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Congo tetras are quite colorful and hardy. They've spawned happily in my 90g with 8-9ph hard wellwater and they continue to do so now that I use ro water and soften it down to 7.4ph 6dh. Also in the tank I have a male blue gourami and just added a female opaline gourami that so far is doing ok. He killed the other female I added so I spent 6months growing this one to a bigger size. Then for small fish I have threadfin rainbows, 3 cochu's blue tetras, a few male guppies who's color I really liked, and panda cories.
Another good centerpiece fish of medium size is the emperor tetra but these can be occasionally touchy. Once you get them settled in your tank they are fine but they often come down with illnesses when transported to the store so finding healthy ones and keeping them healthy long enough to settle in can be difficult. These guys are actually not schooling and can be somewhat slow to grow but several full grown ones in a 90g or even in smaller tanks looks really nice. They are also tolerant of most water parameters so long as you take the time to acclimate them. Mine spawned in the wellwater before I even got around to switching their tank to ro water.

If you want 1-2 large fish instead of several more medium sized fish any gourami species will probably work. Aside from the giant gourami but those usually look too big even when you see them as babies in the store.

Moonlight Gourami - Trichogaster microlepis - is one of the bigger Gouramis, at 8 inches in length. However, it has the distinction of being a lot more compatible with smaller fishes than many other 8-inch aquarium species, and has a relatively peaceful disposition making the keeping of a pair or even a group a reasonable proposition if you have the space for them. Generally adaptable provided ridiculous pH and hardness extremes are avoided, they tend to like their water fairly warm (around 76°F and up) but then most Gouramis tend to like their water on the warm side. Big enough to make a real spectacle, but without many of the disadvantages that accompany most other fishes of this size vis-a-vis aggression and predatory tendencies. One of those underrated fishes that should appeal a lot more to the large aquarium keeper than it seems to at the moment, though my LFS has a soft spot for them!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I love Moonlight Gourami
I don't know much about them but they are pretty

BNF

for a 60 gallon i woul dsay Rams , or you could have a school of tetras like many ppl already said

how about a group of silver dollars?

Already beat you to it if you look above

And, rejected for the reason cited below you


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

If the tank is planted I believe that silver dollars would have fun eating them.

how about a group of silver dollars?

Both the Flag Cichlid and the Anomalochromis thomasi will live at pH 7.2 - no worries there. They're both fairly adaptable Cichlids. They're not like the Apistos that need soft, acidic water, they're fairly robust, even though in the case of the thomasi it's natural habitat is rainforest streams in west Africa.

Trouble with a lot of the big showy fishes is that they're either [1] delicate things like Discus which you've already said you don't want, or [2] they're aggressive fishes such as the Leporinus species, which would have been an option if they weren't too big for a 90 gallon and nasty to boot (these things are tough enough to be dither fish for Black Belt Cichlids - which should give you an idea HOW tough they are, and how they're capable of biting back!). If Red Tailed Black Sharks weren't potentially snappy as they grew older, that's one route you could have chosen because there's enough space in a 90, but how well one of those would live with your other fish is very much a moot point - it's usually chosen to live alongside similarly chunky and rough-and-tumble tankmates. Other fishes such as Silver Dollars, while fitting the bill spectacle wise, are shoaling fishes that would push the envelope even in your 90 gallon vis-a-vis stocking limits, and would eat your plants to boot. As for things like Prochilodus insignis, that's a juggernaut (over a foot long) and a rocket-propelled jumper to boot!

The other fishes I've thought about that might fit the bill are, sadly, likely to be so rare you'll never see them - things such as the characin species Peudocorynopoma doriae, which I've seen once in my lifetime, and which is as rare here in the UK as the proverbial rocking horse droppings. You'll be lucky if you encounter a dealer that's even heard of that one. If you fancied something different in the form of a whiptail catfish, then Lamontichthys filamentosus would be a real catch if you could find it, but you'd probably have to remortgage the house to buy a breeding pair ...

While on the subject of rarities, one that you'll also be lucky to find (I've seen it in the flesh once) is a Cichlid called Uaru amphiacanthoides, which I can best describe as 'a Discus in a suede jacket' in appearance! Rare, unbelievebly rare here in the UK, likely to be hideously expensive, and another one of those fish for the dedicated.

My recommendation? If the Moonlight Gourami sounds too big to you (even though it's pretty peaceful), go with the Flag Cichlid or the Thomasi. Or, if you can find it, one of the Nannacara dwarf Cichlids that aren't as fussy about water as the rare Apistos.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Keep em coming.

Gouramis are definitely on my list of options. I do like them but I am interested in something more out of the ordinary as well.

Congo tetras are also very nice, but I have plenty of other Tetras and I would like something totally different.

Calilasseia - I'm very interested in the cichlids you mentioned, but I'm not sure how they would do in my water. My PH is about 7.2 and I want to stay with what my PH sits at naturally, but as I understand most of the dwarf cichlids like slightly acidic water. Of course, the info on the net regarding the 2 species you mentioned put them all over the board, so I'm not sure what to believe. I know that german ram's don't do well in our local water but they are supposedly one of the harder dwarves to keep.

Do you think either would do well as a group of 3-5? I am fairly certain I can get either species.

The headstander looks neat. I don't know what you consider boisterous, but the only things I have that might fit that description are my silver tip tetras (they like to harass everyone) and my danios (I would get rid of them, except i have an albino that I am rather proud of given that I paid 10 cents for him). Anyway, I think I'll probably pass on that one and get some upside down cats or something to satisfy the odd swimming angle fascination :-) Besides, I really like my plants.

