Striking Blue Fish Suggestions

[Hathaway]

Hi guys

Wondering if anyone here could give me some advice. I have a Juwel Rio 300 (350 litres) coming soon, and I've earmarked a few fish I like as a shortlist, but most of these are of the red variety and I'd really like to get something in there with quite a vivid blue. Looking at getting at least some of the following: Red Tailed Black Shark, Serpae Tetra, Neon/Cardinal Tetra, Black Ruby Barb, and Denison Barb. Having a hard time finding something that's both blue and vivid. Was looking at Cichlids but it seems the vast majority of these are quite aggressive. I particularly liked the look of the Melanochromis Cyaneorhabdos, and it's suggested to be far less aggressive than other Cichlids, but again I've no idea if it would be suitable with any or all of the fish previously mentioned. Anyone with experience of this species in a more traditional community tank?
Got quite a bit of time yet before I set anything up, but always like to plan ahead
Cheers.

 

[ScholasticSpastic]

You'll get a nice blue sheen off a school of dwarf neon rainbowfish if your water quality is good. Alternatively, you could shell out for an electric blue ram. Aggression in a small enough package will be diluted in a 350 liter tank to the point that you can safely ignore it. Rams don't get large enough or defend a large enough territory to be a worry. Serpae tetras are potentially more trouble than a ram.

If you go with cardinal tetras you'll have a wonderful source of both vivid blue AND red in your tank. Consider a large school- it can be impressive, especially with a dark background in a well-planted tank. Vallisneria, cryptocoryne wendtii, java moss, and java fern are all plants which will perform for you without investing in specialized equipment and thus improve the color and behavior of your fish. Perhaps hold off on crypts until you've got some nice mulm in your gravel.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Denison Barbs need cooler conditions than the other fish you list, they do best in a tank that changes temp with the seasons, with a natural "summer season" approaching 25C offset by a cool winter approaching 15C, keeping them permanently in tropical conditons will shorten their live span closer to 4 years rather than 8. Other fish that do well in such temperate setups with no heater in the tank include fish like...
Rosy Barbs
Zebra/Leopard Danios
WCMM
Paradise Fish
Three-lined Corydoras
Pappered Corydoras
Empire Gudgeon
Odessa Barbs

Melantaenia lacustris or praecox (Lake Katubu/ Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish) would get my vote for a blue general community fish, both thrive in hard alakaline water and need weekly large water changes without fail to keep them in tip top condition (prone to mouth fungus if water quality is not kept at a high enough standard).

 

[Baccus]

Blue Emperor tetras are stunning fish, and the males have an unsual tail making them easy to sex from the females.

 

[Hathaway]

Thanks for the suggestions so far guys, I'll take a look into them all. Hoping to go to a local Maidenhead Aquatics next week so I'll be having a gander there too