[BushyCatfish]

Hi everyone!
I have recently adventured into tropical fish keeping and am loving it. I had an unused 30Gal tank and stocked it with:

9 dalmatian mollies (2 males)
4 kuhli loaches (might get 2 more)
6 cory cats

I hope this is correct stocking.

The craziness in that tank is unbelievable! It's like they are starving all the time. I am feeding them a little 3 times a day; is this correct?

Because a few of my mollies are already pregnant I was thinking of getting a larger tank where I could add an angel to help keep the molly population under control. I would also love to finally get a pleco!

Any suggestions? I was looking at a 40 or 50Gal tank. I don't want anything too large as I already have a 200 and a 150Gal tank, so I am good with large tanks and time consuming water changes!

Thanks for any help

 

[fish monger]

If all of your fish are doing well, you should stay with your current feeding routine. Many species act as if they're starving all the time, even though they are well fed.

Did you want a pleco for this particular group of fish ? There are forms that only get around four inches and they tend to have great markings also.

 

[BushyCatfish]

I have only had the fish a few weeks. So I cannot be sure yet. It seems they are doing well. The Kuhlis are growing and filling up well which is cool.

I would love a pleco. There was one beautiful one at the fish store but he was already the size of my hand. That will never work with smaller fish right?

I was looking at tanks and saw a nice 50Gals as corner tank. Does this reduce the swimming room a lot?

Would an Angel work with my particular selection?

 

[fish monger]

The problem with a pleco would be tank size more than tank mates size or temperament. 50g seems to be the minimum for smaller varieties and 100g plus for standard size plecos. When looking at tank size insofar as swimming space is concerned, I only look at square inches of surface area in most cases. Some fish, like angels, appreciate a taller tank. More than likely, the corner tank will have less"swimming space" than a standard 50g.

While ideal water parameters vary somewhat with the fish you have, it's not to the point where it causes undo harm to any particular specie, especially if you're close to neutral PH and hardness.