Choosing the right fish!

[ktkt22]

I recently set up my 33g tank - fake plants, sand substrate, and cycle "complete" and added:
1 marble angel fish
2 gold gourami
2 small common plecos

I need some advice on what other fish would work well with those. I really like angelfish but wasnt sure how multiple angels would get along, and only got 2 gold gouramis for the same reason. (Man at the store told me when I asked about how many of each fish to get "you can get any number of any fish 1, 2, 3 however many you want" but i knew he was not so bright ) I would like another type of fish that I could get a bunch of ( maybe 5 ) but not sure what would be good. Here are some fish I was thinking of:

Black Skirt Tetras
Powder Blue gouramis
Neon Rainbowfish
Red fin rainbow shark

Would all or any of those be compatible with the fish I already have? Can I get more angelfish or gold gouramis?

ANY advice would be GREAT!

Thanks!

[Star_Rider]

you are going to have problems with your 'common' pleco..even the smallest common will get to big for your tank.(the smallest 'common' will reach 10-11")if you can trade the commons for a rubbernose ot bn you will be better off.
the single angels may be okay. but keep an eye on it with the 'gold' gourami( color morph of the blue gourami) these can get a bit nippy at times.they also get 4-5"
from the sound of it..this tank is new?
if this is the case monitor the water parameters. do you have a test kit.
this is a good kit to start with
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4345+4454&pcatid=4454
once the tank has completed the nitrogen cycle you can then look at varying the stock.
cycle 'complete' may not really help the formation of bacteria you need for the nitrogen cycle.
you should monitor the warer parameters as low levels of ammonia and nitrite may begin to form..these are toxic to the fish.

[ktkt22]

Hmmm I thought it would be best for me to get more than one pleco to help with the algae ... they are very small but I guess I will try to take them back and get something more size appropriate. I havent found many others in the local stores except the gold nugget which is too expensive for me! ($30)

My water has been fine for a while now - 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, low nitrates ... i cycled the tank for about 3 weeks until everything was right.

[deadxero]

There realy isn't much "need" to have an algae eating fish in your tank. It can be benificial if you water contains elements that stimulte algae growth, but id by no means necessary. In fact, plecos can be very dirty fish and can actually contribute more to poor water conditions than to keeping algae down.

As mentioned above, "common" plecos will likely out grow your tank, and quickly at that. There are varrieties of plecos that people call common that can reach 2 feet in length.

[jpappy789]

I recently set up my 33g tank - fake plants, sand substrate, and cycle "complete" and added:
1 marble angel fish
2 gold gourami
2 small common plecos

I need some advice on what other fish would work well with those. I really like angelfish but wasnt sure how multiple angels would get along, and only got 2 gold gouramis for the same reason. (Man at the store told me when I asked about how many of each fish to get "you can get any number of any fish 1, 2, 3 however many you want" but i knew he was not so bright ) I would like another type of fish that I could get a bunch of ( maybe 5 ) but not sure what would be good. Here are some fish I was thinking of:

Black Skirt Tetras
Powder Blue gouramis
Neon Rainbowfish
Red fin rainbow shark

Would all or any of those be compatible with the fish I already have? Can I get more angelfish or gold gouramis?

ANY advice would be GREAT!

Thanks!

In this tank I would probably remove the plecos and choose either the angel or one gourami. Keep in mind that any variant of Trichogaster trichopterus will max out at 6".

Then I would add either 8 black skirts or 6 praecox and about 8 corys.

[Marinemom]

I would return the common plecos and replace it with a bristlenose pleco that maxes out at 5 inches or so. Choose either the angel or the gourami as the centerpiece fish and then use smaller fish in the aquarium to accent the centerpiece fish. Be careful with the blackskirts around either the angel or the gouramis since they are known to be nippy and cannot seem to resist the long flowing fins of the angel or the feelers of the gouramis. Gouramis can also be nippy and get aggressive to other fish in certain situations since they tend to be quite territorial.

Marinemom

[ktkt22]

Thanks for all the help!!

I think that I am going to go ahead and return the plecos and get about 6-8 black skirt tetras!! I"ll probably leave it at that for now (maybe get the bristlenose).

[ktkt22]

I've found what I want for now!!

Tank consists of:

1 Marbel Angel
2 Gold Gouramis
1 botia kubotai loach
8 black skirt tetras


They are all getting along just fine!:headbang2:

[Dwarf Puffers]

I've found what I want for now!!

Tank consists of:

1 Marbel Angel
2 Gold Gouramis
1 botia kubotai loach
8 black skirt tetras


They are all getting along just fine!:headbang2:

You might want to reconsider the loach. He's small now, but can get 5", and I've read that kubotai can be very active. He should also be kept in a group of at least 4, as loaches are very social animals. Other loaches would be kuhli and dwarf chain loaches (dwarf botia is another common name).

Watch the gold gouramis. They are known to be agressive, especially to each other. They could kill the angel, even if they are peaceful now. You might want to take one back, because as has been mentioned, they reach 6" full grown.

And I'd like to put in that you shouldn't trust any advice from your LFS if they told you you could put in as many fish as you want. Whether it's ignorance or they want you to buy lots of fish and keep replacing them when they die, who knows. It doesn't matter much, either, because no matter what it is you shouldn't listen to that LFS any more.

[ktkt22]

Thanks for the advice!!

Oh and the LFS that I went to where the guy OBVIOSLY didnt know what he was talking about - I haven't been back and don't plan to. Luckily there is another store close that has a good selection (and better staff!)

