I'm hopefully getting a 30 gallon tank soon and waned it to be a planted tank. But im debating on my bottom fish, i'm def going to have some plecos down there, a clown and some others. But i wanted to see what you guys think would be best between haveing corys or loaches?
I would go perosnally for Cory in a 30 gallon. Few loaches are small enough to be kept in 30g except Zebra loaches and they crave the company of others so you would need a min of 5-6 to keep them happy, thats a lot of 3-4inch fish on the bottom of your 30gallon. So go with the cory, most species max at around 6-7 cm (2-2.5 inch) or you could even go smaller with panda cory which max at 4-5 cm Corys are excellent peaceful fish and an asset to any tank. You need to ensure they have lots of caves, plants and a soft fine substrate, I find 2 mm pea gravel works excellent with my cory or sand. And please dont allow them to try and survive on leftovers, they cant they need to be fed a good quality catfish pellet as well. Cory should be delightfully plump and if kept in a clean tank with regular water changes they could happily live up to 10 years in your tank. Like most loaches they need to be kept in a small school, 4 is my opinion of minumum, I keep 10 in my tank and they play and breed all the time.
Its really your choice.THere are quite a few loaches that are smaller that would work. Botia robusta, botia striata,botia rostrata jsut to name a few. They are are around 3-4" and peaceful. Best kept in groups of 3+, I have a group of 4 zebra loaches(botia striata) and wouldn't trade them for anything. Kuhli loaches are another options but they are more shy so you might have a hard time seeing them and they prefer sand.
Cories are also great and there are lots of different kinds to choose from.
skunk loaches also stay pretty small. i have a school of 7 of them in my 50g, and, while i've read they can be nippy, i've never observed this behavior. perhaps it is because they have their own little group to play and squabble with? either way, they're amusing, adventurous little fish. i love it when they hover and zip about. they're also relatively cheap (i got mine for 1.99 each i think), so you can amass a nice little bunch without breaking the bank...i wouldn't get less than 5.
Look up the profiles of any fish before buying one.Like plecos,some get hugh and others are just right for a 30 gal.I have a clown pleco in a 10 gal with my male betta.He`ll be going to my 20 when he gets bigger.I have a common pleco out grow my 55 gal.So check their adult size.Corys are GREATTTT for any tank........Love my Corys.
A bristlenose pleco would be a fine choice for that tank. They stay to around 4 inches or so. Make sure to get a piece of driftwood for the pleco. They need to eat some wood to stay healthy. They also love some zuchinni slices as well.
I love khulie loaches but find them a bit too scared all the time. Cories can be a ton of fun to watch. I even have one that eats off of the surface with my minnows. He swims upside down nibbling away.
I think i will def go with corys, a large group prob. My girlfriend has some, and we alwasy drop in some sinking algae waffers for them. Thanks for your input, I will continue to research both types though to find the perfect match for my tank!
Originally posted by Lostchemist I'm hopefully getting a 30 gallon tank soon and waned it to be a planted tank. But im debating on my bottom fish, i'm def going to have some plecos down there, a clown and some others. But i wanted to see what you guys think would be best between haveing corys or loaches?
Maybe ya shouldn't debate too much ya....in my 2ft FW husbandry "peaceful" tank...i have small clown loaches, chain loaches and cories thriving happily.....
It's a serene sight to view em..........especially when they dig into the bottom for food!!
Very peaceful, the only terror which lies inside is the dominant Pleco...
i would go with pygmy cories, these are my favorite bottom dweller, they stay around 1/2 inch - 3/4 inch, and they are very peaceful, and will spend half their time scavenging on the bottom and in the vegetation, and half swimming around in the mid-bottom levels.
and sometimes they will just spread out and find perches in the vegetation, so that will look very cool, there will just be abunch of little cory faces spread out in the plants.
ive had 4 in my 20 gal, since the beginning, they have lived with many fish that could have made an easy snack out of them, but they are smart, and get away everytime.
i think a school of 10-12 would be really neat, and they would make the tank very very intertesting.
