Unique Stocking Ideas

[Tyler LaZerte]

I am looking for some unique ideas for stocking! This is a 16 gallon and I have 5 baby panda corys and 3 Otocinclus sp. I want to have a school of Celestial Pearl Danios in here as well. Any interesting ideas for 1 showpiece fish?

[Bobbie]

If you’re willing to wait for a while, you could do what I did and make all the community fish very comfortable before going and getting a betta from somewhere that has bettas in community tanks. That’d also let the plants grow in dense so there’s plenty of hiding spaces. 
 

If you got the betta (or gourami) before the rest of the fish were settled and happy then you’re more likely to have aggression issues, or at least I figure that’s why I was successful in introducing a betta to danios & corycats. 
 

I’ve also heard that a single platy can be used as a centrepiece fish, but they’re jumpers so you’d need a tight lid. 

Edited July 5, 2021 by Bobbie

[Tyler LaZerte]

@Bobbie I was thinking about that. A Betta would be nice if it could be integrated well into a community. It's on a fish by fish basis with Bettas haha 

[GameCzar]

I tell you, if we could find Honey Gouramis locally, that would be my choice.    A pair would look gorgeous in that tank. 

[Tyler LaZerte]

@GameCzar That wouldn't be too hard around me. They are a bright pop of color that I would enjoy. 

[Patrick_G]

My first though was Honey Gouramis, but if you want something a little less common then Gardneri Killifish might work.

pic from Practical Fishkeeping

[Tyler LaZerte]

@Patrick_G Also a BIG choice. I wanted to get two but I heard they can be monsters when it comes to shrimp. 

[Patrick_G]

On 7/5/2021 at 11:34 AM, Tyler LaZerte said:

@Patrick_G Also a BIG choice. I wanted to get two but I heard they can be monsters when it comes to shrimp. 

Yeah, that mouth is huge! 😀

Blue Eyed Rainbowfish might be another option

[Tyler LaZerte]

@Patrick_G Are you talking about Furcatas?

[Bobbie]

The rainbowfish would be pretty, and the yellow would certainly set them apart. 
 

You could also do a single male apistogramma if you like cichlids

[Patrick_G]

On 7/5/2021 at 11:40 AM, Tyler LaZerte said:

@Patrick_G Are you talking about Furcatas?

Yeah, or any of the Psudomugil Killis. The Red Neon Blue Eye is my favorite. 

[laritheloud]

I would love to try killifish someday, but my vote has to go to sparkling or honey gouramis. I've become a little gourami obsessed since getting mine. They're very sweet fish to watch!

Also, these aren't necessarily the 'prettiest' fish in the tank, but if you want to try an underrated gourami I would get a thicklipped gourami. We got one by mistake when I requested a male/female honey pair, and the staff at the shop gave me a female honey with a female thicklipped they misidentified as a male honey. They do exist in the wild color variation which is extremely pretty, but it's more common to find them in the 'sunset' variety (they darken as they grow). I find the personality of mine to be very, very charming, and quite a bit more outgoing than my mild and shy honeys. She follows me around the sides of the tank to watch me if she ever spots me approaching. She's always vying for my attention and will eat out of my hand. She does some minor chasing of tetras away from her morsel of food but never anything more than that in terms of aggression. Highly recommend for their endearing personalities!

Edited July 5, 2021 by laritheloud

[Tyler LaZerte]

Very interesting! I will think about that. I haven't heard of them but I will do some research 😉

[KentFishFanUK]

What about a peacock gudgeon (or pair?)? I haven't kept them yet but they are on my 'to keep' list for one day as they are gorgeous and I think would work in your tank. Though I think they would need a cave to hide on to feel secure. 

Beautiful scape by the way!

Edit: by the way, is your profile pic a ragdoll cat? 

Edited July 5, 2021 by KentFishFanUK
Unrelated question added

[Tyler LaZerte]

@KentFishFanUK I do love the look of them and they were actually the first fish that I found I wanted! I was just worried about them killing my adult neo shrimp.

Yes! That is my rag doll 😁 His name is Romeo. He's 3 years old this year. 

[KentFishFanUK]

@Tyler LaZerte oh awesome, like minds then! Like I said I haven't kept them yet so no idea about how they would do with your shrimp but I suspect you have reason to be worried. Though personally I would prefer the peacocks to the shrimp haha I guess I'm not much of an invertebrates guy. 

Aw awesome Romeo looks gorgeous! I used to have a ragdoll named Oscar, I miss him! They are great cats (who act like dogs, Oscar did anyway!)

[Tyler LaZerte]

I live inverts so I am a bit biased lol 

 

I'm sorry to hear about Oscar but OH MY GOD YES he is a dog. Doesn't leave you alone, follows you everywhere, fetches, needs to be told he's a Good Boy or he doesn't eat; yeah. He owns me lol 

[KentFishFanUK]

Oh fortunately Oscar is still alive we just don't have him any more - he needed more attention than we could give due to work and family commitments, we were expecting our first (human) baby and had other things going on so we made the difficult decision to give him up - he was adopted by a great couple (colleagues of mine) who are real animal lovers and adore him, so I still get updates at least! He is doing well so feel like it was the right decision for him at the time even though we miss him. He will be 6 now and just as soppy as ever. Romeo sounds just like him, playing fetch, following you everywhere, greeting us excitedly at the door etc! 

Let us know when you decide on your centre piece! I like your stocking so far, I have panda cories as well and they are so sweet. 

[Tyler LaZerte]

@KentFishFanUK That is very selfless of you. Not many people would do that. I'm glad you thought of Oscar's life instead of how yours would be without him. I commend you for that. 

I will definitely post when I pick it out 😁

[KentFishFanUK]

@Tyler LaZerte

Thank you for that take, I know deep down we did it for him and it was for the best but it's hard not to also feel guilty about it like we abandoned him or something 😢. So I appreciate that you see it that way, thank you for the kind words! 

[Ben_RF]

Since some have mentioned the honey gourami with celestial pearl danios, I made a quick video of mine getting along great as the eat the co op baby brine shrimp. The fish on the substrate are panda cories.

My apologies about the quality of the video. Cheap phone and I don't have Jimmy's mad skills 

 

Edited July 6, 2021 by Ben_RF

[Colu]

A scarlet baddies would go well with your other fish but most of them will only eat live food

[Tyler LaZerte]

On 7/5/2021 at 6:21 PM, KentFishFanUK said:

@Tyler LaZerte

Thank you for that take, I know deep down we did it for him and it was for the best but it's hard not to also feel guilty about it like we abandoned him or something 😢. So I appreciate that you see it that way, thank you for the kind words! 

You didn't abandon him. Abandoning implies you brought it to a shelter or let it outside too roam. You saved it from being lonely and possibly getting sick. They are people cats. They don't do well if they are left on their own like most cats. They can get depressed and fall sick sometimes if they aren't interacted enough with. You did the right thing 🙂

[Tyler LaZerte]

On 7/5/2021 at 7:01 PM, Ben_RF said:

Since some have mentioned the honey gourami with celestial pearl danios, I made a quick video of mine getting along great as the eat the co op baby brine shrimp. The fish on the substrate are panda cories.

My apologies about the quality of the video. Cheap phone and I don't have Jimmy's mad skills 

 

Oh wow! Thank you for the shot! Very serene and nice to see a nice community 😁

[Tyler LaZerte]

On 7/5/2021 at 7:05 PM, Colu said:

A scarlet baddies would go well with your other fish but most of them will only eat live food

They were an option for me as well. Love the male coloration. Hard to get females in the trade, though