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Hi all just a quick easy question really:

I have a rio 125 litre tank (33.025 US Gallons & 27.499 UK Gallons). Already in this tank i have:
1 Fighting fish
2 Dwarf Gouramis
1 Siamese Algae Eater
5 Neon Tetra
3 (soon to be 6) Platys

(oh and dont worry all these fish get along fine)

Just wondering if there is anymore room for any guppies in this setup or is that too much already? I have no clue so help needed please!

thanks in advance
xxx

okay i would only place like 6 guppies at the most remamber that bettas and the gouramis need the surface to get air from and thats where guppies manly stay really think about this one maybe some middle schooling fish like more tetras or cherry barbs youd be amazed how nice they really are they dont bother my betta or gouramis

you should get some more siamese algae eaters as they need small schools or else i could be a chinese algae eater and it would need a bigger tank and would become aggresive. guppies would most likely be beat up by the betta so to answer your question no guppies would not be good, i would watch the betta and gourami close as they could become aggresive to each other.

SAE's are not schooling Fish...Its best actually to only have one in your tank....when they become adults they will become more agressive to there own kind. One SAE is fine in your tank. I do agree however with guppies not being a good idea with your Betta. Anything with fancy/bright tails will catch his/her eye and will be killed off. I do have a Betta along with one black/orange tail guppy in the same tank, but I also had to move a bright orange and bright blue guppy from the tank almost instantly...

betta + guppies = bull + red cloth

think about the consequences your self

You're a little heavy on top dwellers; might you consider something that likes a middle or lower region? How about a six pack of Cories? BTW, true SAEs are schooling fish, but need not be kept in a school. I've got 2 in my 30gallon, and they are full size, peaceful, and do like to hang out together.

I have read that they are schooling, but I just find it hard to actually say they are schooling fish, when at the same time they are also labeled as preferably kept alone..since they will be aggressive towards there own kind as adults....To me Schooling fish arent fish that have exceptions.....If they are meant to survive and be happier with groups such as loaches, neons, etc...then thats schooling, but an SAE can be perfectly happy and preferably left alone.......Just like any other fish rule, there are exceptions, such as yours doing just fine together...etc......point is, you dont hear anything else like this mentioned with Neons etc that are true schooling fish, that may not like each other when older.....

I think the opposite of what you said Vic

True SAE's are very tight schoolers and would do better in schools then alone
For identification and care for algae eating cyprinids....
http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/

Moose, you might not have flying fox, chinese algae eater, etc so I would check that page for identification

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-07-01 14:06][/span]

I opened and read, and it also states that they are best in 3's, but can be kept alone.....All I was mentioning above is, IF a fish is a tightly/True Schooling fish, they wont be labeled as being kept alone.....My reply was just stating that the above suggestion that MOOSE should get more SAE's because they are schooling was not necessary. He is just fine with the one he has..

I've found the true SAE to be a very hardy and adaptable fish. I have no doubt that it IS a schooling fish in the wild, and in our tanks if we put them in a group. I have never seen ANY aggression between my two, nor have I heard of others who have, unless it turned out that they had a Flying Fox, aka the false SAE. I believe that since the SAE is so hardy and adaptable, it can be kept by itself without a problem. A group really would need a larger tank anyway. When I first got the SAEs, I noticed they hung out (schooled?) with my pencil fish; I presumed it was because of the stripe and similar size (at that time!). However, my pencils never were bothered, and as the SAEs got larger, they kept more to themselves.

Siamese algae eaters are a true schooling fish. In fact, I believe it was Molly who said that they are her closest schooling fish.

IF a fish is a tightly/True Schooling fish, they wont be labeled as being kept alone.

You are assuming we live in a perfect world where everyone does as they should and don't keep balas in 10 gallons with iridescant sharks, common plecos, and goldfish.

You say that they will be "fine" if kept alone. How do you define "fine?" That they are alive? That they are eating?

Some people say the same thing about cories. They say they are "fine" if kept alone. The truth is, they aren't. They should be kept in schools.

Anyways, back to the topic at hand.

1 Fighting fish
2 Dwarf Gouramis
1 Siamese Algae Eater
5 Neon Tetra
3 (soon to be 6) Platys

You should get at least a couple more SAE and at least one more neon tetra first. The betta needs to be taken out of that tank, since he will rip the guppies apart and will, most likely, fight with the gouramis over territory. Then you can feel free to add a trio (1 male, 2 female) or so of guppies.

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They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

Its not I WHO is saying they will be fine if left alone..
ITS Everything you read about them...and I am just passing on the info from everything I read about them. I have a CAE personally right now, and everything I hear about them is bad news, but mine has been fine and is almost fully grown.....I think you need to read what I wrote again, and you will see that I tend to agree with what you just said..
I Dont Assume anything, so please dont speak for me...If everything you read about them states they DO NOT need to be schooled, then why pass on info to someone else that they need to buy more than the one they already have...
It was my point that a True Schooling Fish should not be left alone, but passing a fish off to be okay alone or in a pair, isnt to me a schooling fish.....Schools are much bigger than a pair......I am not one of those who would keep one Neon, One of any schooling fish just because he's swimming along fine and eating fine.....

Well thanks for the advice guys, and sorry to cause an argument!
So just to clear up, if everything was ideal everyone got along etc. how many guppys could i get, someone said up to 6 and someone said 3.
I have another 50litre tank so if anyone starts a fight then they can go.
So yeh, how many?!
thanks again all, very helpful
xxx

i would say 3 or 4

If you leave the tank as it currently is, I'd say 3 guppies 1M/2F. But do listen to the warnings about bettas and guppies, I'm sure you wouldn't want to see your fish torn up. Your platies are fine with the betta because they don't have the long, colorful tails like guppies do. You could either remove the betta, which is an easy option since they can live in a 1g or 2g, or choose another fish besides guppies.

I've never kept bettas and gouramis together but I've heard that can be risky too.

Not sure how long your tank has been set up but while things can seem peaceful at the time they can also turn bad very quickly.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean