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I've been thinking recently about adding some new fish to my tank (see my siggy) since it's been a while since my pleco and swordtails died. The one issue is that I have a gourami that for the last couple of new fish that I added has this tendency of lashing out in a seek-and-destroy fashion against the one or two new fish that I would add. Now granted, my nitrates were through the roof at that point and this stress may have caused his strange behavior, but I'd like to try and avoid repeating history as much as I can.
Therefore, I think it would be best to get a larger group to add to the tank in order to avoid having one or two new fish harassed to the point of injury/death. Right now I'm considering:
a) A few female gouramis for my male (Not too sure about this one as I'm unsure as to whether this will soothe his aggression or bust it through the roof, but at least if I get a group of them his aggression should be balanced evenly among the group of them)
b) A school of tiger barbs (say five or six)
c) A school of cories (again, five or six)
d) A school of some sort of tetra (not too intrigued by this one, but I'd be open to it)

Comments? Suggestions? I'm all ears.

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-08-31 13:05][/span]

I would go for finishing your school of pristellas first, add two more of them. Then, I would add six cories, but add them three at a time. That way, the tank won't get overloaded from adding too many fish at once. Cories are definitely the way to go, they are great entertainers, and are super bottom-cleaners.

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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."

I wouldn't go with the tiger barbs because you've already got one notorious fin-nipping species in there, so why challenge fate?

I wouldn't go with the females for the gourami because if he's as aggressive as you say, then it very well could make that tank frightening to watch...

I would add 2-3 more to your pristella school and maybe another 1-2 to your serpae school. I'd add these at no larger than three total fish per two weeks. This way you'll make sure your tank is able to keep up with your stocking...

Then I'd add either six cories or three ottos, depending upon which you prefer. If you add the cories, once again, no more than three every two weeks. If you decide to add the ottos, make sure your tank is having a mass of algae in it before you add them. They go crazy right off the bat and eat so much algae in not time that you'll be amazed...

PM/email/msg me if you have any questions/comments regarding me or my knowledge or if you want me to read a thread.

You might want to rearrange the tank when you add the new fish, it may help stem his aggression.

As much as I would love to fill out the group of pristellas, none of my lfs seem to carry them any more. On the plus side, they co-school with my serpaes.

I just thought about another option: would a school of clown loaches get too big for my 40g or is it a viable possibility?

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-09-01 06:54][/span]

Clown loaches would definitely get too big for a 40 gallon. They can actually grow to around a foot, though six to seven inches is more common. Still, they need to be kept in schools of six or so, which you really do not have room for.

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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."