What To Add Next?

[jonbrown]

I'm thinking about what to add next in my tank, it measures approx 110x50x50cm (275L according to the book) which is currently home to 11 Rummy Noses, 5 Cardinals, 1 Bristlenose and 2 Celebes Halfbeaks, with an amazon sword, cabomba, vallis and anubias on 3mm gravel.
 
I was originally going to stick with a rough South American theme, and considered a pair of Angel fish or Festive/Flag cichlids, a pair of bolivian or german rams, a pair of cockatoo or agazzi cichlid, increase the number of cardinals and perhaps a small group of marbeled hatchet fish.
 
However since a visit to the local stockists I've been wondering about doing a mixed set-up that would include dwarf gourami's, glass catfish, cherry barbs, zebra loaches or combination of the two suggestions
 
 
I know there will be some contradictions on water requirements, however the local stockist informs me that the majority of the above are either bred in or will acclimatise well to the local water with out having to do much if any changes to the hardness or ph. How right or wrong this is I don't know and is probably well discussed in other threads.
 
My other question would be is it wise to add fish in a certain order, for example cichlids that can be territorial should be added last, or two different pairs of dwarf cichlid added at the same time so they have equal chances of building up their territory.
 
Any suggestions more than welcome.

 

[attibones]

Well I would first increase the cardinals. They're happiest in larger groups. Then, I would do the same for the hfbeaks as they are also an active school fish. However, beyond that, I'm not sure if a whole school of them would suit your aquarium as that is all I know about them.

 

[KittyKat]

I would increase the cardinals to 11.
 
Having kept angels before, I would say that your tank is definitely too small for them. They also do best in groups of 6+. They can get very big and (IMHO) usually do not because their tanks are not big enough. Flag cichlids also need a bigger tank.
 
Either pair of rams would work. I have seen Bolivian rams get very big, so would personally go for blue rams.
 
Apistogramma cacatuoides are harem fish rather than pair fish, so I would recommend that you go for 2-3f 1m if you chose them. Apistogramma agassizii are also great fish, but are best not mixed with other Apistos.

 

[attibones]

I would increase the cardinals to 11.
 
Having kept angels before, I would say that your tank is definitely too small for them. They also do best in groups of 6+. They can get very big and (IMHO) usually do not because their tanks are not big enough. Flag cichlids also need a bigger tank.
 
Either pair of rams would work. I have seen Bolivian rams get very big, so would personally go for blue rams.
 
Apistogramma cacatuoides are harem fish rather than pair fish, so I would recommend that you go for 2-3f 1m if you chose them. Apistogramma agassizii are also great fish, but are best not mixed with other Apistos.

Angels in a school? This usually doesn't work out once they start to pair up, though. At least, all prior research suggests this. Blue rams would be an issue, though, because they are so delicate. I've kept them before. Perhaps it was just my stock, but as soon as my pH rose just a bit, they all died.

It's my opinion that OP should just work on the schooling species present. (The halfbeaks, by the way, should be in groups with a 1:2-3 m/f ratio, OP.)

 

[DrRob]

Angels are fine in a school on two conditions, one is that the school is big enough to spread the aggression of the pair, the other is that the tank is big enough for them to carve out a territory that the rest can actually stay out of. Hence the comment about a bigger tank. 

In a huge tank angels can be an amazing display, with some great interactions. Lovely and often underrated fish.
 
So essentially I agree with you both, they're better in a school and are rarely kept in the right conditions and therefore things go wrong or you have to keep them singly or in pairs.
 
I'd put in a good word for some bolivians or a group of one species of apisto for that tank. Would look lovely. Otherwise there are things like keyholes.
 
Sounds overall like you've fallen in love with lots of different options and I would give one piece of counsel, which is to pick a path and go with it. There are a huge number of lovely fish out there, and you can make your life incredibly complicated trying to stock them all, or you can plan a tank carefully and have something lovely (not to say that unthemed stocking isn't lovely). This, in essence, is why many of us end up with several tanks.

 

[fluttermoth]

I would caution against the zebra loach; they're quite boisterous and will possibly bother your more peaceful fish.
 
How hard is your water? The Celebes would really like it harder and more alkaline than your other choices

 

[FriendlyFriendlyFish]

I think dwarf gourmais would be a nice addition to your tank. I have a pair of males in a community tank with a  school of neons and a BN pleco. They do really well together and the gouramis add a nice flash of color to the tank. One of my gouramis is a blue dwarf and the other is a red dwarf. I bought them both from the same tank at my LFS and added them at the same time. They chase each other around sometimes and I think if I had added them separately they may have become more territorial.  Good luck with your decision!