A Tank Full Of Fish I Never See...

[Chuka1212]

I would have to agree with a few previous comments. I have 30 gal and my angel and bolivian ram are the higlights by far. they are always out and about waiting for me to feed them and have great personalities. I think they are beautiful fish too.

 

[Amunet]

I'd suggest danios. They're little things, but very active and will take advantage of all the swimming room given.

 

[lukestanislaus]

maybe 4-5 pakistani loaches? mine never stop moving and in a group of 4 show no aggression at all. they have striking patterns and don't look like your typical fish. theyre my favourites
they mostly swim around the middle and bottom of the tank
they are hardy and grow to about 10-15cms
http/www.loaches.com/species-index/resol...3/image_preview
http/filepit.freewebs.com/fruitbat/yoyo.jpg

maybe pearl gourami? they look really nice and are visible and very peaceful at about 10-15cm full grown
http/www.connect.ab.ca/~jamesdfo/Pearl_01.JPG

 

[sunrider]

Thanks for all the great replies Lots to think about.

Fishlette - LOL - my BBG are SO cute and they will boss away any of the other fish no matter how big - they even bossed the Ghost Knife when I had him.

I don't know why the glassies won't come out. Well they do at night, but I rarely see them during the day. I have heaps of cover in my tank now. I am gradually rearranging it to have more wood and plants and more plants that go to the surface. They like to hide inside the wreck I have. I'd like to take that out and just have wood and plants but I'm wondering if that is fair to them; do you think they will cope?

The Blue Rams and(?)/or Bolivian Rams are nice. How many could I have together?

I like the idea of an angel but am worried it will harass (or eat) the other littlies - will it? Could I have an angel AND a few rams?

lukestanislaus those are some CUTE fish. Definite contenders, just worrying that they might get too big or harass the others? Plus to be sensible (not my strongest suit ) I really should try for something that is middle to top - the bottom to middle seems to be where everything else hangs out.

 

[aquaticadmirer]

When it comes to angels, aggression really varies between individuals. Some will nip fins and some won't bother anybody. I think the only fish you have that an angel might bother is the swordtails. If you like the idea of angels though I'd go for it. The worst that could happen is it nips fins and you'll have to take it back to the store and try your luck with a different one.

 

[wendywc]

I'd add a group of rainbow fish, but you might not have the room. A moonlight gourami would be good; gouramis are very curious and nice and colorful. If you have the room for more then one, then get one male with two females.

 

[fishlette]

Thanks for all the great replies Lots to think about.

Fishlette - LOL - my BBG are SO cute and they will boss away any of the other fish no matter how big - they even bossed the Ghost Knife when I had him.

I don't know why the glassies won't come out. Well they do at night, but I rarely see them during the day. I have heaps of cover in my tank now. I am gradually rearranging it to have more wood and plants and more plants that go to the surface. They like to hide inside the wreck I have. I'd like to take that out and just have wood and plants but I'm wondering if that is fair to them; do you think they will cope?

The Blue Rams and(?)/or Bolivian Rams are nice. How many could I have together?

I like the idea of an angel but am worried it will harass (or eat) the other littlies - will it? Could I have an angel AND a few rams?

lukestanislaus those are some CUTE fish. Definite contenders, just worrying that they might get too big or harass the others? Plus to be sensible (not my strongest suit ) I really should try for something that is middle to top - the bottom to middle seems to be where everything else hangs out.

BBGs are indeed bossy little buggers lol

i think if they feel safe in the wreck you should leave it there for them. if they are not coming out much that would suggest to me that there is something that is making them nervous. how long have you had them in there?

with regards to the rams, i cant remember what size your tank is but i have a 25 gallon now with 6 blue rams and 6 bolivians. the bolivians grow larger than the blues who only grow to around 1 1/2". im thinking of going just blues in there in which case i was thinking about having 10 or so. with good food, good water conditions and a little age, blue rams are beautiful little fellas. blue rams will hang around everywhere in the tank where as the bolivians generally hang out midle to bottom at the front of the tank.

i have 5 small angels in a tank with my community fish including neons (and before i get a lecture the neons are quite large...at least double the width of their mouths and when the angels are bigger the neons will go in my mother in laws tank that has a large shoal of them. for now i like them in my community tank) anyhoo, my angels are up there with the top three most peaceful fish in the tank. it may come down to the personality of the fish but IME everyone fits in perfectly in my tank. you decide for yourself though

 

[GoldfishAttentionSpan]

I second or third the danio suggestion. They will mostly swim in the upper and middle levels, and are very fun to watch, constantly active and all that. There are different varieties to choose from, too.

 

[fishlette]

IMO danios are dull and boring. sure they swim around a lot but thats about it. i guess it all depends on what you want but i always try and stock active yet also pretty fish. makes it nicer to sit there and stare at some beautiful colour rather than something dull. anyway that is my opinion. maybe you should take what everyone has suggested and do a little research and find out what you like more. the other thing with the rams is they will grow much smaller than the danios.

but thats my two cents worth lol

 

[three-fingers]

Which danios are you talking about? Theres so many how can you generalise them all like that?
You ever seen a tank full of glowlight danios? Or yoma danios? Danios in general are extremely active, but thsse guys are like non-aggressive versions of exodons, except even more active.
Danios get bigger than rams? Some danios get bigger than rams but not that much bigger really.

i always try and stock active yet also pretty fish

And yet you have bettas....boring! Nah just kidding I love bettas.

A suggestion nobody has mentioned yet: killifish. Active, very peaceful and extremely colourful. Loads of species to choose from with huge variety!
Here's a taster:

 

[Chuka1212]

I would also agree with three-fingers, killis are so cool. I got a pair of Golden Wonders a month or so ago and fell in love with them. My problem is that they are not available where I live at all, but if they are around wherever you are they are beautiful, active, and peaceful fish, and worth checking out.

Here's my guy:

 

[three-fingers]

Other thing with killis is you don't have to buy them from shops, if you cant find them anywhere you can buy hatching kits and eggs off ebay for ~£10 shipped.
Ever wanted to grow your own fish?

 

[SouthernCross]

I'd like to second or third the gourami vote too. Except don't get a dwarf gourami unless you can get him from a reputable breeder - LFS dwarfs are frequently ill with a disease specific to this breed which usually kills them after a few months.

lukestanislaus makes a good suggestion with the pearl gouramis. I have one too and he's beautiful and very peaceful.
Blues/Golds/Opalines (same species of gourami, just colour morphs) are sometimes known to be a bit aggressive. With gouramis too, they are labyrinth fish (they come up to the surface to breath) so they're always usually out where you can see them.

But I'm also eyeing off those killifish now too - they're beautiful!

 

[Chuka1212]

Other thing with killis is you don't have to buy them from shops, if you cant find them anywhere you can buy hatching kits and eggs off ebay for ~£10 shipped.
Ever wanted to grow your own fish?

So have you ever tried that? I've seen the eggs for some awesome killies on Ebay, have you ever ordered eggs? Is it difficult/does it actually work? If it not too dificult to hatch them that would be awesome.

 

[chishnfips]

tiger barbs, are cool very active and a big enough shoal will cut the aggression. Or what about rams or somehting german ballon rams are smart. Gouramis are nice too, dwarf ones are better IMO.