16 gal tank - stocking ideas

[seira]

Right now I have a cycled 16 gallon tank with 5 glowlight tetras in it.
Stealth heater (temp is 76), 2 Whisper 10g filters w/biofoam and
live plants (anacharis, java fern on driftwood, java moss). This is
my first tank.

The glowlights seem quite happy, so I want to add more (2?).
I want to give them plenty of room but would like to add different fish.
I'm thinking about a dwarf gourami (1 male) but have heard different
stories about these guys. The LFS said they would return an aggressive
one but I hate to stress a fish out that way. I would love a larger fish
though. I am also thinking about adding 3 female bettas (I would raise the temp?)
or 2 cherry barbs (2 females?) and maybe after the tank is
established for several months some catfish. My substrate is regular
gravel though. My LFS said just stock it with glowlights
but visually I was hoping for more color. Also they said no livebearers (platys etc)
because they like salt and tetras do not. any ideas whats best? thanks~

 

[Ghost_knife]

betta and tetra is a no no, most tetra like to nip fins.. I have a small school of blue dwarf gourami in a 10 Gal with my betta. they are cool together.

 

[ljse]

I would get male cherry barbs, they're a lot more colorful, especially when they are ready to breed.

 

[Roan Art]

Glo Lites are fine, as are neons. If anything the betta will torment them. Stay way from gouramis, they will nip the betta.


NorthStar:
As an aside, gouramis don't school You're lucky yours get along with the betta, because they usually don't. I would never recommend a betta in with any gourami. They nip.

Roan

 

[Ghost_knife]

I never had a problem. I spent a day or so watching when I put them in there. No missing fins or anything, my gourami like to swim in the same general direction...I call it schooling or grouping...kinda pretty when they do that

 

[mandimoron]

And by the by, from what I've heard around here, livebearers don't necessarily need salt in their water to thrive, though there always seems to be some debate about it. I personally keep my platies in freshwater with an oto cat and some cories, and they all seem to be doing well together. Thus, IMHO, I think you could probably get away with some livebearers in that tank if you really wanted to.