New 30g!

[CalypsosFish]

Hey all!
I'm in the process of cycling my new 30g and am trying to pull together some stocking ideas!
I'd definitely love to have some kind of a showcase fish, I was thinking either ram or gourami (possibly dwarf of the latter).
My initial idea was

X1 ram (either German blue or Bolivian)
X3 neon rainbow fish
X4 blood fin tetra
X2 random platys
X1 BN pleco

OR

X1 ram
X5 neon rainbow fish
X5 blood fin tetra
X4 Otos

Let me know if any of these do not work together or if you have any other ideas!

 

[Barliman]

You'll find Bolivians easier to care for than German Blues, which can be finicky. Otos should only go into an established tank with a good crop of algae and stable water, so wait a few months for them. Tetras usually like to be in schools of 5 or more, so I might forget the platys and add two bloodfins to the four you have listed. (Good choice, their great schoolers.) I've nver kept neon rainbows, so I can't say anything about them.

 

[CalypsosFish]

You'll find Bolivians easier to care for than German Blues, which can be finicky. Otos should only go into an established tank with a good crop of algae and stable water, so wait a few months for them. Tetras usually like to be in schools of 5 or more, so I might forget the platys and add two bloodfins to the four you have listed. (Good choice, their great schoolers.) I've nver kept neon rainbows, so I can't say anything about them.

Thanks so much for the reply!
If it's not necessary to keep an algae eater of some sort (which I don't believe it is) I may drop the otos and do 6 blood fins.
So I'd end up with
X1 Bolivian ram
X6 blood fin tetra
X5 neon rainbow (although now thinking of switching to another type, they are proving hard to find!)
Then down the road maybe adding something small

 

[Kaneu]

Also Rams do better in pairs. 1 male, 1 female. Bolivian Rams are easier to care for but are not a fully colored as the German blue.
But a pair of Rams will really bring out the fun personality of the fish. Watch out if they breed though. They become little terrors with there territory and egg spawn.
The water has to be on the soft side as well. Everything you will read says acidic water, but that is very difficult to achieve in a home aquarium so a fairly nutural pH is best.
All else sounds good.

 

[Kaneu]

Also, make sure to add Rams in last once tank is very well established. Getting them threw the acclimation process is the hardest part. And if you add them first, they will treat all other additions as a threat to territory. So have all other tank mates in before the Rams go in.

 

[CalypsosFish]

Also, make sure to add Rams in last once tank is very well established. Getting them threw the acclimation process is the hardest part. And if you add them first, they will treat all other additions as a threat to territory. So have all other tank mates in before the Rams go in.

Thanks so much for the info! I'd be happy to get a pair so that they can be happier. But I'm concerned about spawning. I'm not really set up for babies. Is there any way to prevent spawning with a pair?

 

[Kaneu]

Water peramitters. Have slightly harder water so eggs can't be fertilized. Also, they lay there eggs on flat rocky surfaces so try to avoid decor like that.
But they can still lay eggs and spawn. Sometimes regardless of what you want or not. Lol.
But having Rams in a pair is still better I think because they pair for life.
And who knows... Maybe you will get a pair and they will be just great with the community you have made for them. All fish are different.