Stocking Ideas

[stang1]

I currently have an empty 7.5 Gallon tank and I'm stuck for ideas!
I don't want a Betta as I have 4 at the moment and will have other tanks available for more at a later date.
I would really like some Pygmy cories but don't know what else to add.
My lfs has some beautiful Flame Tetras but I'm not sure if the tank is big enough.
I have been debating Dwarf Puffers but not sure how many it would house.
Any ideas very much appreciated,
Angie

 

[Katchan]

my other half has a 7 gallon, with a bristlenose, dwarf gourami and a betta. I'd guess you could have 3-4 pygmy cories, a dwarf gourami and maybe something small that doesnt school?

Andrew

 

[Miss Wiggle]

i wouldn't really go for tetra's they like a bit of swimming space so that's not really enough.

one of the pygmy cories (possibly hasbrosus but i'm not sure) is much more a midwater swimmer than other cories so perhaps just go with a nice group of them and some shrimp, should still give you activity throughout the tank

in all honesty after getting a decent group of cories, i wouldn't put much else in unless there's a single specimin fish you can find for there.

 

[cardinal sinner]

Hi Angie
Nice looking tank. I have 5 blacktailed Guppies & 2 Dwarf aquatic Frogs(soon to be 4).I think red fish would look stunning in your tank

 

[Miss Wiggle]

oooh had a good idea

boraras brigitte

teeny tiny like rasboras, they make my galaxies look enormous

 

[stang1]

Thanks to all for your response.
I did have Guppies in there but I am going to take them back to the lfs.
I've kept Dwarf Gouramis before and they are beautiful but sadly they died from an infection.
I really do like the Pygmy Cories so will end up getting some. How many would you recommend?
Would a Dwarf Puffer or two be ok in there with the Cories?

 

[Breeze7050]

I like the dwarf puffer idea. I'd say you could have 2 in there as long as it was well planted. You could possible add a larger snail or a few ghost shrimp in there as well, but keep in mind dwarf puffers can be real jerks to other fish!
If you get pygmy cories - I don't think Id risk mixing them with the dwarf puffers - 1 or the other will probably work better. If you go with cories i would say get 3-6. They like groups!

 

[OohFeeshy]

Dwarf puffers and cories are probably a no-no- DP tankmates tend to be 'non-invasive', and cories are anything but If you went for a small group of cories, you could have something larger like a honey gourami, a trio of sparkling gouramis, a female betta or similar.

 

[eschaton]

A few suggestions.

Any of the Boraras species. Maculatus are the easiest to find, though brigitte are the most colorful. You can easily fit a small shoal in there. Buy at least six, though they tend to be sicky fish, so expect a death or two (I'd get 8 or 9 to be on the safe side).

Endlers' livebearers are cheap, easy to find, and fit great in a tank of that size. Only issue would be they have a tendency to reproduce something fierce. If you keep them with shrimp you might need to either keep all male, or periodically move the fry somewhere else.

A Scarlet Badis would be a good choice also. Only get to be an inch, and they're an amazing color. Mine is in a tank right now with my maculatus and some shrimp.

Hope this is a help.

 

[tmack]

I've heard that the Scarlet Badis will only eat live foods, and won't touch flake food - true?

 

[eschaton]

I've heard that the Scarlet Badis will only eat live foods, and won't touch flake food - true?

Well, he's also in a tank with African Dwarf Frogs. He doesn't appear touch the flakes the Boraras eat, but he does just fine on the frozen bloodworms that are mainly put in for the frogs. Saw him chowing down on one this morning.

Of course, since the frogs are only fed every 2 to 3 days, so is he, but he's been growing and his color has been improving regardless.

 

[tmack]

Thanks for the info. The scarlet badis is indeed an awesome little fish.

 

[lljdma06]

one of the pygmy cories (possibly hasbrosus but i'm not sure) is much more a midwater swimmer than other cories so perhaps just go with a nice group of them and some shrimp, should still give you activity throughout the tank

C. habrosus is a bottom-dweller, C. pygmaeus is the one you're thinking of, though it swims actually in all strata of the aquaria. A good choice. A scarlett badis would be pretty sweet.

Besides Endlers, there might be another livebearer choice. I have an 8g with dwarf platies, 4 females 1 male. That is a cute little fish, very, very brightly colored. Their fry are growing in my planted 2.5g. The origin of the "dwarf" platy is still a bit iffy, though. Might just be stunted platies, might be a cross, might be line-bred. I'll see how big my fry get.

The boraras genus is another good suggestion.

llj

 

[tmack]

Well duh on me! I should have thought of the platies also - I have them in my small tank (12g) because they aren't a big fish, and they are very brightly colored. I have a couple red wags and yellow mickey mouse varieties and I love the red & yellow colors in the tank - very flashy!

 

[fishboy619]

for your tank, a few pygmy cories would go nicely, as for the main fish, a betta, gouramie, guppies, platies, anything that doesnt shoal and can live alone or in pairs.
2 dwarf puffers i think would fit, provide lots of cover and hiding places and buy two from the same tank thats likely to be mates. another puffer option, if figure 8 puffers, again 2 of these i think would look good. you could have an all shrimp tank, or some other "different" creature like crayfish/crab or newt/salamader
killi fish are another option.
what i think would look nice is a shoal of bumblebee gobies. that stay small and look great.
if you really want a school fish, here are smoe small fish that look pretty:http/www.franksaquarium.com/nanofish.htm