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FAQs on Freshwater Community Tanks

FW easy setup 2/1/08
Dear Bob,
<Neale actually.>
Thank you for supporting us for these past 6 years in keeping a saltwater aquarium. With a 2 year old, I can’t maintain it adequately and I’m looking for something VERY easy and fresh water. I can’t find a section on your site for VERY beginners and the most resilient fish.
<Do start here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwset-up.htm
Various other linked articles will help.>
What is absolutely the easiest fish to keep?
<No question here: the two best fish for absolute beginners are Zebra Danios (Danio rerio) and Peppered Corydoras (Corydoras paleatus). Both will tolerate pH 6 to 8, hardness 5-20 degrees dH, and temperature from 18-25C/68-77F. Both are peaceful schooling fish, and a tank with six danios and six catfish will fill out a 20-gallon tank nicely and put on a very lively, entertaining show. Both are tolerant of ammonia and nitrite, at least in the short term, so they are ideal for new aquaria (though add only a few at a time so the filter can mature, not all at once!). Both eat anything and do fine on flake and pellets. Both are easy to breed if you want to, but won't produce masses of babies if you don't want them. Both are good with a variety of other fishes, so they will "grow" with you as your skills increase.>
I was thinking a betta but I’d be open.
<Nope.>
She also asked for a purple fish and a yellow fish so when you get past one you can’t do beta.
<Doesn't really work if you just look for colours. Much better to choose fish that will thrive in the conditions you have. Besides, children quickly get bored with something like a Betta that just sits there. Corydoras for example may not be colourful, but they are cute, they wink (yes, seriously) and they have funny little whiskers. Danios are playful and constantly on the move. Their colours shimmer in the light, so they're never the same thing twice.>
We could do a tank divider but I’d hate to be cruel if the two will feel threatened.
<Not a good way to do things.>
I’m looking for a general page on cichlids but there’s nothing ranking them on ease of care.
<Cichlids are NOT easy. They're excellent fish for the second aquarium or for when you want to experiment with breeding. But they get sick easily in tanks with varying water quality, and most species are more or less disruptive once sexually mature. I adore cichlids, as do most aquarists once they've kept them, but they are to fish what German Shepherds are to dogs -- intelligent, beautiful, but not for everyone!>
General advice on filtration systems?
<For a basic tank anything providing 4 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour is ideal. Lots of beginners start with undergravel filters which can work well though they aren't really compatible with live plants. I happen to like external canister filters because they're so efficient and offer good value for medium to large aquaria. But cut according to your cloth - no single filter is ideal for everyone, and even a basic filter can do a great job.>
Do we have the cotton and charcoal setup?
<Filter wool is nylon not cotton. It's for mechanical filtration and to a less degree biological filtration. It's a good idea to have some, but it isn't essential if your filter has sponges or ceramic noodles instead. Cotton is a waste in freshwater tanks, for the most part. Money is much better spent on other filter media.>
We also want a small tank because we’re moving to a small place.
<A 20-gallon tank would be ideal. Smaller tanks are difficult to stock and hard to maintain.>
Can’t do anything with salmonella (like turtles).
<I've swallowed more mouthfuls of aquarium water while siphoning tanks than I care to remember and never yet got sick from it! But still, it is simply good practise to clean your hands after handling any animals, whether fish, turtles, cats, or dogs. The actual risk of getting sick from an aquarium is very small, but if you are concerned, or think you or family members may have a particular issue with their immune system that needs consideration, discuss with an MD. I may be a doctor, but I'm a doctor of rocks, which doesn't actually help here!>
If there’s a general starter section on your website or a book to recommend, I’d appreciate it.
With deepest thanks,
Allyson
Oops. I just found this.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwset-up.htm
Thanks.
<Ah, seek and ye shall find. Good-oh. Neale.>

Re: easy setup 2/1/08
Thanks so much Neale!
<No problem.>
Purple is a big deal for her since she could say the word...is there anything purple?
