Looking For Friends For My Sparkling Gourami....

[abih2005]

Hello! My five sparkling gourami have been happily swimming about since Saturday - water levels are all fine, need to change water but all is great! Now, I know this is lazy but I wondered whether people had any interesting species suggestions as companions to the current batch? My tank is 54l, 60/30/30 which makes it according to surface area calculations able to support 24 inches of fish. I currently have about 10inches worth but they're teeny! I would like to get maybe two or three bigger fish to add a splash of colour, or failing that a small shoal of colourful fish. Basically - anything bigger than these teeny ones and a lot more colourful.

I won't be touching neons with a bargepole, but wondered about cardinals? Anybody got any ideas or stocking combinations? As I said, I'm aware this is the lazy way but I'm also googling as we speak, I just figured you guys are the best to ask!

I also am aware that I've been advised to fully stock since my tank has been fully cycled - others have said to build quota slowly. Twinklecaz, Miss Wiggle, OldMan would you please verify? As I'm a little baffled by the conflicting advice.

 

[anon02]

If you go by the inch / gall rule you have only 14 inches to stock. Being a newly cycled filter, I would resist the temptation to add any more fish for a few weeks till the filter matures a bit more

 

[Timmy_Bee]

Also, your fish will grow!

Just to answer your question, yes you can add all your fish after doing the cycle, becuase you have (i assume) been adding ammonia which is basically fish poo, so you have contidioned your filter to handle your stocking.
People say 'add a few at a time' because the bacteia colony take time to grow to meet the new fish' requirements.

But just for clarity, i wouldn't add any more fish. The inch per gallon rule is based on the full size of your fish

 

[abih2005]

Just sat down and triple checked my fish sizes, they're sparkling, aka pygmy, eg tiny. Their max length is 1.5inches, I have five - so that's 7.5 inches in total out of a possible 14 inches. That means about 7 inches max left over. What other fish would be suitable, as I mentioned in my post I am looking for maybe two or three slightly bigger fish or a shoal of little ones such as cardinals. Any takers?

I could potentially get 5/6 cardinals but I'm aware they do best in large groups so I'm not sure re them.

 

[Timmy_Bee]

sorry - forgot how small they are...
Im guessing you dont want more gourami? a pair of bigger ones?
I might go for a BN plec & a shoal of 3 golden barbs but im thiking these guys would rather be in bigger numbers, so maybe 6 cherry barbs, or 6-10 tiny tetra (eg neon - but you dont like them? how about the green ones?)

 

[anon02]

Just sat down and triple checked my fish sizes, they're sparkling, aka pygmy, eg tiny. Their max length is 1.5inches, I have five - so that's 7.5 inches in total out of a possible 14 inches. That means about 7 inches max left over. What other fish would be suitable, as I mentioned in my post I am looking for maybe two or three slightly bigger fish or a shoal of little ones such as cardinals. Any takers?

I could potentially get 5/6 cardinals but I'm aware they do best in large groups so I'm not sure re them.

If you could give them a temp of about 25C and a pH of about 7.0 you could have 7 or 8 galaxy rasboras

 

[Twinklecaz]

Abi, had you fully stocked on the first day you added fish then that would have been ok because your filter was conditioned (due to you adding 5ppm of Ammonia every day) for a very full load. Now you've had a few days with only 5 fish then some of that bacteria will have died off. That's fine, it's how most of us have done it. Now that you need to do is not add any new fish too fast. Do a few at a time to allow your filter to catch up.

Your tank really isn't THAT small I don't know why people talk like the 15gals (which yours all but is) are. I saw someone refer to a a 60l as a "nano" the other day!

ANYWAY. You have a few choices here. If you wanted some bigger fish then you could get maybe 2 or 3 Platys (I'd go for all males) or maybe some Guppies?

But personally what I'd do if I were you and you don't want to push your stocking (which I have to be honest) is to get maybe 6 Pygmy Corys and then 6 of something else micro like maybe some Ember Tetras or Galaxy Rasboras? Or if you search Emerald Dwarf Rasboras on Ebay there's a couple of blokes selling them at the moment and they're lovely. I know 17 fish sounds like a lot but 12 of those fish are very tiny and so therefore the rules can be "bent" slightly.

Failing that, I think you'd stil be ok with a small shoal of Harlequins.

 

[abih2005]

So frustrated, thought I was doing the right thing adding only a few. Gonna to back to LFS and look at either pygmy cories, harlequins or cardinals with a goal of getting five.

