Peaceful planted tank — 60L

Why this setup works

Three species from South America, all small, all peaceful, and all well-suited to a planted tank. The neon and ember tetras school in overlapping midwater bands — embers tend to hang slightly higher and neons slightly lower — and the combination in a densely planted tank looks like the kind of thing you see in competition aquascaping photographs.

Ember tetras are underrated. They lack the neon's stripe but the orange-red colouration of a healthy group in a planted tank is striking in its own way. More importantly, they are undemanding: soft acidic water preferred, but tolerant of a broader range than neons. Six is the minimum for natural behaviour; ten would be better in a 60L.

Otocinclus are the algae maintenance crew. Four is a sustainable group in 60L — fewer and they tend to do poorly long-term because they are social fish that fare better in a group. The key requirement is a mature tank with established biofilm. Do not add otocinclus to a new tank; they starve without it. Supplement with blanched zucchini or wafer-type vegetable food once the biofilm is established.

This combination works because all three species want similar water: temperature 23–26°C, pH 6.0–7.0, soft to medium hardness. Set up the plants first, let the tank run for six weeks, add the otocinclus, let them settle for two more weeks, then add the tetras. This order matters because otocinclus are the most fragile of the three and need a mature tank to have any chance.

Filtration: a canister or HOB rated for twice the tank volume. Moderate flow is fine; otocinclus and small tetras are not fans of a torrent.