I Want To Add Another Fish But Not Sure What?

[BETTY BOO]

i have a 33 gallon tank
with

1 male flame dwarf gourami
1 male bolivian ram
1 female honey gourami
8 cardinal tetras


i would like another single fish but im not sure what? what else would be ok with what i have??
i dont want any more schooling fish.im happy with just the tetras.
im just after some ideas thats if i can add something else.

 

[KittyKat]

What are the dimensions of the tank? What are your tank water parameters? What decor do you have?

 

[Wills]

You have plenty of room What fish do you like? If your after singletons maybe something like a Keyhole Cichlid or if you want to populate the bottom why not get an other Bolivian Ram to try and pair up your male? And then a trio of Apistos of some kind? You could always do a group of small catfish or loaches for the bottom? Like Zebra Loaches or Panda Cories?

Wills

 

[sadguppy]

I'd go for a group of loaches or cories, as suggested above.

A group of 6-8 peppered cories would add interest to an otherwise unoccupied part of the tank, or maybe some yo-yo loaches? They have the added benefit of eating snails although they can be territorial if you have other bottom dwellers, which you don't at the moment but it's something to consider. They are stunning fish and always active.

 

[mattlee]

i would go with another bolivian ram, maybe 2 more. add to the cardinals, they look so much better in a bigger group and will add so much more to the tank.

as wills said loaches or corys would be a good addition, polkadot loaches are real good characters and stunning fish. maybe a group of 4 would be a good choice

 

[BETTY BOO]

the dimentions are 80 x 35 x 45 cm
my parameters are
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 10
ph 7.6

i have a marine themed tank shown here

im not sure how to sex rams but i have tried adding 2 before with mine and it didnt work out.i would love a keyhole cichlid tho.

 

[mattlee]

what has to be understood here is that most fish will be much more comfortable in bigger groups of the same species. my rams are amazing to watch in the group of 7 that i have, my angels are much more colourfull in the group of 8 and act more natural, and my cardinals in a group of 25 are immense.

they will colour up much more the safer and secure they feel, also with the introduction of opposite sex fish it can completely transform some fish species. you will see much brighter fish that are much more active and interactive.

you have lots of room available in a decent sized tank there and filling it with a mish mash of single fish would be a shame in my eyes. it is your tank though and if its what you want to do then go for it.

keyholes will also do better in a group of 3-4 though.

just be carefull of adding cichlids with the gouramis. ive never had a calm gourami they all seem to be right pains in the backside and if they get on the wrong side of a cichlid they will lose the battle im sure. also the ventral fins may be subject to nipping on the gouramis so be carefull of what you add.

 

[BETTY BOO]

i understand what your saying.so do you recommend i add 2 more rams then?
and if so would it be a good idea to take out my current one and put him in a bag.then move around the decor and put them all in at the same time???
im worried that i may end up with 3 males.how do i sex them?

thankyou for your help its much appreciated.

 

[mattlee]

i would just add the new rams into the tank they arent an overly aggressive cichlid and will sort out their hierachy pretty quick. there are many topics about sexing rams on the forum at the minute, one has some good pics too. the best way is to check the breeding tubes but if the fish are very small then it can still be tricky and of course they may not always be visible. if you end up with 2 males and a female then it can be hard on the female so in a group of 3 i would say to go for 1m and 2f or all males.

 

[BETTY BOO]

ok well ill have a little look at that.well im going to my lfs in half an hour so will get the 2 rams and post back with some pics.thanks
im upgrading to a 45 gallon next year so they will love the extra room.

 

[BETTY BOO]

well im back from the lfs and i have 2 small rams.they are a lot smaller than my original one.will this cause problems??.there lovely but i cant tell what they are.i got 2 for £9.95

 

[mattlee]

well im back from the lfs and i have 2 small rams.they are a lot smaller than my original one.will this cause problems??.there lovely but i cant tell what they are.i got 2 for £9.95

the larger one may become the dominant ram but 1 has to be so not too much of an issue. i hope they are as active and colourfull as mine are in a group for you

 

[Judgejudy]

Pics please!

 

[Dazzler666]

I should be upgrading to a five foot tank soon and was looking at Bolivian rams. Does anyone know if it is possible to house tiger barbs, Bolivian rams, apistos & possibly angels in the same tank ( although I'm aware that barbs should not really be kept with fish with flowing finnage such as Angels! )???
Pics would be good too!! .

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I would add another 7 Cardinal Tetra and think about adding a third gourami that is definitely not male, two gourami in a tank could spell disater for the submissive one. As a later seperate purchase, I'd then buy a female Bolivian Ram.