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I've got a 20gal hex tank with
2-blue rams
4-glolight tetra
4-neontetra
I'm looking for a fish that will livin up the top of my tank as most my fish stay in the middle and bottom. any ideas? Something cool and colorful if any? I've had a killi that loved just the top but had to give him up cuz he tryd eating a neon. Thanks for the help!!!
Mikey

Dwarf gourami maybe?

Yea dont really care for them. Rainbows were also idea i was givin. any other ideas

Hatchetfish,

I have been looking at these guys for my tank. They stay right at the top. And look pretty neato

Only dwarf species will be suitable, threradfins, blue-eyes and dwarf neons etc, and even then some of them need a boost of salt that may annoy other fish. Most other rainbowfish will be far too large and fast moving for a 20 gal, they should really be kept in around a 55 rectangular, and they have a high oxygen requirement, and the o2 levels in hex tanks usually suck because of the low water surface to volume ratio.

With the tank you have it would be better to choose small species around the inch long, that like limpid lakes and slow moving rivers.

what about a pretty female betta or a guppy?

The pottery that growls!

I'd advise against hatchets, they're built for fast moving water with lots of space too

A small top-swimming fish suitable for a 20 hex?

Try the Rocket Panchax, Pseudepiplatys annulatus.

It doesn't grow bigger than your Neons, and the males are spectacularly coloured. Their preference vis-a-vis watr chemistry is the same as your Neons and Glowlights too.

This is what the male looks like - see the tail, shaped and coloured like a rocket flame? That's how it got its name. Oh, a rhyme!

You probably won't find this fish easily in shops, but you could hunt down the pertinent Killifish Association for where you live and find out if anyone is breeding these things and has some to sell.

Give the fish the same water conditions as you would your Neons & Glowlights, and they should be relatively happy.

One of the brightst colour strains is the Monrovia strain. Here's a photo of a male Monrovia specimen for you to look at.

Although this page is in Dutch, you don't need to be able to read Dutch to extract the water chemistry parameters (pH, temperature, hardness) because they're all listed in standard units.

Alternatively, go here and look up the assorted Rivulus species, which are also top dwellers, and even more compatible with your South American Tetras because they hail from the same waters in the wild. Take a look at the beauty on that page - Rivulus xiphidus - and imagine a pair of those in your aquarium! Check the maximum size of each Rivulus species before picking one, and go for a smaller species (one or two can grow to 3 inches and aren't suitable for your aquarium, but some others stay small) and if you DO decide to run with a Rivulus species, be advised that while they may be slow moving normally, this is deceptive, because Rivulus are well-documented rocket-propelled jumpers that will fly an amazing distance in relation to their small size if given the chance! Also, if you have floating plants in your aquarium, a Rivulus will, amazingly, climb out onto the floating plant for a short while and bask above the water line, or even engage in "Velcro jumping" against the glass aquarium sides above the water or the cover glass! These and other strange antics can be yours to watch if you run with a Rivulus ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002