Is there a fish that would fit:

[Beastije]

Just checking. Is there a fish that likes:
flow
open waters, no cover
bare tank
sometimes too bright, sometimes too dim light

I am just musing, cycling my 100 liter tank for corydoras, sand, wood, leaves, household plants. To help with filtration I put house plants, I assume their roots, specially the philodendron that is not in any planter, will cover the surface, I plan to understock and also do larger water changes, just to be on the safe side. I may put in a surface plant - hornwort or something, though the flow will hamper most of their growth

So I am just curious if there is a small upper/middle level fish that would actually enjoy such an environment? Most prefer hiding places, visual barriers, planted tanks to feel safe and I cant figure out if there is a fish that would like this. Ofcourse I have to disregard Africa and cichlids/shelldwellers, my water is soft and I am not interested in keeping that again.

Todays picture, still cycling, no roots yet, no leaves yet, just for an idea of how bright it can be

 

[GaryE]

Pothos roots will go straight down to the substrate.

You are going to have serious algae problems in a tank like that. The proximity to the window with an open back will really keep you busy cleaning. It'll be beautiful for 2 weeks, and then the algae will begin. I like the look of a tank you can see through like that, but it's hard to maintain except in a dark room.

Most silvery shoaling tetras like moving water, and with their silver flanks, use the sunlit surface ripples as their camouflage. Silver scales are reflective camouflage. The downside is they don't like hornwort or floating plants.

 

[Beastije]

Yeah I am super curious about how this will work myself ) The sun hits the tank for about 2-3 hours in the summer, I think maybe half an hour in autumn and none at all in winter. I have no idea how it will work, how I will handle the algae, but maybe, as long as it is not cyanobacteria or hair algae, I will be ok with it. I am even surprised, it is almost two weeks and so far no algae, so strange
I didnt decide on the background yet, maybe it will be needed. It is an experiment, I was just curious about fish options, like to keep myself busy thinking about such stuff, because this tank is not blackwater, doesnt fit any of the usual setups, except maybe a poorly done one. Maybe I will just stick with corydoras, maybe, if they dont pan out, I can try some sort of goby or a gudgeon and omit any sort of open level fish who knows what time will bring

 

[GaryE]

If you aren't into geographic biotopesm it's too small for Congo tetras, which is a shame. But yellow tailed Congos, Alestopetersius caudalis, may be in the Czech trade. They are a bit smaller (but mot small tetras) and love moving, open water. You have access to many species that aren't common in North America. In sunny tanks, they are stunning. There are a lot of silver tetras, but they tend to be larger. Hatchets would not work in an open tank.

I have tanks that get angled sunlight for a couple of hours a day. All but one have algae issues, and right now, have a little Cyanobacter popping up. They aren't as exposed as yours, but they do get sun. The algae is manageable, but they don't look crisp. It's only as issue from May to October here.

I also have very soft water.

 

[Beastije]

They are available in CZ, I have been eyeing them on my last visit to this place !! I was like wow, those are nice. Will do more reading

I have my marthae hatchets, 5 remaining that didnt jump out yet (2 years now), and this tank will have some parts covered with glass, even for the corydoras, to not have issue with cold air from the windows, so I may risk moving them. They jumped out of a fully covered tank, so I do not even care anymore

 

[Colin_T]

I don't think there will be a major algae issue with only a couple of hours of window light per day. You will probably find the fish like it and breed there, especially if it's in the morning. Even if it does go green along that side, I like green walls in tanks and a couple of small suckermouth catfish would probably enjoy it too.

Zebra Danios or White Cloud Mountain minnows would be ok, as would South American dwarf cichlids like a pair of Apistogramma cacatuoides.