Help choosing out of the fish I'm interested in (16g)

[heeerefishyfishyfishy]

I've read at least 10 posts where someone asked about stocking ideas for a 16 gallon, but I wanted to make my own as I have specific fish already in mind. Tank info:

- Dimensions: 23.4"×11.8"×14.2
- pH: between 6.8-7 (I can't tell)
- Temp: 71° (without a heater)
- Heavily planted
- 14W LED light

I recently got 4 male guppies that I loved the look and temperament of. I didn't realize how high of a bioload guppies have though, and according to Aqadvisor my tank is already at 53%. Tank is dirted and ammonia hasn't risen beyond .25 but has been at 0 lately, nitrites and nitrates still 0 too. I'm not planning on adding anymore fish for a while, just getting some ideas.

I'm trying to figure out what else I could add to the tank out of the fish I'm interested in, and if I should just return the guppies entirely. I do feel bad thinking about returning them, I worry they'll end up in a bad situation and I feel bad rejecting them, but I want a tank that makes me as happy as possible. If I list all the fish I'm interested in, I wonder if someone could help me figure out which ones of the list would be happiest together, and a suggested amount:

Guppies
White cloud minnows
Pygmy corys
Chili rasboras
Dwarf rasboras
Possible a betta down the line
Neocaridina shrimp
Snails

I thought about CPDs but if they're as shy as I've read I'm not really interested. In regards to bettas, my LFS keeps them in community tanks so I know they're likely to get along with others. I also know with the guppies having a betta is out of the question entirely. I definitely want a lot of shrimp, but am unsure if the pygmy corys will compete too much for food in that realm. I read different things so it's confusing.

Initially I thought of adding some chili rasboras and corys to the tank, with some shrimp, but the stocking is around 80% then. I really love the idea of a schooling fish though.

I want to keep the tank understocked but I'm unsure what that means. Is 76% considered understocked because it's not 100%, or does that mean closer to 50% or less capacity?

 

[Frank the Fish guy]

Return guppies!? What

Just keep the guppies they will be fine.

Just get double filtration for a small tank. I run two filters on a 10 gallon tank with guppies. They breed and make more guppies forever.

Rasboras, shrimps, guppies, snails, it's a party man. They will get along and be fine.

Get some live plants to make a balanced ecosystem too.

Have fun!

 

[heeerefishyfishyfishy]

Return guppies!? What

Just keep the guppies they will be fine.

Just get double filtration for a small tank. I run two filters on a 10 gallon tank with guppies. They breed and make more guppies forever.

Rasboras, shrimps, guppies, snails, it's a party man. They will get along and be fine.

Get some live plants to make a balanced ecosystem too.

Have fun!

Haha I'm not sure how much you read of my post, but my tank is heavily planted already and I have all male guppies, so no breeding in this house!

Your enthusiasm is cracking me up though, thank you! Do you think guppies, rasboras, corys and shrimp would be too much? I was unsure of the two schooling fish together.

Do you also think I need another filter if I have sponge and a lot of plants? I know Aqadvisor doesn't account for plant filtration, and I have a lot of em. This is my tank so far, everything was just planted last week so I'm excited to watch it fill out.

 

[Frank the Fish guy]

Keep the sponge filter, but add another filter, or even two to the back. Then you can stock up and have a big party in there.

Lovely tank. Needs more fish!

 

[BlueRaccoon]

I just want to stop by to say a Betta can't live at 71 degrees. You're going to have to get closer to 80, which will affect the other fish you add.

 

[heeerefishyfishyfishy]

I just want to pipe in to say a Betta can't live at 71 degrees. You're going to have to get closer to 80, which will affect the other fish you add.

Oh I would get a heater if I got a betta.

 

[BlueRaccoon]

I just want to pipe in to say a Betta can't live at 71 degrees. You're going to have to get closer to 80, which will affect the other fish you add.

Oh I would get a heater if I got a betta.

Gotcha! Beautiful little tank.

 

[heeerefishyfishyfishy]

Probably no one will care but I decided to upgrade to a 20 long, switching things over this weekend. I no longer have the guppies as I lost two and didn't wanna risk the others succumbing to the same fate, so I returned the other guys and now have an empty tank. Figured it's the perfect time to upgrade and hold onto my 16 gal in case I need a hospital/quarantine tank.

