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Fish for Hard London Water (20 Gallon)

pollyandpear said:
Let me see if these work.



I'm so torn regarding what I want to stock it with. I really loved the idea of a pleco Or hillstream loach and can't get them out of my mind. Or frogs. Wahh
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Well.

I think hillstream loach(es) should be ok. Why not. They not get as big as normal plecos as far I know and they are quite adorable 🙂
 
Well if you are not worried that frog might eat other fish but according to experts it shouldn’t. I would go for all three.
 
Ill add on to the others, and say that the enjoyment you get out of creating a habitat that is a great match for your creature of choice and seeing them truly thriving in there is a much better experience than getting something and then realising later on that maybe they are not getting what they need, or having to compromise between two conflicting needs from two slightly incompatible species. A lot of us have made this mistake when we were beginners, I know I have at the very least. Theres so many nice species and one just wishes they could have them all, and its really hard to pick. But picking is worth it in my opinion, a good match with habitat and creature will give the most enjoyment for all involved 😊
 
Could gold spot dwarf plecos work?



Also someone recommended getting an airstone could help with hill stream loaches?
 
pollyandpear said:
Could gold spot dwarf plecos work?
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Im not familiar with this specific species but in general the prettier the pleco is, the less you will see of it 😅
Some people are totally fine with this, to catch a glimpse of the fish once every year or so if youre unlucky.
For others its not a good fit, we're all different so I would ask you if you want to get fish that you can see most of the time, or if you think you like the more cryptic varieties 🙂
Then we can better guide you on what species to get. Im sure we have others on the forum who can chime in with experience on this specific fish.

pollyandpear said:
Also someone recommended getting an airstone could help with hill str
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If youre really set on hillstream loaches then you would need far more than an airstone. It comes back to not trying to shoehorn something in to fit where it doesnt really go, but instead look at the most optimal and go from there. Its their home and we owe it to them to make it so they are not just surviving, but thriving. Unfortunately as species we humans are quite selfish, and we have to consciously try to fight our predisposition for it and think of what the animals want. This is why you will see all over the internet people who are keeping things in certain conditions, or together with certain things, and insist that it is "fine". Even though some of these situations are not very good for the fish and sometimes downright cruel. They want it to be "fine" and therefore wont see anything else.

If you really want hillstream loaches then I think you should make a really nice dedicated setup for them! 😊 A river biotope with stones and pebbles of various sizes, and high flow pumps like they need for their natural behavior. Ive always admired the hillstreams, but since they are specialized fish I havent bought any as I dont have the setup they need. If the other fish experts on this forum say ok to your tank size then all you would need is to rearrange a bit to make it more suited for them. For starters you could look at this article, its a few years old now but it captures the essence of these kinds of loaches. You will probably have less room for plants, but I think something like Vallisneria growing out from between the rocks and flowing in the current would look really beautiful. There are a ton of cool mosses as well that would look really good growing out from cracks between the rocks 😃
 
Corys are fine if you have sand. For the danios look them up on Seriously fish, they may prefer a bigger tank to swim around in. Remember that if you get M and F guppies you may soon have a lot of babies.
 
I don't have sand but my gravel isn't rough. I could get sand to put over the top?

I think I will start with 6 Corys and just focus on them for a bit anyway, I'm already considering keeping a eye out for a larger tank 🙂
 
Yes, it's worth googling the best way to do that, or asking here, so that the gravel and sand don't mix into a mess. I have gravel and sand in one tank, just using a scattering or gravel at one end. It has cories in. Gravel tends to hold some detritus, which can be bad for them. Just as other said, it is always worth spending some time with what plants work first, and thinking how the tank might grow into an environment for a particular species. It feels frustrating, but you never regret it. Or you could start with the guppies, which don't present so many issues.
 
pollyandpear said:
Could gold spot dwarf plecos work?
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I'm assuming you mean Parotocinclus spilosoma?


The trouble with a lot of these exotic small "plecos" like @Hufsa points out is they can be rather elusive, they are also not the easiest of fish to keep, despite often being labelled as "beginner" fish.

I don't have parotocinclus spilosoma but do have parotocinclus haroldi. In general all of these types of fish require a tank that is mature. Maturity can only be gained with time, this allows the tank to build up an incredibly diverse array of organisms that help protect these often delicate fish; time also allows algae and biofilm to form inside the aquarium, which is the staple diet for many of these sucker mouth catfish.

The last hurdle you face is sourcing these fish, assuming you do manage to track some down the chances are they'll carry a heafty price tag.

My advice would be to stick to less exotic, less expensive fish for now, and in time as you increase your knowledge and have hands on experience of fishkeeping you can start thinking about the less common oddities that are out there.
 
John q said:
My advice would be to stick to less exotic, less expensive fish for now, and in time as you increase your knowledge and have hands on experience of fishkeeping you can start thinking about the less common oddities that are out there.
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This.

The last thing you want to do is buy an expensive ‘rarer’ fish only to watch it die. All this will do is dishearten you. Stick to the hardy tank bred species for now and then when you feel comfortable move on to a larger tank and add some of the other species you like.

There is still a huge variety of species available that would be more suitable for your set up.

Cheers
 
Thanks guys. You're so right. I think I'm going to stick with Cory's as I love the look of them, I'll add some sand over the top of my gravel nd see how it goes.
 
My mum died a few days ago. So I'm going to get fish to take my mind away from things. Tank parameters look OK as far as I can see.



But nervous to add fish but its been 6 or 7 weeks.
 
pollyandpear said:
My mum died a few days ago. So I'm going to get fish to take my mind away from things.
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Sorry to hear that.

I did the same thing once I’ve moved in to my own flat to keep myself busy when at home.

But this is no comparable at all.

My condolences.
 
I'm really sorry to hear about your mum, my condolences.

I love leopard cories, they are a great chunky species. A bigger tank with a sandy bottom would be perfect for them.
 
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