase him.  It only happened with one
barb and one panda.  Also, the barbs were hogging all the food, so we
tried a sinking pellet for the pandas, but the barbs found that too and
devoured it!  Needless to say, when I got home from work one night, both
pandas were dead.
I took them out and did a water change and the 4 original fish are back
to normal.  Will this happen with any new fish I add or was there some
incompatibility with the panda and the barb?  I feel like the barb
harassed the pandas to death!!
< Some fish do get territorial and some barbs have been known to become fin nippers. Next time do a water change and rearrange the tank just before adding any new fish. This may help. Or you could try to add numerous fish at the same time to help disperse the aggression of the barbs.-Chuck>
Thanks,
Frances

Restocking, Learning - 08/25/2005
Hi WWM Crew,
<Hi, Wayne!  Sabrina with you today.>
I've been emailing you a lot lately; sorry for the inconvenience because the problems I've had seemed petty.  
<No worries.>
I thought Corys would be fine living with goldfish and mine have been doing pretty well.  But I was just informed I shouldn't keep them together because of the different temperatures they live in?  
<Quite true.>
Anyways, I'm set on just keeping them separate, maybe giving my biggest goldfish (about 2.5 inches) to a petstore, and restocking my tank with the peppered Corys with fish that are compatible.
<Sounds like a plan!>
I have 4 peppered Corys in a 10 gallon tank so far. I think 1 female and 3 males because one is significantly larger than the other 3.
<Actually, a good ratio, if you wish to breed.>
They've been chasing her around during these past few days. She (if it's a female) looks like she's trying to swim away from them. Seems like they want to mate with her. Is it stressful to her to be the only female in the tank?
<Not really....  Provided, of course, that there is plenty of cover for her to hide.>
I want to add maybe 2 more Corys to the school nonetheless. Would that be too much for my tank?  
<Pushing it, but they'll be fine.  Corys are VERY social animals.>
I've also read some stuff on freshwater livestock and compatibilities saying Tetras (Neons, Cardinals, Black Skirts, Bloodfins, False Rummynose, and Penguins), Platies, Loaches, and White Cloud Minnows? are good for a community tank.
<I would skip white clouds, as they are actually a more temperate fish....  prefer cooler water.>
I don't want any more bottom feeders or fish that like to hang out on the bottom.
<Skip the loaches, then.>
I'd prefer fish that stay in the middle of the tank or the top. Also after reading about size and water quantity, how big will tetras, platies, and loaches grow?
<Much variance for tetras....  depending upon species, less than an inch to over a foot!  Just research the species you like.  Platies, roughly 2".  Loaches, again, much variance....  from a couple inches to over a foot.  Again, research....>
Do they live in the same water conditions as my current Corys?
<All but the platies, yes, but even the platies will thrive with you.>
Are there any other types of fish I can think about putting in the tank other than the ones I listed?
<Uhh....  how big is this tank going to be??>
I also don't know how many of those fish I can add along with let's say 6 peppered Corys already in the tank.
<As above....  I don't know the tank size (I do recall corresponding with you before, but we go through soooooo many emails daily....  Can't remember every detail!  Mostly, be sure not to go overboard on stocking.  It's always better to have too little than too much bioload.>
I don't want to have an overstocking problem like I did with the goldfish.
<Ahhhh, very good!>
Thank you so much and you guys have been very helpful!
<Glad to be of service.>
I'm starting to understand more about fish care and also gaining much needed knowledge for future the well being of any future fish!
<That, my friend, is why we are here.  Thank you very much.>
Wayne
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Restocking, Learning - II - 08/26/2005
Hi Sabrina,
<Hi, Wayne!>
Thanks for replying! I have a 10 gallon tank. I think it has completed it's cycling phase, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, and nitrate looks like 20ppm maybe slightly more.
<Best to get the nitrate down some with water changes - but otherwise, great.>
I have a bubble wall and an action pirate ship bubbler.
<No other cover?  I'd recommend adding more stuff for the Corys (and future fish) to help them feel secure and be able to "get away" from one another.  Plants (plastic or live, low-light plants), rock, even very clean, new terra cotta plant pots.>
My filter is a hang on back Whisper 20 Power Filter and my tank temperature (and also room temp) is 78 - 82 degrees. When it starts to get colder I'll drop the heater in.
<Perfect.>
I have the 4 peppered Corys already in that tank and was just wondering how many fish (Corys, neons probably, or platies unless there are other types that will thrive comfortable even after they are fully grown)
<I'd go for platies, honestly.  They are MUCH more entertaining - and durable - than neons.  Neons can be very, very delicate and sensitive to any changes in water quality.  Platies are VERY forgiving, especially in regards to pH, hardness, and nitrate.  Plus, they come in SO many great colors/patterns.>
Are panda Corys more delicate than peppered Corys because
<Not really.>
I love the way they look.
<Me, too.>
If they are too delicate, I would probably skip buying them and just add 1 or 2 more peppered Corys.
<Well, platies are schoolers and like to be in hoards of their own species (literally, can find them in schools of hundreds, maybe thousands, in the wild!), but they'll play well with other species, too.  Pandas are my favorite, as well.  You could mix these two.>
I visited Petco today and if neons would do well in my 10 gallon tank I saw some neat tetras that were an inch or less in length. The only probably is that they school and I'll have to get at least 5? (read somewhere odd numbers were best) for them to feel comfortable?
<Mm, the odd number thing is bologna - it's just important to have them in a school of several.  Again, I'd do platies instead of tetras, here; if you're totally bent on having neons, yeah, no less than five.>
I would like to add some color (blue, red, orange, etc) to my tank that are not bottom dwellers.
