Companions for my Platies

[shadowclaw]

For the longest time, I had lots of guppies in my tank (along with some other fish), until a sick fish from the pet store killed everyone but the zebra danios. After emptying the tank and cleaning it thoroughly, I decided to switch to platies. Thankfully, they don't multiply as fast as the guppies did and I currently have a pleasant population of 7 platies, 3 of which are very small and only a few months old. The last danio finally died of old age after five years, and I think it's time to add some new fish to the tank.

I would like to add somewhat larger fish to the tank, rather than small ones like the guppies. I am thinking of buying a pair of neon dwarf gouramis. I've read that they live peacefully with other fish. I should also mentioned that the tank is lightly salted... I put about half the amount the packaging specifies. Will the gouramis be able to live in the water with salt present?

Additionally, I am thinking of getting a pleco and a weatherloach. I had both when I was younger and though I find them to be rather ugly fish, they were the greatest delight I ever had in a fish tank. They were so lively and so much fun to watch during feeding time. They both enjoyed tropical flake food and would poke their "noses" out of the water to eat the flakes off of the surface. Are these species also compatible with salt?

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcomed. Thanks!

 

[punkrockfish]

i'd go with one gourami, as they tend to be aggressive and territorial with other gouramis. i know some people will say dwarfs could go in as a pair, but there is a potential for trouble if you end up with two males. if you are adding a little bit of aquarium salt it should be fine. if you are trying to create a brackish environment, then that is a different story. don't know much about weather loaches, but i can tell you that a common pleco is not a good fit for a 29g. they get way too big in the long run, and require a much larger tank.

 

[misterking]

Yeah I agree all should be fine with a little salt, most fish are quite adaptable, unless they're overly sensitive. 29 gallons is too small for most plecos, but rubbernoses and bristlenoses only get about 6 inches as far as I'm aware so one of them could be quite cool. I reckon two dwarfs should be fine providing they're male and female, two males are likely to be aggressive to each other, though still provide lots of hiding places. Clown loaches do best in groups of 3 or more and can get quite big over a long time, too big to be happy in a 29 gallon anyway, so you might want to look into some of the smaller loaches like yoyo loaches, they're all similar in behaviour though a couple of varieties are said to be quite aggressive. Just remember to stick to the 1 inch of fish per gallon rule (I always use their adult size) so you don't overstock. Sounds a good plan to me though

 

[jo3olous]

\Clown loaches do best in groups of 3 or more and can get quite big over a long time, too big to be happy in a 29 gallon anyway, so you might want to look into some of the smaller loaches like yoyo loaches, they're all similar in behaviour though a couple of varieties are said to be quite aggressive. Just remember to stick to the 1 inch of fish per gallon rule (I always use their adult size) so you don't overstock. Sounds a good plan to me though

Weather loaches are different from clown loaches... ?

 

[misterking]

Weather loaches are different from clown loaches... ?

I know, but having never kept weather loaches I can't really comment

 

[shadowclaw]

Thanks for the advice. I've actually just adopted a male dwarf gourami from a friend and my platies were most curious about the new addition!

I mostly wanted the pleco to help with the algae, but the weatherloach might eat some of it as well. The one I used to have only grew to be about 7 inches, and I've read about a few smaller loach species that would be better suited for a 29 gallon tank.

 

[misterking]

Have you considered otocinclus? They're really good algae eaters, quite small (couple of inches at most) and peaceful. I've heared weather loaches are quite varied eaters, they might eat some algae but probably won't go mad on it if other food is offered. Just reading up on them now, they get to about 7/8 inches, look like they're worth having for cuteness and entertainment but apparently they like cooler water setups. As I said before I haven't kept them before so I can't speak from experience, it depends on what's worked for other people!