Need suggestions on what fish to get!!

[Aqua315]

Hi everyone! I'm restarting an old 28 gal tank I have. Currently there are only 3 fish in it from the old set-up: 1 blue gourami, 2 neon tetras. I know I want to get some more neons but I'm hoping to get some suggestions on some other fish for the tank. I was thinking about adding 2 more neons, 2 cory catfish, 3 glofish and 3 mollies.

However, the more I think about it the more I realize how bored I am of those kinds of fish lol. I really want to know if there are any other fish that would look good in my tank besides the common ones you can find at petsmart.

Here is a pic of my tank now:

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Hi everyone! I'm restarting an old 28 gal tank I have. Currently there are only 3 fish in it from the old set-up: 1 blue gourami, 2 neon tetras. I know I want to get some more neons but I'm hoping to get some suggestions on some other fish for the tank. I was thinking about adding 2 more neons, 2 cory catfish, 3 glofish and 3 mollies.
Neons need a shoal of five to six, preferrably more. Cories also need a group of four. Make sure all the mollies are either male or female.

However, the more I think about it the more I realize how bored I am of those kinds of fish lol. I really want to know if there are any other fish that would look good in my tank besides the common ones you can find at petsmart.
You can try a lot of things. Depends on what you want. Rams, dwarf neon rainbows, danios, rasboras, a bristlenose, it's all up to what you want.

I wrote in the red.

 

[Aqua315]

What are rams? and what kind of bristlenose?
Also, I've been keeping to the 1 gal per 1 inch of the fully grown size of the fish rule, is this about right?

 

[allaboutfish]

cockatoo apistos are the best! but then you cant have corys

 

[allaboutfish]

glofish also need a school of 6

 

[Galligak]

The inch to a gallon is misleading fish need territory and so that rule doesn't apply. Rams are actually a type of cichlid. And brittlenose are a type of "algae cleaner" as most people would call them

 

[Aqua315]

cockatoo apistos are the best! but then you cant have corys

aren't those cichlids? I was always told not to mix them with community freshwater fish.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Rams are a type of cichlid. The one inch per gallon rule or whatever does not work at all, that only applies to fish that STAY one inch, like neon tetras. The best way to stock is to find out the adult size of the fish and how much swimming room it needs. A bristlenose is an algae eater, I like the black ones.

 

[allaboutfish]

dwarf cichlids are ok in a community, but theyre better if you keep fish out of the bottom of the tank.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

aren't those cichlids? I was always told not to mix them with community freshwater fish.

That's for most cichlids, but not dwarf cichlids and a few other exceptions. Apistos, Agassazis, Keyholes, and Rams are all community cichlids that can possibly work for your tank.

 

[Aqua315]

That's for most cichlids, but not dwarf cichlids and a few other exceptions. Apistos, Agassazis, Keyholes, and Rams are all community cichlids that can possibly work for your tank.

Wow really? I've bee thinking about cichlids for a while but never thought I could have them with just a 28 gal or with the fish I already have. Do they need special food or will they eat the regular tropical flakes? Also, do I need different chemicals or anything special added for them. Currently I'm using api stress zyme and stress coat.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Nope, except don't keep them with cories, my rams and cories are highly competitive and want the same food, shrimp pellets.

 

[allaboutfish]

mine eat either hakari cichlid pellets, shrimp pellets, or an occasional algae wafer. mine spit the flake food out.

 

[allaboutfish]

Nope, except don't keep them with cories, my rams and cories are highly competitive and want the same food, shrimp pellets.

just like mine.

 

[Aqua315]

mine eat either hakari cichlid pellets, shrimp pellets, or an occasional algae wafer. mine spit the flake food out.

ok so I would need flake food plus pellets? and no special chemicals?

 

[allaboutfish]

nope no chemicals. the most common dwarfs you will find are the german blue ram and the bolivian ram (ruby clown cichlid as petco calls it)

 

[Aqua315]

Thank you so much for the suggestions! I'm really excited now with the prospect of getting some cichlids! Hopefully I'll be able to start restocking my tank sometime next week. I think I'll have to start with getting some more neons first though. I think the 2 I have now are lonely

 

[allaboutfish]

ok so whats your stocking list now?

 

[Aqua315]

ok so whats your stocking list now?

right now I just have 2 neons and 1 blue gourami (but he's extremely docile) and I want to get 4 more neons. How many other fish would you suggest if I decide to get some cichlids? I'm going to visit a few LFS to see what they have before making my decisions. I was also hoping to get a mystery snail later to help keep the tank clean.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

So that would mean you'd have a school of six neons, one blue gourami, and some sort of cichlid of your preference. You could probably squeeze in another small school of fish or just add to your school of neons.