# tank stocking suggestions?



## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

i have a fairly heavily planted 15 gallon tank...also quite a few caves/hiding places...in there i have 1 guppy, 1 molly, 2 cories, and 1 platy (also about 20 platy/swordtail babies)...do yall think it would be alright to stock it like this?

4 cories
2 mollies
2 gouramis (dwarf)
6 platies/swordtails
1 guppy (just until i can find a good home for her)

tell me what you think about this please

thank you!


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

I don't think it'll be horribly over stocked. The gouramis tend to be a little aggressive so you might want to watch that, but other than that sounds good.


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## Fish33 (Feb 17, 2005)

I think it seems a little overstocked, especially when you will have more fry with the extra swords and mollies. Do you have another tank you could use for fry, and do you have a plan of what to do with them when they get bigger?


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2005)

seems a little over stocked but its not terrible. id maybe leave out the dwraf gouramis because they can be a little aggressive, or just keep an eye on them. also, dont cories need larger groups? theymight be okay, but i dont really know.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

I will probably be able to trade the fry out for some other fish, once they get bigger. I dont plan on adding those fish until I get rid of most of the fry. Do yall think the mollies would have babies? What about if I kept two FEMALE mollies? Would that work? Can you tell their sex by whether their anal fin is pointed or rounded, like you can guppies? Also, if the platies/swordtails had babies, Im pretty sure I could give those to a fish shop to get credit, I've done it before...I could probably get an extra tank to keep the fry in, if my fish had more fry...thanks for your replies!


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

I suggest that you get rid of part of the fish, or put some fish to another tank.
Livebearers need hard and alkalinous water, corys and gouramis prefer soft and alkalinous water. Got the idea  ?

tank 1:
6 corys
2 gouramis

tank 1:
livebearers(altough IMO mollies and swords need more tyhan a 15g, 40gallons would be more like it)


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2005)

cories can handle that water too though.


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2005)

they're adaptable


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2005)

so can gouramis now that i think of it. ive kept gouramis with livebearers


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

I guess you can keep them together, but it is a different thing if they are happy and healthy.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

my molly has thrived in neutral water, as have my tetras... adaptible they are indeed... they fill a niche in the wild in alkaline waters and acidic waters because they have to... (thats their environment) doesn't mean that they can't thrive in other conditions as well.


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

What kind of cories are they.... certain ones are smaller than others... and would help with stockng. 
I think your tank would be overstocked.
Do you like platys, guppies, mollies or swordtails best? I would pick one and stick to a group of these. 
My choice would be 
3 corys
4-6 Platys

4 cories would equal about 8inches or more when full grown and that really limits you. If you have 3 then it would be around 6" with 9" left to put fish in... although with it fully planted it will help with your levels so you can cheat just a little. Plus keep up with your water changes. 

Don't worry about the water types because most have adapted in pet stores and from breeders. All of my fish in my sig are in one tank and they are fine even though they have different water preferences.


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

I think it is the other way around. A few hundred years in an aquarium doesn't make the fish adaptable to different water rates. they have developed for thousands of years, and they seek the best water they can find in the wild. They turn around if the water gets bad.In a tank they can't, and they are forced to adapt.
Lexus: Cories prefer kept in groups of six or more,i stick with my suggestion 2gouramis+6corys.


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

They prefer 6 or more but I had 3 alone for a year and they were fine. I have 3 of each species in my tank and they have been thriving. 
What I mean by forgetting about the water thing is DONT MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT than it has to be!


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Actually in Ecology last year, we learned it quite the other way around. The animal adapts to its surroundings... if it doesn't it goes extinct. But this is just my opinion along with my professors... take it as our 2 cents.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

ok, how about 

3 cories
1 molly
6 platies/ swordtails
2 gouramis (dwarf)
1 guppy (until i can find a good home for it)

i would be adding these fish one or two at a time and testing the water to make sure everything is alright...i usually do about 30% water change every 1-2 weeks


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

I wouldnt, the molly will be lonely and I wouldnt add 2 gouramis, Its better to have a few species in bigger groups than many species with a few


