Returning to the Hobby, Seeking Slow Fish...

[PineSong]

Greetings! I have several years of fishkeeping history, mostly a trio of fancy goldfish in a traditional 'lights and filter' tank, but I also had a sun-fueled 'filterless' natural planted tank of platies that I really loved. Those tanks were 10+ years ago and I still miss the platy garden--all the plants and algae gave them lots of gardening to do and they always looked satisfied with life and so they were a pleasure to watch.

In recent years I have been limited to bettas and right now I have two. I've been dreaming of setting up a new natural planted tank at the end of summer and at first I assumed I would go back to having a platy-only tank, but watching Co-op videos has given me a little crush on gouramis, so I might want one (or more?) of those, or even a community tank. My main desire is for the fish to be slow-moving so they are peaceful to view. Recommendations welcome 🙂

(I haven't decided on the tank size yet, but I doubt I'll go lower than 20 or higher than 30. )

 

[Colu]

Welcome to the forum I had a pair of pearl gourami's and a large group of cherry barbs together in a planted 50 gallon some year back it was a great 

Edited May 29, 2021 by Colu

[sudofish]

I just added a pearl gourami. It's in a tank with dwarf neon rainbowfish & an electric blue acara. The gourami is definitely the most graceful/peaceful fish in the tank. It looks like it just kind of glides effortlessly instead of the frantic swimming the acaras & rainbowfish do. I would definitely reccomend the pearl gourami.

[GameCzar]

Irene's vids really have me wanting to try Honey Gouramis!  

[CorydorasEthan]

On 5/28/2021 at 8:19 PM, PineSong said:

Greetings! I have several years of fishkeeping history, mostly a trio of fancy goldfish in a traditional 'lights and filter' tank, but I also had a sun-fueled 'filterless' natural planted tank of platies that I really loved. Those tanks were 10+ years ago and I still miss the platy garden--all the plants and algae gave them lots of gardening to do and they always looked satisfied with life and so they were a pleasure to watch.

In recent years I have been limited to bettas and right now I have two. I've been dreaming of setting up a new natural planted tank at the end of summer and at first I assumed I would go back to having a platy-only tank, but watching Co-op videos has given me a little crush on gouramis, so I might want one (or more?) of those, or even a community tank. My main desire is for the fish to be slow-moving so they are peaceful to view. Recommendations welcome 🙂

(I haven't decided on the tank size yet, but I doubt I'll go lower than 20 or higher than 30. )

 

Welcome to the forum!

As has been mentioned multiple times previously, gourami such as the pearls and honeys are great options.

Couple this with a group of slower shoaling fish, like a smaller tetra, barb, or rasbora of some sort. They would provide excellent contrast to the single gourami.

Top it off with a pleco or group of otocinclus at the bottom for some extra movement that won't distract much from the pverall view of the aquarium. Added bonus is that they will help keep some algaes in check.

But if you did not want these, opt instead for a nerite snail, which would make a great addition to the laid-back theme you are going for. Contrary to my go-to peaceful community stocking plan, I would not recommend Corydoras catfish for the aquarium, as I've noticed that gourami (mostly the pearls) really like to pick on them during feeding time.

I hope this helps! I look forward to seeing how the aquarium turns out!

[CalmedByFish]

I've only had one angel, but he's very slow-mo. 

When I was recently trying to decide between a few nano species, I searched videos of the different species on YouTube, and watched them swim. That gave me a decent idea of what it would feel like to watch them at home.

I did notice that among a single species, fish in slower water would move slower. They also seem to move slower if they have a lot of plants to mosey in and out of, instead of just open water to hurry across. Though I haven't tried this out myself, I hear that fish will move more calmly if kept on the lower end of their comfortable temp range. So all those are things that might help you get the chill result you (and I) want. 

Edited to add: Sometimes females of a species swim more calmly than males do. 

Edited June 2, 2021 by CalmedByFish

[lefty o]

welcome to the forum.

[Fish Folk]

If you can permit me . . . I'd like to make a unique recommendation: the most utterly beautiful, slow-moving fish in the aquarium hobby is Discus. Your tank size would need to reach a 55 gal. But from a space and cost standpoint, it's not as hard to adapt as you might think. Here is our 55 gal, loaded with Discus. You can plant it up well, with nice thick substrate. All we do for filtration is two large sponge filters on either side, and add a strong air-stone flow in the center to keep the water moving and oxygen in the water. As long at the temperature stays very warm -- ca. 82-88 degrees Fahrenheit -- it is a very simple tank to maintain. And it's much more interesting that watching a widescreen HD TV. Glad to answer any questions. 

 

Edited June 3, 2021 by Fish Folk

[PineSong]

6 hours ago, GameCzar said:

Irene's vids really have me wanting to try Honey Gouramis!  

Yes, I remember hers as looking very peaceful and still perky.

[PineSong]

5 hours ago, CorydorasEthan said:

But if you did not want these, opt instead for a nerite snail, which would make a great addition to the laid-back theme you are going for. 

 

I do love snails, so that's a welcome recommendation. 

[PineSong]

23 minutes ago, Fish Folk said:

If you can permit me . . . I'd like to make a unique recommendation: the most utterly beautiful, slow-moving fish in the aquarium hobby is Discus. Your tank size would need to reach a 55 gal. 

 

Oh boy, your tank is beautiful and I have noticed discus' adorable shape and habit of just about standing still and would love to have a discus tank or a bunch of  angels if had a place for a tank that size. I've had a 50 before I moved/downsized, but right now I am quite tight on space so it's gonna be a 20-30g. Figuring out what to do in such a small space is a little (fun) pressure!

[Fish Folk]

6 minutes ago, PineSong said:

Oh boy, your tank is beautiful and I have noticed discus' adorable shape and habit of just about standing still and would love to have a discus tank or a bunch of  angels if had a place for a tank that size. I've had a 50 before I moved/downsized, but right now I am quite tight on space so it's gonna be a 20-30g. Figuring out what to do in such a small space is a little (fun) pressure!

We enjoyed a pair of Apistogramma Cacatuoides for some time in a 20 gal. long aquarium. They are pretty slow-moving. If you can keep them alive, Pencil fish are also very slow moving fish that pair nicely as a dither fish for Apistogrammas to help them guard their fry. However . . . if I recall correctly, Pencilfish may need live food.