ilikefish

I bought a thirty gallon and its been cycling for 2 weeks. I'm going to let it cycle at least another week but i'd like to stock it after that. Here's what I had in mind so far.

6 Neon tetras
1 African Butterfly fish
2 Dwarf Gourami
1 Pearl Gourami
1 Snail
2 Ghost Shrimp

2 Questions
1) Are these fish compatible.
2) According to this website. I am only 62% stocked; is it accurate?
3) And if so any advice on other fish?

Also i'm not a fan of very aggressive fish, they need to play nice.


Thanks

ATKINSON

Hi ilikefish, 2 possible problems with your compatibility: 1) Butterfly fish will prey on smaller fish such as your neon tetras. 2) Two male dwarf gouramis may fight if they are together. Why not have:
8 neons
1 dwarf gourami
1 pearl gourami
1 snail
4 ghost shrimp
Maybe another small shoal of schooling fish. ( Rummynose tetras,cardinal tetras.etc)

ilikefish

Would Colombian (red/blue) Tetras be more tolerant because their bigger and faster?
If so this is where I stand.

7 Colombian (red/blue) Tetras
1 African Butterfly fish
1 Dwarf Gourami
1 Pearl Gourami
1 Snail
5 Ghost Shrimp

And its 70% full.

aquarist48

Hello Ilikefish. It sounds like you're going to have a wonderful set up. Hopefully you can share some photos along the way. Please don't get too impatient and stock your tank before it is "completely" cycled. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 5-10 nitrates.

How are you cycling your tank?

Ken

ilikefish

I have cycled it with a snail and some plants. I raised the temperature to 80 degrees and I cycled it by "feeding" my aquarium. Thought I was maybe going to have issues with algae but so far so good.

0 Ammonia
0 Nitrites
10 Nitrates

I'm no pro but I was told these are good conditions?

Anyways thoughts on the fish?

aquarist48

Ilikefish good morning. It sounds like your tank is cycled. I'll have to let others give you suggestions on stocking ideas. Best of luck and keep us posted on your progress. Don't add too many fish at one time and throw your tank back into a mini cycle. Have fun!
Ken

ATKINSON

Hi ilikefish, you could try with the columbians and the butterfly fish but you should have a back up incase it doesnt work out.ie: take 1 or another back to teh petshop.etc. Also I think that the butterflyfish will try eat the ghost shrimps as well but I am not sure about that.

Do you really want the butterfly fish( it limits your stocking quite alot because it is a predator not a community fish.)

Your above mentioned stocking list sounds fine if you are willing to take a risk and have a backup plan, otherwise you could have this stocking plan

7 columbian tetras and 7 neon tetras or +-15 of 1 species of tetra.
1 pearl gourami
1 dwarf gourami
1 snail
5 ghost shrimp.

What do you think??

ilikefish

Ok ok so I guess the African Butterfly fish is a no go...

Hmm... As far as mixing the tetras
"[Columbians] are a somewhat larger tetra than can be semi-aggressive with smaller tank mates"

Im not too experienced but sounds like trouble... But thank you for your input! it helps


BUT my tank is still 30% unfilled any thoughts on some cool fish that play nicelyish enough?

Thanks!

Jaysee

30% unfilled?

If you're tank is cycled after two weeks, that's the fastest (without media) I've ever heard of. It is possible that there are nitrates in your source water, giving you that reading. I don't mean to be a downer, but I'm highly skeptical that your tank is cycled after 2 weeks with a snail.

As for the stocking, I have a butterfly and don't think they'll eat the neons, only because the butterfly is a surface dweller and the neons stay in the lower half of the tank. However, butterflies have a tendancy to attack fish that come to the surface, so I think it would not work with the gouramis. They also require special feeding practices and need lots of insects in their diet.

I would do the pearl, a dwarf gourami, 6 corys and either 6-7 columbian tetras or 12-15 neons. That would be a complete tank with fish at all levels of the tank. Better yet, do 6 dwarf neon rainbows instead of the columbians and 8 neon tetras.

ilikefish

Thanks for your input!

And no the tank is cycled properly. I bought the tank on craigslist and left the gravel in the tank with half an inch of water (above the gravel) while i moved it. Im not sure if that did the trick or not but if two weeks sounds fast then im sure thats it.

And you said "[Butterfly fish]... need lots of insects in their diet."... "lots" is relative lol. Is that like a cricket a day orr?

Thanks again!

Jaysee

Oh so it was running with fish when you bought it. Then yes, keeping the gravel would be enough to maintain the cycle. However, the bacteria colonies won't survive for more than a day without new waste being produced, at which point you've lost the cycle.

I feed mine crickets and supplement with flies, spiders, ants - whatever's around. I also turn off the filter so that it can propperly stalk. It senses the ripples on the surface. It's VERY important to keep the lid closed at all times, especially when feeding. It's not uncommon for them to hit the lid when pouncing on their food, and if the top were open it would litterally fly across the room.

ilikefish

Ok thanks for the info

Lucy

I recently got some new cardinals and glow lights. They look great schooling together and aren't bothered by the dwarf gourami.

Tony G.

hmm sounds to me like your tank will be stocked...
32g may sound like you can squease in a couple more fish, but you have to keep in mind how much they'll grow. I have a 32g and i understand how you feel, i only have 2 fish in atm.
Good luck with your fish babies!
cant wait to see pics!

ATKINSON

I think it depends on the fishes personality as well. I used to have 8 columbian tetras and they were peaceful towards my neons, glowlights and scissortail rasboras.

ATKINSON

I think you are lucky to have a mellow butterly, but I have seen some that attack and eat fish that are their size or bigger on occasion.

It might be a risk you are taking but as long as you have a backup plan...

Jaysee

The butterfly is in a 55 gallon predator tank with an african knife, senegal bichir and a leopard bush fish. At first I was worried about the bush fish, but it holds its own. I think it helped that the butterfly was the last addition to the tank.