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

I agree with Lexus 100%. I think many beginners are amazed by the wonderful variety of fish they see in the shops, and want to fit as many different kinds as they can into their small tanks. To be honest, I'm pretty much a beginner myself (only set up my first tank 6 months ago) but I have listened to people like Lexus, who say that fish behave much more naturally when there are a decent number of each fish in the tank. So in my heavily planted 20 gallon tank, I have only 3 kinds of fish (zebra danios, rosy barbs, and hillstream loaches). It's great to see how the different fish interact with others of their own kind. They pretty much ignore the fish that aren't their own kind. If you have a bunch of different types of fish in a small tank, you'll end up with fish that either don't interact with one another, or interact in a bad way (nipping at them, etc).


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

Well at least white people in Australia haven't adapted to burning sunrays in few hundred years. Australia has the highest skin cancer rate.
Just a thought.
But in my opinion fish should have as natural conditions in aquarium as possible.
And too acidid water can cause twisted spines, etc. for livebearer fry.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

im not so much of a beginner....ive had a fish tank for about 2-3 years, and i have had success with mixing different kinds of fish....something crazy happened though....i have had my molly for about 3-4 weeks, and she had babies this morning...the babies are bigger than the platy babies were!!!and my platy is bigger than the molly is. I didnt even realize the molly was pregnant, although i shiould have noticed...she was really fat...i just figured she was over eating (in fact i made a post about that) so now i have molly and platy babies...they have to be molly babies because they are pure black and my molly is my only black fish....anyways the plans have changed more...lol...maybe this?
(my sister got me a dwarf gourami the other day, so either way i have one....i would like to keep it and maybe get another because i really like them....besides, im not going to get rid of a fish she bought me!)

4 mollies
5 platies/swordtails
3 cories
1-2 dwarf gouramis
1 guppy (until i can get rid of her)

i have someone i can give the babies to once they get old enough so i can get credit for other fish or supplies


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

> Well at least white people in Australia haven't adapted to burning sunrays in few hundred years. Australia has the highest skin cancer rate.
> Just a thought.
> But in my opinion fish should have as natural conditions in aquarium as possible.
> And too acidid water can cause twisted spines, etc. for livebearer fry.


I'm not saying what you think I am saying. Fish have the ability to thrive in water that is not necessarily what they came from in the wild. Conditions change rapidly in the wild, (at least in freshwater) they must be adapted to change with them. The fish matches the niche in the environment, the environment does not change to match the fishes needs. Australia has the highest skin cancer rate because of increased solar radiation, in a part of the world where they did not evolve from, whites settled australia not long ago... they are ill adapted to thier environment in the first place, but now with that large gaping hole in the O-zone layer, you get skin cancer.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

or is that still too many kinds? i know someone i can give the guppy to, but i think the guppy might be pregnant so i dont want to move her unless im sure she isnt....maybe i should not get another gourami and just stick with this?

1 dwarf gourami
3 cories
4 mollies
6 platies/swordtails


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

try to understand, I really don't see the diffefernt "shades" of English, that's why I sometimes mix up things  .
And yes, you are right about the o-zone layer thing, stuoid of me to forget that the layer is almost under 200 dobsons above Australia.
But my point was not to mix up fish that prefer opposite water rates. ofcourse they adapt in the wild, but in a tank it is better just to give them the best conditionds as possible.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

im not sure if i understand what yall are saying about the ozone layer and stuff....also, the reason my posts didnt make any sense in the context of yalls is because yall posted yours as i was posting mine so i didnt see yalls until i had already posted mine...anyways, if yall woudl explain what yall mean, i would appreciate it....im not to good with ozone and ecology and stuff like that


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

it was just an analogy, or rather, a comparison of how fish should be housed in the same pH as they do in the wild, she argued that whites have the highest rate of skin cancer in australia... I said that it was probably do more from the o-zone layer not being there than from the change in their environment, (just like your fish have to go through when they don't have the same pH as they do in the wild)


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

I still think you would be a little overstocked.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

how about this?

