New 26 gallon

J

Jakaris

AC Members
Jul 9, 2007
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I'm about to come into possession of another 26 gallon tank (gotta love relatives :D), and since I have cichlids in my first 26 gallon tank, I'm looking to go with a tropical community. Any ideas on stocking suggestions? I've had tropical communities before, and if not for a huge ich outbreak I would still have one.

I'm trying to go for a more relaxing tank this time, so any ideas? Heres a list of freshwater fish I've had before, in no particular order.

Harlequin rasboras
rainbow shark
kissing gouramis
brown knife
cardinal tetras (those guys dont know how to stay alive)
Neon tetras
corydoras
pleco's
angelfish
Bettas
Endlers livebearers
Otocinclus
guppies
mollies

And how much would it take to start a saltwater tank? I have all I need to start another FW, but I've heard that SW can be very expensive to start up.
Thanks!
 
I would eliminate the kissing gourami from the list as they get too large, as do many kinds of plecos. It also depends on the tank dimensions whether you will feel comfortable adding angels, but I'll let one of the angel experts handle that. I'd stick with the small schooling fishes. If you're willing to try cardinals by all means do, they are gorgeous fish, along with a school of the corydoras of your choice.
 
Ive had angels in a 26 gallon tank before (its a tall tank), and my aunt had 2 kissing gouramis in a 20 tall for over 12 years, so it can be done, and if healthy=happy then they were happy.

I had cardinals before, but they slowly died one by one, no other fish has ever done that, so I'm somewhat hesitant to go back to them. The corydoras always hid behind a log i had in the tank, so I'm also somewhat hesitant to do that. I was looking into schooling fish, though. Anyone elses thoughts would be appreciated.
 
uuuhhh...I hate to burst your bubble but a fish that gets to almost a foot long won't have a whole lot of swimming space in a 30" tank. Definitely not healthy for two! And healthy doesn't always mean happy...surviving vs. thriving..?

Cardinals are fine as well as corys. Dieing one by one has nothing to do with the fish (unless it's a really picky fish which cardinals aren't) and corys hiding probably meant that there wasn't enough of them or some other fish was too boisterous.
 
Jakaris said:
Ive had angels in a 26 gallon tank before (its a tall tank), and my aunt had 2 kissing gouramis in a 20 tall for over 12 years, so it can be done, and if healthy=happy then they were happy..
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That is terrible logic. just because they could live 12 years in a tiny tank doesn't mean that it is healthy, and ethical for that matter. I'm sure those fish were stunted too.

The only way that would even remotely be acceptable is if the tank was way overfiltered and had water changes numerous times a week.
 
Are you sure they were kissing gouramis!? How did they have any swimming room at all!?!? They must have been seriously stunted. I don't mean to call you or your aunt terrible people, but now that you know I would definitely not advise you to put kissing gouramis in your tank!
 
Jakaris said:
Harlequin rasboras
cardinal tetras (those guys dont know how to stay alive)
Neon tetras
Bettas
Endlers livebearers
corydoras
Otocinclus
guppies
mollies
Click to expand...
You are left with these choices. Try to further narrow down the list.
rainbow shark
kissing gouramis
brown knife
pleco's
angelfish
Click to expand...
These fish should be eliminated from the list. They require larger tank and can be a menace to the smaller tankmates.

Kissing gouramis can reach 12 inches and should not be kept in a tank less than 55 gallons. Rainbow sharks are very likely to bully your other fish. Angelfish can eat cardinals, neons, guppies and Endlers when full-grown. This is something you want to avoid. Knowing the knife species, they can be rather predatory.

What plecos are you looking for? Avoid common plecs. They will eventually outgrow your 26. Ancistrus would be the best recommended.
 
jpappy789 said:
Are you sure they were kissing gouramis!? How did they have any swimming room at all!?!? They must have been seriously stunted. I don't mean to call you or your aunt terrible people, but now that you know I would definitely not advise you to put kissing gouramis in your tank!
Click to expand...
The sentence in bold form is the likeliest thing to happen. I doubt they accomplished their potential size.
 
A 26 gallons should be able to accommodate 15-20 neons and/or cardinals or 10-15 harlies.

Follow the recommended sex ratio of 2-3 females per male in the case of livebearers.
 
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