Some suggestions on good fish to populate a 2 foot tank

[Blatchy]

Hello,

New to this and dont really know what type of fish I should be looking at getting. I like the Oscars but did some research and they'll grow to big for my tank .

So anyway I was curious as to what type of fish would be good for this size and the number you suggest. I was looking to buy around three different types.

I like the dwarf gourami's but not sure what I could put with these. I have also read that the gourami's like a lot of plants, is this the same for the dwarf's cause i dont really want lots of plants wrecked or eaten by these.

So considering I would like a few (3) Dwarf Gourami's what would you recommend I place with these. I plan on buying the just one at first or should I maybe add more than just one??

Any help would be awersome.

Thanks

 

[tkos]

Add a couple of dwarf gouramis, then maybe a some kind of smaller bottom feeder like a small school of dwarf cory catfish (5 or so) and then a school of tetras (silver tip are a really nice choice) maybe 7. Then if you got some plants (which is a great idea and the gouramis won't destroy them at all they will just nibble) also grab a small variety of pleco like a bristlenose. Make sure to avoid getting a larger pleco as they can grow up to 2 feet in length and so rather quickly regardless of what the LFS might tell you.

I would add the gouramis last as they will be the most aggressive fish if you follow this sort of a stocking plan. The most aggressive fish should always be added last as it means that they don't have a chance to establish too much dominance before the other fish arrive.

Plants also help to keep aggression down (blocks line of sight and helps with territories) and they help keep the water clean bu using ammonias, nitrites, and nitrates that are produced as waste by the fish and bacteria that live in the tank. Live plants do require a flourescent light source though and it is best to have a minimum of 2 watts per gallon.

This would be a nice community. Avoid barbs with gouramis as they are prone to attacking and nipping at the gouramis' feelers much more than tetras are.

 

[LondonGman]

I have a similar sized tank (30") and i have add no problems

It has
2 Dwarf gouramis, (male and female, never get two males)
3 Red Guppies (avoid females as they breed a lot)
11 Cardinal tetras (beautiful in a school)
1 albino peppered cory ( I know I should get more)
1 bristlenose pleco (keeps algae way)
1 black molly (last of 3 that I bought in beginning)

In this set up, like Tkos said, avoid barbs, especially Bubblebeee barbs, as they chews fins off while the fishes sleep. Also avoid silver sharks as they nip a bit too, due to there larger size, female black mollies are too boisterous.