4 Cories
1 Gourami
4 platys
2 mollys


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

Thats better. 
Or 
5 Platys
3 Mollys
3 Cories
1 Gourami. 
i like odd numbers for some odd reason.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

Lexus @ Tue Mar 15 said:


> i like odd numbers for some odd reason.


thats understandable since you are an odd person....jk :lol:


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

Fishfirst @ Tue Mar 15 said:


> how about this?
> 
> 4 Cories
> 1 Gourami
> ...


maybe ill do that....it sounds good to me except i think i would like 1 more molly....would that be ok? or should i just stick with fishfirst's suggestion? what are yalls opinion? also, would it be ok to keep shrimp with these fish? i have heard they are good to keep the tank clean....or should i just stick with fish? i would like shrimp just to help keep the gravel and tank clean, but i dont really know much about keeping them....any suggestions are appreciated!!

ps. i under stand the analogy now...thanks for explaining


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

have you thought about putting your cories into another tank or giving them away? They would be happier if they had a proper school..


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

I dont have another tank that is big enough for them, and I would like to keep them because I need some kind of bottom feeder....Do you know of any other bottom feeder that doesnt need to be kept in schools and that is pretty small? If I could find a different kind of bottom feeder, I could probably give those back to a fish shop. Also, what about shrimp?


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## turtlehead (Jan 28, 2005)

You dont NEED a bottom feeder for fish tanks.


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## flynngriff (Jan 19, 2005)

You could try some shrimp, if the rest of the fish won't eat them. I have read most of this thread, so I don't know what else will be in the tank...


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

turtlehead: maybe i dont NEED some but i WANT some :wink: lol flynngriff...heres yet ANOTHER tank set up

no cories
6 platies/swordtails
4 mollies
1 dwarf gourami
a few shrimp (if i can find any around here)

does that sound good or is that still messed up somehow? like i said before, i have 1 molly, 1 platy, 1 dwarf gourami, 2 cories, and some molly and platy fry...and yet another question....could i put a betta in there if i put in a little bit less livebearers? or am i still trying for too many different kinds? i know i cant put more than one betta in....any advice would be appreciated!


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

The gourami and the betta might have some issues if you put him in there. Also some shrimps will get picked on (just cuz they are so delicate). I don't recomend ghost shrimp for this tank, but maybe some tougher species might do well.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

well, do you have a suggestion for a full tank set up? i definately want to keep the gourami, and a few platies and mollies, i would like some kind of bottom feeder, and if possible a betta would be neat....the only fish i definately want are platies, mollies, and a gourami...anybody have a tentative tank setup that they think would work? i would really appreciate it!


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## DJ (Feb 20, 2005)

corys are nice bottom feeders,,, you could probably get a few of them...

-But what do I know-


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

lol dj


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## DJ (Feb 20, 2005)

They can live 7 years and I got a couple small albino cories, they're good at getting food others don't eat,,, if I get a 55 gal. tank I'm gonna get a few reg. cories. I you try to feed they shrimp pellets (if you get the platies) the platies like to pick off some then spit it out,, spreading it for the cories.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

well i dont really have room for a whole school of them, since there are other fish i like more......

"well, do you have a suggestion for a full tank set up? i definately want to keep the gourami, and a few platies and mollies, i would like some kind of bottom feeder, and if possible a betta would be neat....the only fish i definately want are platies, mollies, and a gourami...anybody have a tentative tank setup that they think would work? i would really appreciate it!"

im hoping someone will post an answer to that so i have some idea of a tank setup that would work[/u]


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

also, one more question :? as if i dont have enough already.... 

would it be alright to make cave like things out of terra cotta pots and some kind of aquarium safe glue? (maybe the silicone sealent they sell at the pet shop?)


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## DJ (Feb 20, 2005)

why don't you just put one in there ?


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

i think they are supposed to be in groups...otherwise i would just keep the 2 i have now in there


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## flynngriff (Jan 19, 2005)

Ok, so it's a 15 gallon tank...

If you want to keep your gourami, then you should. But, in my experience, it's very hit or miss whether bettas will get along with gouramis. They often recognize gouramis as threats, I think due to their body shape. I wouldn't mix them if I were you.

As for the rest of the tank, I agree with fishfirst:

4 Cories
1 Gourami
4 platys
2 mollys

if you add a snail for algae control, I think this would be a great tank.

