Unusual stocking suggestions for a small but tall tank

[gimme30]

First, a little background, because if I don't add enough words well then this post would just be all fluff, wouldn't it?

For some 20+ years my basement was my fish room, where I kept 32 tanks for breeding (or attempting to breed) whatever struck my fancy, salt or fresh. Needless to say with that sort of capacity I was able to keep a wide variety of fish but the upkeep was ridiculous. It took a while but I finally got everything sold off/given away and now have a comfortable living space and can actually use my wood burning stove again. This left me with one low maintenance 16-gallon bowfront upstairs, which I thought would be fine until I drop dead and someone rolls me into the hole I've got dug in the backyard.

Unfortunately last spring I decided to give live plants another try, so I yanked out my incredibly realistic plastic plants, threw a bunch of money at a bunch of online retailers, and went completely au naturel. I say unfortunately because, while I can't prove it, I'm pretty sure the reason my 'very last tank ever' sprung a leak was due to my getting a little too frisky with the stupid tweezers jamming these stupid plants into the stupid substrate.
So, the plants fault, not mine.

I came home one day to find the tank half empty and my exotic one-of-a-kind 17th century Persian rug soaked to ruination.
Ok, it was a $3 bathmat from Walmart, but almost the same thing.

That tank had been in continuous service for 27 years so I was moderately PO'd. And panicked. So I ran to the LFS and picked up a replacement. Due to space constraints a long tank wouldn't fit and while I detest "kits" they only had one option that would work, a 26-gallon bowfront by Fluval with all the usual crap you don't really want. And an incredibly rickety-looking stand that despite my doubts has so far held up. I suspect this new tank is actually 30-gallons, because with 3 inches of substrate in front and 6 inches in one corner in the back it still held a measured 25 gallons...but that's neither here nor there.

Thankfully my deceased 16 gallon was very lightly stocked, so I crammed everyone into an ancient metal framed 1 gallon that could resume it's cycle quickly and set up the new tank. To accelerate the cycle I used the substrate from the old tank, (UGF, so no media to reuse) transferred over the plants, and the squeezings from a used filter my LFS was able to provide. I also picked up platys in a color I hadn't seen before because they were cheap and about the only thing they're useful for, besides potato gun ammo, is fish-in cycling. It took 3 weeks before I could add the poor critters from the 1 gallon but they all survived.

Now that it's been 10 or 11 months the new tank is ready for a re-do. I am absolutely tired of black substrate, so I've got white waiting in the wings. The platys have as usual multiplied to the point of irritation and will be re-homed. As will the elodea, which is really nothing more than stemmed duckweed. I'll keep the corkscrew val and fissidens, and will add bucephalandra later if I can ever find a mini I can keep alive. I've bought modular plates that will make a great UGF so I can ditch the HOB and have a gorgeous bonsai "tree" I'll use as a centerpiece.

Now, all I need are fish. This is where you come in. The new tank is taller than it is wide but not large enough to support angels, discus or the like, and I want to go community instead of a species-only setup. At first I was thinking a school of Microdevario Kubotai and one of Hyphessobrycon Ammandae might be kinda nice but neither of those are particularly unique and I really want to try something different. (not that I've tried that specific rasbora)
Thing is, I've tried A LOT of different fish over the years and am having a hard time coming up with something I haven't tried that will work in a tank this size/shape. So lay it on me fishy people, what would you suggest? Magnum Man has got me lusting over hatchets again but I've been there, done that, and besides they don't live as long as I'd like. I'm not limited to what my LFS has in stock as they will order whatever I'm after.....if I knew what I was after.

There. All those letters looks like a suitable waste of bandwidth. Aren't you glad you took the time to read every word of this scintillating post?
No? Sorry, no refunds!

 

[GaryE]

No refund needed.

When I look at at a tall tank I measure the base. If it's the same size as a ten gallon, but holds 40 gallons because it's deep, it's still a 10 gallon for stocking. Height is wasted space, unless you live and die (and kill fish) by wearing test kit goggles and missing the point of swimming space.

Ahem, so that dogma laid down - there are more tiny fish than we see in regular stores. It's hard to imagine how many can be ordered if you want to go off the beaten path. If you look online, it's always the same ones suggested. If your tank were 5 feet long, what fish would you order?

We can take that and work back to the mini ones.

 

[gimme30]

That's the thing. A long tank is much easier to stock! If salt I'd like to try Synchiropus lateralis or Cleidopus gloriamaris; for fresh Allodontichthys polylepis or a Alabama Sturgeon.
In the past I've gotten around the height issue (the 16 gallon was taller than it was wide too) with keeping fish like hatchets, gouramis, and corys (for example) that generally inhabit specific areas of the tank making the whole thing look "occupied."
Nanos seem like the reasonable solution to this particular problem, although I'm not set on them. I'm sure they'd prefer 6' to blast around in but would certainly be fine with 2'.

 

[GaryE]

If you can find a small goodeid, or tiger teddies, or Micropoecilia? It would be unexpected and demand some skill.

