I Found A Pet Shop A Little Closer

[ICEEGRL]

I have several tanks to stock. The first will be the 55g community tank. This tank is planted. It has assorted small danios and a few corys in it right now. I would like some colorful fish. I don't want guppy, molly, or platty. I don't care much for those.
Can I put barbs with danios? Maybe a few blue rams?
What kind of loach would work for snail control in a community tank?
I need suggestions.

I have been having to travel right at 2 hours one way to get to a pet shop. I have found one that is only an hour away. It is small, but if they don't have what I want they are willing to order for me. This will work much better I think. It will cut the travel time in half. Now maybe I can finally start getting my tanks stocked and looking good. It will be much better not having to travel so far. I hate having to keep fish in those bags for too long. I am always afraid they will run out of air or stress out and die. I also stress all the bumps in the roads and anything that makes it slosh a little. I think it stresses me more than the fish.

So... help me get a good stocking list going...
Thanks for helping!

 

[Yetti]

I recommend a school of Rainbows, you could get six or so Boesmani Rainbows or a larger school of Praecox Rainbows. There are many other types of rainbows so you should search around the internet and see which ones are to your liking.

 

[Ilya]

Skunk Loaches control the snail population. But you need about 4-5 at least to make a loach hierarchy.

 

[Biulu]

Hi Amanda!

I am about to stock a 48 gallon, so a bit smaller than what you have, and I am going with the following:

gouramis (pearls and dwarfs, but these are existent, in your case I would take honeys, banded or thick-lipped instead of the dwarfs)
shoal of congo tetras
killifish at the top (if I can get these!), either Aphyosemion australe, Aphyosemion striatum or Fundulopanchax gardneri
cories (hopefully trilineatus or sterbai)

I would use the size of your tank to get some bigger colourful fish.
Other great fish are a shoal of rainbowfish or otherwise some dwarf cichlids such as apistos, and rams.

Sorry, no experience with loaches, so can't advice you on that.

 

[ICEEGRL]

I will have to look up some of these fish. I don't know what they are.
I do know what rams are. I love the german blue rams! They are beautiful! What goes with those? How many can you keep together?
What fish are best to keep with them? Do they get along with barbs?
I really like the green and tiger barbs. I wanted a few angels, but I read that I can't have them with barbs.
This is too complicated.
This is exactly why I still don't have many fish.
Thanks for helping!

 

[ICEEGRL]

I looked up skunk loaches. It says that they are aggressive and not suitable for a community tank. They can be kept in a cichlid tank though. I am also starting one of those. That is what my other 55g will be. I am thinking maybe mbuna. I am researching and asking questions. I don't know enough about them yet, but I am learning.

Is there another loach or fish that eats snails that isn't mean?
Thanks for helping!

 

[afishdude]

weather loach, clown loach, another one that i cant think of name.

 

[ICEEGRL]

ok... I have been doing some research again. Here is a list of possibilities.
danios
corys'
yo yo loaches
clown loaches
tiger barbs
green barbs

I still haven't come up with a focal fish that will go well with these fish.
Any ideas?

Thanks for helping

 

[afishdude]

yoyo loach was the one i couldnt think of.

 

[Biulu]

I know I'm biased (because I like then so much), but I think gouramis make nice focal fish!

And otherwise I recommend you the Boesemann rainbowfish; they are colourful and active, and go well with the danios.

 

[ICEEGRL]

I heard the gouramis were sensitive and get sick easily. That is why I have not listed them. I really like the red ones and blue ones. I think they are dwarfs.
How many can you keep together? Do they need to be a single fish or in groups?
Thanks for helping

 

[ICEEGRL]

also... can blue ram go with the fish on that list?

 

[-germ-]

But you can ID the species of gourami you like on this thread--> http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=209002
If the species is Colisa Lalia/Dwarf Gourami i personally think it tends to be too much of a risk unless you can ensure you get them from a decent source.

 

[ICEEGRL]

Yes.
under colisa lalia...
going left to right #3 & 4 on the top line of pics.
and the first one on the second row is beautiful! I have never seen it before.
There was a pic of a green one in the thread that I like alot too.

I also like the pearl gourami, moonlight gourami, and the golden and opaline too.

How do I know if they are from a good source?
I will be getting them ordered for me by a pet shop.
Also... All I have ever seen were the males. How do you find the females? No one carries them around here.
From what I read I take it you don't mix different kinds together.
If I had to pick one I like best it would have to be the solid blue one. (first one on the second row) What is that exactly?
Behind that would be the moonlight probably.

Thanks for helping!

 

[Biulu]

Amanda, these are all colour morphs of the dwarf gourami. Dwarf gouramis have become very vulnerable for diseases due to inbreeding, and many people on this forum have had problems with them developing ulcers and dying within a short period (I am one of them). It is therefore not advised to buy them, unless you know a breeder with good quality stock.

All the other gourami species do not present these problems! So you can go with these. It is also possible to mix different gourami types, as long as you ensure each one can lay out their own territory (around 10gallon/fish or 15gallon/fish for the larger ones). I am keeping successfully dwarfs and pearls mixed. Pearls, honeys and thicklipped gouramis are easy to keep and the least agressive types.

I know these species can easily be kept with rams.

The opaline or golden gourami (these are only colourmorphs!) is very hardy but more agressive.

NOrmally gouramis are agressive towards their own species, but leave other fish alone.

NOrmally you can get females from pearls, as the difference between them is quite small, and they are therefore being stocked by the lfs. A 1 to 2 ratio is best. Otherwise you can keep gourami males by themselves as a centerpiece fish without problems.