Great Community Non-Liver Bearer fish for 45 gallon tank

[Christina1973]

Hi,  My son and I are new to this hobby.  Our current plan is to have:  Rummyfish, Coryfish (julli) (absolute favourite), 1 Bolivian Ram and 1 Pearl Gourami (these would be our feature fish once the tank is well established), and a Bristlenose Pleco (love these as well).  We were thinking about Dwarf rainbow fish, but not sure if they are flashy enough and thought I'd put it out there to see if there are other fish around the 2.5 inch mark that would be complimentary to our current choices.  The tank is a 36 by 20 Deep by 16 wide Bow front tank.  I have started planting it with a sand substate.  We love some of the Live bearer fish, but do not want to deal with babies which from the sounds of most people there would be a lot to deal with!  Any input would be appreciated.  Thanks so much.

[tr0y]

I have the exact same tank right now i have rummynose tetras, neon tetras, green neon tetras and three dwarf gouramis. I have also done a 45 gallon guppy tank trust me live bearers are the best they get you so into the hobby because they are constantly breeding would definitely recommend live bearers.  

[Christina1973]

The trouble is that I will have too many fish if they have babies.  We loved the look of Guppies and Mollies, but were concerned about what to do with the babies.  

[Nataku]

 My top suggestion is danios (leopard or zebra, theyre the same species, just different patterns) as they'll stay towards the top of the tank and be quite active. The rummynose will school more towards the middle and lower in the tank, so it will make your tank have activity at all levels.

[Brian P]

You are right the babies change your tank.  My 4 male mollies just had a ton of babies.  Our first clue that one may be a female.  Now our 20 neons, 4 mollies, and lemon pleco are busting at the seams in my 29g as their are literally 20 or 30 baby mollies.   I just decided to split the live bearers out and bought a 20g tank to put them in.  It’s kind of a mess.  I just wanted a nice calm community tank.  The babies are really cute though.  Oh, and last point, the mama molly has turned not very nice to the other fish and has become a major glutton.  Good luck with your new tank!

[Christina1973]

8 minutes ago, Nataku said:

 My top suggestion is danios (leopard or zebra, theyre the same species, just different patterns) as they'll stay towards the top of the tank and be quite active. The rummynose will school more towards the middle and lower in the tank, so it will make your tank have activity at all levels.

Thanks so much for your response.  What temperature do you have your Danios at?  I have been using Aqadvisor and it warned me that danios like cooler water, whereas most fish that I will have would need at least 77degrees.  

Warning: Water temperature requirements are not fully compatible between all selected species.
=> 24 - 28C: Pearl Gourami
=> 23 - 26C: Rummynose Tetra
=> 25 - 28C: Julii Cory
=> 22 - 27C: Bristlenose Pleco
=> 24 - 26C: Bolivian Ram
=> 18 - 24C: Longfin Zebra Danio

[Daniel]

10 hours ago, Christina1973 said:

The trouble is that I will have too many fish if they have babies.  We loved the look of Guppies and Mollies, but were concerned about what to do with the babies.  

If you keep a Bolivian Rams and/or a Pearl Gourami it is very unlikely you would have to deal with any livebearer babies. l agree with @tr0y above and would recommend you try any of the livebearers that you like. They are fun and easy in a community tank and the feature fish you are considering will prevent a population increase.

[JettsPapa]

Hello,

I really like Pearl Gouramis, and applaud your choice, but while they aren't shoaling fish like tetras or corys they are social.  Because of that I'd encourage you to get more than one.  I'd say to start get one male and two females, but you could have even more if you have room with your other stocking.  I have two males and six females in my heavily planted 40 gallon breeder tank.

[Maggie]

I also have a 45-gal (36Wx24Hx12D) and am partial to harlequin rasboras. I think most rasboras share water parameters with gourami, and many beautiful species to choose from. 

[Christina1973]

HI,  Thanks for your responses.  This is what was generated by Advisor.  I currently have 4 Rummynose, but would be looking to get at least another 3, but will they really be in danger as stated below?  I love the idea of having 3 Pearls, but don't want it to turn ugly where everyone is being attacked and killed (I'm over dramatizing I know).  I love Guppies and if it can work, we would be all over it.  I just watched a video from Cory at Aquarium Coop and he said Coryfish will eat the fry as well.  So if I managed to get 1 male and 2 female Guppy would that be enough?

Note: Bristlenose Pleco needs driftwood. Warning: When Pearl Gourami starts to breed, they may become too aggressive to co-exist with Rummynose Tetra. Suggestion: If you want to keep more than 1 Guppy, minimum recommend male to female ratio is 1:2 (M:F). You will be less likely to experience problem if you get even more females. Recommended temperature range: 25 - 26 C. [Display in Farenheit] Recommended pH range: 6 - 7.5. Recommended hardness range: 5 - 15 dH. You have plenty of aquarium filtration capacity. Your aquarium filtration capacity for above selected species is 169%. Recommended water change schedule: 28% per week. Your aquarium stocking level is 88%. [Generate Image]