 

[emeraldking]

I keep some small high tanks overhere as well. In there I only house small livebearers that use all layers of the tank. But I do have to admit that these ain't livebearer species that are offered through retail. These do well in there.
The body structure of these fish is somewhat more compact. Fish with a more elongated or slender body structure definitely need width.

 

[Magnum Man]

I have 2 pair of tiger teddies coming this next week... and I'm sure I'll get grief for the suggestion, but I have one male Florida American Flag fish in a nano tank ( 5 gallon canning jar shape ) keeping it as I would a beta and that seems to be working ( it's my attemp to play killi... ) but a pair may breed in a tank like that...

 

[Back in the fold]

Angelfish ! It’s NOT too small for Angelfish . I had a pair of gold veil tails spawn in a 15 and raise their brood . I can hear the naysayers now but I hearken not .

 

[anewbie]

There are a lot of nice small tetra (from a bit under 1 inch to a bit over 1 inch - some very slim some more full bodied but all lovely) including:
Axelrodia riesei
Hyphessobrycon negodagua
Hemigrammus sp "morse code"
hyphessobrycon eilyos (very expensive but very unique; i have 2 groups)
trochilocharax orantus (very small; males a bit smaller than axelrodia riesei);
-
Some of these prefer lower levels others higher and some are more active than others. The trocilocharax orantus are amusing because they are always moving without going anywhere (very different than kubotai rasbora for example which actively cover the entire tank quickly).

If you had a much larger aquarium you could try Semaprochilodus laticeps but alas i think they are a bit too large for even my 10 footer.
--
Anyway there are 100's of interesting less common tetra that might be worth exploring. The ones mentioned I own but i keep them all in blackwater conditions and can't vouch how they do in harder water.

 

[gimme30]

If you can find a small goodeid, or tiger teddies, or Micropoecilia

Thank you, you may have nailed it on your first attempt! I've kept teddies but Micropoecilia may be just the ticket! I'd mostly given up on live bearers because they're so prolific and that comes with its own set of problems. I'll research these to see if they're a good fit but I really, really like the idea.

Angelfish ! It’s NOT too small for Angelfish

LMAO! Angels are the first thing that come to mind when dealing with a tall tank. And I do love them, black veil tails to be specific. I've never had one once fully grown whose body alone wasn't 5-6 inches diameter. This tank is only 25 inches wide. If there were such a thing as nano angels I'd be all over it!!

There are a lot of nice small tetra (from a bit under 1 inch to a bit over 1 inch - some very slim some more full bodied but all lovely) including:
Axelrodia riesei
Hyphessobrycon negodagua
Hemigrammus sp "morse code"
hyphessobrycon eilyos (very expensive but very unique; i have 2 groups)
trochilocharax orantus (very small; males a bit smaller than axelrodia riesei);

I tried breeding hummingbirds ages ago, without success, and IIRC they grew to around 2 inches? It's been so long I can't remember for sure. I've never kept rubys so thanks for that-I'll check into them as well. A school (shoal?) of those and the kubotais would look like a watery Christmas every day of the year!

I know this is one of those questions that some people dread, or don't like to answer, so I really appreciate all of your input. The membership here has such vast experience it seems like the perfect place to do a little spitballing.

Just to throw a wrench into the works.....I have no problem softening up my hard water but not having to do so would be ideal. Any hard water suggestions? And anything that won't eat neo babies would be a plus.

Yeah I know, I'm not asking for much.

 

[Magnum Man]

the flag fish can take the hard water

 

[anewbie]

Thank you, you may have nailed it on your first attempt! I've kept teddies but Micropoecilia may be just the ticket! I'd mostly given up on live bearers because they're so prolific and that comes with its own set of problems. I'll research these to see if they're a good fit but I really, really like the idea.


LMAO! Angels are the first thing that come to mind when dealing with a tall tank. And I do love them, black veil tails to be specific. I've never had one once fully grown whose body alone wasn't 5-6 inches diameter. This tank is only 25 inches wide. If there were such a thing as nano angels I'd be all over it!!


I tried breeding hummingbirds ages ago, without success, and IIRC they grew to around 2 inches? It's been so long I can't remember for sure. I've never kept rubys so thanks for that-I'll check into them as well. A school (shoal?) of those and the kubotais would look like a watery Christmas every day of the year!

I know this is one of those questions that some people dread, or don't like to answer, so I really appreciate all of your input. The membership here has such vast experience it seems like the perfect place to do a little spitballing.

Just to throw a wrench into the works.....I have no problem softening up my hard water but not having to do so would be ideal. Any hard water suggestions? And anything that won't eat neo babies would be a plus.

Yeah I know, I'm not asking for much.

Would be amusing if you had a 2 inch humming bird tetra since they only grow to about 0.8 inches - perhaps 2cm ?
[one caveat common names do change over time and are applied to multiple species so there is that to consider]

Anyway for hardwater endlers of all sort. red endlers blue endlers yellow endlers and endlers mixed of all colours.

There are a few small dwarf cichild from central america - also there are always shell fishes though they won't take advantage of the aquarium height but the endlers or something similar could cover the top.