What are the most colorful & interesting fish/tank mates?

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horseridingirl

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Mar 11, 2005
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I have a few more questions:
I just set up a tank a little over a month ago. The tank has cycled -- according to the nitrite, nitrate, ammonia and Ph levels/color charts.
(The test kits I've used only show color ranges as "OK", not specific readings. Should I use a different type of test kit?)

I know the saltwater tanks have many colorful fish to choose from, but are there any particularly colorful or active fish for freshwater aquariums?

Can anyone shed some insight on the "compatibility" of the fish in my tank and any possible additions for this or future tanks?

- 38 gal
- 2 Angel Fish appx 4 cm size
- 2 Rosy Barbs
- 2 Guppies
- 3 Zebra Danios
- 1 Pearl Danio
- 4 White Cloud
- 1 Gold Priscilla Tetra
- 3 Neon Tetras (at last count)
- 2 Cardinal Tetras (at last count)
- 1 Green Cory
- 1 Dwarf Frog

RIP - 1 green Cory cat, 2 baby angels, 2 neons, 1 cardinal tetra and one Bala Shark.
 
Well, I wouldn't add anything to the tank. The adult size of those fish will be very close, if not over, the room available in the tank.
 
I don't see any compatability issues, besides the angels snacking on the neons. I do, however, agree with OrionGirl that you're stocked to the gills. :)

Also, I think that most of the fish you have would be happier if they had more of their own kind. Tetras, for example, really don't display the full gamut of their behaviour if they are in groups of less then 5, so your Pristella must be awfully lonely. Also, cories do best in groups of 3 minimum. The same rings true for barbs (5 or more).

Another comment I would make is that it seems you have choosen a lot of fish which spend most of their time in the upper levels of the tank (gups, danios, to some degree the White Clouds and neons). This could become a problem with your angels, who need lots of upward space and, again, are fans of munching on smaller fish.

Most importantly, though, how long has the tank been setup? What are your water parameters? (temp, pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate) Do you have hard or soft water? Your RIP list seems pretty high and is indicative that there is definitely something amiss in your tank. If it is simply a cycling/water parameter issue, it is pretty easy to remedy those problems and keep the death count lower, if not non-existant.
 
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I'm pretty new here, but I know how important a good test kit can be. I've read that anything less than a liquid test kit will be highly unreliable. And for the sake of the rest of you fish, I would get one. If you can't afford it, do what others do and take samples to your LFS weekly (or maybe more if you're unsure if your tank's fully cycled). Anyway, good luck with your new aquarium. Don't forget to come here a lot and read up on as much as you can. I'm trying to do that, and it's helped a lot. :)
 
Same with the dwarf frog on having a specific tank. I have a betta with mine and he loves the food I give them :(
 
The trouble with being a newbie is falling in love with them all and wanting to keep them all. Eevntually this leads to MTS. Multiple tank syndrome. Its better to have several tanks, than an overcrowded one. Perhaps you can divvy up your tank and then create schools which are more interesting to watch.
 
I do have a 10 gallon tank that I plan to set up this weekend for some of the fish. The fish store hasn't been the most help either. They told me to get only one Pristella - it would be fine. I had 6 Neons and 3 Cardinal Tetras and lost some and bought 3 more Neons to replace those I lost. Now I only see 1 of each Tetra.
 
horseridingirl said:
I do have a 10 gallon tank that I plan to set up this weekend for some of the fish. The fish store hasn't been the most help either. They told me to get only one Pristella - it would be fine. I had 6 Neons and 3 Cardinal Tetras and lost some and bought 3 more Neons to replace those I lost. Now I only see 1 of each Tetra.
Click to expand...

As far as the Pristella goes, yes it will be fine, but it won't be happy. Most LFSs are like car salesman, "what can I do to put this fish in your tank today?" They don't really bother to tell you the whole story.

6 neons seems perfect, though they are a bad mix with the Angels. If you setup the ten, I would send the remainder there and buy a few more for company. (cycle the tank fully first, neons are really a sensitive little fish).
 
You could add your remaining tetras to the 10g and then get a few more of each to even it out and you can keep a dwarf frog or 2 perhaps :)

3 pristella, 3 neon amd 3 cardinal as an example Use some gunk from your established filter in your 38g to help get a good cycle going on the ten, but don't buy until the ten is showing 0 ammonia, and 0 nitrite fer shure!

Neons are really sensitive.
 
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