<Try Pearl Danios (Danio albolineatus); these have a metallic iridescence that shows every colour depending on the light. The best purple fish for small aquaria is the Emperor Tetra (Nematobrycon palmeri), but it is hardly an "easy" animal. After your aquarium is settled down (3-6 months time) and provided your water isn't too hard, these fish are definitely worth keeping. They'll get along well with Danios and Corydoras. But I wouldn't recommend you keep them right away; they're simply too delicate. While I appreciate a parent trying to play to a child's interests, the problem is that for the animal, being plopped into the wrong aquarium can mean a swift demise!>
She's two years old. I'll take her to see those fish and
try to sell them to her.
<Quite possibly Albino Corydoras might appeal. They're pink rather than purple, but they're still Corydoras paleatus and generally do well in aquaria, even if they are a bit less hardy than the basic model. Cheers, Neale.>

Two general questions... Fish-TB, and "easy fish" 2/1/08
Hello all,
<Neale>
Two quick questions, germane to some FAQs I've done tonight.
(1) Fish-TB. For real, or a myth?
<Mycobacteriosis in piscines? Real>
My books seem to suggest it's more an issue with marine fish, which is probably why I've never seen it in the flesh. The old Fish-TB suspect in gouramis turned out to be the Dwarf Gourami Disease iridovirus.
<Yes>
(2) What are the easiest freshwater fish to recommend to people? I plumped for peppered Corydoras and zebra danios. Any others?
<Mmm, for "most" general water conditions about the world... likely the small danios, rasboras and barbs... Perhaps Platies would score high... given local acclimation... The more "cultured" Corydoras I'd agree with as well... C. aeneus, paleatus as you mention... Given the proviso of numbers/keeping in groups... BobF>
Cheers, Neale

Community tank recommendation 1/29/08
Hello,
<Ave,>
Thank you for providing this wonderful service to people. I have a 40 gallon tank (with driftwood and gravel it is probably 35). I use a magnum canister filter with a micron cartridge to keep the water clean and a penguin to filter peat into the water. My ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are 0. The pH stays between 6.8 and 7.0. The temperature is 79 degrees. I have several Anubias plants (that are growing beard algae, but then that's another topic).
<Absolutely normal for Anubias when kept in direct light. These are shade-loving plants that need to be planted below something that filters the light a bit.>
Now for my question. The tank is occupied by 8 glow light tetras (2 are very fat), 5 rasbora hengelis (2 are just babies), 7 brilliant rasboras, 6 Amano shrimp and 1 albino bushynose Pleco (without a bushy nose).
<All good. The Ancistrus will develop its bushy nose once its mature, though males more so than females.>
I am wondering if I should stop with just these fish.
<In a 40 gallon tank? There's a bit more space, certainly.>
I am torn because my main concern is the health and happiness of the fish, however, I would like to add 5 - 6 diamond tetras because they are pretty and slightly bigger than the others.
<Would work nicely. One of my favourite tetras. Try not to get too many males though: in small groups, the males sometimes play rough, and you eventually end up with just one male! That's exactly what I have now... bought six, they bumped each other off, and for the last 2-3 years, just the one male who mostly schools/fights with the Glassfish!>
I have read extensively about the diamond tetras and can find nothing that suggests that they would pick on or terrorize the other fish.
<Hmm... watching mine now, and yes, he's chasing the Glassfish. Not in a serious way, and definitely not to the point of nipping or stressing the other fish. But they do view similar-looking fish as rivals, I guess. Different fish -- such as your Rasboras and Glowlights -- will be completely ignored. I've mixed Diamonds with Cardinals and so on, and never had problems.>
However, if you know something about them that I don't please educate me. I don't want to overcrowd my tank because I want everyone to be comfortable. It is so hard for me to figure out the 1 - 1.5 inches of fish per gallon because I can't judge what constitutes an inch of fish.
