Deciding on a centerpiece fish.

[Preacher98]

I've recently set up a new 57 litre planted aquarium which is cycled. Currently the only inhabitants are 10 pygmy corydoras, 2 nerite snails, and 2 amano shrimp. In the future I'm also hoping to add some ember tetras or chilli rasboras.

Once I've added the embers/chillis I'd really like a centerpiece fish! And I can't decide between a male betta or a male honey gourami. I do really love the awesome colours & configurations betta fish come in but there's so many different opinions online with how aggressive they can be towards tank mates. And I don't want to risk any harm coming to my little Cory's! Am I best to play it safe with the also eye catching honey gourami? Which from what I've researched are far more likely to be peaceful.

 

[connorlindeman]

Welcome to the forum!
What are the dimensions of the tank?
I would not add the betta. They tend to be very territorial.

 

[Byron]

Bettas are not community fish. This is in their nature, and while an individual may sometimes manage, it really is not humane to force the betta into this situation. Honey gourami may be OK, but personally I would not do this. A 57 liter (15 US gallon) is better suited to "nano" fish like the ones you no have. The ember tetras and the dwarf rasboras are good choices. A group of 12-15 of whichever, or both if you prefer. With nano fish the larger the group the better.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I'll concur on the bettas. I've kept them in small community tanks, but won't do so again. Even the non-aggressive ones really don't seem to enjoy having roommates. They seem ok with relatively sedentary bottom dwellers, but schooling fish seem to give them stress. If you want a betta, I would rehome the pygmy cories. Most bettas will do fine with snails and amano shrimp, but once in a while you'll get an unusually predatory one.

I think your best bet would be a big school of microrasboras. There are many kinds; they are very colorful and lively, and they all tend to get along well together. Or you could look into one of the less aggressive, wild-type bettas. But those tend to be wild caught and more exacting in their needs than domesticated Betta splendens. I've had decent luck with B. imbellis with microrasboras. They do require soft water, so you'd want to check your water hardness.

 

[Essjay]

Definitely check your hardness on your water company's website. As you are in Norfolk, out of curiosity I checked Anglian Water for a business in Fakenham and their water is very hard (20.5 dH). If yours is similar, you need to look at hard water fish.

If you can't find your hardness on your water company's website, tell us the name of the company and we'll see if we can find the page.

 

[Preacher98]

Thank you all for your welcome & advice. Definitely going to stay clear of adding a betta! My Pygmy Cory's seem so happy and confident, so I really don't want to spoil that. My tank is a 57l Fluval Flex. I do wish I went for a slightly larger/longer tank to give me more options, as I understand that the small footprint of the flex limits stocking opportunites.

 

[Preacher98]

Definitely check your hardness on your water company's website. As you are in Norfolk, out of curiosity I checked Anglian Water for a business in Fakenham and their water is very hard (20.5 dH). If yours is similar, you need to look at hard water fish.

If you can't find your hardness on your water company's website, tell us the name of the company and we'll see if we can find the page.

Yeah unfortunately Norfolk is well known for its very hard water. And my water is pretty much identical to Fakenham. I've been using 50/50 tap/RO water which is what my LFS recommended. I was thinking maybe a group of male Endlers would be better over the chillis due to my water?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Most microrasboras prefer soft water, unfortunately. Why not get a couple of fancy male guppies? They'd give you a slightly bigger, flashier fish that is suited to your water. Some of them are every bit as impressive as bettas.

 

[jaylach]

Just as a side note as to wanting a 'feature fish' you should pick the fish before even putting water in the tank and then find what that fish needs as to conditions. To a fairly large extent water conditions can be controlled by different substrates and such but, once the tank is set up it is much harder to change these conditions.

 

[Essjay]

A 50:50 tap:RO mix will get the hardness down to around 10 which is still too hard for fish like Boraras.

The 57 litre Flex is almost a cube, so a small footprint for the volume. It's41 x 39 x 39 cm or 16 x 15 x 15 inches. This does restrict the fish you can keep as there is not much swimming length so fast swimming fish are not an option.


Just a few ideas -

Celestial pearl danios (aka galaxy rasboras)

Celestichthys margaritatus – Celestial Pearl ‘Danio’ (Danio margaritatus) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

or
emerald rasboras

Celestichthys erythromicron (Microrasbora erythromicron, Danio erythromicron) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Not together as they can interbreed.


Endlers, males only or the tank will be overstocked in no time.
Guppies, again males only

Blue eyed forktail

Pseudomugil furcatus – Forktail Blue-eye (Popondetta furcata, Popondichthys furcatus) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Pacific blue eye

Pseudomugil signifer – Pacific Blue-eye (Atherinosoma jamesonii, Atherina signata) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Other members will be able to suggest other fish.