stocking levels differ from site to site...

[houndour]

I would love a betta but I thought that the cardinals might fin nip. Other than that I think my tank would suit a betta. The water flow would not be strong and I'd have plenty of hiding places in plants.

I'll ask in a different forum about the cardinals fin nipping.

Thanks,
Sam

 

[freddyk]

Sam, I kept a betta with cardinals - cardinals are completely harmless and the betta completely ignored the cardinals.

 

[yvez9]

the 1 inch thingy is a guideline, not a rule
ome fish are messier tha others and have different needs...

for example, cories will mostly come out at night while tetars will sleep at night, so they won't really bother each other, thus giving you the ability to keep more

The guideline is good for starters though, as you can see how your tank looks, it's easier to maintain with fewer fish and so on..

if you feel you can add mroe fish then go ahead!

I've never measured all my fish, but i'm sure it is way overstocked if i compare it to that guideline.

The onyl thing is, more fish = more care

i have to do more water changes and i have a slight algea problem that is currently being worked on right now too.

 

[houndour]

Just searched the betta forum for info on keeping cardinals with them. Opinions seem to vary greatly. Some say no to keeping bettas with anything, others say not with cardinals and some say that they have cardinals with bettas and it's fine.

Another dilemma...I guess I have more time to think about it though. It would be nice to have a 'centrepiece' fish as you called it freddyk. My tank is going to look rather empty. I've never really thought about gouramis. Will have a look into them.

Sam