<It's a pretty rubbish rule. Surface area is a better guideline in my opinion: one inch of small fish to every 10 square inches of surface area. But anyway, these guidelines are all rather vague and not like calculating how much paint you need to cover a wall. At the end of the day you have to do things slowly, check the nitrite level, and if everything is OK, and the fish are behaving normally, you're fine.>
So if you can find a moment, please offer me some guidance. I have made so many mistakes so far trying to learn about fish I would like to do the right thing.
<Very good.>
Thank you so much and bless you,
Stephanie
<Cheers, Neale.>

New Tank Community, FW 1/3/08
Hello. I would like to request a recommendation on a good community of freshwater fish for my new 20 gallon tank - now about 1 month old. I currently have three neon tetras, two Serpae tetras, one Burmese Botia, and one black molly (appears to be ailing). All appear to be doing fine (except the molly).
<Mollies are not compatible with this selection of fish. They need very hard, alkaline water, and ideally a tank with some marine salt mix added at a dose of 3-6 grammes per litre. When kept without salty water Mollies are notoriously prone to disease for a variety of reasons. Characins (mostly) cannot tolerate brackish water, and your species certainly can't.>
What additional fish would you recommend to get along with these folks.
<Serpae tetras and Neon tetras are schooling fish, so start by adding enough of both so you get at least 6 of each. Remember, your job as an aquarist is above all else to provide good conditions for the fish you buy. Keeping fish in a too-small group is very cruel.>
I would particularly like fish that are beautiful and interesting to watch (I have two small daughters I would like to get interested in the world of nature).
<To be honest, six Neons and six Serpae tetras plus a loach are pretty well filling out your community tank. The only other things you might add would be a small group (4+) of Corydoras, such as Peppered or Bronze Corydoras. Do bear in mind Serpae tetras are NOT GOOD community fish -- they are semi-parasitic fish in the wild that eat the fins and scales of other, usually larger, fish. I would NEVER keep them in a community tank, though some people have gotten away with them in tanks with fast-moving tankmates. Any decent aquarium book will provide warnings about this sort of thing, as well as the need Mollies have for salt, so I STRONGLY suggest buying a book before obtaining new species.>
Can you tell me what the recommended parameters are for this fish community (i.e. temperature, pH level, nitrate and nitrite level, anything else I should be testing for).
<Neons and Serpae tetras prefer soft, acid water. Something around pH 6-7, hardness 5-10 degrees dH is ideal. Loaches are similar, but are also sensitive to low oxygen concentration. Mollies want pH 7.5+, hardness 20 degrees dH upwards, and a salinity between 10 and 100% normal seawater (SG 1.003-1.025). Temperature should be around 22C for Neons, 25C for the Serpae tetras, 24-28C for the Mollies, and 22-24C for the loach. In other words, the water will be too warm for the Neons (shortening their lives) at the temperature Mollies prefer. As should be obvious from all this, you likely picked "pretty" fish rather than fish that will actually live together for any length of time. A common mistake best prevented by reading...>
I hope this question is not too basic, I have searched your website but have not been able to quite put it together.
<Hmm... do read the species reviews for all the fish you want. The article on Mollies for example labours the point that they need VERY SPECIFIC water chemistry conditions to do well.>
I had an aquarium for twenty years as a child - at that time we just went to the fish store and picked out whatever fish were pretty.
<Oh dear.>
Once a year when the tank got too dirty to see the fish we caught all the fish and put them in a bucket, then dumped out the water, refilled the tank, and poured all the fish back in. Things are a lot more complicated now!
<Hmm... not necessarily more complicated, but we do better understand the demands fish have for water quality and the right water chemistry, so are able to keep, breed a wider selection of livestock.>
And yet, some of our fish lived for years...
