stocking ideas for new tank... stuck

[xxaprilrose]

I am so stuck on what fish to get for my new 37 gallon tank. Right now its cycling so I am still only in the planning phase but every time I get a good idea for fish I do research and am told it wont work. I wanted cichlids originally, tank is too small. I wanted Gourami's but then males are aggressive and unsure if an all female tank works for them? Anyways, I want a bigger fish than say a tetra, I am looking at maybe 3 inch or larger for any type of fish I stock in here. I LOVEEEEE colorful fish so anything with striking colors I am all for. I know they have dwarf cichlids but I personally have never found any local pet store or fish store that carries them so they are not easy for me to obtain. Any ideas? MUCH appreciated!

 

[vanalisa]

What size fish do you want?
Do you want species only or community tank?

 

[NannaLou]

What size fish do you want?
Do you want species only or community tank?

3 inches or larger !

 

[NannaLou]

I am so stuck on what fish to get for my new 37 gallon tank. Right now its cycling so I am still only in the planning phase but every time I get a good idea for fish I do research and am told it wont work. I wanted cichlids originally, tank is too small. I wanted Gourami's but then males are aggressive and unsure if an all female tank works for them? Anyways, I want a bigger fish than say a tetra, I am looking at maybe 3 inch or larger for any type of fish I stock in here. I LOVEEEEE colorful fish so anything with striking colors I am all for. I know they have dwarf cichlids but I personally have never found any local pet store or fish store that carries them so they are not easy for me to obtain. Any ideas? MUCH appreciated!

I’m too new to be naming fish, but for those ‘that know’, they will want to know all about your water hardness, ph levels etc. as these make a big difference to which fish you should consider.

I love the waiting for the cycling and planning stages - I’m just about to order the Endlers for my second tank and am already wondering where I might fit a third tank in as the Tetras in the FOTM competition have caught my eye and I think they will like the hard water I have…off to Seriously Fish for more reading

 

[Sunnyspots]

I know you're looking for bigger fish but a large shoal of rummy nose tetras is beautiful to watch, assuming you have the right water parameters.

 

[Essjay]

I wanted Gourami's but then males are aggressive and unsure if an all female tank works for them?

Pearl gouramis are on the less aggressive side of the gourami spectrum and a male would only be aggressive towards another male. It's the various varieties of three spot gourami (blue, gold opaline etc) which can be aggressive towards other fish.

How long is a 37 gallon tank? A 36 inch long tank is suitable for a group (1 male, 2 or 3 females) of pearl gouramis.

 

[xxaprilrose]

my tank I think is 30 inches long and 22 in high. As for ph its about 7.8.... now I saw on a website that dwarf gourami's can be kept with bolivian ram's and also boesemani rainbows. Could I get all three for the tank? And if so, how many of each? For gourami's i'll probably do the honey or pearl or even sunset since they are less aggressive. And would only get one male. Would this work or no? Im not sure how accurate the site is.

 

[Essjay]

Sunset gouramis could be dwarf gouramis or those fish sold as honey gouramis but are likely to be thick lipped gouramis in reality.
If they are one of the variants of dwarf gourami (red with a turquoise-blue top fin), I would give them a miss. Most stores sell dwarf gouramis bred in farms in the far east and they are often infected by one of two incurable diseases by the time they get to the store. Locally bred ones would be OK but are hard to find.
If you mean those sold as honey gouramis (red all over, no bluish top fin) they'd be OK as thick lipped gouramis are quite peaceful (for gouramis) - like with other species, just one male though.

I wouldn't go by a site which says boeseman rainbows can be kept with bolivian rams and gouramis. Boeseman rainbows are hard water fish and while Bolivian rams can cope with a wider hardness range than rams, they are still soft water fish, as are gouramis. And they are fast swimming fish while rams and gouramis are sedate fish, which isn't a good mix. Finally, it is not a good idea to mix gouramis and cichlids.
The best site for research is Seriously Fish.

Knowledge Base — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Honey gouramis would be OK in your tank - a group with one male and several females would work. Or the red fish which are sold as honey gouramis.


But a pH of 7.8 suggests hard water - do you know how hard your water is? Your water provider's website may give that information.