Stocking a new 6 gallon tank

[Sponge Bob]

Ok I need help on stocking a 6 gallon. My mom wants some goldfish but I want other fish, and corys are a yes. What do you guys think would be the better choice?

I want: 2 cories (I have a card for petcetera so anytime I buy 1 fish I get the other completely free meaning I'll get 4 together )
Other fishes you guys would think go well with cories ( I want your opinions )

My mom wants:
Goldfishes

Any opinions would be nice thanks!

 

[tkos]

Goldfishes are a no go in a tank that small. They are messy and get real big. If you keep them in that tank you will probably end up considerabley shortening their life from a possible 15+ years to maybe 2 years if you are lucky. Goldfiosh really need a minimum of 10 gallons per fish.

A few cories would be great (get the dwarf varieties of course). I would suggest 3 cories and a male betta. That would look really nice and would be 4 fish altogether. I assume that would work with the card.

You don't want to overstock a tank that size as dangerous levels of ammonia and nitrites will build up fast if there are too many fish.

 

[Zic]

Yes a betta would go great in that setup (with the cories, I mean). You could also get any kind of tetra, which don't much bigger than an inch. The neon tetras are very pretty.

 

[Allivymar]

If your mom is really gung-ho about goldfish, have her read thru here: http://www.goldfishinfo.com/

Nice website devoted to goldfish. Very clear explanations of the whys and hows. Who knows, maybe after reading it she'll decide on a larger tank for the goldies in addition to the 6g *grin*

*edit*
Almost forgot. Also keep in mind well kept goldfish live a LONG time. Avg about 20 yrs. The oldest one was 43!

 

[SixFootDaisy]

I agree with the Betta! That is a nice, simple fish to have.

My mom loves the Betta I got for her.

I also agree on the goldfish. They are very dirty, and I just don't like them

Allivymar is right! Maybe your mom wil want a much bigger tank!!! Now that would be GREAT!

 

[littlelouie]

I have cardinal tetras in a 6gal and they look beautiful

 

[tkos]

A good comprimise might be platys. They give that wonderful colour of a goldfish but don't mind living in a smaller tank. They like more alkaline water but will adapt if given the chance.