<Old school fishkeeping largely depending on the fact the species being kept were very hardy, and people often viewed fish as short-term additions, to be replaced as required. The hobby has moved on, thankfully. Anyway, welcome back to the hobby. Cheers, Neale.>

Community stocking scheme: food for thought 10/26/07
Hi,
<Hello,>
Following Neale's advice on filter cloning, it took around 10 days to fishlessley cycle my ~73g tank; I added a little flake or a cube of bloodworms every other day.
<Very good.>
My first fish, 13 Melanotaenia praecox and an Ancistrus pleco (longfin), have been there two weeks and all is well. I'm still measuring, pH, ammonia and nitrites daily. pH tends to the high side, 7.5-8, I think due to the substrate, which has a few pieces of shell in it. I'm not too worried as it will provide buffering capacity when more fish are added. After cycling, ammonia remains at zero reading according to my kit, nitrites rose a little to 0.3-0.8 but now after a couple of 50% water changes are <0.3 (the lowest measurement on the test card).
<That pH is just fine for most aquarium fish. So long as the high pH is concurrent with a relatively high hardness (rather than, say, excess ammonia) you're fine. Indeed, hard, alkaline water is wonderfully stable and in some ways the optimum for basic fishkeeping. Soft, acid water comes into its own when breeding water chemistry-sensitive fish, but otherwise it's lack of stability can make it more trouble than it's worth.>
While everything has been settling in I have been reading through WWM FAQs and have emerged better informed, VERY cautious, and a little overwhelmed!
Having seen the neon rainbows in situ, I want to pursue an 'iridescent' theme for this community and have therefore decided against moving the 4 blood parrots to the 75g tank. They are too big and gawky for what I have in mind. I take Neale's point that their 20g won't be enough as they get bigger and am boosting the filtration meantime.
<Very good.>
Now I'm pondering how to complete the community. The tank is 23 inches tall, 42 inches wide and 18 inches deep, and I would like to add 5 or 6 Pterophyllum scalare (platinum), and Xiphophorus hellerii (wild-type green colour, 1 male and 3 or 4 female). I could stop at that, but I'm tempted to have a final pair of top-dwellers, possibly gouramis.
<Check out Moonlight gouramis (Trichogaster microlepis) -- they're completely silver. Silver hatchetfish (Gasteropelecus sternicula) might be another option, though they are not "easy" fish and need good conditions and a rich, varied diet to do well. But in terms of sheer iridescence, it's hard to beat characins such as Congo tetras (Phenacogrammus interruptus) or Niger tetras (Arnoldichthys spilopterus). Their big, metallic scales catch the light reflecting shades of green, violet and blue.>
However, I'm aware that with a water surface area of 5.25 sq feet, the bio-capacity of my 75g is not much more than some 50-60g set-ups, so I'd like your advice on how far that plan would be pushing the limit.
<As it stands, sounds fine. Depends a lot on the size of the fish. Angels become territorial when mature, so you're likely going to have to remove all but one pair from the tank anyway. In which case, you can trade the surplus adults in for some more fish.>
I'm also concerned about disease (I live in Singapore, ground zero of dwarf gourami disease) and potential aggression with larger gouramis. I was wondering how sparkling/croaking gourami might fare, or whether these would be too small and be intimidated by the angels?
<Trichopsis pumila, at up to 4 cm, is too small. Even if it doesn't get eaten by the angels (by no means a certainty) its small size and shy disposition would make it difficult to feed and observe. Trichopsis vittata is bigger, around 7 cm, and consequently that bit more robust. The two species are quite similar in looks. Perhaps better bets might be some of the larger Betta and Colisa spp; Colisa labiosus for example, or Betta bellica.>
Which gouramis, if any, would be most suitable for both this theme and community, or is there another 'iridescent' middle-to-top-dweller which might be a better choice?
