Centerpeice fish ideas

[newfrye]

So after looking at various threads throughout the forums here, I see the common suggested centerpiece fish is either a ram or dwarf gourami. Would it be possible to share knowledge of other centerpiece fish, if they should be solo paired or either, recommended tank size and temperament? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[threnjen]

In my 90g our two centerpiece fish are a German Blue Ram and an Angelfish. They are awesome!!!
The most common four fish that are thrown out are Rams (German Blue, Electric Blue, Bolivian), Angelfish, Gouramis (dwarf or otherwise), and Bettas

Betta - actually makes a nice community fish, but you can't have other fish that are "finny" that the Betta might mistake as another male. You cannot have two bettas together, either male or female.
Angelfish - Ideal as a singleton, but CAN be kept together if you happen to get two with a nice temperament, or buy an already bonded pair.
Rams - Similar to Angelfish, better as a single or a bonded pair, but you might be able to fit two different types in your 90
Gourami - best suited alone

Gouramis, Bettas and Angels don't really get along and tend toward the same area of the water column so it's best to pick only one of these. You can have a ram or two with any of the other three as rams usually hang near the bottom.

You can always get lucky and have fish that end up getting along like an Angel and a Betta, or Betta and Gourami, etc etc but this is totally up to luck so most people don't risk it.

Disclaimer: fish profiles aren't my specialty, so I may be corrected on some points

 

[Fishperson]

I agree with Threnjen, and I'd like to add apistos to that list!

And as a sidenote, if this is a 90g like your signature says, than you could easily have a few pairs of dwarf cichlids. Maybe a pair of rams and a trio of apistogramma cacatuoides? They are actually pretty peaceful when given enough room.

 

[newfrye]

Thank you for the ideas. Yes this is for the 90g mentioned in my if nature, soon to be updated with a 36 bow with 2 Blackmoor goldfish and maybe an oto.

 

[Tommy10]

The paradise fish is a gorgeous fish. It's look similar to betas and gouramis but IMO prettier

 

[azmodan]

It really depends on the tank size and the types of fish you have or want to have. Depending on those two factors you can also start looking at other fish such as kribs, keyhole cichlids, festivums, severums, leopard ctenopomas, and even something like an african butterfly fish. I think people suggest rams and DGs because they're very appropriate for common tanks like a 20g or 40b, plus they're pretty easy to find.

 

[NinjaTetra]

Pearl gouramis look amazing in a pair, trio, or single. Everyone else covered the cool centerpiece cichlids