Your Ideal Community Set Up

[Tabbiespice]

I (and maybe other newbies) would find it really interesting (and useful) if you all could describe the perfect community tropical set up that you know of or have had yourself.

What fish worked for you?
What fish to avoid in a community setting?

What would be an ideal set up?

I have a 36x12x12 and am desperate for ideas

I would like all areas of the tank utilised and for it to be a colourful display with maybe a couple specimen fish as a talking point. Dont want much do I?

What about plants? Goodies? Baddies?
Other decor?

It will have a fluval filter and a fine gravel substrate. I have a little slate I could use but basically I am starting from scratch.

I know about cycling the tank first of course. I am prepared to wait for plants to establish and the water quality to be perfect before introducing fish.

I just need ideas....please


Thanks in anticipation

I also have a 18" tank..what could I do with that?

Jacqueline
xxxxxxx

 

[lljdma06]

Well, I'm going to setup a 36g corner tank when I move back to FL in May. It will be a Thailand backwater tank, featuring both plant and fish species from that region or near abouts.

Substrate: Florite or Laterite with Tahitian moon sand on top. Possible substrate heating
Plants: Dutch style planted (lots of plants everwhere and highly organized as apposed to the more Natural Amano style). But, the plants will mostly be from S.E. Asia. The biotope killer is the Mopani wood, that's from Africa, but what can I say, it's great wood? I also have some beautiful extra anubias that I may throw in there, again African, but they are so lovely.

Fish: 15 rasboras (harlequins)
either pearl gouramis or honey gouramis (1 trio). I possibly could have both.
6 kuhlie loaches
Sounds a bit over-stocked, but it's not really. With weekly maintenance, and the high plant load, in per gallon really goes out the window, as long as all levels are active.

You have an 18 inch? What is that 5 gallons?

 

[Tabbiespice]

Hiya

Thanks so much for your reply.

Sounds like yours is going to be great. I love gourami's too and will more than likely have to include some in any set up I have.

The 18" tank is only a 30 litre, 7 gallon tank (7.93 US gallons)

Jacqueline
xxx

 

[osteoporoosi]

Tiny Rasbora hengeli's would be ideal for a tank that size, 20-30 of them would look nice in a planted tank!

Here's a suggestion for the other tank;
1+3 honey gourami harem
8 panda cories(sandbottom prefered)/1 bushynose pleco
15 glow light tetras

The most important thing is to make shure that your water is suitable for the fish, and that they all have the same preferences on water parametres, temperature, current, etc..

 

[JDS]

Not really answering you question, but I'm sure I read a good post about what to stock in small tanks, which would help in the 7g .... here it is. It's aimed at 10g tanks, but you'll get the idea

 

[CFC]

This is a good way to set out a community tank.


Choose a centre piece fish, this can be a single specimin, a pair or even a school of larger fish. Example; A pair of Dwarf Cichlids

Choose some background fish, these will usually be a small schooling species, remember they must be large enough for your center piece fish not to eat. Example; Cardinal tetras.

Choose something to occupy the surface, these must be large enough to not be food for the center piece fish but not large enough to eat any of the other fish. Example; Hatchet fish

Choose some bottom dwellers, again should be large enough to not be eaten but not large enough to eat any of the others. Example; Corydoras

Choose a special fish, this will usually be something that lives a solitary life and is only seen occasionally. Again choose something that is neither prey nor predator. Example; A Bristlenose plec

The example selection gives you a nice South American community tank suitable for an average sized tank but you can easily swap species around for other fish.