Your other tank set-up is fine too... 

6 platies/swordtails
4 mollies
1 dwarf gourami
a few shrimp

There really aren't a whole lot of combinations of platys, mollies, and a gourami we can go through, hun. Personally, I don't like livebearers as much as gouramis, so I'd drop the platys and mollies, and go with 4 dwarf gouramis, 4 albino cories, and a snail for algae. But that's me...

As to your other question, I _think _terra cotta would be fine for decorating your aquarium... I know the silicone sealant is fine, but I'm not positive that terra cotta couldn't leach anything into your tank... I don't know how it's made. Can someone else chime in on this?


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

lol....yeah i agree weve covered just about every combination....i think i will stick with fishfirsts...pretty much the only reason i am keeping the livebearers is because i have fry from the molly and the platy so that way i wont have to buy much more fish....i would like to have just gouramis and cories, but since i already have the livebearers i will stick with them....besides my sisters like them and since the tank is in the living room their opinion counts to a certain extent...thank yall for all yalls advice for stocking my tank....sorry it took me so long to decide....i tend to be indecisive....and if any else has any more info about terra cotta, it would be greatly appreciated....thanks again!  

ps. about the snail...is there any kind of snail that i could get that wouldnt breed like crazy? i had snails once and they bred sooooooo much....i had so much trouble getting all of them out of there....i would try to just take some out, but them very quickly they would take over the tank again....they were brown and relatively small...maybe pond snails? i dont know the name for sure but they were very annoying....so if you have any suggestion of snails that dont breed "like rabbits" i would appreciate it...thank you!

pps. sorry i talk so much!!


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

Terracotta pots are fine in the tank, I have three in my tank. Just rinse them off. They well bubble for a day or too though. Don't worry


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

> is there any kind of snail that i could get that wouldnt breed like crazy?


An apple snail would be great, assuming that it gets along with your other fish. I've only had snails (the good kind anyway!) for a few weeks, but I'm a big fan already. Apple snails are very interesting creatures. They come a good way out of their shells, so you can see their big feet, their long feelers, the eyes, their mouths, all really easily. They are vastly more interesting than pond snails which I have a small collection of in my big tank. 

If you get only one they won't breed, unless you just happen to have got a female between the time she mated and the time she deposits her eggs. And even if this happens, the eggs appear in really obvious clusters above the water line so you can remove them if you don't want babies.

To be honest, apple snails aren't great algae eaters; they prefer fish food. If you really want an algae eating smail make the effort to find a nerite, see the bottom of
http://www.applesnail.net/content/snails_various.php
However the nerites aren't anywhere as interesting as apple snails, as they are smaller and stay almost completely within their shells.


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## flynngriff (Jan 19, 2005)

> To be honest, apple snails aren't great algae eaters; they prefer fish food.


Actually, I've had some apple snails in my tanks over the years, and they have usually done a great job with the algae. Could be that my eat the food so fast that the snails don't get any other food, or maybe I've just gotten lucky. Dunno.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

i dont think any of the fish stores around here carry apple snails....do yall know of a good place to buy them online?


ps. the snails that i had were ramshorn i think....not pond snails....not that it really matters, lol


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

There are plenty of apple snails for sale on ebay.co.uk, perhaps the American version has some as well? Apple snails ship well by mail because they have lungs as well as gills.

If you have plants in your tank, you'll want to make sure you get a Pomecea bridgesii rather than a Pomecea canaliculata, sicne the latter love to eat live plants. 

And actually there is a big difference between pond snails and the little ramshorns. Supposedly the little ramshorns don't eat plants while the pond snails do. I actually haven't had any problems with the pond snails in my tank at home, I think mainly because the rosy barbs eat all the little baby snails, and I've squashed the few bigger ones that I've seen, and thus between us we keep the population way down.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

does this look like a good deal to you? i have no clue whatsoever how much they should cost....i didnt really see any on ebay....this is on aquabid....please tell me if that is a good price or not...thanks!


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

Did you forgot to post a link, perhaps?