<Yup, you want platies!  Err, at least, they satisfy your color desires :)  A trio of platies and your small group of Corys would do well in this tank, provided you keep water quality in check.>
Lost interest in goldfish because of how messy they are.
<Ahh, dig a pond!  You'll get interested again right away.  Goldfish are AWESOME, given the proper environment.  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Restocking - III? IV? - 08/30/2005
Hi WWM Crew,
<Hi, Wayne!  Ya got me again!>
Sabrina answered my last couple of emails about restocking my tank and I didn't give a complete description of what's in my tank (sorry).
<No worries.>
My Tank: 10 gallon AquaClear All Glass Tank
Light Hood
Whisper 20 Power Filter w/ biofoam (this black foam
that slips in front of the filter cartridge)
Whisper 10 - 30 air pump
A bubble wall
An action pirate ship bubbler
10 plastic plants of different kinds (small - medium)
Small fake log with silk plants attached
Small Easter Island Statue
Small natural color shallow creek pebbles (I think)
<Sounds like plenty of great cover for the Corys to feel safe.>
I currently have 4 Corydoras paleatus, 3 males about 1 inch long and a femal about 1.5 inches long, look like they are doing great. I had 2 of them for a couple of months now and the other 2 for a month or 2. My tank has a regular temperature of 78 to 82 degrees and when winter time rolls around I'll drop a heater in to maintain a steady temp. The ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0, and nitrate is rising but I am doing water changes to keep it down around 20ppm.  
<Try to get this lower - otherwise it sounds awesome so far.>
Now I would like to start adding more fish to the mix. From reading/receiving information from your site, I've narrowed my choices down to a couple fish I would like to add to my tank. I definitely want to add a couple more Corys, either panda Corys or peppered Corys, to my 4 peppered Corys.
<Either would be fine, I think.>
For tetras, I like Black Phantoms, Flame, Glowlites, Lemon, and Pristella and for rasboras, I like the Harlequin and Scissortail.  If I were to get panda Corys, how many would I need to get for it to feel comfortable around my peppered Corys. I'm afraid one panda Cory wouldn't school with the other peppered Corys.
<Agreed; your best bet is to stick with peppered Corys, and plan some day in the future to go with a larger tank and do a same- or similarly-sized school of pandas.>
As for the tetras and rasboras, how many could I get so as not to overstock my 10 gallon tank. I learned the hard way before with an overstock of goldfish.
<So many people do!  Don't feel alone in this!>
I know tetras and rasboras like to be kept in a school of 5 or more.
<If at all possible, yes.>
Is it possible for me to get at least 2 different types of fish without overstocking my tank? I am thinking of around 5 - 7 Corys total and 2 different schools of tetras and/or rasboras with 5 or more in each school.
<I would go with the 5-7 Corys and one type of tetra or rasbora....  And just five of those.  A 10g tank just isn't forgiving on water quality once you begin to reach the stocking limits.  And again, if possible, consider a larger tank in the future....  some time down the road....  to have more options.>
If you have any other combinations and amounts of the types of fish I could keep I would really appreciate it!
<Just as above - pick your favorite of your list (possibly omitting the pristellas for their pretty harsh aggression) and go with five or six of those.  Then in the future, when you're addicted and go up to a 29g or 55g tank, well....  the possibilities are nearly endless!>
Thanks again WWM Crew!
<And thanks for being such a great, conscientious fishkeeper.>
Wayne
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

125g Plant Tank, Inhabitants, Compatibilities - 10/22/2005 - Sabrina Learns Hawai'ian - 10/23/05
Hi,
<Aloha! Sabrina with you today, soon to be leaving Hawai'i to head back home....>
Thanks for all your help in the past in assisting me with my F/W Planted Discus aquarium. It has been set up now for about three months and has been doing well. I just have a few short questions. First I'll give you the tank specs.
* 125 Gallon tank- glass
* 1 -Rena XP3 Canister Filter
* 1 -48" Coralife Double Bulb Compact Fluorescent Light
* 1- 24" All-Glass Double Bulb fluorescent Light
* 100-150 Assorted Live Plants
* 2- Large Pieces of Driftwood
* 3-4" of a Mix of Fluorite and Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate
* 2- 300 Watt Via Aqua Steel Thermometers
* 6- Small/Medium Discus- about 3-4"
* 6- Lemon Tetras
* 20- Cardinal Tetras
* 6- "Golden Wonder" Killies- about 2"
* 20- Grass Shrimp
* 50 Small Snails- I tried to keep them out of the tank!
* 2-Large Common Plecos- 6"
* 1- Small Common Pleco
* 2-Clown Plecos
* 6- Assorted Small Corydoras Cats (Julii, Emerald, Panda)
* 6- Dwarf African Frogs
* 12- "Oto" Cats
* pH- 7
* Nitrate- 20ppm
* Nitrite- 0ppm
* Ammonia- 0ppm
* 30% Water Change every Saturday
So, my questions are these:
Can I add six German Blue Rams to the mix?
<Mm, in all honesty, I would not.>
Also, can I add six more Corydoras Cats and two more "Bushy Nose" Plecos?
<The Corys, yes, but the plecs I would be a bit concerned about, since you already have several of two species. If you add these, do so with extreme caution and be prepared to remove immediately.>
What is the best way to remove a green mat algae- I think it's Cyanobacteria?
<Mostly just nutrient control.... In your case, you might want to explore the amount of light, needs of your plants, amount of CO2 and fertilization you use.... I heartily recommend a book called "Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants" by (don't laugh) Peter Hiscock (I love that name, really I do!). You can likely gain a lot from this book. Aside from that, it's a pleasant read.>
Thanks, -Anthony
<Ahuiho! -Sabrina>