Fish-list

[shockshockshad]

Hello! I'm new here, and i want to ask a question. I found a list of fish, and want to alter it. The list is 1 three spot gourami, 3 sparkling or croaking gourami, whatever you like to call it, 3 dwarf gouramis, 6 kuhli loaches, 6 panda corydoras, and 6 lamb chop rasboras. I hear that three spots are not good with little fish, so I decided I would like a different fish. The three spots get 6 inches, so i wanted a 6 inch fish, or 2 3", or 3 2", etc; What kind of fish is beginner friendly? Just to keep algae under control, maybe a red tail shark?

 

[littlest]

What size is your tank? as this will effect your stocking options a lot. Also you say you found the list, found it where?
Also, just so you know, the sparkling and croaking gouramis are two different species and the croaking gourami is larger

 

[rdd1952]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

First, you need to find the email that chould have come to you when you registered and click the link to Validate your membership. Otherwise, you will only be able to post in a couple sections.

Before we can answer your question, we need to know what size tank you have. Obviously your list would probably be fine in a 100 gallon tank but not a 10 gallon. Just looking at the list, I would say you need some thing in the neighborhood of 30 to 40 gallon for that list. The problem with the 3 spot is that he needs a much larger tank than the other fish Also, the RTBS is not a good fish for your tank as they are aggressive and eill not eat algae so for the purpose you mentioned, it will be useless. i would suggest Siamese algae eaters if you want an active fish that will also eat most algae.

 

[shockshockshad]

Ooops! I'm sorry! i meant to say that my fish tank is 30 gallons. and i got the list from badmans tropical fish. For the gouramis, which is smaller? i would want the smaller one, unless the bigger one is easier to care for. just to tell you my water will be neutral, unless it should be acidic or alkaline.Oh and i forgot to ask, how many sae's? maybe 2? instead of the three spot, what should I get?

 

[rdd1952]

Two SAEs should be fine. They will also eat flakes or other food in the absence of algae and are very peaceful. Just make sure you get true SAEs and not flying foxes or false SAEs as there is a big difference but they look alsmot the same. Here is a good link that denotes the differences.

I can't help with the gouramis as I haven't a clue about them. The list you have would probably be fine for the 30 gallon as long as none of the fish get too big

 

[shockshockshad]

the fish (or fishes) dont have to be gouramis. they can be any easy-to-care-for fish

 

[rdd1952]

You could always increase the numbers on the other fish slightly.. Adding more rasboras would look nice. I've always liked harlequins (lamb chops).

 

[shockshockshad]

oh, i never knew lamb chops and harlequins are the same. I learned what lamb chops are from the list, but i already knew what harlequins are. instead of 6, i will get 8

 

[rdd1952]

I didn't know it eaither until I looked up to see what a lamd chop looked like. I think it's from the black marking on their body that looks like lamb chop.

 

[shockshockshad]

I just read that lamb chops are easily confused with harlequins, just like SAE's and flying foxes. The lamb chops look more gold, or maybe its just me.

 

[rdd1952]

I went back and reread the site I had found and it said that "fishes with this marking were once known as "Lamb Chop Rasboras" because the marking was fancifully thought to resemble in appearance the item of meat in question" so you are probably right that there is a difference. This site however says they are the same so I don't know.

 

[I Love my fishies]

The Harlequin Rasbora is sometimes confused with the Lambchop Rasbora (Trigonostigma espei) but the Lambchop Rasbora's black region starting at the mid-section (dorsal fin) is not quite as large at the beginning of the black region and is shaped more like a "lamb chop" instead of the black triangular shape of the Harlequin.

 

[rdd1952]

Thank you for the clarification.

 

[I Love my fishies]

No worries

 

[dwarfgourami]

About the gouramis, the one thing to remember about gouramis is that they are territorial: males will attack their own or similar species. So I would go with only one gourami species- either a single male or (if you can find them) a male with two females. Or else, a whole group of sparkling gouramis, they should be all right as long as you provide plenty of plant cover. But if you want a bigger and more colourful gourami, I would avoid the dwarf. Dwarf gouramis are not very hardy, a lot of them are carriers of a virus which is not treatable, and some of them are either very timid or quite aggressive. 3 spots as somebody mentioned are often quite aggressive. A good choice would be the Indian (banded) gourami (colisa fasciata)- they have very similar colouring to the dwarf but are slightly bigger and a lot hardier. Or else a thick-lipped gourami (colisa labiosa), similar to the Indian. I have an Indian gourami and he is a little bit timid but very nice.

I take it Rdd's post contained a typo: "two CAEs should be fine"- presumably it should read "two SAEs should be fine". CAEs, the Chinese Algae Eaters can develop aggression and/or slime eating behaviour, so are not ideal community fish.