<A lot of the "wild" Betta species are iridescent, typically bluish or greenish, as in the case of Betta bellica. Wild-type Kissing gouramis are a nice metallic green, especially when mature. From Africa, some of the Climbing perches might be pressed into service. Ctenopoma fasciolatum is a species that changes its colours seemingly at will, and at times is dark steel blue, at others metallic grey. It always has shiny pearl spots on its flanks. In a planted tank, it's altogether a very attractive fish, and unusually for Climbing perch, is a good community fish.>
Or should I call it quits at the angels and swordtails for now?
<Up to you. In your tank, you should comfortably be able to house half a dozen rainbows, half a dozen medium-sized tetras, a pair of adult angels, four or five swordtails, and a couple of catfish without any problems at all. By my reckoning, you have 792 square inches of surface are, and at 1 inch of fish per 10 square inches, that's almost 80 inches of fish. You need to be more conservative with bigger fish, so let's say 40-60 inches of Dwarf Gourami-sized fish.>
Dave
<Hope this helps, Neale>

New Community Tank Setup, FW stkg. 9/20/07
Hello,
<Good Morning, Terri, Andrea here.>
Great informative site, thanks for all the wise advice!
<Thanks, I agree.>
I am planning to start my first ventures into keeping an aquarium as a hobby and wanted to make sure I was heading in the right direction. I have done lots of research <Excellent! Keep up the research and good work.>
on fish compatibility and have so far come up with the following for a 30 or 33 gallon tank. 6 Neon Dwarf rainbowfish, 3 yoyo loaches, 4 angelfish and 3 red honey gourami's.<The gouramis, while small, may nip the angels and like a slightly higher pH, KH than Angelfish. Likewise, the Angels, unless you cull down to a mated pair, will quickly outgrow a 30-33 gallon tank.> The questions I have are:
1) I have tried to come up with a suitable number of each species to suit them, but I am concerned that I might be overcrowding the tank (and I even read that angelfish and gouramis should be kept more than 3 to reduce aggression.) Are these numbers ok for my tank?
<I'd say you are pushing it. I'd suggest starting out with the yo yo loaches and Angels. Get 6 juvenile angelfish and wait for a pair to form. Once one does, return the remaining four. Then stock accordingly from there. I feel the dwarf rainbows would be a good addition at that time.>
2) Also I am quite excited to have a heavily planted aquarium. Do you have suggestions for types of plants that would suit these fish species?
<In this tank, the Angels are more or less the centerpiece fish. Choose wisely, and choose healthy, nice specimens. Read http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwangelfishes.htm and the linked articles at the top of the page. These are South American Cichlids. I'd suggest plants from the Amazon/Pantanal region, where these fish are native. They create a lovely biotope. Have you done your research on what a heavily planted tank entails and are prepared with the proper lighting, substrate, pressurized CO2, and fertilizers? You might look into some planted tank sites online. Try http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com and also the articles on WWM.>
3) I would like to have a fish group that are aware of their outside surroundings and have interesting behaviour, do you recommend replacing the gouramis with 2 of either German Blue Rams or Bolivian Rams? Would they be compatible with this group? <My main concerns with the gouramis is that despite their small stature, they are nippers, and will go after the angelfish. Likewise, they tend to prefer solitary life, and will sometimes turn on each other. This is less common with dwarf honeys, but not unheard of. Also, gouramis are an Asian fish, and I tend to suggest people stay within the same continent when choosing stock. The German Blue Rams and Bolivians however are a good choice for pairing with angels, as they are also peaceful South American cichlids from the same region. But I feel the breeding behavior of both groups (Angels v. Rams) would eventually result in conflict. Choose either Angels or Rams.>
4) Is their a particular order that I should stock my fish after I have cycled the tank or just add all the fish right away? I read that yoyo's can
be sensitive so wondering how long (if any) I should wait before adding them. <General rule of thumb is to introduce the most "shy" and "peaceful" fish first. I encourage you to research the behaviors of your stock selection and go from there. I'd start with the yo yos.>
<In closing, with Angelfish (a fantastic choice for a 30 tank if you go with just a pair, also for planted tanks), make the pair your "centerpiece" fish, then stock one or two small groups of schooling fish in a planted aquarium. Stay away from tiny fish, however that will fit easily in an angels mouth. Neons Tetras, for example, are their natural food in the wild. However, the six dwarf rainbows, and perhaps a small school of other, slightly larger, tetras would make a stunning display.>
Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to hearing from you guys. <Most welcome.>
Cheers <Back at ya.>
Terri <Andrea>

Re: FW Angelfish, Stocking plan, planted tank start up. 7/21/07
Hi Andrea,
<Hi Terri!>
Thanks for responding so quickly! <No problemo.> This website is great and lots of helpful advice. In regards to your reply about stocking my 30 or 33 gallon tank, I have a few more questions:
1) You suggested getting 6 baby angelfish and wait for 2 to pair up after a year or so, and then take the 4 extra out of the tank. I don't have anywhere to put the 4 extra and the pet store does not take specimens back. Can I just try to buy 2 directly from the store and see if they get along? I know its hard to sex juvenile angels, so also assuming I got 2 males, will they display territorial aggression in a 30 gallon space?
