looking for the perfect centerpiece fish?

[plantedAlex]

I have a 40 gallon breeder planted..The tank has been going for sometime now.. All it needs is a bright centerpiece fish any ideas. there are hundreds of red cherry shrimp in this tank I'm not really concerned about missing a few here and there. What are your ideas? 

Current stock: 

-school of neon tetras about 30 

-4 dwarf chain loaches 

- 1 African dwarf frog

-Full colony of cherry shrimp 

[nabokovfan87]

Rainbow shark? RTBS? Maybe some SAEs?

A few rams?

It's a beautiful tank! Nicely done.

Edited November 6, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[Fish Folk]

Here are some thoughts:

(1) DISCUS. If you find a pair that are already happy together, they'd do great. I like to keep mine warm -- 83-F. Not sure how that could impact everything else in your tank. A number of keepers swear they keep them at 80-F. I want to believe your shrimp could survive. Discus have very small mouths. Here's a photo of my very low-tech 55 gal. Discus + community tank. Just sponge filters. I water change 1x per week, 30%-50%.

I bought mine for $25-$50 each, and let them grow out in my water.

(2) APISTOGRAMMA. I think that an Agassizii super red could be a moderately sized centerpiece stunner in there...

 

 

[drewzero1]

My go-to centerpiece in a 40 breeder (my main tank) would be a pearl gourami. I'm a bit hesitant to try any gourami with shrimp, but both pearls I've had have left the Amano shrimp pretty much alone.

[nabokovfan87]

 

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/6/2022 at 6:06 AM, plantedAlex said:

I have a 40 gallon breeder planted..The tank has been going for sometime now.. All it needs is a bright centerpiece fish any ideas. there are hundreds of red cherry shrimp in this tank I'm not really concerned about missing a few here and there. What are your ideas? 

Current stock: 

-school of neon tetras about 30 

-4 dwarf chain loaches 

- 1 African dwarf frog

-Full colony of cherry shrimp 

Hmmm....Apistos, Rams, maybe some Nannacara or some Angelfish (there's a cichlid theme here 😂) and maybe a group of really cool gouramis. 

Keep us posted on what you choose!

[NofishB4]

7-9 honey gourami OR 4-5 pearl gourami. Honeys are brighter and super peaceful. Mine don’t bother my cherry shrimp at all in my 40G. They are with cardinals. 
 

The pearls are new to me in a 55. But they are very graceful and you definitely notice them!  Even though they are not as bright as the honeys the are super elegant. 

[mynameisnobody]

Hello, the question is: Do you not mind a shrimp sacrifice here and there or are you prepared to never see a little shrimplet again? 
In my experience, apisto’s will eradicate any small shrimp you have and I never saw any more babies in a few of my aquariums with apistos. I can also say the same for angels. My angelfish are assassins for anything tiny.

Don't get me wrong, apistos and angels are incredible fish and would make great additions. (Although, ime it’ll be addition via a bunch of subtraction). Good luck buddy

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

Festivum, single male as others have said fewer shrimp but gorgeous Festivum. 

Why not go “whole frog” and get a large group and see if you can breed some?

Gold gouramis, I’ve been seeing them again after a long absence in the hobby and they can be gorgeous. Gouramis are great and agree with others that honeys and pearls are spectacular. 

Rainbow fish, kamakas, dwarf praecox, Pseudomugil such as luminatus, gertrudae, Or Rhadinocentrus. 
 

How about grabbing another large school of tetras candy canes, “orange” lemon tetras, diamond tetras, etc 

[rockfisher]

Could your large school  be the center piece.

[JettsPapa]

On 11/6/2022 at 12:30 AM, drewzero1 said:

My go-to centerpiece in a 40 breeder (my main tank) would be a pearl gourami. I'm a bit hesitant to try any gourami with shrimp, but both pearls I've had have left the Amano shrimp pretty much alone.

Pearl gouramis are one of my favorite fish, but I wouldn't put just one in a tank.  While they aren't shoaling fish, like tetras, rasboras, etc, they are social and seem to do better in groups.  I currently have eleven in my 40 gallon breeder, and it has been as many as fourteen.  It's not unusual to see all eleven chilling almost stationary in a group taking up less than 1/4 of the tank space.

[BeeD]

Community betta? I don't think anything in there would nip at it or cause it to flare and attack. They stand out, and it looks like there are plenty of resting spots for him out of the current. They're usually easy to train, too, mine always swam over to a feeding spot where I could drop them a betta pellet or live food, but they'll munch on community flakes too.

Edited November 7, 2022 by BrettD

[nabokovfan87]

On 11/7/2022 at 12:07 AM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

Rainbow fish, kamakas, dwarf praecox, Pseudomugil such as luminatus, gertrudae, Or Rhadinocentrus. 

Yeah, based on the scape and the open space I think a few of the smaller rainbows will be very interesting to watch and enjoy in this tank.  I thought about it after I had initially posted and that seems like a nice fit!

Question for anyone who may or may not have tried it.  Do you think a Rainbow shark would be peaceful enough (might need a hide) to let the rainbowfish act naturally?  I am thinking Pseudomugil species.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

fish dependent, some of them are gentle giants and others are a PITA.

[drewzero1]

On 11/7/2022 at 8:45 AM, JettsPapa said:

Pearl gouramis are one of my favorite fish, but I wouldn't put just one in a tank.  While they aren't shoaling fish, like tetras, rasboras, etc, they are social and seem to do better in groups.  I currently have eleven in my 40 gallon breeder, and it has been as many as fourteen.  It's not unusual to see all eleven chilling almost stationary in a group taking up less than 1/4 of the tank space.

I've been thinking maybe I should get a few more. I worry about adding aggression, since my current pearl in her former home reportedly bullied another pearl nearly to death, but you're not the only person I've heard recommend against keeping pearls alone.