40 Gallon redone

[jm1212]

Hmm, i'm not really sure what i should do. I don't really want to take them back because i like them, but do you guys think that that's the right thing to do?

if *you* like them that's all that matters. it's your tank. you just need to understand the requirements for keeping them. it's the same with Tiger Barbs, African Cichlids, Oscars, and goldfish. all very popular fish, but all have requirements and limitations with what you can keep them with.

you'd probably be just fine with a pair of Bolivian rams. in my experience they're a bit more docile than GBRs when it comes to territorial boundaries, so they'll have a corner of the tank that's theirs. with that said, I've kept GBR's with cories many times in and out of breeding pairs.

 

[fishorama]

If you like them, keep them, but then you can only add panda corys &/or a dwarf cichlid... or pair, maybe...or a BN pleco. You'll need more hiding places if you go with a pair of cichlids; corys don't get the idea of territories. They go where ever, whenever; cichlid pairs & (less so) BNs & single small cichlids, they are all about their "areas".

I think because your 'skirts are small you don't really get how big they grow. 11 2.5-3 inch fish are pretty much going to "use up" your midwater space.

Danios are supposedly "upper level swimmers", I have leopards (a variation of zebras), they are all over the place, top to bottom, all the time. I don't think you have room for both...but I prefer slightly understocking for the long term & for adult size fish.

 

[FishyWarrior]

I've been thinking it over and i think that i do want to try different fish. I wanted a truly peaceful community this time around and frankly, these guys are scaring me. I just lost one to bullying, he was the littlest in there and was beat so hard he couldn't swim right anymore. Several others have been bullied into submission and won't eat either. Maybe in the future i can have a tank of just them but for now i'll look for something else. I just wish there wasn't blatantly false information everywhere, it makes researching fish that much more difficult.

But yeah the two that catch my eye are silvertips and ember tetras. Maybe 12 silvertips and 15 embers and call it fully stocked? Or is that too many?

 

[fishorama]

It goes to show everyone can have different experiences. My silver tips beat the snot out of other fish, then each other. I think with tiny embers you might have better luck with another small schooler.

 

[FishyWarrior]

It goes to show everyone can have different experiences. My silver tips beat the snot out of other fish, then each other. I think with tiny embers you might have better luck with another small schooler.

oh really? Wow thats so bizarre...yet again everyone was describing them as the perfect community fish, lol. Alright, so instead of them and embers how about harlequin rasboras? They've got to be truly peaceful right? If so im thinking 15 of them. Now i need to think about what id like with them..

Sorry for being so wishy washy about this, haha.

 

[fishorama]

I love rasboras of several species! Harlequins are old favs, espei are similar but a more coppery color & a bit smaller. Red tailed (r. petensis) are longer bodied. But there are many small & tiny species that would work too. I like the look b. brigittae (chili rasboras) but haven't kept them yet, check them out. I kept maculata but had them with the similar sized & colored cherry shrimp, not enough contrast.

 

[FishyWarrior]

I love rasboras of several species! Harlequins are old favs, espei are similar but a more coppery color & a bit smaller. Red tailed (r. petensis) are longer bodied. But there are many small & tiny species that would work too. I like the look b. brigittae (chili rasboras) but haven't kept them yet, check them out. I kept maculata but had them with the similar sized & colored cherry shrimp, not enough contrast.

Awesome, i knew they were good picks! I've been wanting them for a while but never had the chance to get them. Do you think 15 is a good number?

 

[fishorama]

I haven't kept embers, they seem kinda similar in shape & color to harleys & espei, that's why I mentioned maculatas & shrimp. I'd look at any cichlid as a possible ember eater...a barely 1 inch fish with a 3 inch 1 is asking for trouble.

Unlike tetras with teeth in front, rasboras have teeth toward the back of the mouth & so can't really do too much damage even if they wanted. I have heard of 1 or 2 people (out of hundreds) "claiming" they were "nippy", I'm very skeptical...but bigger fish can boss around smaller just by size alone or cause smaller fish to hide.

Seriously, check out chilis.

But if you decide go with Harleys or even espei, get the embers first so they have a chance to grow up & aren't the "new little guys". Most of our fish are juvenile when we buy them...

Another fish to consider are threadfin rainbows...well, there are lots of fish that would work with embers...Many of us love smaller fish & could go on & on with suggestions, lol.

 

[FishyWarrior]

Oh, i was talking about the harlequins, not embers. I probably will go with the harleys over them and decide where to go from there based on what's compatible with them. They're both kinda that orangey/red color so i would like the other fish to be different from that.

I also love the threadfins! They're so gorgeous but i hear they're so delicate too?

 

[jm1212]

Oh, i was talking about the harlequins, not embers. I probably will go with the harleys over them and decide where to go from there based on what's compatible with them. They're both kinda that orangey/red color so i would like the other fish to be different from that.

I also love the threadfins! They're so gorgeous but i hear they're so delicate too?

harlequin rasboras are great community fish.

if you're still looking at tetras, there are a bunch that are great community fish: neons, cardinals, rummynoses, lemons, diamonds, emperors, embers, black neons, penguins, head and tail lights, etc.

in a 40 gal I would probably do 4-6 bronze corydoras, a pair of GBR's or apistos, and then 10 neons to start. then, you can see where the fish occupy and what other fish you can add. I know that some neons tend to be mid-low dwellers (rummynoses, etc), but my glolites and neons always schooled over the entire tank. a 40 gal breeder like you have would have no trouble carrying two schools of 10 of the smaller species I listed above...so find something that contrasts!