 

[BlueRaccoon]

Probably no one will care but I decided to upgrade to a 20 long, switching things over this weekend. I no longer have the guppies as I lost two and didn't wanna risk the others succumbing to the same fate, so I returned the other guys and now have an empty tank. Figured it's the perfect time to upgrade and hold onto my 16 gal in case I need a hospital/quarantine tank.

Hey!

So did you figure out what caused the death of the guppies? Did the ammonia get too high?

Did you cycle before? Is that the plan now?

What are you going to stock with?

Have fun!

 

[heeerefishyfishyfishy]

Hey!

So did you figure out what caused the death of the guppies? Did the ammonia get too high?

Did you cycle before? Is that the plan now?

What are you going to stock with?

Have fun!

I never figured it out fully! Ammonia never got too high, it had remained 0, nitrites never got above 0 and nitrates never above 5. Tank was cycled and has been showing same numbers since removing them.

The person at the store said she believed it was columnaris and likely just from stress of moving too much. I had bought them from the store the day they arrived (I didn't know at the time that it's better to buy fish a week or more after they get to the store) so we just figured that being shipped across the country, placed into a tank, then removed and placed into another tank was too much for the little guys.

Three of them seemed fine, but the deaths from the first and second were about a week apart so I was worried the last 3 would get sick eventually too. The only thing I could think of with water parameters is that I learned my GH is 1 and KH is 2! I read everywhere that guppies need hard water, but then met a few local people who use the same tap as me and keep guppies just fine. So now I'm confused if 1 GH is actually OK for guppies so long as they slowly acclimate (I did a plop and drop).

I'm unsure of stocking still! I keep thinking of pygmy corys but I don't want shy fish that hide a lot, and I read about 60-40 stories of pygmies that are shy vs swim around. I really like white cloud minnows and still love dwarf rasboras. The only thing I'm positively certain about is yellow shrimp

 

[JustAFishServant]

I love this tank - amazing. But I'd like to clarify about bettas

NO they don't need 78-80°F; I've done extensive research on wild Betta splendens as well as Betta splendens 'Regans' (our domestic counterparts) and I've determined the "safe zone" of temps for domestic bettas is around 74-83°F; so yes, 71 is too low but not by much, and no you don't have to keep the tank at 80. I once had a female betta who was stressed in anything above 74 and a male in anything below 82

On top of that, the higher the temp, the higher the metabolism and, in turn, the lower the lifespan. I've researched it deeply (I've run a small betta rescue for 12 years); bettas kept at 78-84 tend to live between 8 months and 3.5 years, but bettas kept at 74-75 tend to live 1.5 to 8 years - my oldest betta lived to be 6 years old in 74-76°F; as he got older, I increased the temp to 82 and he lived another 2 years

Just saying this so you know there are more opportunities than the typical "80 degree" rule

Also, the reason your tank likely didn't show an ammonia/ammonium/nitrite/nitrate spike is because of the plants! Heavily-planted tanks process chemicals differently, as plants use it all for food

 

[Blacksheep1]

Ooh the 20G opens so many options , it’s a great size tank !
have you considered sparkling gouramis ?
I think with many of the “shy fish” stories , there’s always a reason . If you love cpd’s get them. If you love Pygmy corys , get those too !

you’re already heavily planting , that’s half the battle in my opinion. You’re giving them the structure to not feel ‘shy’ from the start. My cpd’s certainly aren’t shy. I also think that the cpd’s will act as dither fish for the corys , they’ll keep each other feeling safe . As long as you have structure and hiding spaces you’d have to stamp in the room and shove your face to the glass for them to hide ..

the crux of my comment is get the fish you want. Make bigger schools of them a they feel secure and they’ll be happy , you’ll be happier enjoying the fish you wanted too.

