Fish for 6 gallon planted

[lmw80]

I want to also keep shrimp in the tank....I need ideas for a couple of fish I can put in with them...

 

[Jchillin]

I'm thinking rummynose tetras.

 

[BrianNY]

Killifish would be my first choice. See if you can find a pair of panchax. Gorgeous little fish!!

 

[JustOneMore20]

I watch my 7 Rummies swim the length of my 4ft tank....they are pretty active, so I wouldn't put them in a 6g personally. I'd go with some of the smaller rasboras (Boraras) or Galaxy Rasboras before Rummies.

Killifish would be an excellent idea, although I believe they'll eat shrimp (I was going to do a Killie/Shrimp tank before I found this out ).

In a heavily planted tank, I think 2 Dwarf puffers might do ok, although you wouldn't be able to keep the shrimp.

There are several people on plantedtank.net that keep Boraras with different types of shrimp successfully in small tanks.

 

[lmw80]

I was thinking about killifish, but I really want shrimp....

 

[aquariumnoob]

a betta would do nicely, and would add a lot of color to the tank. in my 10 gal planted tank i keep my betta with 3 cories, 3 ottos, and a bamboo shrimp. i think a 6 gal planted with shrimp and a betta would look nice.

 

[severum mama]

Bettas will occasionally eat shrimp too, it just depends on the individual fish.

I'm going to have to agree with Kristin on the rummies. Mine are constantly cruising around my 55 gallon discus tank, plus they can grow to nearly 2 inches TL- seems to me by the time you added an acceptable number for a school, it would be an awful lot of fish for only 6 gallons by the time they reach adult size. I like the idea for dwarf puffers, but again, you'd have to nix the shrimp. Honestly, I don't see why it was recommended to you not to keep either Boraras or galaxy rasboras. They probably aren't any more active than rummynose tetras, and at least their adult size is smaller. I think either species would look awesome with some cherry shrimp.

One last thing- have you thought about how small shrimp like cherry shrimp will fare, given the way the intake is set up for the filtration unit? I've gotten around this problem, of course, by making a sponge prefilter, but it seems to me that JBJ's filtration system (even though I think it's awesome) would pose a lot more of a problem in that regard.

 

[tropicfishman]

I second the notion fo rthe killifish, althoguh they are rahter expensive!

 

[hsherman1986]

I paid 10 per pair for mine. If you know where to look, they are cheap, and readily available I am currently breeding 9 different species. They are gorgeous fish, though they will eat shrimp. They will eat anything...whether it fits in their mouth or not. Mine all get their own tanks with breeding mops and sponge filters. And they give me almost 100 eggs every week

 

[theotheragentm]

Harlequin Rasboras.

 

[lmw80]

I like the idea for dwarf puffers, but again, you'd have to nix the shrimp.

This is a wonderful idea - thank you. I have been researching them and I think a pair of them would be awesome!!

I know they are nippers...I read 2-3 gallons per dp - so the 6 gallone would hold 2 nicely. Do you think 3 dwarf corys would be ok with them if I added a couple of caves for them to hide in?

Edit:
After doing a bit of research I would say no to the cories. Ottos seem to do good with them, but my history with ottos is not good. I am thinking about a rubberlip pleco now.

Thoughts?

 

[JustOneMore20]

Rubberlip plecos get 5-6 inches, which IMO is too large for a 6g. Not to mention the added waste it would produce. I've read that DPs are really messy, even with their small size, so I wouldn't want to add another messy fish to the mix.

If you can find some Otos that are plump looking and are swimming around the tank at a LFS, then they should be pretty healthy. Wait a few months after the tank is cycled to make sure you have enough algae to feed them on. Also, adding part of an algae wafer every night or ever other night should ensure that they live. Believe it or not, the healthiest Otos I've found are at Petsmart. I bought 5 for my 29g a couple months ago and I still have all of them.

 

[lmw80]

ok, I will try the ottos!! thanks

 

[dvanv]

How about some endlers? They stay small and the males are colorful.

 

[Billsgate]

How about......no fish? Just Red cherry shrimp? I heard they breed pretty easily. Would be cool to have a small tank you breed shrimp in IMO. You can sell or trade them easily, everbody likes these shrimp
Whatever you choose, good luck!