Help choosing a "centerpiece" fish

What I have:

• 29-gallons
• Fake driftwood with fake plants attached
• 2 small live java ferns (am getting more, and bigger ones)
• Cardinals and neons (by the way, one of the neons disappeared within 12 hours of buying him--he looked sick--is it possible the others ate him that fast and left no trace of him???)
• Panda cories

One person recommended I get a "centerpiece fish," such as a dwarf gourami, which supposedly does well when it's the only gourami in the tank.

What I'm looking for is a fish that:

1. Does well being the only one of its kind so that I can only get one
2. Is around 3" to 3" length (and tallish, too, rather than a long, narrow fish; maybe a small angelfish?)
3. Is preferably colorful

What are my options?

 

You might want to add how many of each fish you have so others know how much bio load your tank already has. . . .

 

Well first of all a nice school can in its own right be a "centerpice". You don't nessisarily have to have a standout fish persay.

In my tank my oldest clown loach is my "centerpice" fish but that's simply because he is my top prioroty where my tank is concerned.

It is a community tank and he is only one of several clown loaches but he's my baby and my "pet" in the truest sense of the word. So in essence my tank is designed around him.

Secondly, how many fish do you have currently?

 

You might want to add how many of each fish you have so others know how much bio load your tank already has. . . .

Agreed. We need to know as much info as possible before we start to give you advise.

 

It's me again, the guy who bought all the tetras in one load and people were warning me about the bioload. I'm not getting any new fish yet. I'm taking everyone's advice and going to do daily 50% water changes until the ammonia settles down (it was like a .1 after I changed the water this morning, so it's not crazy or anything, but I know it will be since they've only been in there for 20 hours). But, specifically, 14 neons, 5 cardinals, 3 pandas cories.

Side question: I had 15 neons last night, but I noticed one was swimming spastically and with his nose down. Maybe 6 hours later, I couldn't find him anywhere, and I consistently counted only 19 tetras as opposed to the 20 I had hours earlier. Is it possible he was eaten and left no traces behind?

 

I doubt they would have eaten him that fast. You'll want to look for a body so you don't get an ammonia spike from it. I would wait an absolute minimum of 30 days before adding any more fish.

 

^^^^^^
I remember you now.

 

I doubt they would have eaten him that fast. You'll want to look for a body so you don't get an ammonia spike from it. I would wait an absolute minimum of 30 days before adding any more fish.

No worries, I won't be getting any others any time soon. Just planning is all.

I'll look for him in the hollow driftwood tower I have.

By the way, should I wash my hands with soap before putting them into the water to move things around, search for the fish, etc.?

 

I don't use soap, you can wash them off. Unless you have a reason to wash them. I always wash them with soap and water if I have gotten anything on them recently (hair spray or stuff like that).

 

So any suggestions for a fish that goes well solo? What about an angelfish?

 

So any suggestions for a fish that goes well solo? What about an angelfish?

It'll probably eat your neons

 

I've kept angelfish with neons. But I also fully exspected some of the neons to be food.

In there native enviroment neon tetras are on the freshwater angels menu.

That being said a well fed angel is not as likely to eat them...

BUT your tank IMHO is too stocked for what your looking for.

One angelfish needs at a minumum 10 gallons and more ideally 15.

 

One angelfish needs at a minumum 10 gallons and more ideally 15.

I have 29 gallons. But are there any other fish that do well by themselves besides ones that eat tetras?

 

I have 29 gallons. But are there any other fish that do well by themselves besides ones that eat tetras?

Dwarf gourami

 

I have 29 gallons. But are there any other fish that do well by themselves besides ones that eat tetras?

But you DONT have 29 gallons of space. In fact if all 23 of your fish do happen to live you don't really have any more space. At least not for a larger species. Maybe to add to a school.... maybe... but the bottom line is you pretty much fully stocked in one fail swoop.

