30 gallon Idea! Suggestions welcome!

[Lady Hobbs]

And Lady Hobbs, would I then have to forego dwarf cichlids and bottom dwellers?

Yes, forget my earlier list. I didn't realize you were planning on so many species in one tank.

[Goes to 11!]

EDIT: Are they the same things as Yasuhikotakia Sidthimunki?

Just a heads up: Yasuhikotakia Sidthimunki was re-classified this past December as Ambastaia Sidthimunki.

Very nerdy details here & here.

[Greentoads41]

Yes, forget my earlier list. I didn't realize you were planning on so many species in one tank.

Yes, I'm just looking for a more diverse fish population in behavior, swimming levels, and physical appearance

850R, of course you would pay attention to the reclassifying of loaches. What a fish geek!
I do really like the looks of the dwarf chain loach, but they would set my miserly self back about $100 at the least if I were to get 10, at least that's what it looks like. Liveaquaria has them at $24 apiece, so $10 wouldn't be bad. I haven't actually even ordered fish before, just plants!
Any more suggestions welcome, too!

[ddavis1979]

For long term fish keeping, the majority of folks seems to have regrets with brochis splendens. I do find that people have a high level of satisfaction with corydoras trilineatus and corydoras sterbai.

Traditional wisdom has shown that your substrate is a bit coarse for these corydoras to be at their best, but I have witnessed two tanks in which they have done well. 6-10 of these fish would be optimal.

With your tank size and current stocking, if it were my choice, this is what I would get....including what you already have.

10 Black neons
10 Harleys
1 clown pleco
1 Farlowella vittata
1 Pearl Gourami
4 corydoras trilineatus
4 corydoras sterbai
(those corydoras will school together)
4 zebra nerite snails

[Lady Hobbs]

I know of no cory's of different species that will school together. They can't help being together when stuck in a fish tank but that doesn't mean they are schooling together.

[ScottishFish]

+1 to LH

Only corys that I know school together (and not always) are albino/regulars. I had bronze and albino bronze cories, they schooled together. My friend has Sterba and albino Sterba cories and they don't school together.

[Greentoads41]

For long term fish keeping, the majority of folks seems to have regrets with brochis splendens. I do find that people have a high level of satisfaction with corydoras trilineatus and corydoras sterbai.

I have a brochis splendens in my ten gal, and To be honest, I only really bought mine because it was the cheapest of corys offered at my local petsmart. I have had it alone for like 3 years, and I'm only considering a school of them in order to get my loner cory some friends, more space, and they are indeed the cheapest way to go. But my preferential corys are not that much more expensive. He does really like the ten gallon though; he burrows in the sand, and is very active with a good appetite. If he's healthy in that tank, there really isnt much reason for him to move i guess, except for reasons above lol.

[ddavis1979]

I know of no cory's of different species that will school together. They can't help being together when stuck in a fish tank but that doesn't mean they are schooling together.

We all have different experiences in fish keeping and witness different things. I have witnessed first hand, two tanks (one 55 gal, and one 29 gallon) where the 3 lined cory and the sterbai cory will group together while they ignore the bronze and peppered cory.

Please dont be so negative or quick to critisize others just because you have not seen something. I have had two experts who have kept betta fish for many years tell me that they have issues with those fish getting enough food because they only look to the surface for food and will not find it if it sinks and goes to the bottom. Yet the first betta I bought ignores the surface food and goes after the sinking algae wafers ravenously. They were completely astonished at this behavior. Simply another example of veteran fish keepers running into some surprises.

#1 - Unless you have kept these two species together and personally witnessed a lack of school cohesion, then dont just rattle off what others say.

#2 - All fish keeping experiences are different, so quit busting my chops!

[imma24]

So, do whatever you'd like - no need to take any of the above personally. All we can go by is our own experiences - all we offer is what we've seen ourselves. It's not meant to be critical or negative. If you know of people who have had different experiences, then give it shot.

[Lady Hobbs]

I know of no cory's of different species that will school together.

Just as you say, we have different experiences. And because your corys schooled together does not mean someone elses will, does it? Best to keep larger schools of the same species and you won't have to worry about it.