I like paradise fish, but I agree that they are a bit agressive.

Thanks everyone!

I wouldn't recommend Paradise Fish.

Paradise Fish are boisterous bruisers that are better kept with other tough customers such as small to medium Central American Cichlids and fishes that are too fast for them to nip at, such as Giant Danios. I think if you put one of those in with small tetras and Corys, you'd be asking for trouble. They're also fin-nippers - put them in with long finned fishes and they'll shred them. Keepers found out that mistake early in the days of the hobby (way back in the 1930s) when they were erroneously kept with veiltail Goldfish - the Goldfish ended up looking like they'd been hit by a mortar strike on a battlefield ...

Mind you, they're tough. They'll survive temperatures down to 50°F and up as high as 95°F. They'll live in just about any habitable water, and if you have space to keep several (and at 5 inches with a bad temper and severe aggression with conspecifics they'll NEED large quarters) then they'll breed readily. Be prepared for LOTS of eggs if they do though!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

A good fish would be the Paradise Fish. Paradise fish are labrynth fish related to bettas and gouramis. They will stay close to the top of the tank and need access to the surface to breathe air. My male is approx. 4inches with vivid blue and pink stripes. They all have different personalities, so it's best only to get one. Mine will suck on my finger tips and it will flare his gills at other fish, usually not wreaking too much havoc on his tank mates. It's fun to watch

I've got a fever... and the only prescription... is more cowbell!

Let's see. This is a ninety gallon setup with small tetras and other similar fishes. And you're looking for a 'centrepiece fish'.

You've quite some latitude in a 90 gallon, depending upon the existing numbers of those 'small tetras etc'.

If you go with a Labyrinth Fish, you've quite a choice. Blue, Opaline, Pearl gouramies will all go nicely in there, and you may even have space for a Moonlight Gourami. This is a MUCH underrated fish, that has a lovely pearlescent sheen on it under the right lighting, and despite reaching 8 inches, is regarded as being much less threatening to small companions than many other similar sized fishes. Here is an excellent pic of a Moonlight Gourami along with disparate experiences from past keepers (only one of whom seemed to have noticed any aggression, and I suspect that was due to lack of space, which in a 90 gallon shouldn't be a problem).

Cichlids - Laetacara curviceps, the Flag Cichlid, is a nice peaceful one and with beautiful colours. If you want something different, and definitely peaceeful, which will be a blast of colour when breeding, try Anomalochromis thomasi if you can find it!

Once upon a time, I would have suggested a Red Tailed Black Shark. Definitely a 'stop and look at me' fish, but one that could become problematic as it grows. Big ones could become snappy, particularly toward other bottom feeders, which would not make any Corys in your aquarium too happy! Which is a pity, because in a 90 gallon you'd have the space for one.

If you're looking for something really unusual, and your other occupants really are 'small peaceful community fishes' and there are no surprises in there you haven't mentioned here, then how about something completely off the wall - Chilodus punctatus, the Spotted Headstander. Your only problem with this fairly shy fish is that they'll nibble Cambomba and similar fine leaved plants, but should leave big Amazon Swords and Java Ferns well alone.At 3½ inches, it's not a big fish, but a small group of them will make a definite talking point because they swim constantly at a 45° head down angle! Here is an illustration of this unusual fish, which needs food to reach it at the bottom because of its permanent head-down stance. If you have any boisterous fishes in your collection though, DON'T choose this as tankmates for it or it'll go on hunger strike!

Hope this selection of oddities helps


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I've got a 90 gallon planted community tank. I want to stock it with a lot of little community fish, but I want something bigger for a centerpiece.

I like lots of color and I need someone who will be peaceful towards smaller fish and not hide all the time.

This fish should also take fairly middle of the road water parameters (e.g. no discus).

I'm considering a small school of redline torpedo barbs but I want to consider other ideas before I make up my mind.

Any ideas?

The centerpiece fish in my 25g tank, with tiger barbs and ottos, is a female kribensis cichlid. They are fine in lower pH and get along well with other fish. Introduce them last and there will be no problems with aggression. The females are very pretty.
My 10g tank has 5 harequin rasboras, 2 ottos, the centerpiece fish is a male betta and I will be adding 5 panda cories to that tank.


"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
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A school of rainbowfish (There are many different size and color choices but the Reds, G. Incisus make a nice center piece.) would be a colorful and active centerpiece in a tank that size.

Discus?

If you are looking for a schoal maybe silver sharks.Or clown loaches.
If not maybe an eel or Angelfish or some sort of large gourami
EDIT: I did provide links to information and comments.
But it seems that a mod has edited my comments and links out, aswell as re-structuring my entire sentance. And aslo it didt even say 'last edited by...' which is wierd.

Last edited by br0ke_1T at 02-Jan-2006 11:36

i agree the fins of a congo tetra will look nice,

angels would look nice, depending on the type of small fishes in the tank.

Pearl Gourami are very colourful & peaceful.



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I have a couple of mature male pearl gouramis in my 55 gallon temporarily. They are amazing. Not only do they have that gorgeous pearly spotted pattern, they have a brilliant flame red-orange on their chest. My dad says they look like they are lit from below. They also have cool little ray extensions on their anal fins. Mine are about 5 inches long. They are top-dwellers, so you see them out a lot. They also are a large-bodied fish. Sort of an oval shape, you know? They don't disappear like skinny fish sometimes do in a large tank. Gouramis are peaceful, although sometimes territorial with others of their species.

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