new 15 gallon - what to stock, what to stock?

[bignasty]

well i guess everyone is use to getting these same old questions, but the truth is that i got a new aquarium (no, it's not my first) and I dont really know how many fish i shoud put in it. When i was younger i suppose i wasn't as good of a fish owner as i should have been and kinda over stocked the tank, not too bad, but a little. Now I want my new fish to have enough space, on the same hand a tank with 1 fish in it is kinda boring...soo here is the delima...

There are several options that I am debating on, and i figured you guys know a little bit more about this then me. I was thinking about 3 options, but i am deffinatly open to more, just not barbs or gupies, they're too boring. here is what i have in mind, maybe 1 or 2 dwarf puffers, or i could go with 4 or so Lamprologus Ocellatus (the little yellow Cichlids) or my last idea was a 3 or 4 of the blue german ram cichlids. taking care of them isn't an issure, i am quite responsible when it comes to pets and i will treat them better then most people. I dont want to overcrowd the tank, any ideas would be helpful, thanks a lot.

 

[amosf]

Sorry, for me a 15g tends to be a guppy or tetra tank, or both, with maybe a couple of honey gourami. Guppies, boring! They is fighting little aggressive dudes and rarely boring IMO. Bloodfin tetra also not to boring and honey gourami are also never too boring. Another interesting fish are some of the the aussy gudgeons, but maybe hard to find elsewhere in the world.

I guess my concern would be the tank is just on the small-absolute minimum side for the cichlids you mention, but probably feasable with some rocks and hidey holes...

 

[bignasty]

They are the one of the smallest cichlids in the world, i have heard many people keeping them in tanks that small. I have kept Jack Dempseys before so I do understand the aggressive nature of cichlids, which is probably why they are among my favorites. Thanks for the input, but i still thing tetra's and guppy's aren't much fun.

 

[amosf]

They are the smallest cichlids, I agree. But a 15 gallon is still a recomended minimum due to their nature. As I say, with hidey holes and rock formations you would probably do okay with these, but a slightly bigger tank would be 'better'. Then there are always the honey gourami. They can be interesting tho also a little on the agressive side. It's really a personal choice and suggestions like mine are just suggestions - and are based on our own experiences and prefferences

 

[bignasty]

Thanks a lot, I think the honey gourami is deffinatly be a great alternative. Thanks again for the help, it is much appreciated =)

 

[virtuoso735]

Dwarf gouramies are beautiful and small fish. You should consider them. Also, it's always good to have a grouping fish. Perhaps 6+ Cardinal or neon tetras. They loook especially nice in a planted aquarium.

 

[amosf]

Gourami are nice as they are a fish that gets to know who feeds them. You get this with other fish as well like rainbows and gudgeon and even guppies, but gourami are quick to learn and will come to the glass to follow your finger or even see you coming at feed time and swim over ready to eat. They seem quicker to do this than some fish...