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Im a beginner tropical fish keeper and am about to buy a 60-65 gallon tank.

Hopefully after setting up and cycling, add starter fish etc i will be able to get a bristle nose plec as they seem to be a good choice from all iv'e read plus I just really like em. However i was wondering if anyone had any opinions of other fish i could put in the tank first that would get on with a bristle nose when i eventually added it?

Also i would like to know if i should just have one or get it a friend, although im slightly concerned it might get all territorial if i get two.

Hi there, if possible get one male and 2 females. I have heard that males will behave aggressively towards each other.

A nice school of tetras should look very nice with them. There are many to choose from, my fav tetras are red-eyes and glow light tetras.

Make sure when you buy your plecos that they are not emaciated, only buy healthy looking fish as it is very difficult to cure a sick pleco.

Don't forget lots of hiding places (e.g caves etc.). They will defend their territory.

Iv'e just bought a rio tank bout 180 litres as the 60-65 tank had gone + was quite expensive anyway.

Do you still think the new tank is big enough to have three bristle noses or should i just get a male and female?

Im also after some corys but whenever i see them at a shop they are at the bottom of the tank scurrying around. Wont this annoy the plecs who are bottom dwellers?

What are the dimensions of the tank? It should still be ok if you provide enough places of refuge. I have 3 in a 29 gallon (110 liter) tank.

The Juqel RIO180 (which is roughly the size of a US 55gal), can certainly take a couple or three common bristlenose .

Other types of bottom dwellers aren't usually a problem - I have Corydoras, Brochis and most recent addition of Megalechis with no conflicts between different genera. Individuals within the Loricariidae will occasionally "argue" whose piece of ground or cave something is, but other than that they are fine.

Males are more territorial than the females for obvious reasons - they look after the eggs/fry until the babies are free-swimming, which means that the males will have to find a suitable "home" to protect the babies until they can be released.

If you get a trio, I'd suggest one male and two females. A pair works really well too - with the added advantage that the male gets a better change of a "breather" when they are breeding.

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Mats

Iv'e just got my first fish now 6 zebra danios and 4 orange coloured platies.

THey seem to se alright and active especially the danios which zoom around like they've found heaven in such a big tank compaired to the one in the pet shop. The platies are a little less active and are constantly facinated by their refelctions in the sides of the tank.

Do danios ever sleep though? they seem to swim all night, while when the tank light goes off the platies go behind some bogwood to sleep. Theres plenty of places for them to hide.

Also apparently danios can bully corys if in a group, ever heard of this?

Good Beginer choice with the bristlenoses, plus there great tank cleaners, the male are definatly argy bargy but its nothing major to worry about, plecs are definatly best keept in a trio, or if not a trio of the same a trio of different plecs i think asthetically works really well, bristlenoses have great breading behaviour so its a good choice. if your looking at other plecs i would suggest a peckolita species, really active in my experience and only get to about 15cm, theres lots of types, i used to own a worm line peckolita, such a good fish. danios attacking corrys havnt heard ofd it but probably a case of to small a tank yours should be fine.

ben

amalteaser wrote:Also apparently danios can bully corys if in a group, ever heard of this?

I haven't heard this. Where did this come from?

Danios are shoaling fish, and they tend to keep to the top of the tank, so they shouldn't cause any great problem to mainly bottom-dwelling Corys in my opinion. As a shoaling fish, they should be kept in a reasonable sized group - at least 5 of them. The same applies to Corys.

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Mats