# suggestions on fish



## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

i am getting a tank for christmas like a 38 gallon bowfront or something like that. I am curious on what kind of FW fish that are not so common i could keep in this tank(no guppies, tetras, danios or things like that)
:fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :lol:


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

you could keep a pair of convicts (but not much else), a single foremouth or convict with some other fish, a pair of apistogramma, a single blue acara with some smaller fish, maybe a smaller spiny eel like a pea**************** eel

And I dont know why your hating on tetras... Exodon tetras and vampire tetras are [email protected]$$ed!


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

could i keep a black knife fish? i dont think i could tho


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

nvm i cant, they get very big


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

could i have more suggestions besides cichlids, thank you tho


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## Ringo (Apr 10, 2006)

No black knife fish get to big for a 38G. Around 10 inches.

Hmmm.... I've also been looking for some odd fish to put in a 38G.
I just got a few hillstream loaches, there pretty neat, don't get to big. Around 3-4inches IF they grow after you buy them.

Maybe some gobies or something


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Small rainbowfish


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

i was looking on dr fosters, these are fish i like and would maybe have(i kno i cannot keep all these fish together so tell me which ones are good ideas and which ones i should take out, thank you), one Royal Farlowella Cat, 3-4 tiger barbs or green tiger barbs, 2 or 3 hatchets, one Starry Night Pleco(i think thats also called a bristlenose pleco?) one badis, one african b-fly fish, a couple ghost catfish, 3 sliver dollars, one Goo Obo Gudgeon, one Prehistoric Dragon Goby, a couple kuhli loaches, one Striata Botia Loach. thank you if you respond


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

Ringo said:


> No black knife fish get to big for a 38G. Around 10 inches.


More like 15-20

That tank would be overstocked, and there are some incompatible fish in there
FOr starters, dragon gobies get big and are brackish water fish.

Farlowella cats get big too, but I would say you could keep one in a 38

Also, You need to cut down on the species and get more of them. get 6 hatchets, no tiger barbs IMO.

No silver dollars... They get vig and need more room to swim around

The gudgeon should be okay
get either straitia loaches or kuhlies (though kuhlies like sand) and up the number a little


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## Guest (Dec 12, 2006)

I second the rainbowfish idea. You could have a group of Dwarf Neon Rainbows or a couple schools of the Blue-eyed rainbows like Furcatas or Gertrudae.

If you want barbs or hatchets, get more than 3-4...get atleast 6, 8-10 would be better though.
Loaches and glass catfish prefer groups as well, so get more than 1 or a couple.


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

i decided i like barbs are there any that dont nip a lot? is the pleco ok, is the badis and butterfly fish ok with this types of fish?


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

badis will be eaten IMO, butterfly will be okay if nobody nips him

If it is a true bristlenose pleco, it should be fine


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## Guest (Dec 12, 2006)

I have not heard that Odessa barbs are nippy...and they fit your unique fish description. 
Checkered barbs would be fine too.
And Cherry barbs aren't nippy either, but they don't really school. They just like a small group.

The Tiger barbs will be ok as long as you don't plan to have any long finned fish in the tank. They may bother the African Butterfly Fish, but they may not. If you have them in a large enough group (atleat 8), they should focus more on themselves.

I am not sure if the Badis will be ok or not. I don't know enough about them.

The Bristlenose will be ok too.


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

sweet, i am very excited about my new tank, tanks are addicting kinda like chips, i got one but i had to have another one thats bigger


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## Ringo (Apr 10, 2006)

If you have plenty of cherry barbs they will school, not very tightly but they'll stick together.