Over here, apple snails usually go for between 1 and 2 pounds each, that's very roughly $2 to $4. And they charge 5 pounds (roughly $9) for packaging and shipping (have to make sure the snails are safely wrapped up for the journey!).


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

I found a link for someone in the US selling snails online:
http://www.rainbowsnails.com/view_product.php?product=MS000
The "mystery snails" are the ones you want. 

The prices seem quite reasonable, $1 or $2 for the more common colors, up to $5 for the more exotic ones. And shipping starts at $9, so this is in line with my experience.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

oops    i forgot to post the link i lost the link now....it doesnt matter which color i get, right? those are so pretty! thank you soooooo much!


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

Yeah, any color will do; they all do the same job in your tank. Personally I'd get something other than yellow, simply because yellow are the most common ones, and it's nice to have something different.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

yeah, im planning on ordering 1 purple, 1 blue, and 1 golden....whichever one i like the most i will keep and the others i will give to a friend who has 3 tanks....also, is there any minimum size tank that these can be put in?


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

You should allow 2 to 2.5 gallons per snail. They can be kept in a tank as small as 2 gallons. But you do need to have a filter, as they produce alot of poo.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

MyraVan @ Fri Mar 18 said:


> You should allow 2 to 2.5 gallons per snail. They can be kept in a tank as small as 2 gallons. But you do need to have a filter, as they produce alot of poo.


oh ok good  i have a 2.5 gallon on my desk with a strong filterand i wanted too keep one in there....is it ok to have them in a 2.5 gallon with one small fish? i want to get rid of my rosy barb and find a small fish that will be fine in there.....any suggestions? maybe a neon or something? or could i possibly keep 2-3 neons? any advice about what i could keep in there would be appreciated....


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

The apple snail, once full grown, will occupy most of the available bio-load of the little tank. To put fish in there without having too much in, you'd need to put something in there that is (a) really small, and (b) happy being on its own, and (c) won't try to eat the snail. There aren't many such fish. Would one guppy be happy on its own? I don't know. Bettas are happy on their own, but I think that putting a betta in there with it would be too much bio-load (perhaps someone who's more experienced can confirm/deny?), and some of them eat or harrass snails; it depends on their personalities.

What you could definitely put in with it are some small shrimp, like ghost shrimp or Amano shrimp. Shrimp have quite a low bio-load and are supposed to be very interesting. I don't own any shrimp, but I would like to.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

i cant find any shrimp around here....so a neon wouldnt be happy alone? if not, a guppy sounds good if that is ok on its own


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

neons and guppys are strictly schooling fish, i suggest amanos.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

amanos? are those shrimps? i cant find any around here!! are there any FISH that i could put in that small of a tank? white cloud minnows? anything?


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

osteoporoosi @ Fri Mar 18 said:


> neons and guppys are strictly schooling fish, i suggest amanos.


i disagree, guppys arnt schooling fish... they do fine on their own. 

Yes there are many fish you can keep in that small of a tank, only not with a snail.
White Cloud Minnows
Betta
Shrimp
Blue Paradise or Dwarf Gourami
Guppys
and others i cant think of....


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

i wouldnt say guppies are schooling fish either....ok, i might try some whie clouds or a betta...thanks! (i would put guppies in there but i dont want a whole lot of babies)


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

if you get 3 male guppys, No babies! more color lol


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

> if you get 3 male guppys, No babies! more color lol


sounds good to me!!!!!! i thought they might fight, though....do you think they will?
[/quote]


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

No they will just try and mate with each other, we keep all males in out tank at work and they seem fine, granted nothing to mate with but I dont think it will kill them.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

hmmmm i dont really want gay guppies.....jk....i guess ill put 3 in there then...thanks!


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

Wow we sure went from one topic/message to another in 5 pages!


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

lol....   well i wanted to know what i could put in my 2.5 gallon once i figured out what to put in my 15 gallon...then you said the male guppies might try to mate with each other and thats how it got to gay guppies, lol.....i think i have figured out what to put in all my tanks now *phew* thank you very much to everyone who had suggestions or advice and thanks for puttin up with me....i know i talk alot...thanks again!


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## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

Livebearers don't get "lonely".


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