 

[heeerefishyfishyfishy]

I love this tank - amazing. But I'd like to clarify about bettas

NO they don't need 78-80°F; I've done extensive research on wild Betta splendens as well as Betta splendens 'Regans' (our domestic counterparts) and I've determined the "safe zone" of temps for domestic bettas is around 74-83°F; so yes, 71 is too low but not by much, and no you don't have to keep the tank at 80. I once had a female betta who was stressed in anything above 74 and a male in anything below 82

On top of that, the higher the temp, the higher the metabolism and, in turn, the lower the lifespan. I've researched it deeply (I've run a small betta rescue for 12 years); bettas kept at 78-84 tend to live between 8 months and 3.5 years, but bettas kept at 74-75 tend to live 1.5 to 8 years - my oldest betta lived to be 6 years old in 74-76°F; as he got older, I increased the temp to 82 and he lived another 2 years

Just saying this so you know there are more opportunities than the typical "80 degree" rule

Also, the reason your tank likely didn't show an ammonia/ammonium/nitrite/nitrate spike is because of the plants! Heavily-planted tanks process chemicals differently, as plants use it all for food

Totally! I was doing a lot of research on tanks before I set one up and knew that having it heavily planted meant a cycle that looks different. I actually have been told by 2 different professional fish people that I should take my plants out otherwise the tank will never cycle.

Now, I know I'm new, and I'm humble about that. But I also know when I understand something very well, and I understand how planted tanks uptake ammonia and nitrates (especially since I've got a bunch of floaters AND a few cuttings of pothos hanging off the side). These guys wouldn't let up and acted like I didn't know what I was talking about, *sigh*

Thank you for that betta knowledge! That's interesting about their lifespan, I've been learning this with other fish too. The bettas at my LFS are kept with other fish, and I doubt those tanks are all 80. If I do end up wanting a betta I'm buying one from him, so I know they'll be friendly towards other fish *and* already acclimated to less than 80 temps.

Ooh the 20G opens so many options , it’s a great size tank !
have you considered sparkling gouramis ?
I think with many of the “shy fish” stories , there’s always a reason . If you love cpd’s get them. If you love Pygmy corys , get those too !

you’re already heavily planting , that’s half the battle in my opinion. You’re giving them the structure to not feel ‘shy’ from the start. My cpd’s certainly aren’t shy. I also think that the cpd’s will act as dither fish for the corys , they’ll keep each other feeling safe . As long as you have structure and hiding spaces you’d have to stamp in the room and shove your face to the glass for them to hide ..

the crux of my comment is get the fish you want. Make bigger schools of them a they feel secure and they’ll be happy , you’ll be happier enjoying the fish you wanted too.

Thank you for this! My tank started out with a very decent amount of plants and I've already snipped some cuttings and replanted. I also found someone with some leopard val they can give me for free, I love the way those plants look tho I know they're prolific. I'm planning to add some of that and a water lily too, since I'll have more surface area in my 20 gal.

Definitely room for them to hide, and the tank is in my room too, so besides my heavy foot steps sometimes (woops) the room is quiet, which I hope will encourage everyone to feel safe.

 

[JustAFishServant]

I actually have been told by 2 different professional fish people that I should take my plants out otherwise the tank will never cycle.

Yeah I've heard that too...don't do that, that's just a foolish way to prolong a cycle and make plants suffer another acclimation period...they weren't so "professional" after all :/

I've got a bunch of floaters AND a few cuttings of pothos hanging off the side

You got riparium plants too? NICE! A piece of advice: there are many species of plants that thrive in a freshwater riparium; my favorites include basil, mint, pothos, purple waffle, philodendron, parlour palm, mangrove saplings and more. My opinion? Nobody knows about grape leaf ivy. It's extremely underrated, thrives in a riparium and will eventually hang over your tank.

Thank you for that betta knowledge! That's interesting about their lifespan, I've been learning this with other fish too. The bettas at my LFS are kept with other fish, and I doubt those tanks are all 80. If I do end up wanting a betta I'm buying one from him, so I know they'll be friendly towards other fish *and* already acclimated to less than 80 temps.

Great idea

Also consider what Blacksheep1 says; sparkling gouramis and pygmy cories. You'll have an active, peaceful tank that's still semi-aggressive enough for personality. It's a great combo

 

[Blacksheep1]

I actually have been told by 2 different professional fish people that I should take my plants out otherwise the tank will never cycle.

who are these people ? Every cycle can be different , of course , but plants only provide a beneficial aspect. I politely request you discard those ‘facts’ and continue as you are. Besides , anyone that makes you feel less than or talks down to you isn’t helpful. You might be new to the hobby but that doesn’t mean you’re clueless , the way you write clearly shows you aren’t. Plants will not stop your tank cycling.

Definitely room for them to hide, and the tank is in my room too, so besides my heavy foot steps sometimes (woops) the room is quiet, which I hope will encourage everyone to feel safe.

