# Fish recommendation for tropical community



## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

I'm looking for some recommendations of what new cool/funky/fancy fish to add to my 84g community tank

Current stock
5x harlequins
3-4 neons 
18-20 rummy nose tetras 
20-30 cpd's (some may be going to a new home)
Few shrimp 
3-4 Ottos
Nerite nail


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## TomC (Apr 21, 2010)

How about a bristle nose pleco and some corys. Khuli loaches are cool too, but you may rarely see them.


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## jona31 (Jun 28, 2013)

A beta fish would be nice I have almost all those fish with my betta tank


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

Tank pic for reference


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

depending on what kind of shrimp you have...maybe some German Blue Rams, they would be very happy in there & occupy the lower areas. Plus great color and fish with a personality. Apistogrammas would be cool too. A few more options to throw out there...Dwarf Gouramis, more Tetra's ( Glowlight, Black Neon, Red Eye are some of my favs ), a couple smaller cool pleco's (BNP's Blue Phantom, ect,


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## jhj0112 (Jul 30, 2013)

i would say any dwarf cichlids would be very cool in your tank. Bolivian ram, apistos, German Blue rams.. these fishes are middle-bottom ones so it will balance your tank.. I would also recommend small plecos.. like L144 or silver tip bristole nose plecos..


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

Would the rams and dwarf chiclids be safe with tiny fish and shrimp?

I have debates pelcos but haven't yet since the last ones I had were huge. I'm trying to keep it lots of smaller fish. 

For shrimp I have a few Amanaos and pumpkin shrimp. I have been debating starting to add crs/CBS since mine have been breeding like crazy. 


Would German blue rams or some dwarf chiclids do well in here? Which ones would stand out the most as a cool addition and be peaceful with the rest?

I was at iPU today looking at. Few dwarf chiclids. Is there any store that's Cary's a bunch of them that I should stop at on my way back to kelowna tomorrow ?


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## jhj0112 (Jul 30, 2013)

I have 3 ghost shrimps in my 90G tank with 6 Bolivian Rams and 2 apisto agassizii. they never bother my shrimps.. I'm not so sure about pumpkin shrimps though... amano shrimps should be ok. I have been told that Bolivian rams are hardier than GBRs.. you will love them.. my bolivian rams are like puppies and apistos are like cats.. so much fun to watch them... I heard that german rams from charles( canadian aquatics) are really good though. I really wish I can add 2 GBRs in my tank! (my tank is fully stocked).

my understanding is that L144 or silvertip only grows up to 4.5". not like common pleco.


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## jhj0112 (Jul 30, 2013)

oh I forgot to mention about LFSs. I don't know where in Vancouver you are in but aquarium west and fantasy are the places if you are in d/t. If you are in vancouver( not d/t), charles is the man ( i really gotta visit his place). If you are in Burnaby, IPU and kingEd are the place. If you are in surrey, visit rogers aquatics and paul's aquarium centre. you may bump into me tomorrow if you are in one of these places 

I got my Bolivian rams at paul's aquarium centre! they are really healthy. If you are planing to get apisto and GBR, I believe charles has trio of agassizi and bunch of Wild GBR.


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

Thanks for the suggestions

My buddy's place is right by aquariums west. So anywhere form there to kelowna works. I'm not to sure who has the best prices or stock....

Who is most likely to have some GBR or dwarf chiclids or cool little ones in stock out of the bunch


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## jhj0112 (Jul 30, 2013)

I was aquarium west last saturday and they had GBR, gold rams, and Bolivian. I'm not so sure about apistos though. their price is surprisingly good. I bought 9 dwarf rainbows there. best price in town. because you will take hwy 1 (right?), I would say IPU burnaby is the place then (just off hwy1 exit, in the heart of Korean town) I think their dwarf cichlids are on sale ( 40% off if you buy multiple). They had GBR, gold ram( really cool looking), and apistos when I was there last week lol.


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

40% off? Awesome. Ironically I was at both today. I just didn't knew what I was looking for(aside from a cool chunk of wood)

So both sound to have good prices. 
Ill try aquariums west since its close. Can I mix any of the suggested ones together? Also is it better to buy 2 at a time for a pair? As long as they work in the community tank ill be happy


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## jhj0112 (Jul 30, 2013)

Based on my limited experience on them, they should be ok. Other members here told me they can be aggressive to other dwarf cichlids if they are paired and breeding. your tank size is very similar to mine(90g) and even more hiding places for them so it should be good. I would add caves for them though ( if you don't have any..) 

