aquarium dunce

Yippeee I did water test yesterday and the ammonia has dropped to 2, nitrites are at 0.5, and nitrates are at 10. I was so happy to see those colors I did a happy dance in the kitchen lol. Anyway so I am now entertaining the ideas of what kind of fish do we want. I really want colorful active fish. Any stocking ideas??

Blub

Colourful, active fish? Easy! Take a look at platys, mollys and guppys. They come in pretty much any colour you could want, and are really cute and active. Just make sure you only get males! You don't want them breeding or they will overstock your tank eventually. Also take a look at the tetra family! And cherry barbs.

A good general guideline to how many fish you can have is 1" of adult fish per gallon. Just remember to include minimum tank size, compatibility etc. in that was well.

Here is a good database with almost every fish you'll commonly encounter in it which should give you a good idea of what they look like. If you want info on a particular species, just ask! http://www.aquahobby.com/e_freshwate...arium_fish.php

Good luck!

raff

If you're after active fish, definitely have a look at some Corydoras Catfish. I have a small group of 3 in my 18gal and they are all over the bottom. Great fish.

bolivianbaby

I agree Corys are cool

Alessa

A group of neons or rasboras would do great with the corys.

MissMTS

I would do a pair of bolivian rams or a pair of apistogramma species. They are very colorful and their behaviors are so much fun to watch They would do great with a school of cories and tetras

Blub

I would like to politely disagree on the notion corys are 'active'. Every single time I have tried a school... I was greeted every morning by a school of corys hidining at the back of the tank. And they didn't come out all day... So I think your taking your chances if you go for corys - they could e active, they could, quite frankly, be boring. But they're cool fish and really cute though.

I think you might want a bristlenose pleco - not exactly colourful bur lots of people feel the need to have a 'bottom dweller'/'algae eater' and they are great to watch. The albino verson is a bit more colourful, and the Clown pleco is also more colourful but is less fun to watch than the bristlenose. (I have one of each!)

aquarium dunce

omg I just saw a picture of the cockatoo cichlid they are so very pretty! So if I could get a pair of them... how long should I wait after the tank is cycled to add them? I really like the cardinal tetras and the corydoras also. How much of each one of those could I have without overstocking. Here are a couple of pictures of my tank... do I have enough plants and hiding places for the cockatoo's??

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peacemaker92

Nice tank! I'm not sure about the Cockatoos but I wouldn't recommend them because they grow to 2-3 inches? That already takes up some space from your tank. Maybe 2-3 of them would be fine I think. (wait for the more experienced members who know about these lil' guys to tell you) The Cardinals, maybe around 6? Cory's about 2 should be fine. If my suggestion is a lil overstocked, forgive me... haha

Blub

3 Corys, 2 Cockatoos and 6-8 Cardinals would be about max - possibly pushing it a bit.

peacemaker92

hmm.. that looks good too

aquarium dunce

ok so if I can get the cockatoo cichilds, cardinal tetras and corydoras....in what order should I add them??

Blub

Well, Cardinals or corys first - but Cockatoos after as it is always a good idea to add territorial species last.

jdhef

You might want to try adding the Cardinals first, since cories usually prefer a tank that is at least somewhat established.

aquarium dunce

so do I add all the cardinals in or just 3 at a time??

jdhef

I would only add 3 at a time. You don't want to overload your bacteria. It would probably be a good idea to wait 10-14 days before adding additional groups of 2 or 3 fish.

aquarium dunce

ok thanks a lot.... now to find the fish I want... didn't see any cardinals, cockatoos, or corys at the LFS

Blub

Cards and Corys are easy enough to find - especially if you aren't specific about what kind of Cory you want. Cockatoos may be a bit more of a challenge to find though. Good luck!

bolivianbaby

If I'm having trouble finding a specific type of fish, I look online and call every one I'm willing to drive to and they'll tell you whether or not they carry the fish you're looking for.

Hope this helps!

jdhef

I don't know where you live, but in my area both PetSmart and Petco have Cardinals and Cories.

aquarium dunce

Thanks I will try petsmart next

aquarium dunce

wooohoooo today 0 ammonia, 5 nitrites and higher nitrates (can't remember exact number I was too exicted to see no ammonia for the first time since December lol) Almost finished the cycle I hope... I did have to adjust pH a little as it had fallen to 6.6 again.(used crushed coral in nylon). I went to the local fish stores trying to decide on fish.... Here is the newest idea!
6 cardinal tetras
3 corydoras
2 bolivian rams
Does that sound good or too much

ApolloX54

Yeah I just went to Petsmart today and they had like 40 Tetras and 20 Emerald Cories.. I was about to buy 3 on the spot.... but I'll wait a week or so...

Blub

That sounds like a good list - not that different from the previous one but it sounds cool - you could probably have a pair of any apistogramma/mikrogeophagus cichlids in there without problems.

Just for the record, 'Emerald Corys' are acctualy not corys - they're a species of Brochis; basically the same but they get bigger! Emeralds reach 8-9cm.

aquarium dunce

thanks a lot!!!