Stocking Question

[southafricandude]

hi i have been keeping fish for about 5 years now but i always like to get more than on opinion. i am setting up a 40 gl tank and i am thinking of stocking it with 1 blue gourami, 1 female siamese, 8 platys or swrodtails, 2 mollys, 5 corys and a few guppys. would this be ok?

also i have a 60cm by 35cm by 30cm 20 gl tank that has been running for like 6 months and i want to keep a single cichlid in it. what would be ok for this tank? a firemouth or convict maybe?

 

[Cheese60]

You shouldn't keep the gourami with the Siamese fighter because they are both related and could be aggressive towards each other. Also mollies and guppies are cold water fish where as gouramis and Siamese fighters are warm water fish so this would not work either. As for the cichlid, I would recommend an Electric yellow as they don't grow too big and can be quite lovely, I have one and I keep it with gouramis and other peaceful fish, even though thay are an extremely aggressive fish. I have had mine since it was a tiny baby and have kept it with these other fish and it is there for more peaceful towards them.

 

[ZoddyZod]

Also mollies and guppies are cold water fish - not true, both are classed as tropical.
As for the cichlid, I would recommend an Electric yellow as they don't grow too big and can be quite lovely, you mean an electric yellow lab? These should not be kept in anything other than a Mbuna tank with other Mbuna. You have apparently just got VERY lucky with the temprement of your specimen..

 

[southafricandude]

mollys and guppies are tropical fish! and i want to keep the cichlid alone in a 20gl

 

[OldMan47]

Your stocking looks good to me SA dude. Although things like the Betta splendens have caused small problems in some settings, you seem to have a decent species selection there.

 

[Man of fish]

I'd pick either a gourami or a Siamese fighter, but you wouldn't be able to keep 1 female because 5 is a minimum for females to spread aggression and a male may turn out bad with guppies. If it were my choice I'd get 1 male and 2 females of either honey gouramis or dwarf gouramis if you can find females.
For the cichlid maybe some scarlet badis/ Dario Dario? Like 3-4 of those maybe? Or possibly apistos not sure if they're too big. A firemouth may work but I think it's too big IMO and I don't think I'd do a convict.
Aldo guppies and mollies are tropical and like water about 78*