Hi , so I have a 55 litre or 14.5 gallon tank.
I have 3 albino corys , 2 German blue rams and 1 pleco. I want to get three more Cory's to build the school up and make them less stressed I started out with 5 but they died off due to bad matching with siamese and chinese algae eaters that I have since gotten rid of. The same algae eaters ate my Mexican dwarf crayfish.
Advice? I recently got an airstone to agitate and oxygenate the water more but I fear it's just stressing them out more.
Advice?
Posted by kramcy1234
5 Comments
Personally I’d say understocked. Depending on the pleco species I’d say it’s probably too small. I’d also recommend getting two or three more Cory’s.
No. I can’t even see any fish.its a beautiful set up tho.
I would check your parameters with an API water testing kit every couple days to check how your levels for everything are doing. Your tank is smaller, so it’s going to make water levels slightly more difficult to manage than a larger tank, but you can do it with experience and making sure it’s cycled properly and whatnot!
What type of pleco? I would HIGHLY recommend rehoming/surrendering the pleco if it’s a common pleco since they can get 1-2+ feet and plecos make sooooooo much waste (especially for a small tank like yours, it will outgrow it FAST). They need 100+ gallons, or preferably a pond with hundreds of gallons. I used to have two 6 inch plecos in my 75 gallon that came with the tank I got, but I surrendered them bc they got too big for the tank and produced so much waste. Try getting some more corys since they will definitely be happier in a group of 6-8+! 🙂 I also highly recommend a sponge filter since they are a filter AND agitate the water’s surface for oxygen exchange!
Out of topic, but what are those leafy plants behind that java fern.
Yeah, it is as is. Even heavily planted it’s a bit much. You wouldn’t think so but you need to wait until your tank is fully cycled to tell. Most people will say the size is fine though I imagine. What kind of pleco? Even bristlenose get to be 4 to 5 inches. You’ll definitely need a bigger tank.
Depending on species they get pretty large, plecos. My last one was 16 inches when he passed but I was never sure what kind he was since he was given to me. The albino corys will get 3 inches max.
German blues are really territorial when fully adults (at least my friend says, I don’t own any.) Especially if you have a breeding pair and they may not like the corys constant moving. The corys love to play in my sponge filter bubbles, so a bubbler is nothing. You don’t have to worry about that, they’re strong little tanks.
This is a lot of noise for bottom dwelling species, if you plan on more. You also have a temp conflict. German rams like warm water from what I hear, for their long term health between 80-85°F. The cory 72-78°F. Keeping the temp happy for one species and not the other will cause the latter to have shorter lifespan.
If you want to keep them together, you want a lot of space. 30 gal or bigger for sure. The heater should be exactly 79 or 80°F, the max for corys and min for rams. But this only works if it’s a bristlenose pleco. Otherwise, it needs a new home.
Personally, if it were me? I would get a large tank for the corys and pleco (if it’s a bristlenose) and give the German rams the 11 gal to themselves. But this is entirely opinion and I’m not a fish expert by any means. 😊