Finally A Second Tank!

[jaarus]

I have a freshwater tropical community tank at the moment:
40gal
3x Angelfish - awaiting a pairing off, 'she' is a bit undecided - lays eggs but then wont let either near, they are both still juvinile.
6x Neons
1x Bristlenosed Plec
1x Bolivian Ram
1x Julii Corydoras
( I know it sounds like an odd mix - but they all get on great)
-- I have a nusery tank already set up for the angels, if/when they ever decide to breed! --


I am to receive a tank tomorrow that my gran has apparently bought for me!
Its a smallish tank - a 20 long I think (judging by her description) but could be a 29gal - wont know for sure until I see it tomorrow!

Really looking for some advice on something impressive to put in it. Would prefer a small selection (like a pair or two) of something interesting more so than say, a guppy or platy tank.


Nice to have something to work on setting up until we get our 6' marine tank in the summer !!


Any suggestions very welcome!

 

[Puffdaddy]

Go with a pair of Figure Eight puffers or Green Spotted Puffers if it is a 29gl tank. Both of which are brackish water fish though. there are also freshwater puffers to like the Red Eye or the South American Puffer. Puffers are attractive fish with a great personality.

 

[jaarus]

Thanks for the reply



One vote for puffers - any other suggestions?

 

[fishboy619]

i second the puffers, but what about gouramies?
i also think a huge female betta tank would look great, but i doubt you would fill a 29g with just bettas
a tetra tank would look great, mine does, i think a few red and black phantom tetra along with a few other species would look great, and of course, the great cories on the bottom.

 

[Castellop123]

... )

 

[jaarus]

i second the puffers, but what about gouramies?
i also think a huge female betta tank would look great, but i doubt you would fill a 29g with just bettas
a tetra tank would look great, mine does, i think a few red and black phantom tetra along with a few other species would look great, and of course, the great cories on the bottom.

Thanks for the replies guys

I started with a small 10g hex tank bought completely out of the blue by my then girlfriend (now wife) about 6 years ago.
It was home to "chewie" my male show betta and the "little fellas" (5 julii corys - one of whom is still alive and kicking actually....much to my surprise and is currently in my main tank)

Bettas are truly wonderful little fishes - really intelligent and personable - I plan to get one for the 'study' (sounds better than it is) once its finished - lol

Not a big fan of little fish like tetras - although I have seen some fantastic tetra setups, dont get me wrong, but I prefer a tank of a few fish that you recognise as "him" or "her" rather than them.

Those leaf fish just look plain scary.... eeeek!


Like the idea of gouramis or dwarf puffers (not together of course !)


But as always...

Keep the suggestions coming - all really useful!

 

[Teelie]

There are also shelldweller cichlids. My avatar is one species I keep. I have 6 in a 30 gallon breeder and they do well with sand and enough shells to keep everyone happy.

 

[jaarus]

There are also shelldweller cichlids. My avatar is one species I keep. I have 6 in a 30 gallon breeder and they do well with sand and enough shells to keep everyone happy.

Ooh like the sound of multi's!
Seem to be hard to track down though so will just keep my eyes peeled in the local and not-so-local fish shops!

many thanks to all that have replied so far, been really helpful
But until I actually purchase - still open to ideas

 

[F.O.H]

i would also choose a pair of f8 puffers.

 

[Tessla]

On the topic of puffers, you could keep two figure eights in brackish or a few more freshwater dwarf puffers, but if you go for a green spotted puffer only one. They get larger than the others and will require close to high end brackish or full marine conditions when mature. A brackish tank could be interesting, there are several gobies that can also be kept in brackish water. If you wanted to get really fancy you could go marine and try a nano reef, though that's a lot more work than freshwater or brackish.

As for other oddballs, there's a pinned topic in the oddballs forum with lots of fish that can go in a 20 gallon tank. Some of those will be more difficult to track down, but you might want to keep an eye out for a few of those.

I'm a huge fan of loaches, they have great personality though they aren't as flashy as a lot of centerpiece fish. You could keep a small group of dwarf chain loaches in there, possibly even something as large as a zebra or zipper loach. A larger group of kuhli loaches could be done, though they'll only really come out and perform for you if you set the tank up specifically for them. A lot of people aren't big fans of the kuhlis as they are very shy, but with a sandy substrate, lots of hiding places and little movement outside their tank, they can be just as entertaining as the larger loaches.

Invertebrates can also be fun, you could probably keep a crayfish (there is an electric blue species that is absolutely stunning) or a large group of algae shrimp with some small fish. I know the shrimp would fall under the category of "them," but I mention them because they can be very interesting especially when kept in larger groups and are excellent if you want to do a planted tank.

 

[ghent_3rd]

Mudskippers!!!That would be interesting, a couple of bits of land in there and Bob's your uncle. Well.......it's not quite that simple but they are cool fish/amphibians. Might be a bit difficult to track down though, I have hardly ever seen them before in shops.

Failing that just check out my sig and ou'll see my preferred interest.