Hi everyone! Really excited to make my first post here. As a kid growing up I had several pets, including many aquatic ones. As an adult, I finally got back into the aquarium life and am loving it! I purchased a used 46-gallon Marineland bowfront aquarium with a penguin power 350 filter. After completing set-up of the aquarium (see attached picture) with optimal temperature (about 80 degrees F) and water conditions, as well as some nitrifying bacteria, I added my first residents: a black molly, a red wag platy, and a plecostomus. The molly and platy are highly active and social with each other, and the catfish sticks to himself (mostly in his cave during the day). I'm looking to add more residents in the next few weeks and wanted to gauge your opinions on the compatibility of the fish my tank will eventually have (potentially): 1 black molly 1 dalmation molly 1 red wag platy 2 male guppy 1 female betta 6 neon tetra 2 cory catfish 1 plecostomus Any helpful opinions or guidance is appreciated! -J
Hi there, what pleco are you getting? Some can get to a ft long so make sure it's a bristlenose or something. They also need wood in the tank to munch on it's good for their digestion or something. So I would make sure you have that. What are you feeding the pleco? Corys need to be in larger groups, preferably for this tank at least 8. It's a huge reward though they are very active. A protein diet is needed I use shrimp pellets. What type are you planning to get? Good luck! P.S. Yeah the neons don't seem to be the best for this tank, maybe try rummynose tetras, they school really well and like the warmer temps
cardinal tetras look similar to neons but like warmer water. im not sure if the betta would like the male guppies since they have long finnage similar to other bettas and are colourful
From what I understand, the females are not as aggressive as the males. I had 2 female bettas and a couple of male guppies together at one point before and they were fine. I think the males are the ones threatened by the colorful fins. I got a pleco that will eventually outgrow the tank. I had one before and we ended up donating him to a locally owned pet store. I'm currently feeding all the fish OmegaOne seafood flakes with garlic. I was planning on buying some shrimp treats as well. The rummynose tetra look cool.
I would suggest purchasing two more types of fish food to get a variety in the diet and the fish looking their best.
Neon Tetras do fine at 80, however, they're hardly ever healthy so I never suggest them. The other kinds of tetra suggested would work better. The fish that really isn't compatible at this temperature are the cory cats.
There are 2 corys that can do well at 80, sterbias and I can’t remember the second. Most of the others do best 74-77. I second the cardinal recommendation, neons like it in the low/mid 70s. With a 48, you have much more room. If you’re stuck at 80, I don’t have many suggestions since I only have 1 tank that warm with a betta and sterbia corys. If you’re willing to go 76-77, it opens more doors. Rummy nose were mentioned. I love harlequins, tight schooling and pretty. Most corys would do better at this temperature too. Your livebearers have a wide range but 80 is very near their top too. Just food for thought.
