What to stock in my 26 gallon tank?

[AnnieJ]

So I want recommendations on what to stock! I think little fish are cute... is there any place to see fish profiles or something?

Also, maybe this is a silly question, but if I go to a pet store/LFS, can I just get any fish? Or do I need to be wary of male/females? I don't know if I can handle fish breeding in my first tank!

I'm still cycling my tank, btw. Not planning to add anything until cycling is done

 

[Oscarr19]

Search the internet for fish. You don't want to overstock and DON'T just buy any fish. If you like a fish please research it and see if it is suitable for your tank. Oh and cycle it before adding any fish.

For a 26G I'd recommend two small schools of fish like neon tetras, cherry barbs, penguin tetras and maybe a few sparkling gouramis. You can also add in some otos or corydoras as bottom feeders with a few shrimp.

 

[LyndaB]

Research is your friend. When you go to the store, chances are great that you will actually have more knowledge than the employee. Their job is to sell as much as possible to earn a profit for the store. Go armed with knowledge about the species that can properly be housed in your tank and know which species are compatible. Do NOT be convinced that they know which fish will work perfectly in your tank. Don't let them rush you into buying too many fish at once for your new tank. You need to stock slowly to let the beneficial bacteria adjust to your bioload.

Again, research research research. It is ultimately your responsibility to stock your tank appropriately and safely. That is what avoids beginner nightmares and allows you to enjoy the hobby from the start.

What I did was to go "window shopping" at the various stores. I would write down the species I was attracted to. Then, I went home and researched them. That allowed me to leisurely put together a list of species that would coexist beautifully. I highly suggest that method.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

I think this is all up to you. Maybe if you thought of some fish you likes we could go from there.

 

[Oscarr19]

Research is your friend. When you go to the store, chances are great that you will actually have more knowledge than the employee. Their job is to sell as much as possible to earn a profit for the store. Go armed with knowledge about the species that can properly be housed in your tank and know which species are compatible. Do NOT be convinced that they know which fish will work perfectly in your tank. Don't let them rush you into buying too many fish at once for your new tank. You need to stock slowly to let the beneficial bacteria adjust to your bioload.

Again, research research research. It is ultimately your responsibility to stock your tank appropriately and safely. That is what avoids beginner nightmares and allows you to enjoy the hobby from the start.

What I did was to go "window shopping" at the various stores. I would write down the species I was attracted to. Then, I went home and researched them. That allowed me to leisurely put together a list of species that would coexist beautifully. I highly suggest that method.

+1 for not listening to most employees. Had one tell me i can keep an oscar in a 32G Tried so hard not to laugh

 

[AnnieJ]

What I did was to go "window shopping" at the various stores. I would write down the species I was attracted to. Then, I went home and researched them. That allowed me to leisurely put together a list of species that would coexist beautifully. I highly suggest that method.

Now there's an idea! I think I will start window shopping soon, then, so I will be ready when cycling is complete!

By the way, do I *have* to fully stock the aquarium? What if I like it with less fish (provided they are in an appropriate number for the species)? Then my fishies will have more room to play...

And if I do fully stock, I don't need to do it all at once, right?

 

[AnnieJ]

+1 for not listening to most employees. Had one tell me i can keep an oscar in a 32G Tried so hard not to laugh

Oh my... they are quite uninformed!

 

[Oscarr19]

Now there's an idea! I think I will start window shopping soon, then, so I will be ready when cycling is complete!

By the way, do I *have* to fully stock the aquarium? What if I like it with less fish (provided they are in an appropriate number for the species)? Then my fishies will have more room to play...

And if I do fully stock, I don't need to do it all at once, right?

Nope you can have 1 fish in the tank if you'd like. Its always better to understock than overstock. I suggest to slowly stock your tank once it is fully cycled so you don't have a mini cycle.

 

[jcolon]

Now there's an idea! I think I will start window shopping soon, then, so I will be ready when cycling is complete!

By the way, do I *have* to fully stock the aquarium? What if I like it with less fish (provided they are in an appropriate number for the species)? Then my fishies will have more room to play...

And if I do fully stock, I don't need to do it all at once, right?

Correct ...even with fishless cycling, you could stock slowly ... makes sure the established BB adjusts to a different bioload and just to make sure your fish acclimate properly. After a little more than a week add another one or two.

 

[AnnieJ]

I think this is all up to you. Maybe if you thought of some fish you likes we could go from there.

I guess I'm just too excited about stocking the aquarium that I haven't even looked yet! Sorry

 

[LyndaB]

Now there's an idea! I think I will start window shopping soon, then, so I will be ready when cycling is complete!

By the way, do I *have* to fully stock the aquarium? What if I like it with less fish (provided they are in an appropriate number for the species)? Then my fishies will have more room to play...

And if I do fully stock, I don't need to do it all at once, right?

The good thing about window shopping first is that you're not ready to buy the fish yet, as you're not cycled, so that immediately eliminates the pressure you might feel otherwise.

As mentioned above, and especially for a beginner to the hobby, you are best served understocking. This allows you to slowly get used to having fish, to keeping your water parameters steady, to doing maintenance to your tank. It's easy to get overwhelmed if you do too much at once. Luckily, the beneficial bacteria require us to start slowly and not add too much at once, so there's your perfect excuse for starting off slowly.

 

[AnnieJ]

Suppose I start with a school of cherry barbs. Would I put in all 5 together, or in increments?

 

[Oscarr19]

6 would be better IMO but you can add the one school first and wait another week before adding any other fish.

 

[LyndaB]

Using that particular example, I would add the 5 fish at once (I agree that 6 would be better).

Just a side note.... when you do your species research, please be sure to note whether or not the species requires a school. For example, most tetras do best in minimum schools of 8. Corys in groups of 3 and so on. The larger the number of members of the school, the more you will enjoy the species because there is safety in numbers and they will feel protected in the tank.

 

[AnnieJ]

Okay, got it! And I don't know if I want cherry barbs, I was just using them for an example. But you're right, 6 would be better with that species!

 

[jcolon]

Suppose I start with a school of cherry barbs. Would I put in all 5 together, or in increments?

The advice so far has been solid ... shop around.

Cherry Barbs would work to start with ... they're usually small ... around 1 inch at LFS's but only grow about another inch at most. Very peaceful fish. You'd need to start with 6 at first as they are schooling fish and need to be in a group. The same applies to any other schooling fish which is a lot of the tropical fish your likely to see at LFS's.

 

[Oscarr19]

Depending on which fish you get you might want to look into a male betta. I think it would be a nice addition to a community tank. All up to you though. Keep us updated on which fish you like and we'll definitely help you out!

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Or if you don't like male bettas you could try gouramis or dwarf cichlids like rams.