What should I add to my tank?

M

mjfmn

AC Members
Mar 2, 2005
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Fairmont, MN
Hi all! I'm new to fish, and I've had this tank for less than a year, it's a 30 gal tall. It came with several blue cichlids, but I pawned them off, I got frustrated with the aggressive behavior (constantly chasing). I now have 3 cory catfish, 4 neon tetras, 2 honey gouramis and 1 kissing gourami (I'm going to pick up another, one died on me last week). I did have a plecostamus, 6" long, but the darn thing jumped out when I was on vacation and landed on the rug!

I'd like to add some "flash" to the tank. My wife likes these jelly bean parrots we saw, but I'm told they won't fit in well with my current fish. Angel fish are cichlids, will I have problems if I add 3 of them? Any suggestions are welcome, what would you do?

BTW, I try to be a very good owner - regular water & filter changes, small feedings, good water quality - they seem happy, and that's very important to me.

Mike
 
I suggest rounding out your currents schools to a better size first. 3 more corries, at least 2 more neons. If aggression bothers you why are you getting more gouramis?
 
I would hold off on the pink kisser. I believe they can get to be like 8" or 10".... I would think a 30gal is too small for them. Angels will also get quite large, so I wouldn't go with any of those either. Just my opinion, but i'd get rid of your last kisser and just keep the honey's and get some more neons and/or another school or two of some other kinds of tetras... that would make a pretty tank!
 
Thank you both for your comments! I wasn't told anything about aggression at the fish store when I got the kissing gouramis, and to be honest I haven't seen any, even when there were two of them. Oh, there'd be a little chasing right after feeding, but it seemed to go both ways, then it would stop. Do you expect this to get worse?

Are there any larger fish that would work in this tank? Or maybe something flashy like a betta (or would his fins get nipped)? I like the idea of adding to the neons, they're beautiful. 2 of my cory's (a leopard-look to them) have gotten much bigger since the pleco committed hari-kari on the carpet, a 3rd one (not the same type) is off on his own but growing fast too.
 
Parrot cichlids are not a good choice. They get HUGE and can be aggressive. Also many in lfs lately have been injected with dyes. Kissing gourami get to be 8-10 inches long!! NOT a good choice for a 30 gallon. I learned this the hard way when I had to give mine up as a kid. :sad Kissing gourami are also semi aggressive toward other gouramis. Their "kissing" behavior is actually them fighting. Thin line between love and war... In my experience most male gouramis will fight with eachother. When my powder blue dwarf gourami (similar to the honey dwarf) was in breeding condition (nearly always) he would attack any other male gourami, including my larger male pearl gourami which he killed. They are related to siamese fighting fish remember. Angel fish are classic community fish and are amazing. They do not act like other cichlids. They are peaceful with smaller fish but like to be the boss of the tank. During feeding time they may push the gouramis out of the way. A pair of angels do well in a 30 gallon. They do best when purchased small, they grow fast. Pleco's.. ur probbaly better off. Common plecos grow to 12-18" and produce a huge amount of waste. If u get another, get a rubber nose, bristle nose, or a clown nose. They stay 4" and are much more fun.
 
Another vote for the angels... Neons and cories are from south america, as are angels. They all the same conditions and are found together in the wild. One pair of angels are fine for a 30 gallon. But u'd have to do without the kissing gourami (not enough room). I keep koi angels in my 55 gallon with rummynose tetras, cardinal tetras (very similar to neons but more beautiful), and lots of crazy cories.
 
my father had a pink kisser for 21 years.... he was about 9"



the gourami, not my dad ;) nyuk nyuk!

anyways, he built a 55g tall tank that it lived in with two tinfoils (they were around the same age and aprox 13") and one really big tiger khuli loach (i would say around 6-8")

so uh, yeah, kissers get big.
 
Kissofthegorami & foof, thanks for your input! My kisser is about 1 1/2" long, but I saw that my local fish store has a fresh stock of mid-size angels now, black & white - I've always wanted angels. So maybe I'll be able to sell them my kisser and get a couple of angels. I picked up 3 more tetras tonight, giving me 7 (I was told they like to school in odd numbers?). Would a betta survive in the tank, or would it be tortured?
 
I do not keep bettas in my aquariums. They don't seem to enjoy company. I keep them in small tanks by themselves with low water flow where they can build big bubble nests in peace. Barbs will torture a betta. Tetras probbaly wont, but they may get bored. Angels could be mean to it too. you could try adding the betta then remove it to its own aquarium if it gets picked on. A betta will do well in a very small tank provided you have a small heater and filtration.
 
Please keep in mind if you want your neons to live a natural lifespan, Angels may not be the best bet. Angels enjoy neons as a natural food source.
 
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