I got the loach because I got some trumpet snails and i heard that loaches help control them. I was thinking about adding another loach because they are better in numbers, but just 1 loach was $20 so I'll have to add to that one slowly!! I did not know they get to be as big as 5" but since the tetras are so small I think I would be ok with 1 more loach. ??

I'll keep an eye on the gold gouramis - I haven't seen them chase other fish - just each other. But thanks for the heads up!

[leighasnana]

From reading your original post it sounds like you haven't cycled the tank. If you filled it with water, added cycle and fish then your tank isn't cycled and you're going to run into alot of problems. Having compatible fish is important but the ones you have will either die or get very weak if you don't cycle your tank. If you want to cycle your tank with fish get only one and a liquid test kit. Ammonia will spike first, then nitrite and finally your readings will be 0 for each. A & N are highly toxic to the fish. Take all of the fish back and get a test kit and read up on cycling the tank. The cycle you added doesn't work and I guess it was more bad advice from the store you went to. Bacteria needs to be refrigerated to be kept alive and isn't cycle right off the shelf? If you're going to do this with a fish add lots of live plants. Just float them, they'll help to take up the ammonia, nitrites and nitrate. You can remove them later if you choose to not have plants but it will make it easier on the fish.

[leighasnana]

O.k. just read your second post where you say your tank is cycled. You need ammonia to get the cycle started. The ammonia would have come from a fish, fish food or liquid ammonia which you added during cycling. If you just left the tank sitting there for 3 weeks it hasn't cycled. It sounds like you have a test kit since you say your readings are at 0. Start testing now with the fish in the tank. If you have ammonia I still say take the fish back. Either way you need to start very slowly and not stock the tank all at once. There's not enough beneficial bacteria in there yet to take up the A & N from all of these fish. Another good way to help with the cycle is to get a bit of filter media (sponge etc....) from an established tank and stick it behind the media in your filter.

[ktkt22]

I already cycled the tank. I used the shrimp method. Went through the cycle ammonia-->nitrites-->nitrates .... my levels are all fine now! Thanks!

[Cory Keeper]

controlling an MTS population is a bad idea IMO, MTS is one of the best "pest" snails you can find. Even a single loach can wipe out an entire population.

[LornaFaire]

I disagree with Dwarf_Puffers on the loaches. I think loaches make WONDERFUL pets. And they take a long time to get big so size is something you can worry about later. By that time you may even want to upgrade your tank. However, it is very important to keep 2 or more together. They do get lonely and depressed if they have no one to play with. I'd suggest clown loaches or dwarf chains as Puffer said. Other great detritus feeders are Corydoras Catfish. They come in lots of different patterns and make for an adorably active tank. Again, they should be bought in sets of 2 or more.

[jpappy789]

I disagree with Dwarf_Puffers on the loaches. I think loaches make WONDERFUL pets. And they take a long time to get big so size is something you can worry about later. By that time you may even want to upgrade your tank. However, it is very important to keep 2 or more together. They do get lonely and depressed if they have no one to play with. I'd suggest clown loaches or dwarf chains as Puffer said. Other great detritus feeders are Corydoras Catfish. They come in lots of different patterns and make for an adorably active tank. Again, they should be bought in sets of 2 or more.
Clown loaches will reach 5 inches rather quickly, within a few months. Their growth will slow down after that but that is will be too much for this tank.

I think you should always take into account adult size BEFORE adding them to the tank. By the time you worry about it they may already be stunted.

I think the loach should be removed and you should get 5-6 corys instead.

[ktkt22]

Ok so I'm just a bit confused ---

For the size of my tank (33g) is what I have too much?

1 Angelfish - Max size 6"
2 Gold Gouramis - Max size 6"
8 Black Phantom Tetras - Max size 2"
1 Polka Dot Loach - Max size 5"

[jpappy789]

Eventually yes. Two 6" gouramis is what I would be concerned with, along with a loach that gets fairly large and is very social.

[ktkt22]

So I should just get rid of the loach and not add anything else?

You suggested adding corys but wouldnt that take me over the tank size limit?

[jpappy789]

I dont think so. The thing with the loach is not completely the size but that they are very social and thrive in groups of at least 3 or 4, and that many is completely out of the question with your tank. Corys are rather small and do not contribute a whole lot to bioload (though they still do like any other fish).

I would also suggest removing one gourami. Eventually the conspecific aggression may become too much until only one is left.

[Cory Keeper]

Other great detritus feeders are Corydoras Catfish. They come in lots of different patterns and make for an adorably active tank. Again, they should be bought in sets of 2 or more.

wrong, on all but one.

Cory cats do not eat fish waste, They will however stir any that has settled, and if you have good circulation, it will not settle but instead gets sucked into the filter. Which can appear that the corys eat fish waste.

Cory cats also need groups of at least four to be happy, after which it doesn't matter if you have even or odd. The more the merrier though

Cory cats are cute and active though.

Sand should also be used as the substrate, mine seem to prefer the sand and will constantly be digging through it looking for scraps of food, whether or not they are hungry. I think they would be a great substitute for the loaches.

[leighasnana]

I already cycled the tank. I used the shrimp method. Went through the cycle ammonia-->nitrites-->nitrates .... my levels are all fine now! Thanks!

O.k. sorry, didn't mean it to sound like a lecture. I just read 3 weeks and a bottle of cycle and made an assumption. It's good that you're here trying to do what's best for your fish.