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Golfball98

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Nov 25, 2013
Messages
90
Hi guys, I have 8 harlequin rasboras in my 16gal tank and some cherry shrimp, I have the tank moderately planted and have a big piece of driftwood too. I was wondering is there any other fish that would go well in the tank? I would like something of a colourful centrepiece fish, I was thinking some type of apisto but I'm not sure because tank guidelines for apistos vary greatly.
PS sorry if this is in the wrong place

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Hi, I didn't really know anything about apistos so I researched them.

From what I read they are hard to look after and need a 30 gallon tank minimum. As I researched this I am not sure if it is 100% true. What I do know is that they are cichlids. What I also know is all cichlids are at least semi-aggressive.

As far as I can tell they will not be suited for your 16 gallon tank or shrimp and harlequins.

IMO something like a dwarf gourami pair would be much better. They are colourful, rather easy to look after and will fit in your tank. A pair of barbs would also be nice. Hope this helps.


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Thank you very much, what type of barbs would you recommend?

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Sorry I didn't mean barbs. I meant rams. Been working with fish solidly for 2 years and I get barbs and rams mixed up!!!!

If money isn't an issue electric blue German rams are amazing but they are twice the cost as normal German rams.

Sorry about my mistake.


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Really? I thought German blue rams got too big for my tank! I absolutely love them! Every time I go to my LFS I stand and watch them for ages!!!

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16 gallons is about 70litres. I have my 2 German blue rams in a 40 litre which Is even smaller than your tank.

There is more than enough room in your tank for the rams and other fish. They will be perfectly fine with all your other fish.

I know what you mean the rams are amazing. I have kept many types, German blue, gold German blue and electric German blue they are all amazing.


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What are the dimensions of you tank? Swimming space is just as important as overall water volume so in order to make a good recommendation we would need to know that.

Apisto's need very little room. Generally less than rams and certainly not a 30g tank. That being said, they are not what I would call a centerpiece for a community tank. Especially if it is tall. The reason being they will mostly stay in the bottom few inches of your tank.

I am not an expert on shrimp by any means but I have a feeling that both the Apisto's and the ram's would eat your shrimp. Might be worth looking into before you make the purchase.

Lastly, most blue rams are not the easiest fish to keep. What are the parameters of the water where you are.
 
My tank is a tall hexagon, it is 22" x 15" x 16", my parameters are amm: 0 nitrite: 0 nitrate: 5ppm and the water comes out of the tap at 5 ppm, my pH is 7.4

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I'm thinking of just setting up my spare 16gal long tomoro and getting some rams, would that be OK? I'm just worried about them eating my shrimp that are 6 euro each

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That would definitely be better. The rule of thumb with rams is 20 gallons per pair (and make sure that the pair isn't two males), but I think that a 16 gallon would be OK. You can compensate for that with larger water changes, which is easily doable in a relatively small tank like that. GBRs are sensitive to nitrate, so change out enough weekly water to keep the nitrate level under 10 ppm.

You may want to round out that tank by adding a shoal of a half-dozen mid/top-dwelling tetras such as Bloodfin or Bleeding Heart. Harlequins are great too, but you already have them in your other tank.
 
That's great thank you! Would u recommend I add the tetras first or the rams first?

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I would add the rams last. If added first, the rams may get accustomed to the entire tank being their own and might not appreciate the "intruders" that are added later.

Angelfish may be another option for your top/middle dwellers. I've never kept them and can't give advice on species or how many, but I've read that they coexist well with rams.

Good luck!
 
Thank you so much, I just have one more question, can I add any tetra or just those two?

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In a tank that size with 2 GBRs, I'd try to avoid tetras that hang out a lot near the bottom of the tank. This would include Rummynoses, Glowlights, and several other species. Other mid/top-dwelling tetras would include Black Skirts, Cardinals, Penguins, and probably others. Do a thorough Google search on this and ask for feedback from others here. Also avoid the really small tetras that can get bullied. This would include Embers and possible Neons/Green Neons.
 
Thank you very much for your help

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Could I have a school of either black or gold phantom tetras with the German blue rams?

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