Abi, had you fully stocked on the first day you added fish then that would have been ok because your filter was conditioned (due to you adding 5ppm of Ammonia every day) for a very full load. Now you've had a few days with only 5 fish then some of that bacteria will have died off. That's fine, it's how most of us have done it. Now that you need to do is not add any new fish too fast. Do a few at a time to allow your filter to catch up.

Your tank really isn't THAT small I don't know why people talk like the 15gals (which yours all but is) are. I saw someone refer to a a 60l as a "nano" the other day!

ANYWAY. You have a few choices here. If you wanted some bigger fish then you could get maybe 2 or 3 Platys (I'd go for all males) or maybe some Guppies?

But personally what I'd do if I were you and you don't want to push your stocking (which I have to be honest) is to get maybe 6 Pygmy Corys and then 6 of something else micro like maybe some Ember Tetras or Galaxy Rasboras? Or if you search Emerald Dwarf Rasboras on Ebay there's a couple of blokes selling them at the moment and they're lovely. I know 17 fish sounds like a lot but 12 of those fish are very tiny and so therefore the rules can be "bent" slightly.

Failing that, I think you'd stil be ok with a small shoal of Harlequins.

 

[roadmaster]

I would agree with the Ember tetra's and or rasbora's , Pygmy corys's as well.
The sparkling gourami would appreciate some floating plants either real or artificial and this should help them to feel comfortable and also to perhaps present better color.
The sparkling gourami aren't noted for being agressive feeder's so care should be taken to see that all fish receive food while not over feeding.
I have had trouble with feeding the sparkling gourami in tanks where other more active feeder's are present. ( been a few years)
The Threadfin Rainbows might be another fish I would consider but not all of the above. It should never be How many fish can I fit in an aquarium but rather a nice balance of fish that will all get along,share similar water parameter's and not create such a bioload that maint not become too critical(beyond Normal)

 

[Twinklecaz]

and if you find some artificial floating plants that are suitable then let me know where you got them. Been searching!

You didn't do the wrong thing Abi, you've done it how most of us do. I only got 5 fish in my first visit too!

 

[Timmy_Bee]

You didn't do the wrong thing Abi, you've done it how most of us do. I only got 5 fish in my first visit too!

better safe than sorry!

 

[abih2005]

So for a week's update. Peter says the fish croak, rather loudly and intermittedly. Today they have been annoyed by the arrival of six cardinal tetras, honestly - the five of them are randomly attacking this poor shoal. Pictures to follow. And no, I shall not be getting more fish - I'm fully stocked, surely there's room for a little dwarf frog?...

oh FUDGE, the pH is 7+, way higher than thought it would be, will the tetras be ok in this!?

 

[anon02]

So for a week's update. Peter says the fish croak, rather loudly and intermittedly. Today they have been annoyed by the arrival of six cardinal tetras, honestly - the five of them are randomly attacking this poor shoal. Pictures to follow. And no, I shall not be getting more fish - I'm fully stocked, surely there's room for a little dwarf frog?...

oh FUDGE, the pH is 7+, way higher than thought it would be, will the tetras be ok in this!?

Get on to the guy you bought the cards off and ask what pH they were kept in, you may not have to change anything

 

[waterdrop]

As long as you don't subject them to large pH changes over short periods of time, the cardinals should be fine in that pH.

Interesting that the sparklings decided to nip at the cards. They -are- gouramis after all and gouramis will nip to a certain extent, especially if they feel their little higher up bubble nesting areas are not theirs to rule (even if these areas don't exist, they kind of pretend they do) (sparklings might be a little less this way than some of the larger ones, dwarves in particular).. since cards don't necessarily stay low in the tank unless there is more flow higher up, the sparklings may see them as invading their territory to a certain extent. Hopefully they've either settled down by now or will settle.

WD

 

[abih2005]

How do I maintain pH? They've settled now.

As long as you don't subject them to large pH changes over short periods of time, the cardinals should be fine in that pH.

Interesting that the sparklings decided to nip at the cards. They -are- gouramis after all and gouramis will nip to a certain extent, especially if they feel their little higher up bubble nesting areas are not theirs to rule (even if these areas don't exist, they kind of pretend they do) (sparklings might be a little less this way than some of the larger ones, dwarves in particular).. since cards don't necessarily stay low in the tank unless there is more flow higher up, the sparklings may see them as invading their territory to a certain extent. Hopefully they've either settled down by now or will settle.

WD