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I would stick with the Tetras as the Mollies are live bearers and actually require a slightly different water to the rest of your fish.

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Keith

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Kinda what I was thinking sirbrooks. Thanks for the advice!!

I would not do it, at least not yet. Start out with one of the species, and see how well they do. If you let them get settled, you may change your mind about which you like more. Also, this will allow the other inhabitants to grow out a little bit and give you an opportunity to better gauge how your tank will look once the fish are fully-grown. Better to have too few fish than too many.

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Do you think it would be pushing it to get a small school (8) of each???
I really like both and have a feeling I am going to have a hard time deciding.

And that is a great picture!
Very pretty


Amber

Well, there's really no hard and fast rule when it comes to stocking an aquarium. Ideally one can determine their tank's inhabitants by looking at maximum length, waste output, how active the fish are, schooling behavior, territoriality, and many other factors. You are adding fish to a tank which does have plenty of inhabitants, but not so many that they are overcrowded. I would think that at least about eight or so lemon tetras or harlequin rasboras would be just fine. They're small schooling fish with a low waste output.

I do have to say that I love lemon tetras, they're less dull than the average tetra (or so I like to think). Males display and mock fight with each other all the time, and these fish can be spawned. They do look very nice when colored up, as the following picture of a male shows.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Lemon Tetra's are a bit fin-nippers, but i don't know anything with Harlies.


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Okay, I think I have decided on either lemon tetras or harlequins.

How do you all prefer to calculate stocking? inch of slim bodied fish to a gallon, or surface area?
Right now, when I get the betta I just won, I will have 50 inches of fish when they are adult. My water is great: ammonia and nitrItes: 0, nitrAtes: 10 and I do 20% changes every week. (again I have a 46)

So I'm not really worried about overstocking, but I am interested in your thoughts.

yeah, so mollies or platys might not be a good idea, but every day the lemon tetras i have have been getting more adventerous and i finally coaxed them to the surface to snags some blood worms, now they are hanging out middle-top of the tank.

and you dont have a angel fish hanging out at the top, plus you have floating plants, so they should be way more adventerous, also, mine are new to the tank and in a small school of only 5

they are VERY entertaining compared to my tiger barbs, they are "twitchy" and their social behavior seems complex. it takes a day after i add a fish for them to accept it ( i just added a lemon tetra to change my school from 4 to 5), and their is often mock jousting between them, no actual harm is done, more of a quick paced ballet to show who is top dog. they leave the angel and its fins alone, nor do they bother my pleco,south american bumblebee cat, or my corys. and the lemons are in a small school in a 29 gallon.

i would reccomend these cause i love em so far, plus they seem hardy, they are also easy to feed and get a hold of from LFS.

I agree with keith. The fish are much more happy if you keep then in the parameters they like. When you stay to cross over the fish seem to be less happy

-Josh

Hi everyone!

I have a 46 gallon that has been running for a little over a month. It has 12 danios (plus some babies), 4 female bettas, and 2 UD Cats. I would like something that would spend most of their time at or near the surface. I would like something peaceful and fairly colorful. Thanks!

WOW! You guys are great!!
Thanks for so many suggestions!

I hadn't thought about mollies since I have always heard they do better in brackish water and I didn't want to mess with that...

I have won a trio of floating plants from aquabid, so I will have some cover.

I like the idea of harlequins. They are very pretty. That is a definate maybe.

I had thought about marbled hatchets, but I read they aren't as hardy as I would like.

I really like the idea of the rivulus, but I think they would probably be hard to find around here.

The lemon tetras are pretty too.

So I am thinking platies (suggested on another board), harlequins, or lemons.

Thanks again for the suggestions!!!

i would suggest some of the very cool jumpers that were listed, i have never even seen such a fish, but if you can order one or chance across one in a LFS, i would get it!!!

now, if the tank lid isnt secure enough for hatchets ect, maybe a peacefull tetra. i would stay away from the skirteds ect cause they might be a bit nippy. the lemon tetras i have are said to occupy the upper levels of the tank, but i havent seen that to date. it is possible they are still learning to school or perhaps because they were only introduced to the tank a couple days ago, or, again, maybe because my angel i purchased at the same time seems to like the top layer of the tank and they are afraid of him.

but i would suggest something like lemon tetras for your upper coverage. barbs sometimes go towards the upper levels of the tank, yet the buggers can be downright viscous to other fish, and even in a school of 8, my tigerbarbs were HORRENDOUSLY nippy.

Last edited by reun at 24-Dec-2005 15:53

If you're looking for an 'unusual' surface dweller, try Rivulus species.

Rivulus cylindraceus, the Cuban Rivulus, is relatively easy to care for and will occupy the top layers of the aquarium. However, while they're not freshwater flying fishes like the Hatchet Fishes, Rivulus are rocket propelled jumpers, so KEEP THEM COVERED!!!

If you have any floating plants in your aquarium, the Rivulus will do crazy things such as climb out onto them and bask for short periods out of water before plopping back in. Don't be alarmed by this - Rivulus have a penchant for 'velcro jumping' in the aquarium that is a part of their natural behaviour, and is actually quite fun to watch!

Another alternative if you want a showy surface dweller is the Splashing Tetra, Copella arnoldi. This is the only fish that lays its eggs out of water and is thus a MAJOR spawning novelty! It's not that difficult to breed either. Give the Splashing Tetra some floating plants to play with, and it too will be happy. Again, a jumper that MUST be covered, but then what else would you expect from a fish that leaps out of the water to lay its eggs on the underside of emergent plant leaves?

Here is a page about the Rivulus. Be advised there's more than one species, and several of them are pretty. AVOID getting the Herringbone Rivulus, Rivulus strigatus, as it's touchy about water quality (which is a shame, because it's a gorgeous fish ... sigh)

Here is a page about the Splashing Tetra. As you can see, a nice fish!

Here is a page showing the Splashing Tetra out of water laying eggs!



Last edited by Calilasseia at 24-Dec-2005 15:32

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

marble hatchets maybe? they are definately surface-dwelling gotta have tight lids though, those devils jump!

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Maybe a school of Harlequin would add colour and action to your tank. Get at least 6, 12 would be better. They are not really top dwellers but rather middle. But when they start doing their lil' 8 dance from bottom to top, they sure bring on a show !!!

Sponge

Well, some type of peaceful tetra could be a good addition. Not all of them like to hang around near the water's surface, but they'll be more likely to if you have plants or some other form of cover near the top. Were there any you had seen at a shop that caught your eye?

Welcome to Fish Profiles.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

mollies are always an idea? or even a school of skirt tetras, i have six in my 55 gallon, and they add a nice touch of pink.

*Chelle*
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