36g Bow front, looking for stocking ideas...Pictures!!

[myswtsins]

Ok the pictures are not great and I just put the decor in today so it needs a lot of work! I will be getting some black s-grade colorquartz crystals for substrate in a couple days, that is one reason that the aquascaping is not finished. I also will be getting a nice piece of real driftwood, once I find some. The plants that are in there are just kinda random to make the barbs feel more secure. Alright down to business here....water parameters

Ph -8.2
Kh - 12 dKH
Ammonia, nitrites, nitrates - 0 (just starting cycling with 4 cherry barbs)

I want colorful fish that can thrive in my hard alkaline water and some what small tank. Any suggestions?? BTW the tank looks so much better in person! =) The 1st photo is with flash one so you can see what is really in the tank and the 2nd is just the tank light on. Any suggestions on where to get really REAL looking plants? These are almost all Penn-Plex Plus.

(BTW anyone who was following my cichlid thread, almost all my LFS said I can easily put 12-15 mixed Africans in my tank :wall: and this is why I need you guys so much! Oh and I am probably picking up a 75g tank fully equipped in a few days!!! :headbang2

 

[Lupin]

I'd simply stick with Lake Tanganyikan shelldwellers for that tank. Add shells for them or try the julidochromis and Neolamprologus leleupi along with Synodontis nigriventris.

 

[Rbishop]

Mixed cichlids would be a nice colorful choice.

 

[jm1212]

livebearers

 

[BubbleBack_Ek9_]

Yea chichlids would look nice with that setup...

 

[Jayhawk]

I can think of several options:

1) Livebearers such as platys or swordtails with a pair of rainbow cichlids.

2) Tanganyikan cichlids (if you want shellies, the substrates must go and be replaced with something with particles the size of sand...shellies dig - it's who they are and what they do). Otherwise, dwarf julies (ornatus, transciptus, dickfeldi), N. brichardi (a pair alone will take over the entire tank -they form colonies which is fun to watch), N. leleupi, or even a calvus with some julies would work.

3) A group of yellow labs and maybe something else (I'm not a Malawian type of guy, so listen to others if you want them).

Personally, I'd not keep S. nigriventris in a pH that high...they might be fine, but they are riverine catfish and come from areas with much lower pHs (unless they're in the rift lakes and I'm not aware of it - fish knowledge advances so quickly these days). Plus, they're not overly colorful and hide most of the time. Then again, maybe it's just me. I love the look of these guys, but every time I keep them I get bored with them fairly quickly and a group takes up a lot of biomass in a small tank (I've kept them in groups of 3 or 4, so maybe I need more but that would mean a larger tank).

Eric

 

[myswtsins]

Thanks for the responses. I think the shelldwellers are pretty but this tank is for my mother's living room and she does not like them. Also is is possible to get shells that will NOT affect my water?

Mixed cichlids would be a nice colorful choice.

livebearers

Yea chichlids would look nice with that setup...

Any ones in particular though? Cichlids have been an issue with this tank footprint & our (me & mother's) desired setup so I was kinda trying to getting away from that. Someone did recommend a tank of either P. saulosi OR met. "Msobo" (10 or so) with a couple Iodotropheus sprengerae (rustys). Since the P. saulosi & Msobo are dimorphic the mix of yellow and blue would be fine with us, with a splash of rustys. Do you guys think that would work?

I came to the general freshwater forum to see if anyone could recommend any "community" fish and we go right back to Cichlids. =) But my cherry barbs do very well in my water even though their profile says otherwise so I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions for tank mates. Fish that are colorful and easily acclimated?

 

[Jayhawk]

Well, I think you could easily get away with blue/three spot gouramis or gold gouramis with some barbs (cherry or gold barbs would especially do well). They've been captive bred for so long they do well in just about anything wet.

Another option with barbs (the non-nippy barbs that is, so no tiger barbs) is a male paradise fish. They're very hardy and have a huge range and do well in just about any water. A school of cherry barbs, a school of white clouds, and a single male paradise fish would be a nice tank. If you've not kept white clouds (IMHO they're very under-rated), they have these great little male to male displays and are just a fun little fish. You'd get silver, red and blue/red stripes in such a tank with lots of activity.

Eric

 

[myswtsins]

You snuck right past me there jayhawk.

I can think of several options:

1) Livebearers such as platys or swordtails with a pair of rainbow cichlids.

That is a possibility. Pair as in breeding pair or same sex?

2) Tanganyikan cichlids (if you want shellies, the substrates must go and be replaced with something with particles the size of sand...shellies dig - it's who they are and what they do). Otherwise, dwarf julies (ornatus, transciptus, dickfeldi), N. brichardi (a pair alone will take over the entire tank -they form colonies which is fun to watch), N. leleupi, or even a calvus with some julies would work.

Not interested in shellies but I will be adding a sand like substrate. How many julies & N. leleupi would you suggest with the M. brichardi pair?

3) A group of yellow labs and maybe something else (I'm not a Malawian type of guy, so listen to others if you want them).

I LOVE yellow labs!:drool: If someone could recommend a complimentary colored fish for them I'd be very happy.

Personally, I'd not keep S. nigriventris in a pH that high...they might be fine, but they are riverine catfish and come from areas with much lower pHs (unless they're in the rift lakes and I'm not aware of it - fish knowledge advances so quickly these days). Plus, they're not overly colorful and hide most of the time. Then again, maybe it's just me. I love the look of these guys, but every time I keep them I get bored with them fairly quickly and a group takes up a lot of biomass in a small tank (I've kept them in groups of 3 or 4, so maybe I need more but that would mean a larger tank).

Eric

Thanks for your input!

 

[myswtsins]

Well, I think you could easily get away with blue/three spot gouramis or gold gouramis with some barbs (cherry or gold barbs would especially do well). They've been captive bred for so long they do well in just about anything wet.

Another option with barbs (the non-nippy barbs that is, so no tiger barbs) is a male paradise fish. They're very hardy and have a huge range and do well in just about any water. A school of cherry barbs, a school of white clouds, and a single male paradise fish would be a nice tank. If you've not kept white clouds (IMHO they're very under-rated), they have these great little male to male displays and are just a fun little fish. You'd get silver, red and blue/red stripes in such a tank with lots of activity.

Eric

Sounds interesting, I will look into these guys more and get back to you. Thanks a lot!!