Stocking Ideas!

[kfryman]

Okay so sometime soon, hopefully, I will get a 16 gallon tank that comes with a stand, for a low cost of free! It will be filtered by an Ehiem Pro 2232, rated for up to 35 gallons with 150 GPH or so. The substrate will be Carbisea Eco-Complete sand. It will have live plants but not heavily planted.

I am leaning to species that are from the same region so neon/cardinal tetras with cories. Any suitable stocking ideas are welcome. No betta I want something different.

My first idea was:
10-12 neons or 7-9 cardinals
5-6 peppered cories
honey/dwarf flame gourami (If bio-load permits)

[Olympia]

What kind of water do you have?
Neons and cories doesn't really sound "different" to me, why not go for something more unique? :D
Hate to impose my dreams on you, but I would loove a coldwater tank with celestial pearl danios and panda loach :3 Both are even Asian species! Cold water fish don't get enough credit in my opinion :)

[thekoimaiden]

That is similar to some of my stocking ideas for my 29 gal. I would like cardinals, dwarf gourami, and kuhli loaches. All of those are soft water fish. Cardinals and neons are specifically sensitive to water hardness and will have significantly shortened lives in hard water. Gourami and kuhli loaches are a bit more flexible when it comes to hardness. Biotypes are neat tanks, but in order to have a successful one you need to get fish that will work well with your water parameters (water hardness and pH).

[kfryman]

I know that my water is perfect for salt water tanks, the pH is at about 8. I think I have hard water...

What species are fine with that? I still want a dwarf gourami though.

[Olympia]

A dwarfie may live in that.. but it probably wouldn't do well.
That's really high.
You could try paradise fish, they're air breathers, related to gourami and betta, and could survive in that high pH.
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/profile...rcularis&id=27
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/profile...=spechti&id=29

The only other thing I can think of off the top of my head are livebearers. Or brackish water if you want to try that.
Neons and cories are pretty much out of the question with a pH of 8 though.

[kfryman]

What about endowed and something else?

[MaisyDawgThirteen]

Sorry to but in, but what is a bio-type tank?

[kfryman]

We have had neons before and they lived like 2 years. And that was before I knew anything about fish. Heck my sister and my mom have a 5 gallon tank that has 2 cherry barbs, 3 harlquine rasboras and a Chinese algae eater that is at least 3 inches lol.

Don't fish adapt like bettas any ways?

[kfryman]

Maisy it is where all the fish are from the same region and similar water types. Si neons and cories would be a biotype tank, well if course having plants that are in the area too.

[MaisyDawgThirteen]

Originally Posted by kfryman

Maisy it is where all the fish are from the same region and similar water types. Si neons and cories would be a biotype tank, well if course having plants that are in the area too.

Thanks! Harlequin Rasbora and Betta are both from Thailand, right?