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i want to fill my 30 gal. tank with freshwater fish,but i don't know what to stock it with. any sugguestions?

It really depends on what you like, but I'll assume color lol. I would go with: 8 neon tetras
6 von rio tetras
2 dwarf gouramis
4-6 cories
3 ottos

there are plenty of fish you could get for a 30, but do you have a preference? some nice fish would be an angel, a large school of rummynoses or cardinals (not with angel), a pair of bolivian rams, a pearl gourami, or even a shoal of small rainbows would all be nice additions to a 30g

It all depends on what you like. . .if you want an active tank, then get a school of zebra danios or giant danios, or if you like a relaxing tank, then go with an angelfish (preferably if you have a tall tank as they get taller rather than wider) or some slower swimming gouramis. Gouramis are nice, as they are very colorful, and come in virtually any size. If color is what you are looking for, why not a male betta? Or some rummynose tetras/fancy guppies? And lastly thing to consider, is size, did you want to mix and match different fish, or did you want an entire school of one fish? That will help us to answer your question better

Fish are like potato chips. . .you can't have just one

30 gallons? Hmm, room for manouevre there.

As has been stated above, it depends very heavily upon the kind of preferences you have for different species, and whether the species you like will be compatible. So, for example, if you like mollies, then you'll be looking at other relatively peaceful fishes that like hard, alkaline conditions and relatively warm water. If on the other hand you have a yearning for Panda Corys, then you'll be looking at companions that are soft, acid water lovers and which furthermore won't mind being kept at the cooler end of the tropical temperature scale (say 22°C). If you like Venezuelan Rams, then you'll be looking at other warm water South Americans and acid loving fishes (e.g., Rummy-Nosed Tetras).

If you're looking for something unusual and out of the ordinary that will happily occupy your 30 gallon setup, then I can suggest a few favourites among the rarities that you might like to look for, on the understanding that finding them could prove to be a major logistical exercise, but they're so worth it! Among these are fishes such as the Sri Lanka Fire Barb, Rasbora vaterifloris (which again is a Rasbora and not a Barb, but was called that when introduced to the UK because it's more Barb-shaped than typical Rasboras - it's also drop dead gorgeous and well worth hunting!) or the African Characin species Neolebias ansorgei, which is another sadly overlooked rarity that will provide a wonderful splash of colour if kept in surroundings to its liking. Among the more unusual South Americans you could keep are Rivulus killies, some of which are supernova blasts of colour, but which need to be kept very well covered because they're rocket propelled jumpers!

Oh, and if you're thinking of putting some Cichlids in your 30 gallon, allow me to recommend a species that is practically the perfect beginner's Cichlid - Anomalochromis thomasi. A soft, acid loving West African species that will live compatibly with a vast range of 'standard' community fishes, is a pacifist by usual Cichlid standards, and in breeding colours is a sparkling jewel encrusted magenta hued little gem of a fish that is relatively undemanding in its requirements, and which will adapt (particularly in the case of aquarium bred specimens) to a pretty wide range of water chemistry parameters. Another of those overlooked fishes that deserves to be FAR more common because of its huge collection of redeeming traits, but which for some reason has failed to take off commercially despite being a FAR better choice of Cichlid for most people's aquaria than the likes of Convicts!

Oh, and if you're thinking of going for a warm aquarium with warm water fishes, among the Labyrinth Fishes that you could look out for is the Green Croaking Gourami, Trichopsis pumilus, which is tiny, and will therefore live coompatibly with other tiny fishes such as Pygmy Rasboras and Neons. You could also try hunting down some tiny Corydoras cochui to go with them - an aquarium full of miniature jewels that will allow you to have decent sized groups of each without worrying about overstocking! If you go down this path, you could have 12 Neons, 10 Cochu's Corys, and 6 of the Green Croaking Gouramis - that setup would be quite a sight to behold once established!

Almost forgot - if you're looking for something really different, that will like alkaline water and be an absolute show stopper, how about Pseudomugil connieae and other Blue-Eyes? These relations of the Rainbow Fishes are small (around 6 cm long), and some of them are incandescently lovely! Here's some pictures:

Pseudomugil connieae

Pseudomugil furcatus

Pseudomugil gertrudae

Pseudomugil mellis

Pseudomugil paskai

Hope this gives you LOTS of ideas for you new setup!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002