Centrepiece fish

[Powelly]

I have a 25 Gallon freshwater tank with:
2 common plecs (will be re-housed when needed)
2 Dalmation Mollies
1 Leopard Cory
2 Black Phantom Tetra
3 Cherry Shrimp

I have a mixture of real and silk plants in there with a lot of hiding places

I'm looking for a centrepiece fish, i'd like it to be about 5" long and it obviously needs to be a community fish..
I love bettas but they aren't big enough for my liking and they also restrict what else you put in your tank.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Galligak]

I have a 25 Gallon freshwater tank with:
2 common plecs (will be re-housed when needed)
2 Dalmation Mollies
1 Leopard Cory
2 Black Phantom Tetra
3 Cherry Shrimp

I have a mixture of real and silk plants in there with a lot of hiding places

I'm looking for a centrepiece fish, i'd like it to be about 5" long and it obviously needs to be a community fish..
I love bettas but they aren't big enough for my liking and they also restrict what else you put in your tank.

Thanks in advance!

I'd do a gourami of some kind, but not a kissing gourami. Maybe a opaline or blue? Another option would be a dwarf cichlid, but they usually get about 3-4ish inches which is a bit smaller than what you'd like, but they're amazing little fish I'd also up your cories and tetras up to 6 each, their schooling fish.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

After you fill out your tetra and cory school to six each, I would not add anything else. I think you would be pretty stocked, two mollies have a big bioload and are going to keep your beneficial bacteria busy. What is your filtration?

 

[Powelly]

Yes I gathered I'd have to complete the schools as soon as possible, would I be able to get other species of tetra or will they not school? I like neon's and runny-nose tetras?

I have a 40 gallon filter which I was told would be sufficient for a well stocked 25 gallon tank..

Would a pearl gourami be compatible?

 

[adadkins1]

I personally wouldn't recommend a pearl as they get 6" and that is awfully big for anything under 30g. I would think add about 5 or 6 more tetras and 5 more corys. This would fill out your schools, but that would really max out your tank. Plecos and mollies poop A LOT, so they really weigh down the filtration.

You might could do a dwarf gourami as a centerpiece once you get rid of the plecos though.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Tetras need their own kind to school so you can't add a different kind. Fill out your schools and rehome the plecos then you could look at getting a centre piece fish. I wouldn't recommend the gourami either. They get too big for a 25g tank. I think you need to start looking at smaller fish. IMO you don't have enough swimming space for a fish of 5-6 inches in length.

 

[gabysapha]

Plus, keeping one pearl gourami is nice, but having more than one is so different! They are very social I think, and my single male used to be reclusive until I got him some girlfriends. They are always interacting and visiting all levels of the tank now. And, they say males don't show their true colors until they have females to court. So I highly recommend getting more than one pearl gourami if you get them at all.
That being said, I also do not recommend a pearl for your set up. Although if I REALLY wanted one, and the tank was well suited for a pearl (heavily planted, floating plants, long tank...), I think one female could work out. But I'm not recommending you do it

But as Mumma said, first we take care of the schools and taking away the plecos. I would get rid of the mollies too, if you're willing. Without them, I think you would have more space for filling in schools.

There are other gouramis that are better suited for the tank. Another poster mentioned dwarf gouramis. One of them would be a fantastic centerpiece in your size tank. If you love bettas you would probably love dwarf gouramis too.

 

[adadkins1]

Tetras need their own kind to school so you can't add a different kind. Fill out your schools and rehome the plecos then you could look at getting a centre piece fish. I wouldn't recommend the gourami either. They get too big for a 25g tank. I think you need to start looking at smaller fish. IMO you don't have enough swimming space for a fish of 5-6 inches in length.

Dwarf Gouramis only get 3" max. I only recommended the dwarves, not the larger 6"+ gouramis.

BTW, NO PEARL GOURAMIS! Dwarf Gouramis are the only gourami that I would recommend for a 25g. Aside from Sparkling Gouramis which stay small and need to be kept in groups.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Dwarf Gouramis only get 3" max. I only recommended the dwarves, not the larger 6"+ gouramis.

BTW, NO PEARL GOURAMIS! Dwarf Gouramis are the only gourami that I would recommend for a 25g. Aside from Sparkling Gouramis which stay small and need to be kept in groups.

Oh when I said no to the gourami I meant the pearl The OP was referring to I have a DG in a 17g.

 

[adadkins1]

Oh, didn't realize that. I would definitely agree that if you could get rid of the plecos and maybe mollies if you want, you would be more open to what you could stock.