<You can always give it a shot, and keep a close eye on them. You want to try to get a mated pair, which is why it is suggested to start with a larger number, and cull down once a pair forms. Also, I'd ask the pet store why they won't take fish back. That is unusual, except with (gah!) the large chains. Do you have an aquarium specialty, local, fish only store anywhere near?>
2) After considering your advice I will not get gourami's and rams since I guess my tank would be too small for them to be compatible, but what about 2 Apistogramma fishes? I really would like to get Apisto bitaeniata in particular. I realize they too like rams are South American cichlids but still wanted to know what you thought if there might be a difference if I changed the rams for the Apistos.
<Good choice on the Gourami/ram combo. However, Apistogrammas and Angelfish aren't going to get along well either. You'd be better going with angels and gouramis if you must have one of the three (Gourami, ram, or Apisto), but I encourage you to investigate another, non-cichlid, non-nipper option. Angelfish are generally slower moving, slightly nervous, and long finned fish. This should be your consideration when choosing the tank mates.>
3) In addition to the Rainbow neon dwarfs, what about adding platies to the mix? I would like red fish in the tank to contrast against the blue of the dwarfs and shape of the angelfish. It doesn't matter to me if the angelfish eat platy spawn as Im not interested in breeding fish.
<I don't see a problem with platys.>
4) If the platies are not a good mix can you recommend another pretty red fish that would go will with my setup?
<Platys should be fine. Another good choice would be something like a Serpae or Von Rio Tetra.>
5) I have been reading a lot that clown loaches and angelfish go well together, but I don't want to get clowns as they grow too big. Would a different loach species be better suited compared to the yo yo loach? I am also concerned that loaches are from India and like gentle currents and angelfish are from S.A and like still waters, will this be a problem if I put them together?
<The loaches would be just fine. I suggest going with something smaller, such as a small school of Botia Sidthimunki or a trio of Botia striata.>
Possible revised setup, 30-33 gallons:
6 neon dwarf rainbows <-- Fine.>
2 angelfish <--Fine.>
3 yo-yos <--See above about the loach question.>
2 Apistogramma <--Swap for a pair of dwarf gouramis (preferably honeys) with close attention, or other non-cichlid fish>
5 platies (or less?) <--Fine, but this would be your maximum limit.>
<You would be FULLY stocked. Go slowly, and keep up your water changes weekly. Plenty of plants and excellent filtration will be of great help.>
Thanks so much again for your help.
<Sure thing!>
Cheers,
<Yep!>
Terri

Community Tank Water Chemistry. 9/5/07
Hi Neale,
<Lisa,>
I'd appreciate your advice on "community tanks" concerning water chemistry.
<OK.>
I am "fostering" a 29 gallon tank. In the tank are 3 albino Corys, 3 black shirt tetras, 3 glowlights (I tried to identify them last night - their bodies are pinkish/flesh color with a red marking on the dorsal fin), 3 very pretty orange and red mollies and 1 pleco (plump and about 5-6 inches in length).
