Looking For Centre Piece Fish

piper

Fishaholic
Joined
Aug 13, 2005
Messages
674
Reaction score
0
Location
London (UK)
Can any one suggest a good looking fish up to about 6" for my community tank? My stock is as below but I’m thinking of giving my Mollies away.
I'm looking for a show piece fish some thing colourful and beautiful that’s possibly a bit rarer than your average Angel.

70Gal Tank and well planted.

8 Parti Pentazona Barbs
5 Cardinal Tetras
4 Sailfin Mollies 2M 2F
4 Otocinclus
5 Corydoras Fake Julii
1 RTBS

10 Cherry Shrip
4 Amano Shrimp
2 African Dwarf Frog

All suggestions are welcome. :good:
 
Some kind of cichlid or gourami would probably be your best bet.

In terms of cichlids, the various dwarf New Worlds, kribs/pulcher and keyhole cichlids are all common favourites. You can get hold of some quite rare or beautiful ones if you take the time. The only thing to keep in mind is that some will chase your cories around when it comes to breeding and some may pose a threat to your shrimp and/or dwarf frogs. Also, being mainly bottom-dwelling fish, they might clash with your current stocking but they'll appreciate the planting very much indeed.

When it comes to cichlid species, I'm not especialy equipped to make good suggestions but I can give you some gourami ideas if you are interested.

The first that always comes to mind is, of course, the pearl gourami (Trichogaster leeri) as it's my favourite fish. A trio would be nice but I'd actualy suggest a larger group - maybe 5 or so - with a couple of males and several females. Pearls are unusual in that they'll display behaviour very similar to schooling and can be very social. In a large tank, with lots of their own kind, they'll remain very agreeable and peaceful fish. By keeping both males and females, you also encourage the fish to show their best coloring - and they realy are amazing fish when mature. The only issue with pearls is that they can get nipped but it's rare that they'll be severely affected and a larger group is even less at risk. They grow to 4-5" (males being at the upper end of that) and can easily be sexed as the males develop a lovely deep red-orange ventral color, olive flanks and dorsal area and have an elongated dorsal and anal fin - both of which also posess extended fin rays. Females are plumper and less brightly colored but also have some subtle olive and pink shading.

A fish that might suit you better is the moonlight gourami (Trichogaster microlepis). The downside is that it's not quite as bright and grows larger (about 7"). Having said that, they are almost as peaceful and a single fish would be just as suited to your tank as a trio would (whereas pearls do better in groups). Though they appear a uniform silver, in the right lighting, they have a stunning purple tinge. When males are mature and in breeding condition, their ventral fins turn the same deep red-orange as the pearls' ventral area. The contrast with the purple is beautiful. Females have yellow ventrals (as do males when not in breeding condition). These are harder to sex than pearls but sexing does often seem to matter less with moonlights anyway.

Another fish that would realy suit your tank is the banded (or indian/striped) gourami. The sceintific name is Colisa fasciata and I reccomend you learn that if you are looking for them as they are often mis-labelled (though you realy can't mistake them!). Males are brighter than females and grow slightly larger. They max. out at around 4". These fish look like slightly elongated and enlarged dwarf gouramies but, IMO anyway, have a much friendlier 'personality' and are less likely to dispute territory and cause trouble. Their colors are amazing and even the fish at your LFS should be striking (and they improve as they settle in and mature). The other huge plus is that they, like the moonlights, are unlikely to be bullied by nippers and, like both the afformentioned species, they are hardy and tolerant of a wide range of conditions. A trio would be great but more would work just as well. Also, you can keep several males quite easily without any trouble - but always avoid keeping gouramies in a pair (regardless of sex realy).

Simialrly, I'd suggest the thick-lipped gourami as an alternative to the banded. Colisa labiosa, however, is not usualy as brightly colored (though there are a handful of color morphs to choose between) and they stay smaller - at only 3.5". Again, a trio (or more) is best and they are very similar to the bandeds with respect to behaviour.

There are many smaller gouramies that would work as well but they are not 'centerpiece' material per say. All gouramies will appreciate a planted environment to an extent. The above, especialy, thrive in heavily planted tanks and would realy appreciate them. Contrary to what you might think, once settled in, they are quite active fish (especialy when kept in groups) and heavy planting encourages them to come out and be comfortable. Another big advantage of these large top-dwelling species is that, with your somewhat bottom-heavy current stocking, they'll be filling in a gap in the water column and hopefuly won't be competing much for space with your existing fish.

Other than cichlids and gouramies, have you considered rainbowfish? Even some of the smaller ones (like dwarf neon/blues - Melanotaenia praecox), though they are schooling fish, can finish off a tank very nicely even though they aren't quite on par with angelfish :p The larger ones (my favourites are boesmani rainbows and Melanotaenia lacustris) can be even more impressive but I wouldn't feel confident keeping them with your cherry shrimp ;) Keep in mind that LFS rainbows never look like they will ocne settled in a stable aquarium environment so don't underestimate their beauty - they are called 'rainbow-fish' for good reason.
 
WOW thanks sylvia. Alot of food for thought there.

I'll be reading up on all these fish today its a great starting point for me :D
 
I have keyhole cichlids in my large community tank and they are lovely - they are a perfect community fish - good luck getting hold of them though as they are pretty uncommon. Also maybe a pair of 3 spot gouramis? They look lovely and when they get bigger they should still be a fine community fish. I would have suggested a glass knife fish as they are beautiful fish but Im not sure about keeping it with tetras - although my sister kept one with a few neons, rummynoses and glowlights (plus other fish) and it never ate one - despite being a large fish about 8" long it had a tiny mouth which could be why.
 
I'll vouch for keyholes... wont get to 6'', but they are quite interesting peaceful cichlids.. I've got one that's about 3''.. I don't expect it to get much bigger then that..

They're not the most exciting colored fish, but they look very cool when flared up... Could chuck a couple in there and watch them roam around the tank..

A gourami is probably another good option.. maybe a paradise fish?
 

Most reactions

Back
Top