Which Mid/top Swimmer To Get

[cMECZKOWSKI]

Well I have a 46 gallon setup with sand
And was wondering what mid to top swimmers can I get because all the current fish seem to stay in the decor and on the bottom .which makes the mid to top of the tank empty :'(

As of right now I have
2 pleco-6in&3in(never moves untill the lights out )
2 tetra- 1in&1in(just chill in the middle)
1 black knife ghost -4in(friendly)
1 gold alge eater-3in(always running from the shark)
1 red tail shark -3in (#105### distuber)

But when laying in bed the otherday the mid to top of the tank just seems so bare .what kinda fish do you guess suggest ? Kinda wanting a active fish and cool looking
I was thinking balas but won't my red tail just chase and annoy the balas ?

Also once the fish start getting bigger I will be switching to a bigger tank so no worries on that

 

[fatelerror89]

I have the same problem all the fish stay at bottom in my 125l tank

i got 6 neons . 6 five band barbs and 3 panda cory fish i need something what will be mid to high as its looking empty

 

[fluttermoth]

I wouldn't get bala sharks, they get too big for your tank. If you really want them, wait until you get your big tank and get them then

As for the moment (and you will need the bigger tank ASAP for your knife fish) what kind of tetra do you have? They'll be much less shy and be out and about more if you have a decent sized shoal of them so you might find that's enough to give your tank more colour and movement.

Before I recommended anything else, I'd need to know the dimensions of the tank and whether your water is hard or soft

 

[Wills]

Hi welcome to the forum

Im just going to be honest because I dont think that your tank is in an ideal situation right now...

You have 3 really large growing fish in there the ghost knife and the 2 plecs. If your going to upgrade do it, do it now before the fish start to stunt or suffer in a smaller tank.

The longer you wait the longer other things need money spending on them and the tank gets made less and less of a priority - eg your car breaks down, you book a holiday, a pipe bursts in the house. Im sure we can all see reasons why the cost of a fish tank gets pushed back and back in our lives and you need to think about this when you stock a tank with the intention of upgrading.

I am the classic example of this, I started keeping fish with intention of upgrading soonish - which always got pushed back and back, and then 2 and a half years ago my flat got flooded from the upstairs so I had to move out into temporary place and then I eventually got moved back when the repair work was done - moral of the story is it took me nearly a year and a half before I got my big tank and even then it was smaller thank I ideally wanted.

Also you say laying in bed? Im just checking your on solid floors here because a much bigger tank might not be able to go upstairs.

Fish will also grow quicker in a bigger tank than in a smaller tank.


As for fish suitable for this 46g tank that will stay in the upper levels and stay compatible with the others are things like Silver Hatchet Fish which in a large school look good or Golden Panchax are pretty nice for this size tank. Dont get Bala Sharks as they get huge, are incredibly active, need to be in large schools and just should not be kept in most home aquaria apart from the largest of tanks (8 foot +)

An other idea to get some more activity in your tank would be increase your existing tetra numbers to a reasonable school rather than just 2 which would result in a proper hierarchy that would create the activity. Then you will see them swimming around as a group at all levels of the tank.

Wills

 

[cMECZKOWSKI]

Yeah I hate it lol it doesn't make the tank look complete .lol
Is it that I need taller decor or more tall plants idk

Only fish that I can think of is a
African butterfly (I heard will eat anything it can fit in its mouth)
Angle fish
Or balas

 

[fluttermoth]

As Wills and I have said, balas get far too big.

Tell us the dimensions of the tank, whether your water is hard or soft, and what species your tetras are and we'll be able to help you a lot more

 

[cMECZKOWSKI]

Well to be honest I was a tard I just went out one day and threw a tank together with out knowing tanks had to go thru cycles which 3 of the 7 fish I bought the day of the tank are still alive the 2 tetras and the pleco .I'm not to sure if the waters is hard or soft sorry ( still a learning noobie )
But the tetras are about a inch big there silver with a blue n green(maybe red lol)color thru the center of the body but fluttermouth my tetras are active and don't hide they are the only ones that even go to the top of the tank but normal stay in the middle

But ok #41#### NO Bala for me :'(

 

[cMECZKOWSKI]

Are there any odd balls or predatory fish I could get by chance ?
P.s I'm picking up a 125 gal tank tomorrow WOOOHOOO so excited thank you craigslist
But I don't wanna get something that will only grow to lik 3 in cause it will probly get eatin cause the plain is to always go big .