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

so let me list my tank and tell me if im wrong.
1-Farlowella cats 
6-odessa or tiger barbs(are green tiger barbs the same cause those are my favorite barbs so far)
1 butterfly fish
1 bristlenose pleco
4- ghost cats
1- Goo Obo Gudgeon
2-hillstream loaches
1- badis
5-kuhli loaches
could i also get hatchets with all these fish described or is this pushing it. is the list to much w/o the hatchets anyway?
btw i do like weird fish, i go for the strangest ones and i think i have em right now, mudskippers, boy are they strange fish.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

Forget the barbs IMO, and get the hatchets or look into serpae tetras

Also, forget the badis, it will probly be eaten. Also, I wouldnt do the pleco, they are poo machines. You are pretty good then as far as bioload is concerned IMO


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## Ltrepeter2000 (Dec 6, 2006)

If you do get hatchets you need to have a solid lid as they are jumpers. You may also find that you are not as happy with the mix of colors and looks that all these different species present. What else is going into the tank? Driftwood, plants, substate type, etc? This is always important as it can help deflect some of the aggression in some species and provides areas to hide. If you are going to do the butterfly than I recommend having some tall stem plants for it to dart into near the surface to cut down on nipping.

I would not get Tigers or Green Tigers in a group of 6. You need at least a shoal of 10 of them to focus their nipping on each other instead of other fish.

You may also find that your lower water is overloaded with fish as the loaches, goo obo gudgeon, farlowella cat, bristlenose will all tend to stay closer to the bottom of the tank. You probably should find a rainbowfish that you like that will stay smaller or a tetra to provide a second shoal in your midwater area of the tank. The Serpae tetras are a pretty hardy fish to provide that balance.

I would have to be the third person to tell you not to get the Badis as I dont predict good things if its placed in this tank.


I would recommend a tall piece of driftwood just off center. This will provide the pleco its preferred meal. Also recommend if you are going to be keeping such a heavy fish load that you balace that with some plants. This will help with sucking up some of the chemicals released by the fish as well as provide hiding places if the barbs become nippy.

Two cents
Rob


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## Ringo (Apr 10, 2006)

I was the same way, I wanted to get as many differant types of fish as I possibly could, now I am regretting it and trying to get rid of half the fish in my tank to add some differant fish to my tank, and try and get a differant effect.
I have some fish that were given to me (why I took them I don't know) and theres just one or two of them in the tank.
The tank would look alot lot better if them random fish were not in there.

If your going to get any fish, try and get as many as you can, of the species.
Not just one or two of a whole bunch of differant species.
Keep the schools bigger, and the species of fish in the tank smaller, believe me it will look much much better that way.


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

new revised list
5-hatchets
4-ghost cats
10-true rummynose tetras
1-Goo Obo Gudgeon
1- Royal Farlowella Cat
maybe some shrimp
3-kuhli loaches
should i have another mini group or is this a good final list.


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## Ringo (Apr 10, 2006)

Sounds pretty good, will be a little overstocked once the fish get bigger IMO
I woulden't go with the shrimp though, the khuli loaches and goo obo will have the bottom pretty much covered.
The royal cat can get to be a pretty good size too

Theres a goo obo at my lfs, I don't think he is for sale though.
I outta have him order me a few...


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## Guest (Dec 13, 2006)

> Sounds pretty good, will be a little overstocked once the fish get bigger IMO


I think so too. If it was my tank, I'd go with just 2 schools of fish and have atleast 6 of each type. Like said before, when you put alot of schools together, but don't fill them out, it can look chaotic. I think you'll wish that you narrowed it down to 2. 

Rummynose tetras will stay near the bottom, so I'd personally lose the Glass Catfish. Hatchets are top water dwellers so I'd keep them. Kuhli loaches like groups and the company of their own, so I'd personally add atleast 3 more. They'll be much happier and probably come out more with a larger number. Kuhlis are known to stay hidden, so I'd take that into consideration.

Personally, this is what I'd do:
8 Hatchets
10 Rummynose
1 Goo Obo
1 Farlowella
6-8 Kuhli loaches
some shrimp

That is a good stocking and won't be overstocked IMO. The schooling/group fish will be happy and the tank will look great. 

