New tank fish types

[tanker]

Whilst my tank is finishing cycling, I thought i'd ask if this is a good idea for some fish - eventually.

8 neon tetras
2 pearl gourami
1 fighting fish? B)
1 black red tailed shark?
Algae eater......?
err.......

I like medium sized bright fish - any ideas? How many more/less should I have in my tank?
Sorry to be giving such vague questions.

 

[CFC]

The fish you have listed should be fine to keep together but will take you almost to the full stocking capacity for your tank.
The only two a would have any caution about would be the Betta (fighting fish) which IMO are best suited to smaller tanks alone or in a species only tank with 2-4 females as they can be aggressive to fish that have fancy finnage and /or share the same space in the tank ie surface dwellers,and the RTBS which can be really mean if you get a bad one,can get to 6" and given the chance will become the tank tyrant,will not tollerate any fish that look even remotely similar so no siamese algea eaters and many loaches will also be out.

 

[tanker]

Thanks for the advice.

Would like to have the betta. What could I put in the place of the rtbs. I would like a fair sized fish (in relation to the tank) with some nice colouration, or bright shoal. Also, what algae eater or bottom dweller could i get?

 

[Alex]

Corys are nice small bottom dwellers, most people like them, and you can get them in numerous colours/patterns. Bristlenose's are great algae eaters, and tend to be non aggresive. Some of the loaches are nice, bottom dwellers, but be careful which ones you go for 'cos some can be very aggresive. Just have fun picking your fish, and remember to not rush it, as your fish will be yours for a long time, read up about them, and if you find some you like and aren't sure on, just get their names and ask here, and someone will always answer you.

 

[tanker]

Erm, at the risk of people laughing at me, what should i type in for searches on corys? There, i've done it, no going back now!

Also, how many, often and in general, what order should i add fish, when the time comes?

 

[Jamnog]

i had rtbs in with a lepord plec once they both used to fight untill i put in a straight peice of bog wood i had to rearang things allot to stop them from fighting each other i think they like a big tank. but then i dont rate the rtbs anymore i would suggest perhaps a pair of otto alge eaters instead of a shark is the tank the one in ure sig?
edit : umm i think they are corryanda or something ill look for a page ive saved im a tad dyslexic when it comes to fish names unfortuanately.

 

[tanker]

Yup, my one and only baby. (Don't let the misus see that comment - whole other can of worms!)

 

[CFC]

Erm, at the risk of people laughing at me, what should i type in for searches on corys? There, i've done it, no going back now!

Also, how many, often and in general, what order should i add fish, when the time comes?

Search under corydoras,should come up with a "few" pages,also most lfs carry at least one species of cory.

When stocking a tank it is best to add the hardiest first and add more ever 2-3 weeks,the general rule of thumb for newbies when stocking a new tank is 1" of fish (full adult size) to 1g of water.

 

[tanker]

Thanks folks, that'll keep me busy!

 

[tanker]

Right, for what its worth, i've made another attempt to put a happy home together.

5 neon tetras
5 glowlight tetras
1 male betta
3 peppered corys
2 pearl/lace? gourami
anything else? suggestions appreciated

 

[playfulalliecat]

Not real sure about the betta and gouramis together. They are both labyrinth fish and with the colors and finnage of the gourami, the betta will probably attack it thinking its another betta. With bettas you have to be really careful with long finned fish. I am not real big on bettas in community tanks as they are "fighting" fish, not to mention their long fins can be damaged by other fish.......tigerbarbs, danios, and even tetras comes to mind.

HTH,
Allie

 

[Alia]

I'm afraid Allie is right about bettas and gouramis.

Since you're keen on having the betta, maybe a couple of female bettas instead of gouramis? Their fins are much shorter, but still can be colorful and are in the size range you want. Someone else suggested this in a species only tank -- would it work with a community tank, or would it just make the betta more aggressive?

Just wanted to add, as far as hardiness goes, neons are definitely not the ones to cycle with. From what I have heard, you may want to add them in 6 months when the tank is mature. I've found corys to be reasonably hardy, but the owner of my fish store seems to feel that the young ones are delicate, so you might want them a little bigger (just don't get the smallest ones)

And yet, glow-lites might be the ones to cycle with -- smaller and less taxing to the bio-culture, also less expensive to replace than cory cats.

I'm not sure about hardiness with bettas, but they are always adults when they are sold and therefore will produce more waste, so I would add them after things are more established, especially since they might be aggressive with others (adding them later might help with that.)

So I would say: glow-lights first, then cory cats, bettas, then neons. JMO.

 

[CFC]

If you plan on doing a cycle with fish then use the peppered corys,they are the hardiest fish on the list.The idea of replacing the gouramis with female bettas could work as long as you supply lots of tall plants (real or fake) so that if the male goes into one there is somewhere for the females to take refuge,male bettas dont like being ignored and if one of the females decides she dosent want to know when he starts displaying to her he will often attack her and sometimes even kill her.

 

[tanker]

Thanks for the advice! didn't know that the bettas were that dense - even i can tell the difference between them and lace gourami!

The tetras seem to be doing well, should i stick with them or change things. The ammonia is 0, nitrite still a little high, can't remember the numbers off hand, but its second reading down on scale of 5. Should i keep doing water changes?