Still can not decide which fish I want

[swanandmokashi]

I still can not decide which fish I want to add in my 55 gallon (heavily planted -- http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=97038&
currently has 5 bloodfin tetras, 4 cory cats and 1 otto.

Now I am trying to get some more bloodfins but not able to find them in my pet store or LFS. Would ideally lie to add 5-6 more bloodfins.

Then I was thinking of rainbow shark(s) -- but ... I got some hitchhiker pond snails with some of the plants -- they are doing a good job cleaning the algae from the glass , but if their population goes up I want to keep the option of adding some Yo-yo loaches. Which means rainbow sharks are out.

I was thinking of Rams, but not sure if I am ready for this fragile fish. (don't want it to die on me)

What I am looking for is some peaceful fish which will play nice with the bloodfins, cories and otto. I would like slightly bigger fish than the bloodfins, as the bloodfins look really tiny after moving them to the 55 gallon.

Sorry this was so long -- what candidates can you suggest?

 

[majolo]

Maybe some rainbowfish?

 

[black hills tj]

Cherry barbs are small but colorful

If you are looking for some size maybe you could add 5 bosemani rainbows or madagascar rainbows. I have 4 madagascar rainbows and they are pretty well tempered, no nipping.

 

[kaz]

bosi rainbows, dwarf rainbows, bolivian rams, german rams, loaches, shrimp, rummy nose etc.

 

[kickeralpine]

do you have a petco near by i just bought 3 blood fins the other day and like u i want more real pretty looking fish and very active. like black hills said cherry barbs are small real pretty fish also i got to of them and they go good with all my tetras. danios are also pretty cool . if ya got a petco close by go check out all the tetras they have every time i go there they got more and more i got over 22 tetras now and 2 cherry barbs and 6 ottos and 4 blue long fin danios and 2 zebra long fin danios there all in my 135 gallon tank and they all get along fine.

 

[shayfish]

I was thinking of Rams, but not sure if I am ready for this fragile fish. (don't want it to die on me)

I am not convinced that rams are as fragile as I was lead to believe. I still have 4/4 and I am fairly inexperienced.

 

[jinmon]

Are bloodfins nippy? I was wondering about gouramis...

 

[swanandmokashi]

Cherry barbs are small but colorful

If you are looking for some size maybe you could add 5 bosemani rainbows or madagascar rainbows. I have 4 madagascar rainbows and they are pretty well tempered, no nipping.

I have not seen rainbows anywhere near where I live

 

[JustOneMore20]

How about another school, maybe some Pristella tetras? They get pretty big full grown (for a tetra ). I think they get about 2.5" or so.

Rainbows would be great if you could find them. Could you ask a LFS to special order? Dwarf Neon Rainbows are awesome looking and big enough to be a "show school" without looking huge. Bosemanis, Turquoise, and Madagascar rainbows make good centerpiece groups.

Loaches would be a great addition, IMO would be more interesting than a rainbow shark. I'd go with 6 Yoyos or Angelicus loaches.

Congo tetras would be another choice for a second school and they get larger than the Bloodfins (plus they are beautiful).

Since you don't want to try German Rams, how about a pair of Bolivians (which are more hardy) or L. curviceps (Dwarf Flag Cichlids) . They get to about 3 inches and are very pretty. Petsmart has been selling them in the same tank as Bolivians, if you have one nearby.

 

[GlitcH]

How about a rosy barb?

Here is one of mine......center stage.

 

[aquariumnoob]

ottos like to be in groups, they'll be happier that way. i have 3 in my 10 gal and they all stay pretty close to each other.

 

[Sidi]

Well, if you wanted to go "all out" you could add a discus. If it's a planted tank (and you don't overfertalize) the water quality will be no issue. They're pretty much not aggressive, and some varieties, such as blood pigeon, do surprisingly well with fast moving tankmates (as long as the tankmates are smaller or a similar size).

They have a reputation as being very fragile, but that came from the original wild-caught strains. At this point you'll probably end up with one who is at least as constitutionally strong as an angel.

 

[swanandmokashi]

I got a pair of Bolivian rams !!! -- hopefully it is a pair -- any way to find if one is male and female ? (had to rely on the pet store person to distinguish)

Of course they don't have a lot of color (they hardly had any when they were in the pet store) -- hopefully they will settle in my tank.

 

[kaz]

[
I have not seen rainbows anywhere near where I live

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