[rachael_e34]

Hello I have a 30 gallon tank. I've been trying to get the right mix of fish and still have happy fish. I currently have:
1 snail
1 sm emerald corycat
1 3in do jo loach
1 sm pleco
1 4in catfish i dont know what kind?
1 sm stupid minnow
2 med female Sailfin Molly
1 sm female lyertail molly
1 sm female platty
1 med female Swordtail
1 med male Swordtail
2 med male plattys (cranky ones)
how does it sound?? the male plattys are still going circles nipping each other, im hoping they calm down the 3 platty females were added today. after the3 males attacked my favoriteblack lyertail and killed him this morning :( .. I change the water 25% weeekly and monthly full clean. the ph is 7.4. I do 1 teasp seasalt per 5 gallons,even thou i have read plattys/swordtails like 1 teasp per 2 gallons. The water i soften to med. I do weekly everything checks. I give them variety of blood worms, algae,flakes,frozen brineshrimp. So i hope they all get along and plattys calm down. Any extra ideas how i can keep my community happy??
here is my catfish do u know what kind it is??


the mean plattys

[Lupin]

Hello Rachel.

I think this is the sum-up list of all your fish.
1 corydoras
1 dojo loach
1 pangasius catfish
~Yes, the picture shows a pangasius cat which is something to avoid for a 30 gallons. They grow to 3 feet or more. This fish should be avoided at all costs.
1 pleco
~What species is it? It is also a catfish. Ancistrus plecs are fine in a 30 gallons but a common plec will outgrow its accommodations soon reaching a potential size of 14 inches or more.
1 minnow
~I am guessing this could be White Cloud Mountain Minnow unless I see a picture of it.
3 mollies
3 platies
2 swordtails

Your tank is getting overcrowded with the presence of a pangasius catfish and plec(until proven fit for the tank). What do you mean by 'monthly full clean'? Are you cleaning the whole tank monthly by stripping everything down? If so, you don't need to and this is not necessary. Partial water changes and gravel vacuuming should be sufficient.

My suggestions:
1. Rehome the pangasius catfish.
2. Get 5 more corydoras.
3. Follow the sex ratio rule for platies, mollies and swordtails: 2-3 females per male. Extra males should be replaced to reduce aggression. Males are always aggressive and will even stress the females to death. There is always a chance that the swordtails and platies will crossbreed resulting in a generation of variegated platies or Xiphophorus variatus. They're not pure but are merely a cross between the Swordtail and Platy.
4. Stop using salt. Bear in mind that you have other fish in your tank and will not be able to tolerate the salt for long particularly your corydoras. All your fish are better off living in a tank without salt and they'll do well even without it.
5. Change water change regimen to twice a week instead of once.

[rachael_e34]

thank you no wonder hes gettting so big so fast. I really think people that sell fish are stupid sometimes. I got the cat fish from pet smart they we idiots. i asked the girl if she knew anything about fish and she got all mad and said. well of course i work here. hella rude about it. then went to tell me it was ok to have a needle nose which ate 2 1/2 of my fish. and sold me the catfish which use to be very small. ill move the catfish over to a 10 gallon by its self tell i can accomidate its needs better. i now only shop at aqarium concepts. i have a orange feeder minnow that was left over from the nedddle nose gars food. so far this morning everyone is getting along. except the male plattys are still swimming not hurting just swimming in circles with each other. i think there gay becuase i got 3 really pretty girls yesterday. ye i was doing full changes of everything. but i can vacum the gravel and do bi weekly changes of 1/3 water. cuz the livebreeders love to eat and poop. that makes sense about the salt becuase my corycat seems slower when i first add it in he does not like the salt. thank you i do 50% change today with no salt add.

[Lupin]

Hi.

The plec is er...a common plec unfortunately. It's the one I was referring to that will grow to 14 inches soon. You'll be better off with ancistrus or bristlenose plecs.:) They're the ones that stay small(5 inches) and males have more bristles in the tip of their heads than females.:)

We can't always count on lfs for advice so it's best we do research on our own.;)

Good luck.:)