Centerpiece Fish Suggestions

[amr427]

Looking for an ideally colorful centerpiece fish/fishes to complete my tank.

It's a 15G tank with 5 pristella tetras, 6 corydoras cruziensis, couple amano shrimp and one mystery snail.

Very hard water, 74deg temp, planted tank, pH around 7.2. So far nitrates have been around 25ppm when it comes time for the weekly water change.

Thanks!

[Fish Folk]

On 11/29/2021 at 4:48 PM, amr427 said:

Looking for an ideally colorful centerpiece fish/fishes to complete my tank.

It's a 15G tank with 5 pristella tetras, 6 corydoras cruziensis, couple amano shrimp and one mystery snail.

Very hard water, 74deg temp, planted tank, pH around 7.2. So far nitrates have been around 25ppm when it comes time for the weekly water change.

Thanks!

Have you considered a Paradise Fish? They've been bred into some fascinating color morphs.

Normally, when mature, males can look like this...

But they are selectively bred towards the blue color morph...

More dramatically . . .

Or towards the Red color . . .

They're an anabantid, like a Betta or Gourami, but hardier and more adaptable to various water parameters. I am not sure how well your Amano shrimp would do. That's my only concern with this suggestion.

[PedroPete]

Love the paradise fish idea. Other options:

• honey gourami

• Apistograma

• Kribensis

•  A Platy / swordtail / Molly or two (males only so no breeding)

[anewbie]

Kribs are not hardwater fishes; most apistogramma are not comfortable in hardwater (borelli might work and they are quite comfortable and proper size for a 15 gallon - btw even if kribs were suitable for hardwater they would not be suitable for 15 gallon aquarium); sword tails really need a large aquarium - at least a 20 long but a platy might work or one of the smaller molly breeds.

 

On 11/29/2021 at 4:18 PM, PedroPete said:

Love the paradise fish idea. Other options:

• honey gourami

• Apistograma

• Kribensis

•  A Platy / swordtail / Molly or two (males only so no breeding)

 

[Dwayne Brown]

Maybe some a colorful betta would be a good choice, although it could prey on your snail and shrimp...

Another option would be a small school of Rainbowfish.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@Dwayne BrownI agree, pseudomeugil rainbows such as Celebes, Luminatus, etc make great centerpiece fish as the males do great displays and are really enjoyable to watch. A group of 2-3 males to 4-6 females would work in a 15 (I had mine in a flex 15).

Cichlids are problematic for small tanks in general although could work on their own with nobody else but this has a community tank vibe so I’d avoid them. You just never know what their personality will be some are tame and others are killers. You’ll see lots if 10-20 g lists put Apistogramma, Bolivian Rams and GBRs as potential centerpieces but just know they could do great or wreak havoc. 

I have Gardneri killifish - they may snack on the shrimp if they are small but if medium to large they’d leave them alone. Have never seen them do anything with snails either. I find the whole genus of Fundolopanchax to be very attractive and definitely centerpiece worthy. 

I am biased as I have them but have you considered African dwarf frogs? A group of 4-6 would do well in a 15 g. They will constantly go up and down in the water column to get air, are terribly clumsy eaters which is terribly entertaining and they don’t get or give fish diseases unless they come from the farms with them. They also can be bred. 

A smaller gudgeon could work, I always see Scarlet badis listed as well but when I read up on them they are very shy not what I’d want as a centerpiece. 

[Mmiller2001]

Florida Flag Fish.