NEW TANK NEED ADVICE On COMPATIBLE FISH

[Brendan99]

Hello I have a new tank that I have started I presently have a rainbow shark and an orange sword tail I use to have a Berta as well but I took him out cuz all he did was hang out at the top of the tank for the most part now he's happy in his tank. I wanna put a few more fish in but not sure what exactly to put in with them.

Here are a few fish I'm thinking of adding to the mix. another shark this time an albino rainbow shark cuz I hear they like it better in schools as well I have some male betta's that I wanna start breeding so I was gonna get a few females and keep then in there As well as a Blue, pearl and fire belly Gourami what do we think???

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Rainbow sharks get six inches and need roughing 55g. So, first off he is not compatible in that tank.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

And female bettas normally don't get along. It's called a sorority. You would need to put a lot of research in that. And I'm not so sure about those gouramis. They need a bigger tank also.

 

[SeverumGuy]

I agree, the shark needs to be moved to another home. The swordtail can be mixed with any other platies or swordtails, tetras, and other community fish with no aggression. Just to correct some info on the sharks schooling, an albino and a normal one will not school together because they don't look alike. You'd have to get the same breed and several of them. Also, I wouldn't put more than one gourami in the tank together otherwise you'll see them chasing each other and getting aggressive.

 

[Brendan99]

Ok so assuming I take out the shark what would u put in with it??? Or if I just kept the tank as is and don't add another shark what would I be able to get away with in your opinions

 

[Brendan99]

as well I would like to add a snail for help to clean my tank when I have an established community

 

[SeverumGuy]

What size is the tank? It wasn't mentioned in the original post

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

a 29g is too small for a rainbow shark, hun. They need basically twice that. Take them to a LFS and try stocking it with some smaller community fish.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Wait, you have just one swordtail? Why not get a few more and have a school?

 

[SeverumGuy]

Wait, you have just one swordtail? Why not get a few more and have a school?

One thing I've noticed about swordtails and regular platies is they don't really school together very often. I would just get one or two more swordtails and then some other platies you like. Also, I'm a huge fan of tetras. You can fit about three smaller schools of tetras in a 29g tank. Tetras are nice and active and fun to watch.

 

[Polyhead]

Hello I have a new tank that I have started I presently have a rainbow shark and an orange sword tail I use to have a Berta as well but I took him out cuz all he did was hang out at the top of the tank for the most part now he's happy in his tank. I wanna put a few more fish in but not sure what exactly to put in with them.

Here are a few fish I'm thinking of adding to the mix. another shark this time an albino rainbow shark cuz I hear they like it better in schools as well I have some male betta's that I wanna start breeding so I was gonna get a few females and keep then in there As well as a Blue, pearl and fire belly Gourami what do we think???

You have a few fish there that are much happier in a shcool, yet you are only getting one of each? Why is this? You can do that, but they may not live very long or happy lives.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

One thing I've noticed about swordtails and regular platies is they don't really school together very often. I would just get one or two more swordtails and then some other platies you like. Also, I'm a huge fan of tetras. You can fit about three smaller schools of tetras in a 29g tank. Tetras are nice and active and fun to watch.

Well, I did not know this. Sorry, I was just trying to throw an idea out there.

He could do a neat live-bearers tank. Ive seen some interesting mixed mollies, guppies, platies, etc. tanks at LFS and one of my besties has a mix of them in his tank and they are thriving.

 

[James_in_MN]

Try the following website to plan out how many fish you could put in your aquarium. I'm using it to help guide how many fish I'll add to my new tank. Perhaps it could help?

AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

You can also use the following websites to help understand which fish are compatible, and which fish won't coexist.

Aquariumlife.net - Freshwater Fish Compatibility Chart
Tropical Fish and Aquariums Compatibility

 

[SeverumGuy]

I can see future problems keeping mollies and a full freshwater tank. They do a lot better in brackish water and tend to die prematurely when kept in freshwater, though it has been done

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

I've heard a lot of different info on mollies. Even people adapting them to fully salt-life. So, I guess it's up to that person and the research they put into it. I'm not trying to continue to contradict you in this thread by the way.

 

[CuriousWoRm]

Like the others said about the sharks you have a size problem.
I also have a 29 gallon, just not a bow front. If you want the gouramis still you could check out the dwarf selection.
A 29G fills up fast with fish. So I would take your time making the selections of fish you want. Go to all your local fish stores and browse..browse...browse. If you drive by one, just pull in and take a quick look. They just might have something new. I wouldn't buy fish on impulse though. If you have a phone with internet, flip that thing out in the fish store and do some on sight reading if you have the time.
Like I said, if you want something with flare, and with the tank size and height, I would consider one or two dwarf gouramis. I fairly certain every fish store carries them. You could still have a problem with the fish and its personality, however.
There are so many different options out there still for a 29G, in the end it is going to be personal choice. If you give a little more info on personal preference I'm sure people could name some cool fish.
Schools or no?
Colors? Dark(black or white)? Sparkles(like silvers)? Rainbow(color in general)? or even clear!!
What level of the tank? bottom feeder? top? middle?

 

[Brendan99]

I really like my sword tail and would like to have a few more but I was told u can't have more than one male in a tank at a time as well I would like lots of colour in my tank if I can or just lots of unique fish I want a tank that ppl will look in and be like wow those are nice I like the look of the goramies cuz there's lots of different colors as well I like fish with long fins or tails I also have 3 betts fish spread all around the house.

This brings me back to having a few female bettas in the tank what do we mean by calling more than 1 a serority and is it bad to have more than1???

I also want to take a second and thank everyone for all this advice as I sed I'm new to this whole thing