Just a suggestion....

Do you plan on having any plants?


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

yes but which should i get and would i need any special equiptment to add live plants


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## Guest (Dec 13, 2006)

Well with a stock hood (one that comes with the tank, assuming one does ), you would just be able to grow Java fern, Anubias, and maybe some Cryptocorynes. You'd have to upgrade the lighting to have more plant options.


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

do u really live plants to make this setup work
could i just have rocks and driftwood and fake plants
JustOneMore20, could i also add a butterfly fish to the list you suggested i like them and have experience with those, also with glass cats could i add like two or is that just pushing it


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

i might switch the hatchets for the butterfly because the butterfly fish would not like all the fish near the surface


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

so what would be another good schooling fish option


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

could i go with like 4 angels


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## Ringo (Apr 10, 2006)

LOL Mud, you have time to choose.
Go to your lfs, grab a chair, and sit down in front of all the fish you would like to own.
Sit there and watch them for about 4 hours, then find out there habits and stuff, THEN choose the ones you want 

4 Angels, no.
The list JOM gave is pretty good, you could go without the hatchets and get some mid level fish, and go with the butterfly.
But you gotta believe me, the less species of fish, and more of them will look much much better in your tank.

After you get all the fish in your tank, say if you don't like a species of them.
You can always bring the fish back to the store, and get another school, or a differant fish.
Just get it to how you like it, but still think of the fish.


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## Ltrepeter2000 (Dec 6, 2006)

You could probably have some sword plants in the tank with the hood. The more live plants you have the easier the amount of fish load is balanced. 

No on the Angels as they will get really large and require most of the tank, Great pick with the true rummynose. I dont think that with the surface space you should have a problem if you added a butterfly with the hatchets.

The royal cat really doesnt require as much water as most people think because it is a long fish but quite thin. If you are looking for another interesting middle shoaler you might consider the Brilliant Rasboras. Great middle water fish that is not very aggressive. Another great option are Black Neons as they are hardier than the normal blue neons.

The only other issue I see is if its just rocks and driftwood then there is not much available for fish that are being pursued.

Thanks
Rob


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## Ltrepeter2000 (Dec 6, 2006)

oh and I dont recommend the shrimp with this set up as the loaches and gudgeon will chase shrimp and may stress them to death.


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

thank you for all the suggestions i have till the 25 + the cycling time so i have a lot of time to think about this
Dr fosters said you could house angels in a 30 gallon. is this wrong?


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

its true, but you cant house 4 in a 38 with all those other fish. IMO, go with kristin's list, it wont bo everstocked And I would forget the Butterly fish if you want those tetras, Ive seen them hunting.


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## judya (Jan 23, 2005)

Also remember to stock slowly so the cycling keeps up with your fish. You may find as you add your first or second batch of fish that you really like them, or really don't care for them, and can see where they hang out in the tank. Then you can decide what species to add next.
Plants are good for the tank and the fish and you can have some of the easy ones like java moss and java fern without needing a lot of light. Also remember to allow for growth. Fish at the store are not full-grown size. What seems skimpy in a school may look more impressive in a year.


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

ok i actually think i would like a school of hatchets to take up the top space of my aquarium instead of the butterfly fish.


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

thank you for your opinions
when i was 8 or 10 if i remember correctly i had a 27 gallon hex and it was way overstocked it had clown loaches sharks and everything but i got rid of it before everything grew tho and i dont think many fish died either.


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

the tank i will get might be a 55 gallon, how much difference fish wise would this make.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

Would make a great deal of different actually, it is a much bigger tank. Make sure though. If it is under 55, go with the list kristin wrote.


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

Gourami Swami said:


> Would make a great deal of different actually, it is a much bigger tank. Make sure though. If it is under 55, go with the list kristin wrote.


i cant it's a christmas gift from my dad so i want the size to be a surprise.

could a 55 hold angels


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