The heavy footsteps won’t be an issue , I was being dramatic I do encourage you to look into sparklers though, the main reason ? If they are in your quiet room you’ll get enjoy the croaking of the fish ! It feels like a treat everytime I hear mine and never fails to put a smile on my face . Nothing against guppies etc but some fish feel like they are just mindlessly eating and swimming, if that makes sense. You know when people describe a fish as personable ? I feel those fish are usually big fish like Oscar’s/ cichlids but fewer small fish have that. Apistos , betta’s and sparklers are the smaller sized fish that have that personality to me .

 

[heeerefishyfishyfishy]

Yeah I've heard that too...don't do that, that's just a foolish way to prolong a cycle and make plants suffer another acclimation period...they weren't so "professional" after all :/

You got riparium plants too? NICE! A piece of advice: there are many species of plants that thrive in a freshwater riparium; my favorites include basil, mint, pothos, purple waffle, philodendron, parlour palm, mangrove saplings and more. My opinion? Nobody knows about grape leaf ivy. It's extremely underrated, thrives in a riparium and will eventually hang over your tank.

Great idea

Also consider what Blacksheep1 says; sparkling gouramis and pygmy cories. You'll have an active, peaceful tank that's still semi-aggressive enough for personality. It's a great combo

I didn't even think of them as riparium plants, just plants from my house that I put into my aquarium, but you're right! I actually really want a piece of driftwood to stick out of the tank but I couldn't find any large enough. Eventually I do want to grow some culinary mints out of the tank, I've already got a bunch in my garden!

who are these people ? Every cycle can be different , of course , but plants only provide a beneficial aspect. I politely request you discard those ‘facts’ and continue as you are. Besides , anyone that makes you feel less than or talks down to you isn’t helpful. You might be new to the hobby but that doesn’t mean you’re clueless , the way you write clearly shows you aren’t. Plants will not stop your tank cycling.

The heavy footsteps won’t be an issue , I was being dramatic I do encourage you to look into sparklers though, the main reason ? If they are in your quiet room you’ll get enjoy the croaking of the fish ! It feels like a treat everytime I hear mine and never fails to put a smile on my face . Nothing against guppies etc but some fish feel like they are just mindlessly eating and swimming, if that makes sense. You know when people describe a fish as personable ? I feel those fish are usually big fish like Oscar’s/ cichlids but fewer small fish have that. Apistos , betta’s and sparklers are the smaller sized fish that have that personality to me .

Unfortunately one of the people was a guy from my LFS, which I'd rather support than a big box store, but I agree with you. People trying to make someone feel bad because they're new is a red flag to me.

Actually, the person who's been the greatest is this girl in her early 20s who works at a box store. She is incredibly educated and works there precisely because she loves fish and wants to give them the best life possible. We had a 30 minute conversation and I understood practically everything she was saying, it was so fun! I wish there was a local aquarium club by me but alas.

I've looked into sparkling gouramis and they are beautiful. The sounds they make are so incredible but I'm not sure if it would end up bothering me; I'm the kind of person who needs it totally silent at night. Unfortunately I'm a very light sleeper (for example I will wake up to the sound of a mosquito buzzing in my room). Are they active much at night?

 

[BlueRaccoon]

I love this tank - amazing. But I'd like to clarify about bettas

NO they don't need 78-80°F; I've done extensive research on wild Betta splendens as well as Betta splendens 'Regans' (our domestic counterparts) and I've determined the "safe zone" of temps for domestic bettas is around 74-83°F; so yes, 71 is too low but not by much, and no you don't have to keep the tank at 80. I once had a female betta who was stressed in anything above 74 and a male in anything below 82

On top of that, the higher the temp, the higher the metabolism and, in turn, the lower the lifespan. I've researched it deeply (I've run a small betta rescue for 12 years); bettas kept at 78-84 tend to live between 8 months and 3.5 years, but bettas kept at 74-75 tend to live 1.5 to 8 years - my oldest betta lived to be 6 years old in 74-76°F; as he got older, I increased the temp to 82 and he lived another 2 years

Just saying this so you know there are more opportunities than the typical "80 degree" rule

Also, the reason your tank likely didn't show an ammonia/ammonium/nitrite/nitrate spike is because of the plants! Heavily-planted tanks process chemicals differently, as plants use it all for food

This is very interesting. Thanks for sharing. It's hard to believe this false info is so widespread. Do you not find that Betta's are much more active when warm? I'm not saying that's a good thing. I just find that when Betta's are in cold water, they are significantly less active. I'm not saying your wrong, I'm just thinking through this.

