30 Gallon Stocking Suggestions?

[thezodiac]

okay so i have an arleady cycled 30 gallon freshwater tank.
has a 150 watt heater, and an aquaclear70 filter on it. (contains a few live plants as well)
tank has a sand bottom.

currently contains:
1 Angel fish
3 fire platy
2 bristlenose pleco

team measures 30" Long" 19" high 12" deep

so im looking for suggestions. (colorful fish are always a bonus or interesting looking ones).

 

[Mybbygotsauz]

Ive always liked Ram Cichlids

 

[thezodiac]

thanks but looking for more broad ideas. (and aproximate numbers of fish)
basically something a bit more specific. thanks though

 

[thezodiac]

im planning on going by the fish store tomorrow so any other ideas would be appreciated

 

[ZoddyZod]

there's LOTS of ideas that I could suggest - but what do you prefer to have in there? Schoaling fish in large groups, a couple of medium sized cichlids, bottom feeders

Give us an indication of what you are after and it will help to identify some possibilities.

 

[thezodiac]

there's LOTS of ideas that I could suggest - but what do you prefer to have in there? Schoaling fish in large groups, a couple of medium sized cichlids, bottom feeders

Give us an indication of what you are after and it will help to identify some possibilities.

well i would liek to have a smaller fish that school together. love anything with vivid or bright coloring. i love the look of cichlids ! those are what i probably like the most, however ive heard they are supposed to be species only because they are super aggressive?

so maybe some mix or cichlid and small schooling fish?

 

[ZoddyZod]

The personality and character of cichlids vary greatly. Your angel is a cichlid, by the way.

For a 30g here are a few South American cichlids that would work and that are not conidered 'aggressive'

Bolivian Rams
Keyhole cichlid
cockatoo cichlid - or many of the Apistogramma cichlids (have a search on google to find more)
Dwarf flag acara

as for schooling fish, there are a lot of tetra species that would be fine

neon
cardinal
green
rosy tip (larger and very colourful)

to name just a few (there are lots, lots more).

Have a look in your LFS and see what they have, then post back here with the ones that you like the look of.

 

[Wills]

I like Zods ideas for me I would go for something like

1 Angel Fish
4 Cupid Cichlids or 2 Bolivian Rams and 3 Apistos (any species - A.Panduro are nice)
3 Fire Platy
10 Emperor Tetra
3 Spotted Headstanders
2 Bristlenose Pleco
8 Panda Cories.

Wills

 

[Stoty]

be careful with neons. Your angel might eat them once it gets to full size. I have 4 gold barbs in my 20 gallon. They are beautiful once fed the right food. They often do not look that impressive in the stores. A shoal of cories is nice. Any large tetras will do. Just be careful not to get anything too small because your angel will eat them.

 

[ZoddyZod]

Depends on the angel. I have 4 in with 20+ neon. No issue.

Although you are right to be cautious with any fish small enough to fit in the angels mouth

 

[thezodiac]

I like Zods ideas for me I would go for something like

1 Angel Fish
4 Cupid Cichlids or 2 Bolivian Rams and 3 Apistos (any species - A.Panduro are nice)
3 Fire Platy
10 Emperor Tetra
3 Spotted Headstanders
2 Bristlenose Pleco
8 Panda Cories.

Wills

i really like your suggestions. i think what im going to do today is go down to petco and my lfs, make a list of the cichlid & tetra variations i like the most and post them back for opponions.

 

[Wills]

Good idea

 

[Stoty]

i would get ottos over plecos. They do a better job of eating algae and are smaller.

 

[thezodiac]

alright so ive returned from the fish stores.

my favorites on appearance alone

tetra:
black phantom tetra max 2" .
black skirt tetra max 2"

cichlid

turquoise jewel cichlid 4"
electric yellow cichlid 5"
assorted afrian cichlid 2-10"
socolofi cichlid 5"

they also has blue platy that were like neon color for 99 cents each. so im probably going to add 2/3 of these for sure.

(various other fish i noticed and liked)
honey gourami $6
panda cory cat $6



so what would you guys recomend? im thinking a mix of the 2 tetra types? (will they still school together?

and as far as cichlid my favorite is prob the turq. jewel and cocolofi


all of the sizes listed are max adult size.

 

[Wills]

Hi unfortunately the cichlids you have picked out are all whats known as Rift Lake cichlids - they come from Africa and require quite specific tanks because they are pretty aggressive with each other and other fish they are not a community fish and will most likely kill your exisiting fish. The Jewel is not a rift lake but is very very aggressive - I would avoid at all costs. You need to keep an eye out for Dwarf American Cichlids - like Rams and Apistogrammas among others.

The Tetras you have picked out are quite similar but are nice tetras - they can be quite nippy but if you keep a big enough school of them (say about 12 or 15) you should be okay.

The Dwarf Gourami could work in your tank - though they can be problematic with Angelfish as they inhabit the same region of the tank.

The Panda Cories are a great fish though For me out of all the fish you listed I would add more platies and a group of these Panda Cories. And keep your eyes peeled for anything else you like

Wills