Recommended Fish

[pica_nuttalli]

5 days is nothing. extreme temperatures show up in the long term as susceptibility to disease and shortened life span. since you've also only had a WCMM in a tropical tank, you have nothing to compare its behavior against.

i think what the-wolf is wanting to point out is that neons like rather warm temperatures and WCMM like rather cool temperatures. thus only three things can happen:

• keep temperature in the WCMM range--neons do poorly
• keep temperature in the neon range--WCMM do poorly
• keep temperature in between the ranges--everyone does poorly

to maximize your potential for sucess as a fish-keeper, you really ought to pick one or the other species to keep, then research additional fish that would do well in its temperature range.

 

[Slyspy]

I've seen WCM do perfectly fine in a tropical tank, though its true that they might do even better in an unheated tank. Its temperature fluctuations that do the most damage. If your LFS sells them from tropical tanks (as some do) then it helps. Also neons are extremely variable. I put mine in a newly cycled tank and lost my first this week seven months after they were intoduced. The same goes for my otos, with no casualties so far. If your tank is properly cycled and the stock is sound then you should be ok.

 

[FuelPimp]

OK, well because of the WCMM and tetra aren't compatible... new idea:
19G tank (finally figured it out)
5 neon tetra
5 black widow tetra
5 zeba danios
2 Indian Algae eaters

would that be overcrowding?

 

[platyperson]

OMG!!! I jsut had the best idea!!! 6 blue neon/peacock rainbows (two males (red fins) and four females (yellow/clorless fins) These are very hardy fish and will adjust to most water chemistries as long as it doesnt go above 8.5. They have excellent colors and appreciate a bit of vgitable matter in their diet

 

[wrs]

you have way to many diffrent kind of schooling fish in such a small tank.

Indian Algae eaters are a kind of otto, no? Well if they are get 5 of them instead. They will go to all areas of the tank, because they mini plecos, and plecos do like to stay on the glass at times, even though they are usually bottem dwellers.

Then choose one of the schooling fish you like the best. black widow tetra are also known as black skirt tetras, which can be aggressive for a tetra, need to be in groups of six, and have the potential to get to be 3 inches,. They are out
Danios need a 20 gallon tank, which may be okay, but you never said the demantions of your tank, length width, and hight, so unless the tank is 30 inches long, rule them out as well.
Neons, as said before are very weak fish. They need to be added after 10 weeks of the tank being all cycled. So i would rule them out.

The better idea for a schooling fish is the rasboras. They stay small, and are peacefull. Some of them even stay at one inch, and can go into smaller tanks. Your tank would be great for them.

Then I would choose a permadent bottem dweller. A corydoras species. Choose any species you want. Get three if they are the bigger kind, 4-5 if they are panda or pygmy.

Now that leaves you with getting a center peice fish. All the other fish listed are nice, but what most people really like is a fish that stands out. Something that gets bigger than th other fish, but not by much, and that wont be to aggressive, or get to big for he tank. In your tank I would go with eaither a nice dwarf gourami, maybe a badis ( I have never had one but many people on here have) http/www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Di...cfm?pCatId=1074, or some other smaller fish. But a nice red gourami or something like it, meaning color wise, would look great in the tank.

 

[FuelPimp]

Well... lets put it this way,
Your a beginner with a 2ft 20G tank and want to make your tropical tank look nice as well as it being easy to care for the fish... How would you stock your tank?

 

[dwarfgourami]

First of all, is your tank cycled? If not, are you planning to do fishless cycling? If you want to cycle with fish that will restrict your choice to a few hardy species, and it is not really an ideal solution.

Assuming that the cycling has been attended to, and you want something easy to care for, visually attractive and at all levels, I would go for:

a small school (3) of the hardier corys (bronze or peppereds)- 9 inches
(pandas are smaller but many people find them difficult to keep alive)

a small school (6) of rasboras - 8 1/2 inches
(less inbred than the neon tetras and IMO very attractive)

2 male platies of assorted colours - 2-3 inches
(add colour and personality)

 

[ncjharris]

2 Indian Algae eaters

is another name for a Chinese Algea Eater/Sucking Loach

Steer well clear of these unless you are prepared to invest in a big tank just for him (2 if you have 2) when they start to mature - they will grow up to 10".

We have just had to take ours back to the LFS as he was starting to pester the other fish - that was 6 months after we got him.

Search for CAE and read some of the stories you get!