 

[JustAFishServant]

People trying to make someone feel bad because they're new is a red flag to me.

This one guy at my LPS is very friendly when you get to know him, but if a fish dies he'll sort of talk down to you like you don't know what you're doing; I had a red claw crab who passed after 3 days: when I said I didn't think I drip acclimated long enough, he said "never drip acclimate freshwater; they'll almost always die"...once I said "it sucks because this tank has been set up for 8 years and I've been drip acclimating for 12 years" he didn't respond...he often seems rude on stressful days but you can't judge

He's a great guy though and we get along. I have a limp as my right leg is over an inch longer than my left, and he has a severe limp on his right leg from a bad knee

This is very interesting. Thanks for sharing. It's hard to believe this false info is so widespread. Do you not find that Betta's are much more active when warm? I'm not saying that's a good thing. I just find that when Betta's are in cold water, they are significantly less active. I'm not saying your wrong, I'm just thinking through this.

No you're absolutely right. Think about it; the higher you're metabolism, the more active you are. Bettas in high temps are more active with drastically shortened lifespans. "Cold" bettas (below 72°F) become stressed and prone to infections (viral, bacterial, parasitic)...so don't keep bettas "cold" but don't keep them above 78 if you want them to live a long, healthy, happy life...but of course, if a betta has ich or if they're stressed, don't risk lower temps

 

[Blacksheep1]

Unfortunately one of the people was a guy from my LFS, which I'd rather support than a big box store, but I agree with you. People trying to make someone feel bad because they're new is a red flag to me.

me too. I don’t think all store employees are ignorant by any stretch but you can massively tell when someone has a passion and enjoys learning and sharing that knowledge. Don’t let the odd rude person out you down or off the hobby.

Actually, the person who's been the greatest is this girl in her early 20s who works at a box store. She is incredibly educated and works there precisely because she loves fish and wants to give them the best life possible. We had a 30 minute conversation and I understood practically everything she was saying, it was so fun! I wish there was a local aquarium club by me but alas.

That’s exactly the person I love to hear about just to take the time to talk to you is great. I also don’t have a club but I wish I did too , this site makes up for it !

I've looked into sparkling gouramis and they are beautiful. The sounds they make are so incredible but I'm not sure if it would end up bothering me; I'm the kind of person who needs it totally silent at night. Unfortunately I'm a very light sleeper (for example I will wake up to the sound of a mosquito buzzing in my room). Are they active much at night?

I’m a super light sleeper too but no they’ve never once woken me up. It isn’t a loud noise by any means, it’s a 1-2second croak that’s low level. Like most fish they rest at night so I doubt you’d hear any noise at night, if you did it would be rare .

 

[heeerefishyfishyfishy]

me too. I don’t think all store employees are ignorant by any stretch but you can massively tell when someone has a passion and enjoys learning and sharing that knowledge. Don’t let the odd rude person out you down or off the hobby.

That’s exactly the person I love to hear about just to take the time to talk to you is great. I also don’t have a club but I wish I did too , this site makes up for it !

I’m a super light sleeper too but no they’ve never once woken me up. It isn’t a loud noise by any means, it’s a 1-2second croak that’s low level. Like most fish they rest at night so I doubt you’d hear any noise at night, if you did it would be rare .

I guess I could have just looked up "when do sparkling gouramis sleep" but it's nice to talk to someone else for answers sometimes. Thank you! Really considering some of those guys. I keep going back and forth I have so many options now. I like white cloud minnows, dwarf rasboras, or rummy nose tetras, though I believe the tetras are too active for a 20 long. I've read you can do it, but I want really happy fish, not fish who are in an "ok" situation.

 

[Blacksheep1]

I guess I could have just looked up "when do sparkling gouramis sleep" but it's nice to talk to someone else for answers sometimes.

Yeah no worries ! It’s always better to have real experiences to question than a Google answer.

I agree on the rummynoses needing more space. The white clouds would like cooler water so if you wanted a combo of fish the rasboras are standing out from your choices