New 15 Gallon aquarium Any stocking ideas or tips?

[Killerbro511]

Hi i have recently bought my second aquarium which is a Fluval Curve 60 (15 Gallon) and i was hoping if anyone could offer any stocking ideas or tips on how i could improve my tank.

 

[Colin_T]

put a picture on the back

 

[Naughts]

You could add more cover such as floating plants or driftwood.
As for stocking we need to know your GH and pH and intended temperature range.

 

[Killerbro511]

You could add more cover such as floating plants or driftwood.
As for stocking we need to know your GH and pH and intended temperature range.

my gh is around 200 and ph is around 7

 

[Naughts]

OK, you are somewhat limited with the GH and tank space. Do you like endlers livebearers?

Poecilia wingei – Endler’s Livebearer — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

You could keep a group of colourful males, they are like little jewels. I don't advise female livebearers as they quickly breed and overpopulate the tank. They are also less colourful.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Forktail rainbows would probably work as well

 

[Byron]

For the background--which is very important to fish, actually--I recommend plain non-shiny black construction paper. It makes the space seem larger to you, but more importantly it allows the colours of fish and plants to be very noticeable. And it does calm fish.

A chunk of driftwood, or two or three smaller chunks, placed unevenly on the substrate in front of the plants, closer to the front, at different distances, will open up the space.

There are a few more options for fish. A GH of 200 ppm is 11 dGH which is moderately hard, but not excessive. I would look at some of the small cyprinid species, namely rasboras. Some need very soft water but some would be fine here.

 

[Colin_T]

Any of the smaller blue-eye rainbowfish (not just forktails) would work in that tank. You are in Australia so you should be able to find Pseudomugil signifier, P. gertrudae, or Iriatherina werneria. You might have to get the shop to order them in, but some shops carry them all the time.

If you're interested, there's more info on rainbowfish at the following link.

Rainbowfish Book

A website dedicated to Rainbowfishes of Australia and New Guinea

rainbowfish.angfaqld.org.au

If you click "Contents" at the top right of the page it will have a list of all the known Australian and New Guinea rainbowfish, and you can click each species and see colour pictures and information about them.

At the bottom of the page is a link for mediafire, which opens another page and lets you download the book onto your aquarium. It's pretty big 194MB but is a free download if you want it. Sometimes a window will pop-up when you click the download link, just close the pop-up window and at the bottom of the screen should be a button to view or save the file. Click save and let it download to your computer. Then open it up in Adobe reader.

 

[Retired Viking]

You have a good start but I agree with others a background and some driftwood/rocks would help. Fancy guppies or rasboras would look good. If you decide on guppies get only males or they will over populate your tank in no time. They are like rabbits.

 

[Killerbro511]

OK, you are somewhat limited with the GH and tank space. Do you like endlers livebearers?

Poecilia wingei – Endler’s Livebearer — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

You could keep a group of colourful males, they are like little jewels. I don't advise female livebearers as they quickly breed and overpopulate the tank. They are also less colourful.

Sorry i just checked my gh is actually 120

 

[Naughts]

Sorry i just checked my gh is actually 120

Great. Not endlers then. Some of the pseudomugil might still work. You can look into softer water species like tetra, rasbora, honey gourami or sparkling gourami; dwarf pencilfish or small hatchetfish near the surface; and small corydoras lower down. Etc.
Check https://www.seriouslyfish.com to get ideas then post here for someone to check compatability and group sizes.
I recommend looking at 3 or 4 species for the tank.

 

[aqua.land]

Yes, I agree with the others regarding the driftwood pieces and black background.
I know the tank isn't that big but you could try to add some foreground plants to really add layers?
Eg some java moss near the front or some anubias on the side as a midground plant.