Centerpiece Fish

[TravisBumpy]

I am wanting a centerpiece Fish for my 28 gallon heavily planted cool water tank. I currently have 10 white clouds, 4 nerite snails, 3 Borneo Hilstream loaches, 2 Chinese Hilstream loaches and 10 amano shrimp. I currently run 2 large sponge filters. One with an air stone another with a power head. I just want to add a splash of color. Any suggestions

[Cinnebuns]

I love gouarmis personally but dwarf gouramis can be a little aggressive and often come with a deadly disease. The 2 I would look into is honey or thick-lipped. Thats personally what I've considered for my 29 gallon tank. They are both peaceful and I'm confident they don't have the dwarf gourami disease. They are in the same family as bettas and have 2 fun unique fins that drape down off of them. Honey can come in yellow or red. 

[Cinnebuns]

I hesitate to suggest this because I don't have personal experience in it. Others feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but a betta might work with those tank mates. Especially since the other inhabitants were established first. I would caution you to do some research and be prepared to have a backup plan. A lot of times having tank mates with a betta is dependant on the personality of the individual betta you have. I don't know all the specifics of all betta breeds but I do hear that aliens tend to be more peaceful. 

Hopefully someone can give more insight on this. Please don't take my inexperienced word as the end all. I just wanted to add the suggestion as an option to be explored. 

[Flumpweesel]

What temp range is cool? You may need advice from some of the native keepers.

 

[AndreaW]

On 2/27/2022 at 5:01 PM, Cinnebuns said:

I hesitate to suggest this because I don't have personal experience in it. Others feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but a betta might work with those tank mates. Especially since the other inhabitants were established first. I would caution you to do some research and be prepared to have a backup plan. A lot of times having tank mates with a betta is dependant on the personality of the individual betta you have. I don't know all the specifics of all betta breeds but I do hear that aliens tend to be more peaceful. 

Hopefully someone can give more insight on this. Please don't take my inexperienced word as the end all. I just wanted to add the suggestion as an option to be explored. 

Correct, @Cinnebuns, temperament is a big thing with Bettas and some people have the calmest Bettas with their tank mates (unfortunately, mine isn't). I don't know about aliens, but often the larger fins are slower and most of the Bettas chilling with their tank mates seem to be long finned (even dumbos), and usually not the Plakats (what mine is). But, you never know and need to have a backup plan.

What is the flow of your powerhead, @TravisBumpy? That will affect if you can keep a Betta or Gourami. Also temp, as Bettas do best around 80*F.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Cinnebuns that suggestion would also have to be based on temps- Bettas should be kept in 80-82 degrees. It's not a bad suggestion at all there's just considerations. That is only one of them. Most bettas aren't great with high flow (long fins tear). They can be aggressive (male and fem) but if introduced last they can be great in a community tank!

Edited February 28, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Cinnebuns]

@xXInkedPhoenixX ty for that clarification. I really did hesitate to even post it. I don't like to talk about topics I'm not confident on the info because it's a chance at spreading misinformation. I figured I would bring it up and hopefully others would fill in the gaps. I'm glad you did so!!

[Mmiller2001]

Paradise fish.

 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Cinnebuns don't be skeered. I got you. 🙂 

I need someone to get a Bolivian Ram for a centerpiece so I can live vicariously! 😄

[Cinnebuns]

@xXInkedPhoenixX i don't know a lot about them, but rams of all kinds give me mixed feelings about their looks. They look kinda cool but also partially like they were painted by my 3 year old nephew. Kinda random splotches of color. I'm undecided if I love them or wanna avoid looking at color vomit. I've never been this confused about how I feel about the looks of an animal before. 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Cinnebuns this is actually kinda why I like the Bolivian so much. Admittedly never kept any (or any Cichlids at all) but I like that they stay small and look kinda like fishy punk rockers (but peaceful ones not looking to fight just to jam with the other fishes). Yeah their coloring looks like they've been out at a party all night and their make-up has run but that's what would make them stand out so nicely in a comnunity tank around so many other "straighlaced" fishes (like my Black Neons or Harlequins). 

[laritheloud]

These are all cooler water fish so I would go with a gourami that is happy with cooler-leaning water. Paradise Fish are an excellent candidate and would do well with mid-to-low-70s water temps. Most other gourami species you'd be looking at would do quite well at around 75 degrees, give or take a bit.