 

I'm not asking in this thread if I have enough room. I only want to know what a good fish would be for what I'm looking for. Dwarf gourami, thanks, CoryCats.

 

We are only trying to help. No, you didn't specifically ask if you had the room, but we could name a lot of centerpiece fish that are too big for your tank. I don't see how not telling you that your tank doesn't have room for a fish is helpful?

 

I'm sorry. I was under the impression you wanted to know how to care for your pets. My apologies. Typically people who come on here asking for advice are trying to learn about animal husbandtry and want to know what's best for the animals they keep.

 

We are only trying to help. No, you didn't specifically ask if you had the room, but we could name a lot of centerpiece fish that are too big for your tank. I don't see how not telling you that your tank doesn't have room for a fish is helpful?

I was addressing that more to the Arden. But I did say I'm not getting any other fish right now, and if 7 or 8 of the tetras die in a month, or if I get rid of some to make room for anther fish, it'd be good to know what I could get. I'm just asking, I'm not taking any action at the moment.

 

I'm sorry. I was under the impression you wanted to know how to care for your pets. My apologies. Typically people who come on here asking for advice are trying to learn about animal husbandtry and want to know what's best for the animals they keep.

No, that's what my other threads were for on this site and others. I make separate threads for separate topics. This thread has nothing to do with the room in my tank. I'm just asking what fish can be the only one of their kind in a tank of tetras and pandas, assuming there's plenty of room, all the room in the world, and yet a fish that only grows to be 3 inches or so.

 

I was addressing that moree to the Arden. But I did say I'm not getting any other fish right now, and if 7 or 8 of the tetras die in a month, or if I get rid of some to make room for anther fish, it'd be good to know what I could get. I'm just asking, I'm not taking any action at the moment.

I still don't understand why you wouldn't want to know the tank requirements of the fish you are interested in.

 

I still don't understand why you wouldn't want to know the tank requirements of the fish you are interested in.

That's okay, you don't need to understand You've answered my question already about what kind of fish can be on its own. That's all I wanted. I have other threads asking about tank requirements, how to care for what species, etc.

 

That's okay, you don't need to understand You've answered my question already about what kind of fish can be on its own. That's all I wanted. I have other threads asking about tank requirements, how to care for what species, etc.

Uhm yea OK.

 

If you ask for stocking advice your tank size is absolutly relivent to the answer you receive. You tank size, filtration capacity, water paramiters, current stock... these things are all relevant and very few people here will even begin to venture to advise you on a type of fish without that infornation...

The fish specices you choose is not just a matter of tank mates but also a matter of the fish adult size, pH prferences, tank temperature, if the tank is planted with live plants, filtration turnover rate, current, need for salinity if any..... etc etc etc...

 

If you ask for stocking advice your tank size is absolutly relivent to the answer you receive. You tank size, filtration capacity, water paramiters, current stock... these things are all relevant and very few people here will even begin to venture to advise you on a type of fish without that infornation...

The fish specices you choose is not just a matter of tank mates but also a matter of the fish adult size, pH prferences, tank temperature, if the tank is planted with live plants, filtration turnover rate, current, need for salinity if any..... etc etc etc...

Thanks. But maybe I should have rephrased the question. I'm not asking for stocking advice, just general information. Like if I went up to a guy who knows everything about everything, like he's a god, and I asked him, "Hey, I notice lots of fish swim in schools. Are there any fish that like to swim with those fish as well as long as they are the only ones of their type?" And he wouldn't ask me about tanks and stuff, he'd just say something like, "Sure, plenty of them. There are things that need to be taken into consideration, but generally, those fishes are...." and he would proceed to list them. It's a question about fish, not about stocking a tank. I worded it badly, but it's just a general question about fish. Just fish.

 

But it's about fish that you intend to put into your tank. Since I have given my advice on what you be OK as a single centerpiece fish in your tank I will now bow out of the thread.

 

a sparkling pygmy gourami or dwarf gourami would be good