I would get 2 or more but that's just me  I know one of members here(livyding) has one of each and it works for him without any problem.


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## Livyding (Feb 6, 2013)

Just want to throw in my two bits here... If you want a pair, the customary way is to buy six young ones and let them pair off naturally and rehome the other four. Cichlids are territorial in general even though they do swim in groups as youngsters. Territorial fish don't need to be kept in groups. Social fish do. 

To give you some context here, a couple years ago I started planning my dream south american tank... I wanted a single "centerpiece" fish, and I wanted it to be a cichlid. All I could find online was information about keeping and breeding pairs, raising the young, etc... Lots of people said it was cruel to keep them without a mate, but I kept reading horror story after horror story about how 
"everything was just fine and my pair/group were all getting along great and then *BAM* they all started killing each other!!" 

Which made me even more sure that I NEVER wanted to have brooding pair in my peaceful community tank. I finally wrote in to wetwebmedia (my favourite site in the world) for clarification, and they confirmed that although some types are more peaceful than others, and some prefer to be among their own kind, South American dwarves in general are perfectly fine kept as single specimens. 

I got a keyhole first, then a group of 5 angels (since added 3 more) then a bolivian ram, then a cupido (rehomed him recently) and most recently got a very young wild blue ram from Charles. They all get along famously. No homicidal rampages, no injuries, no problems. 

People say it's fun to watch them breeding and protecting their young, and I admit it is fun to watch the angels spawn and raise their young, and I might try to find a mate for my Keyhole one of these days, but keeping a group of singletons isn't cruel or unethical in any way, and I don't find watching them to be boring at all. They interact with each other, and the Bolivian and Blue Rams seem especially friendly. The little guy thinks she's his mom I think. 

I just want to add here that you should really add more neons and harlequins since they are social creatures and unlike cichlids, must be kept in groups of at least six. Some people say the same about otos, but I'm not sure about that. 

Kuhli loaches are the same story. If you buy one or two, you'll never ever see them. They'll live their lives neurotic and terrified. Buy six or eight (I have ten in a 33G community) and you'll see them all the time, swimming together, hanging out in the plants, doing figure eights in the currents... theyre awesome.


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

Thanks for the lengthy reply. I may just get one center pieces cichlid (probably a ram with bright colors) Cichlids and a few more neons/harlequins/ottos to up their numbers. Most tank mates school with the rummys but you are right that they would appreciate bigger sub groups.

As for caves I'm not sure if they are required for a small cichlid . but iI do have a few good overhangs and tunnels In the driftwood that would act as caves

Side note : for neons does it matter if I get neons or cardinals? Neons are slightly more shrimplets safe but cardinals are a bit more flashy


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## Durogity (Jun 10, 2013)

Cardinals are heartier too, if you're travelling to kelowna but buying down here I would be surprised if neons would survive the trip...I've alway found them significantly weaker than cardinals


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Thought I'd add some experience on the German Blue Rams as opposed to "horror stories I read". IME ...one will not be as happy by itself as it would with others. I had 5 in my 33gal which 4 out of 5 paired off. I rarely had problems with aggression towards each other or other fish in that tank. The only time they were territorial was during breeding and still no fish was ever hurt during those times. They only chased other fish away when they got close to their eggs. Your tank is plenty big enough for a couple pairs. Plus there is plenty of plants and wood that I do not think you would have to worry too much about them being too territorial. They only get to about 2" long at max. as it is. Im not sure about the other dwarf Cichlids, but when it comes to the GBR I'm sure you would thoroughly enjoy having more than one as well they would appreciate not being a loner. Here is a thread on my 33 to give you an idea of how beautiful they are and how well they did in my tank: http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/tank-journals-16/my-33-gal-set-up-9-3-a-14399/


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

Durogity said:


> Cardinals are heartier too, if you're travelling to kelowna but buying down here I would be surprised if neons would survive the trip...I've alway found them significantly weaker than cardinals


He just picked up some Neon. Let's see how that goes.


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## Livyding (Feb 6, 2013)

Diztrbd1 said:


> Thought I'd add some experience on the German Blue Rams as opposed to "horror stories I read". IME ...one will not be as happy by itself as it would with others. I had 5 in my 33gal which 4 out of 5 paired off. I rarely had problems with aggression towards each other or other fish in that tank. The only time they were territorial was during breeding and still no fish was ever hurt during those times. They only chased other fish away when they got close to their eggs. Your tank is plenty big enough for a couple pairs. Plus there is plenty of plants and wood that I do not think you would have to worry too much about them being too territorial. They only get to about 2" long at max. as it is. Im not sure about the other dwarf Cichlids, but when it comes to the GBR I'm sure you would thoroughly enjoy having more than one as well they would appreciate not being a loner. Here is a thread on my 33 to give you an idea of how beautiful they are and how well they did in my tank: http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/tank-journals-16/my-33-gal-set-up-9-3-a-14399/


So, I'm curious, how do you know that they "appreciate not being a loner"? Fish are either territorial or social. Keeping social fish as single specimens is cruel. Is keeping a single GBR cruel in your opinion? What evidence do you have of that?


