Stcking Suggestions: What Fish Are Right For Your Tank

FreddytheFish

FreddytheFish

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Aug 29, 2005
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Compatability Suggestions: What Fish Are Right For Your Tank

Probably the most frequent question on this forum (other than cycling questions) has to do with stocking, so I decided to post some possible stocking ideas.

*These are just intended as general guidelines. You should always research a fish before you buy it.

*Some fish may need big tanks, have complex feeding requirements, etc. Again, research, research, research!

Tetra Tank 1: Small & Peaceful
Most fish in this tank can be housed in a tank 10 gallons or more

Tetras: Neons, Black Neons, Rummynose, Black Phantoms, Cardinals, Flames, Bleeding Hearts, Diamond, Emperor, Glass, Gold, Ruby, Glowlight, Head & Tail Light, Red Eye, Red Phantom, White Clouds

Gouramis: Dwarf, Chocolate, Honey

Dwarf Cichlids: Rams, Kribs

Loaches: Kuhli Loaches

Livebearers: Guppies, Swordtails, Platys, Variatus, Half-Beak, Mollies

Catfish: Otocinculus, Corydas

Other: Marble Hatchetfish, Harlequin Rasboras

Inverts: Ghost Shrimp, Cherry Shrimp, Amano Shrimp, Snails

Tetra Tank 2: Active
Most fish in this tank can be housed in a tank 10 gallons or more

Tetras: Black, Phantoms (either type), Diamond, Congo, Bleeding Heart, Emperor, Silvertip, Glowlight, Flame, Gold, H&T Light, Red Eye

Barbs: Cherry, possibly Tigers- if kept in large groups

Danios: Zebra, Giant

Livebearers: Platys, Mollies, Swordtails, Half-Beak, Variatus, Guppies

Gouramis: Dwarf, Honey, Chocolate

Cats: Corys, Otos

Loaches: Kuhli, Yoyo

Other Fish: Marbled Hatchet, Harlequin Rasbora, Killies

Inverts/ Non-Fish African Dwarf Frog, Snails, Shrimp

Active Tank 1: Centered Around Angels
Most of these fish will be comfortable in a 30 gallon or larger tank, although some may need bigger ones

Angels: Any type

Barbs: Cherry Barbs

Cichlids: Rams, Kribs, Keyholes

Danios: Zebra, Pearl, Giant

Catfish: Upside Down, Cory, Oto, Dwarf Pleco

Spiny Eels: Peacock Eels (reccomended for tanks 40 gal. or larger

Gouramis Dwarf, Blue Dwarf, Sunset Dwarf, Chocolate, Pearl

Loaches: Kuhli, Yoyo, Dojo

Livebearers:Swords, Platys, Variatus, Half-Beak, Mollies, Guppies

Tetras: Serpae, Congo, Emperor, Bleeding Heart, Black

Other Marbled Hatchet, African Butterfly, Harlequin Rasbora, Killie

Inverts/ Non-Fish ADF, Snail, Shrimp

Active Tank 2
Most of these fish will be comfortable in a 30 gallon or larger tank, although some may need bigger ones

Barbs: Tiger Barb, Rosy Barb, Tinfoil Barb

Cichlids: Keyhole, Krib, Ram

Cats Cory, Oto, Pleco, Upside Down, Sydontis

Danios Zebra, Giant, Pearl

Spiny Eels Peacock Eel

Loach: Kuhli, Dojo, Yoyo

Gourami: Dwarf, Blue Dwarf, Sunburst Dwarf, Honey, Chocolate

LB: Swords, Platys, Variatus, Half-Beak, Mollies, Guppies

Tetras: Serpae, Congo, Emperor, Bleeding Heart, Black

Other Marbled Hatchet, African Butterfly, Harlequin Rasbora, Killie

Inverts/ Non-Fish ADF, Snail, Shrimp

More to come. If you have a coment or feel I have left out a fish, please post!
 
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Livebearer Tank
Most fish in this setup are fine in 10 or more, some may need bigger tanks

Livebearers: Guppies, Swordtails, Platys, Variatus, Half-Beak, Mollies

Angels: any type

Barbs: Cherry, Rosy

Loaches: Kuhli, Yoyo, Dojo

Gouramis: Dwarf, Blue Dwarf, Sunset Dwarf, Chocolate, Pearl

Tetras: Serpae, Congo, Emperor, Bleeding Heart, Black, Red Eye, Lemon, Neon, Black Neon, H&T Light, Flame

Other: Harlequin Rasbora

Non-Fish/Invert: ADF, Snail, Shrimp

Jumbo Fish: Oscars, Sharks, etc.
Many of these fish will need a tank from 100 gallons to 250 gal.
(keep fish of a similar size to avoid them getting eaten)

Barbs: Large Tiger, Large Rosy

Cats: Pleco, Pictus, Red-Tailed (only suitable for HUGE tanks), Shovelnose

Cichlids Oscars, Jack Dempsey, Green Terror

Spiny Eels: Tire Track, Fire

Sharks Bala Shark, Red Tailed, Hi-Fin Banded

Other Senegal Bichir, Arowana, Wolfish, Silver Dollar


More later (maybe)
 
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I think you should entitle it "compatibility" rather than stocking. Or else someone IS going to buy all those fish for 1 tank (cause they probably missed the 1in=1gallon sticky) dump them in the tank all at once (cause they didn't read the cycle sticky).

Thanks:) for your efforts to eliminate the same, unresearched questions (eh hem...cause AC doesn't have a search function or anything). Only now, you'll still see these posts, and you can type: "go read the 'compatibility' sticky".

Of course you can "google" (when did that word become a verb?) compatibility info on the internet, as well as multiple tank set-ups, too. It requires one to be savvy, as not all the lists seem appropriate. Here is one such list that I found:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/fwcompatibility_chart.cfm

I, and hopefully others, appreciate the effort you took to make these lists. Thank you!
 
FreddytheFish said:
Here's a compatability chart I got from LiveAquaria:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/fwcompatibility_chart.cfm

(Darn, the image isn't working. I'll just post a link.
Click to expand...
Live aquaria is a good source for doing research on fish. They have profiles on all the fish they sell and so far all the info has been good I use them to do research alot, but not exclusively. Also, What about white clouds? There body shape and size is just like neon tetras, but they seem to be a lot hardier and they school.
 
As with any source of information, you should always confirm that it is correct by correlating the data with other references.

I have found more than a few instances where LiveAquaria.com was wrong. I've always emailed them about it and they fix their pages pretty fast, but it was still wrong.

Example:

This otocinclus page is from PetEducaton.com, part of the Drs. Foster & Smith "network". It's exactly the same as the one that *used* to be on the LiveAquaria site:

"Breeding in the aquarium is normal for this fish. The female lays her eggs on plants, rocks, and even the glass in aquariums."

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1911&articleid=2456

Here's the LiveAquaria page, which was updated after I emailed them about it:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=923

You'll note the absence of any breeding information.

My point is simply: don't take the word of one site as gospel. Find other sites and see what they say as well. Always have data to back up your data and you'll make an informed and educated decision.

My 2 cents
Roan
 
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My point is simply: don't take the word of one site as gospel. Find other sites and see what they say as well. Always have data to back up your data and you'll make an informed and educated decision.
Click to expand...

Good Advice. The only info I got from LiveAquaria was the compatability chart, and it was the same as compatability charts from other sites.

hobyist: :)
 
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