<Those don't sound like glowlights. Glowlights (Hemigrammus erythrozonus) are transparent with a coppery band from nose to tail along the midline. Need a photo to identify them, as they don't sound immediately recognisable to me.>
Due to the tap's very soft water (which I understand is preferred by Corys), my pH swings (as noted from my established community tank). I am not sure how to buffer it as in this
situation it doesn't make sense to buffer using peat or crushed coral on either sides of the spectrum to stabilize.
<Corydoras couldn't really care less about water pH or hardness. Anything from pH 6-8 and hardness 5-20 dH is acceptable, particularly with tank-bred forms (which is what you have). I've said this repeatedly on WWM in answer to many other questions -- the exact pH and hardness almost never matters: what matters is stability. So, if you have very soft water, then adding some crushed coral to the filter DOES make sense. Maybe you won't need much -- experiment! Perhaps half a cup to start with. Measure the pH and hardness each day for the following week, and plot a little graph. Once you've seen what effect it has, you can raise or lower the amount of crushed coral so that it meshes with the amount of water you change each week. What you're after is around 10 dH and a pH around 6.5-7.5. That's the "sweet spot" for virtually all tropical community fish.>
Similarly, where does one draw the line in stabilizing pH and hardness/softness in a community tank where for instance guppies (tank 1: 5 guppies, 5 Corys, 2 bumblebee cats, 2 Plecos, 1 giant danio) and mollies (tank 2: combo mentioned above) prefer more alkaline water and Cory's like neutral, soft water? I also understand mollies prefer brackish water (no salt has ever been added to their tank).
<Except for the mollies, what I suggest above will suit all of these. The guppies might prefer harder water, and certainly not a pH less than 7.0. Mollies, unfortunately, just don't do well in regular community tanks with 100% reliability. I know some people are fine with them, and that's cool. But 5 times out of 10, the mollies just don't thrive. So there's no way, ever, you're going to get me say "this set of freshwater conditions is ideal for all your fish, mollies included". Mollies just plain do better in brackish/marine aquaria. End of story.>
Also, as you can imagine the pleco in the 29 gallon barely has room to turn around. I'd like to move him to the 55 gallon Mbuna tank. I have not yet moved my other pleco from my established tank to the Mbuna tank because I have not finished aquascaping it yet (I'm in phase 1). The 55 gallon has 11 2-3 inch Mbunas and the nasty CAE. Will both Plecos be okay in the 55?
<This is a "suck it and see" situation. If you have two male plecs... don't bank on them getting along. Two females, maybe. One of each... who knows?>
At least they'll have room to swim (I watched the video on YouTube you referred to about the Plecos in the wild!)...?
<Isn't it cool!>
One other question please! Can a tank have too much aeration? I'm running 2 powerheads in the 55 and a "full length" airstone - I have two filters that break the surface with the water flow. I'm trying to equip tanks according to biotope - I haven't been able to find if the Rift Valley Lakes have strong currents or are rather still...
<Realistically, no, in freshwater tanks over-aeration and over-filtration aren't usually a problem. Yes, you can supersaturate water with gases, and these bubble out inside the fish, causing tissue damage. But this happens more in marine than freshwater aquaria, I think because of differences in gas solubility between fresh and salt water. Regardless, to get to this point you need A LOT of aeration and filtration, and freshwater fishkeepers rarely run systems with even 50% the water movement of comparable marine tanks. As for water currents in the Rift Valley lakes... it depends! Some parts of the lakes have strong currents, with some cichlids even living in the surf zone. But other parts are relatively still, particularly where there is a thick growths of plants (Potamogeton and Vallisneria, mostly). But provided you're aiming for about 6-8 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour, you should be fine.>
Thank you Neale!
Lisa.
<Hope this helps, Neale>

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