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Livyding said:


> So, I'm curious, how do you know that they "appreciate not being a loner"? Fish are either territorial or social. Keeping social fish as single specimens is cruel. Is keeping a single GBR cruel in your opinion? What evidence do you have of that?


I think the better question is how do you know they are just as happy being alone? Proof is when you own more than one and see the interactions as opposed to when you just have one. I have had both circumstances, so I have seen the difference. Is keeping a single one cruel, I wouldn't go that far.... but I do believe they are happier and more active when they have a mate. I had 2 breeding pairs in my 33g and never had problems like what you read wherever. As for "Fish are either territorial or social" I have to disagree with that. They may have a reputation for being one or the other, but I have kept fish with certain reps as such and found out they weren't nearly as bad as I read they were ....sometimes the complete opposite. I have seen many instances on this forum where this is the case. Now if you really believe that, then I presume you believe everything you read. When doing research on GBR's you would find most recommend keeping them in pairs. Either way. I just stated my experience, doesn't mean I'm right or wrong..it's just my experience and observations with them. Plus I have never seen a bad experience with them on here and we had a guy that bred and sold them to many members including me.


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

So I ended up getting 3 German blue rams, 8 ammanos, 5 ottos and 20 neons to add to the community


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

make sure to post some pix when everything gets settled in


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## Livyding (Feb 6, 2013)

You're anthropomorphizing. Fish don't experience human emotions. Obviously there are exceptions to rules, but *generally speaking* all fish fall under the two categories. Mikrogeophagus ramirezi won't die of loneliness when kept singly, won't stop eating, won't become hyper-aggressive, or any of the behaviours you see in shoaling fish kept in insufficient numbers. To me, that says they're "happy" when kept singly, unlike a single tetra or a single danio. 

I've heard opinions of a lot of people like yourself, and so I asked some experts for their opinions. I'll take theirs over yours, thanks.


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## jhj0112 (Jul 30, 2013)

hey shift! I'm glad that all of fishes made it! please post the pics up!


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Livyding said:


> You're anthropomorphizing. Fish don't experience human emotions. Obviously there are exceptions to rules, but *generally speaking* all fish fall under the two categories. Mikrogeophagus ramirezi won't die of loneliness when kept singly, won't stop eating, won't become hyper-aggressive, or any of the behaviours you see in shoaling fish kept in insufficient numbers. To me, that says they're "happy" when kept singly, unlike a single tetra or a single danio.
> 
> I've heard opinions of a lot of people like yourself, and so I asked some experts for their opinions. I'll take theirs over yours, thanks.


lol to each their own.  If you wish to have a discussion on the topic please start another thread instead of taking this one any further off course.

Sorry to get off topic Shift


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## jhj0112 (Jul 30, 2013)

oh now that I read all posts, I don't know his fishes got to his tank safely.. shift, let us know how it went.
Ummm I think this thread is about shift asking our opinion about what he should add in his tank 

edit: oh never mind what I said about this thread. diztrbd1 already addressed the issue


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

Haha. No worries. It makes for an interesting read. 

I'm s about 45 mom from home so hopefully everyone makes it okay. Ill snap Some new pics In a day or two once everyone is settle into the existing community


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## jhj0112 (Jul 30, 2013)

hey shift,

how did it go? are they safely made to your tank? how do you like GBRs? 



shift said:


> Haha. No worries. It makes for an interesting read.
> 
> I'm s about 45 mom from home so hopefully everyone makes it okay. Ill snap Some new pics In a day or two once everyone is settle into the existing community


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

Everyone seems to be alive and well.. I am almost amazed of how many tiny fish i have in this tank! The new mini neons go from schooling with the rummys to shoaling with the CPDs.. the GBR's seem happy and spend their time crusing the tank or forging the floor for food.





Be sure to click the gear and turn up the quality!


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## jhj0112 (Jul 30, 2013)

very nice!! I love your tank setup and video!! awesome tank!! I'm glad that they are happy in your tank


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

Thank you


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