Help me Decide...Fish for a Planted Tank

pisces70

pisces70

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Feb 18, 2012
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Hello everyone!

Tank is a standard size 40 gallon breeder. This is just a wish list that I'm trying to narrow down. The tank isn't ready for fish yet.
I know I can't have all of these fish. I also know that many are shoaling fish and need to be kept in groups of 6+.
I'm wondering if any of these fish have bad character traits such as uprooting, eating the plants, or picking on others and should be removed from my list?
Can you please share your experience, good or bad, with these fish? I've noted the fish I have kept in a community tank many years ago.

I have never kept these:
threadfin rainbow
Celebes rainbow
Congo tetra
cardinal tetra
emperor tetra
royal farlowella - single

I have kept these before with no issues:
Madagascan rainbow
dwarf ram cichlids
silver tip tetra
pristella (x-ray) tetra
cherry barbs
pictus catfish
corydoras
male betta - single
kuhlii loach - single
horseface loach - single

Are there any helpful fish I should consider for a planted tank?

Thank you!
 
Here would be my recommended stocking:
10 congo tetras
10 emperor tetras
2 Bolivian Rams
5 Kuhli loaches
 
I've done more research and I've crossed a few of these off the list due to my tank size or the requirements of the fish. I wish there were a way to just edit the previous post, if there is I haven't found it, oh well.

Off the list:
all rainbowfish, pictus cats, horseface loach, royal farlowella.

Added to my list:
gold German rams - pair
Rio Negro pleco (grows to 4") - single

@cpetrosky...When I had kuhli loaches before I had 3 of them and they all stayed around each other all the time. My newest book on fish says they like to be alone...I thought that was odd. Can't trust books anymore...lol! I get better info online. :)

@RisiganL. ...Thank you for the suggestions, that does sound like a nice combination of fish.

I'm still open to any other fish species ideas or combinations. Stocking the tank is the tough part. I don't want any impulse buys because this tank is too small for that.

Thank you!
 
German rams prefer very warm temps and very soft water. They are a hard fish to keep I would not suggest them.

Why did you take the rainbows off? Just curious what you found that would make you think you can't have them. I would take off some of the big rainbows like Bosemani rainbows but the smaller dwarf rainbows all will work well.
 
I intend to have this 40B tank set to 79 degrees with a pH of 6.5.
I'm selecting fish that do well with those parameters. The info on rainbows says they prefer temps between 68-77 degrees and slightly more alkaline water.
The threadfin or Celebes could possibly work, but I'm really fond of the Madagascan rainbows that grow too long at 6", and like to shoal. Not for this tank. Maybe in a different tank later on.
The pictus are too fast and busy, the horseface is just too long at 10" fully grown.

The info I found on German rams (live aquaria for one) says they are the farm raised variety and their requirements are 72-79 degrees with a pH of 5-7. I'm only considering them, not sure yet.

Has anyone here kept any Badis badis before and have any info about them? They are a pretty little fish that have me interested in them.
I'm curious about a Paradise fish, too. Without a betta, of course.
 
IMO The congos are too big for a 40gal. I would hold off the corys till the plants are "rooted" so they do not dig them up.


I would go Cardinals, Emperors and maybe a Pearl Gouramis
 
Badis badis and related species aren't really community fish, in that they do much better in a species setting, or at least in a community where they're the top dog. No easy trick for a 1" fish, which is why they're not really community fish.
 
Badis badis and related species aren't really community fish, in that they do much better in a species setting, or at least in a community where they're the top dog. No easy trick for a 1" fish, which is why they're not really community fish. If you want to keep them dedicate a 5 gal planted tank.
 
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