top swimmers

[slroo]

Can anyone recommend a COLORFUL top swimming fish for my tank? Schooling or not, doesn't matter to me, but I would like to stay away from neons (too hard to find if they die) and barbs (I've read they can be nippy) I thought of one or two dwarf gouramis, but they are mid/bottom swimmers, right? Here is what I have now:

55g
4 black skirt tetras
4 boesemani rainbows
3 zebra danios (hate those fish)
4 cories
1 albino bristlenose pleco
1 spotted raphael cat

 

[Cloud]

Golden Wonder Killifish

 

[shaunakadub]

Well, on the opposite end of your "colorful" needs, there are the glass catfish =p

My brother have 5 of these guys, they all school together roughly 3'' below the water level.

Sorry I couldn't think of any colorful guys =(

 

[Catalina]

Actually, gouramis are top-dwellers. They're labyrinth fish which means they need access to the surface to breathe. Sometimes, the males will build cool bubble nests on the surface as well. I'd recommend those because they definitely meet your criteria for color, but I'd recommend getting either just one or 4+. The first tropical fish I ever got were dwarf gouramis, and not knowing what I was doing, I put 2 into a 10 gal. tank. One harassed the other to death in less than a day. So getting just 2 is probably not a good idea; they'll concentrate too much on one another and can be aggressive. You may also want a combination of males and females (with equal # or more of the females); the females are less colorful but also less aggressive. I think you could probably fit 4 dwarf gourmis in a 55 with the stocking list you have now.

EDIT: Also, I have a question for you (original poster.) I'm thinking of adding 4 Boesemani rainbows to my current tank (55g) because 4 is all I really feel that I have room for considering their adult size (although I'll probably be upgrading in a couple years at the most; I think they grow relatively fast.) Do your 4 school? Do you know the ratio of males to females? I'm a little worried that 4 might not be enough for a school and they might get aggressive, because I've heard of Boesemanis being aggressive when kept solitary or in twos, so I'm just wondering how it's going for you with 4?

 

[slroo]

my rainbows all seem to be great. I got 3 females and 1 male, and I wouldn't say they school, so much as just kind of chill. They do sort of follow each other around, but in a lazy sort of way. Absolutely no aggression whatsoever. They actually kind of joined in with my black skirts and are one big happy blended family.

My LFS only carries male gouramis. Would it be murder to put 3 in a 55g together?

 

[Catalina]

If you're sure to have lots of hiding places (especially floating plants in various areas of the tank) then you could probably give it a shot. I've only kept one, so maybe people who have kept them in multiples could chime in.

That's great about the rainbowfish. I found a store that has some and will hopefully pick them up this weekend. Are your females brightly colored as well as the male? That sounds like a good ratio.

 

[RoK]

My LFS only carries male gouramis. Would it be murder to put 3 in a 55g together?

No, but they will likely nip each others fins and chase each other. 4+ would be much better to spread territorial behavior some more.

 

[Jarred Darque]

On the opposite of color, are african butterfly fish. they are solely top swimmers, and interesting

My betta is a top swimmer. Dont knwo if one would do ok in that tank though

 

[slroo]

Catalina, no the female rainbows are quite dull in comparison to the males. At least when the lights are on. If you flip on the lights after a night in the dark they are ALL quite colorful. Really dark blue and gold.

Does anyone have a link to an african butterfly fish? I can't seem to find a picture.

 

[sudz]

My boesaumi is on its own in my tank, Its not agressive, but i've just noticed that its eating some of my plants! It wouldn't be a problem, but it eats only the "baby" plants, so i may have to take measures of some sort.

 

[slroo]

What about fancy guppies? any opinion on them for my tank?

 

[Menagerie]

I bought white cloud minnows over a year ago and every time I sit and look at my tank, I like them more and more. They are small fish with red fins and they keep things interesting. Also, they are hardy--they survived two long distance moves with me.