15Gal Blackwater scape!

[Cromid]

So I’m at the beginning of starting a new scape, in my currently empty 15Gal long tank and for this one I want to go Blackwater!

Sand is in, Hardscape on the way and I can start the scaping side of things, and have plenty of almond leaves to go in.
I’ll be adding some plants, but not many - looking at anubias and buce since I have a lot of these - with a couple crypts. Floating plants, and some emerged plants I’ll grow out the top. To give it that river bank feel.
My water is very soft and a low ph already.

After moving home, currently all my fish from the two tanks I had are in my 200Litre tank, so this is abit over stocked as it is just now, also suffering majorly with distoms after having to replace the sand.. not ideal but I just had no other way to house them after the move.

So In this larger tank I’ve some fish that are definitely staying in it, but some id probably need/like to move to the new Blackwater tank when it’s set up.. of these potential new inhabitants I have 12 cardinal tetras, 8 harlequin rasboras, 5 dwarf neon rainbow fish. A pearl gourami, 2 Bolivian ram, and a betta

My initial thoughts were the cardinals and the Betta then adding a small group of cories like albino or panda.
Or the cardinals and the Bolivian ram - keeping it South American, but I feel this is too small a tank for the pair.

However, do you guys have any other stockings ideas that might look great in a small black water tank - but using some of the inhabitants from this list

 

[Byron]

Is the betta a male or female?

Corydoras...a 15g is small, so the "dwarf" species would be best here. C. pygmaeus is fairly frequently available, and C. habrosus is not far behind. Either, in a group of 12-15. C. hastatus is very rare these days, but 12-15 if you prefer and find it; just remember all these like to swim throughout the tank, they are not substrate fish except when feeding they must filter feed on the sand. But they will swim all over the tank, browsing leaf and wood surfaces.

A solitary Bolivian Ram maybe, but this is rather small space for this fish, but it is not active swimming so it could work. Cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) are ideal blackwater, or the closely relatd but less common green neon tetra (Paracheirodon simulans). I think Harlequin Rasbora are too large for this setup. Same for the neon rainbowfish. The Pearl Gourami maybe, just to separate it from the betta more than anything else, as different anabantids should never be housed together.

 

[Cromid]

Is the betta a male or female?

Corydoras...a 15g is small, so the "dwarf" species would be best here. C. pygmaeus is fairly frequently available, and C. habrosus is not far behind. Either, in a group of 12-15. C. hastatus is very rare these days, but 12-15 if you prefer and find it; just remember all these like to swim throughout the tank, they are not substrate fish except when feeding they must filter feed on the sand. But they will swim all over the tank, browsing leaf and wood surfaces.

A solitary Bolivian Ram maybe, but this is rather small space for this fish, but it is not active swimming so it could work. Cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) are ideal blackwater, or the closely relatd but less common green neon tetra (Paracheirodon simulans). I think Harlequin Rasbora are too large for this setup. Same for the neon rainbowfish. The Pearl Gourami maybe, just to separate it from the betta more than anything else, as different anabantids should never be housed together.

Hey Byron! Yes the betta is a male. The Pearl and Betta seem to be getting on ok in the large tank at the moment, possibly because of the larger size and swimming space, and maybe because the Pearl is relatively young, but I want to split these up as a priority as I know this could and will probably change and the betta was only meant to be in the tank for a brief time. So if the Pearl or the Betta can be moved that makes it a lot easier to devise a plan for the tank.
I’ll look into finding some of the Pygmy cories, I have peppered cories in the main tank and always love watching them explore.

 

[Byron]

Do not put the betta in this 15g with small fish. This can go wrong both ways...the betta can take a dislike to fish invading his territory, or the small fish can find the fins too tempting. Even if there is no physical confrontation observed, the fish can still communicate their feelings via allomones, and those are just as stressful.