Tropical Fish Forums

[samhatz]

Hi everyone, I'm fairly new and am just starting to fill my tank with fish. I can't add anything more currently, but am hoping to next week. The tank is 150-160 litres in size, is planted and features a planted driftwood and one rock feature at this stage. In the tank there are Neon Tetras (9), Glowlight Tetras (10) and Coral Blue Dwarf Gouramis (2). We did have two Pink Kissing Gouramis, but they both died for some reason and we can't work it out. Although I'm sad and disappointed to have lost the fish, they are the two we didn't mind losing as after we bought them we realised they would be too big for our tank and we wouldn't have been able to put anything else in. We have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and practically 0 nitrate. Our GH is about 7-8 and pH regularly drops to about 6.3-6.4 (we'd ideally like to get it to 6.8-7 stable). What fish would go well in this set up - we would like feature fish if possible. Thanks in advance and let me know if you need more details.

[ZacAdam]

Hey There!

With your current setup, I would almost call the Gouramis feature fish, but they don't get all that large, and I imagine you're looking for something somewhat bigger.

The first feature I ever had were Trichopodus trichopterus - common names include Three-Spot Gourami or Opaline Gourami - which grow to about six inches and are suitably docile not to be a problem for your tetras, while being hardy enough to deal with the occasionally-belligerent glowlights (a problem I had with my Betta). You could possibly house a pair in that tank if it was gently overfiltered.

Bear in mind that your water is incredibly soft if your GH is only 7-8 mg/L... though I suppose it's possible you mean that it's 7 to 8 DEGREES of hardness, which is still rather soft. Your pH will continue to fall into the mid-to-low sixes over time at a steady rate no matter what you add to it, at least without using somewhat finicky buffering compounds.

Having said that, for your various fish actually would prefer the 6.4-6.5 range (most tropicals in the trade like soft, acidic water, but always check first!) and corresponding water hardness. Tropical Extracts such as IAL or the tannic acid from Mopani Wood or Peat help to reach these conditions. I'd really recommend leaving your water chemistry alone - it's fine where it's at!

Another feature fish you might look at... if Diademhill doesn't eviscerate me for suggesting it... would be a pair of Kribensis. They're a dwarf cichlid that only get about 4" small and are suitable for "robust" community fish like tetras. They also enjoy roughly the same conditions.
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[samhatz]

Thank you ZacAdam. I do consider our current Gouramis as feature fish. I did mean in addition to them. I feel the tank needs some colour.

We also need 1 or 2 algae eaters, the algae has gone out of control since the death of the 2 Pink Kissing Gouramis.

[ZacAdam]

Go for something smaller in a tank that size. If snails aren't your thing, try a pair of Swellia lineolata or some of the various Ancistrus species.

I have an S. Lineolata, and I think he's just fantastic. Wonderful colours, very charming shape, and voracious eater of even algaes that other grazers ignore like c.b. or brown.
_________________
http://auditorandagentleman.blogspot.com - now with 100% more fish.
Solving the Problem from the Inside - Proud Pet-Store Fishkeeper