JayZed

I'm new to all this. I have a 30 litre (8 US gallons) tank but I'm a bit stumped about what to stock it with. I was thinking of getting a couple of the smaller tetras (eg neons or cardinals), and a couple of cherry barbs or zebra danios and/or a dwarf gourami. But it seems that all of these fish (except the gourami) prefer to school, and I'm thinking that six barbs or tetras might be overstocking a bit. Plus, I'd rather have a variety rather than all the same species.

Any suggestions? And would four or five fish of this size be okay in an 8G tank?

platy ben

You could get a variety of platys, just get a few different species so you have lots of different colour.

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore!!!

8g isnt alot of room for many fish

if you got a gourami, theres not much room for him/her to make a territorial position so he would probably be too agressive towards any other fish...maybe get a few cory's for the bottom, like 2 or 3 and then a small school of neons about 4 or 5...other than that, you would be over stocked...smaller fish do like schools, and bigger fish that dont, are going to be cramped in the 8 gallon...

or you could buy a divider and get a couple betta's

goodluck ...let us know what you choose!!

MissMTS

Welcome to Fishlore!!!

For 8 gallons, I would get get a tank with about 4-5 male fancy guppies

pepetj

JayZed: For 8gal and stepping a bit out of overstocking, with excellent filtration (e.g. HOB filter for a 20gal tank), a small heater, and likely twice a week partial water change this is my suggestion:

Idea 1:
Five young female Bettas: You could get different colors/temperament/species of female only Betta fish if they get to establish a hierarchical group. But you should have a plan B in case two or more refuse to give up authority.
Consider changing aquascaping so they don't get bored.

Maybe adding two or three Anubias Barteri, these plants are hardy, and provide resting surface for them.

Idea 2:
4 Neon Tetras
3 Panda Corydoras
Provide caves, and maybe, Hornwort or Anacharis (planted all around the tank, except the front glass)

Pepe
Santo Domingo

ShaynaB

Bettas!

Just not together. Even females. Sorority tanks don't usually work, especially in that small a tank. There just won't be enough room for the girls to swim away or hide.

I vote Betta though! You could put one or divide the tank and put in two!

steveangela1

I vote male betta myself, that would be enough room for a betta to be happy. You could put him in a snail, or oto.

Shawnie

5 female betta's in an 8 gallon might be a bit too much or the territorial issues...although the extra filters would be great, I think the girls might get their skirts in a tizzy being that close

Blub

I have a 7.5gal tank, and stocking it is hard. Really, if you want several kinds of fish, you MUST go with Nano fish, by this I mean tiny little fish, like Pygmy gouramis, Ember tetras, Glowlight danios, Pygmy/Dwarf corys, Endeler's Livebearer males etc. Or, you could keep a single male Betta. That's what I'm doing with my 7.5gal! Live plants would be a must IMO since all these species need cover. Cryptocorynes, Hygrophila and anubias are good for small tanks like this.

BTW, is your tank the AquaStart 320 by AquaOne?

JayZed

Thanks for all your helpful suggestions. I think I'll probably go with either 4-5 male guppies or 4-5 neon tetras and a couple of corys. I do like the thought of a betta but I'd like more than one fish. Will let you know what we decide!

Question: if I am getting four or five guppies or tetras, should I just add one or two to start with and then more later, or is it ok to add them all in one go?

My tank is a 30 litre BiOrb (www.biorbaquariumshop.co.uk/BiOrb_Aquariums). Don't know if you get them in the US.

JayZed

Another question... if I were to go with nano fish instead, how many could I reasonably get? Say I decided to get a shoal of ember tetras or glowlight danios, plus a couple of pygmy gouramis - how many in the shoal?

Blub

Bio orbs aren't ideal tanks for bottom dwellers - because there is so little bottom space! As long as it has a heater and a fully cycled filter, it's good.

Neons and Guppys minimum tank size is 10gals. I think a Betta or nano fish would be great! Locate your local Maidenhead aquatics - you'll be glad you did when you get the amazing quality fish and rare ones. You won't find many nano fish at other places.

A good rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per gallon when dealing with small fish. So, an ember tetra is 0.80" long, since you need at least 6 (Its a schooling fish) that will take up about 5". Then, perhaps add on 2 male Endelers, you have 8". Get it?

I might not go for a Betta in a Bio orb since there is less space to put Betta toys.

Could you please ensure at least one 'side' of the orb has some sort of background, because fish feel like they have nowhere to run to if they don't have a background because there is nothing behind the, They are much more confident with one which is a very good thing!

JayZed

Thanks HH. I'm beginning to think that getting the 30L BioOrb wasn't the best idea, but hey ho, if I enjoy keeping fish I'll think about getting a bigger tank (might have to get a bigger flat first...)

There's a Maidenhead Aquatics not far from us so I'll check it out tomorrow.

angelfish220

If you still want gourami, consider a trio of Honey gouramis or sparkling gouramis, they stay about an inch long, they are NOT territorial (a big problem with gouramis) and if you keep them happy (and have the right genders) they might breed!

Shawnie

hmm my honey gourami is a lil over 2 inches...and they are territorial so not sure an 8 gal would be good for more than one ..just my

angelfish220

really? I was researching and that was the numbers that came up? I'll see if I can find the site...

Shawnie

yeps..mines about 2 1/4 inches and I guess she broke the rules of that site lol...most ive read says 2 inches also...but I guess theres an exception to all fish rules

Blub

Pygmy (AKA Sparkling) gouramis would be the ideal choice of Gourami for that tank. You may want to look into gobies: http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.u...article_id=545
And shrimp: www.PlanetInverts.com, www.PetShrimp.com
Live plants would be a good idea for this tank as well: www.Tropica.com, www.PlantGeek.com.

Good live plants would be Cryptocoryne, Hornwort, Elocharis, Hygrophila, Anubias, Java fern and Java moss. The last 3 plants need to be tied down to decorations like rocks and wood.

Here is a list of Nano fish: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/pl...st-v1-0-a.html