16 Gallon Bow Front - stocking?

[CatKittyFish]

Okay its been about a year in a half since I have had my fish tanks....I recently purchased (for $26) a 16 gallon bow front with stand. I have it cycling right now...I've just put 2 fake plants, a empty (small) flower pot and a silly piriate ship I found in it to make it not look empty! Now I have gone the livebearer route....mollys, plattys, guppies...and have had 4 generations of them...it was fun. I would like to try something different. I do like to try to breed my fish...while I know this is a small tank its all I have for now. Defently dont just want one fish. I'm not really crazy about tetras either . Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[achase]

I was going to suggest a similar setup (it's a 16 gallon bowlfront) to mine but you aren't crazy about tetras so there goes my idea. Lol!
You could check out aqadvisor and plug in some different combination's and see what works.
Then post the combination's here and get member feedback.

 

[bassbonediva]

You could do a dwarf gourami with harlequin rasbora and glofish or danios and a few (5 or so) pygmy cories.

 

[CatKittyFish]

AqAdvisor

Okay so I got to nibbing on the aqadvisor and found a few different dwarf species that I think I could keep together...do it would be a dwarf tank Not sure how easy some of these fish will be to find. But heres my idea

4x Dwarf Cory's
1x Dwarf Livebearer (male)
2x Dwarf Livebearer (female)
1x Male Dwarf Groumai
2x Female Dwarf Groumai

the webpage says my stocking lvl is 90% so I figured that was okay. Also...it seems the substrate I have wont work for the dwarf cory's (I just have stuff from Petco) So I think I will have to completly redo my decor...thinking about trying a planted tank....any ideas on how to start one of those?*BOUNCINGS

 

[ValRasbora]

If you can't find "dwarf livebearers" they might be under the name mosquitoe fish.
About your gouramis, you should try finding honey gouramis. They are more peaceful.

 

[CatKittyFish]

works for me....honey gourami's

 

[aakaakaak]

Aqadvisor says you'd be fine with four honeys and six endlers. Endlers are basically micro-guppies without the fan tails.

IMO get less than six endlers because they breed like livebearers....oh wait, they ARE livebearers.

poecilia wingei - Google Search

They might be difficult to find locally, but they're readily available online. Otherwise you can ask your LFS if they'll order some for you.

 

[big54bob]

Another thing you could try is wild bettas. You can find them on aquabid.

Here is a list of species:
Betta Species

 

[bassbonediva]

Yeah, I agree with Val about the gouramis. It's next to impossible to find female dwarf gouramis in the aquarium trade at large because they are so dully-colored that no one wants them. Going with honeys would be a much better idea.

Or you could do as Bob suggested and go with wild bettas. The betta imbellis is particularly beautiful.

 

[big54bob]

Pfft imbellis is TOO common, I'd go with channoides or Coccina.

 

[CatKittyFish]

Thanks everyone for ur ideas. I think I am defently going to go with the honey grouamis. I would like to have some corys cause I think they r really cute. I guess I really don't care what else is in there..if there is room I may get some ballon mollys...never had them before. Now I tested my water today and everything but the ph and alkalinity looks alright. The other 2 are very high. After thinking about it I relized the water I am using is softened water in my tanks....the other option I have is well water so I am not sure which is better. I obviously have to bring those lvls down...but since this is a norm in all the small tanks I have I am thinking I am going to have to put stuff in the water to help out there.

 

[OrangeCones]

if there is room I may get some ballon mollys...never had them before.

Just my opinion, but I do not buy fish deliberatly bred for a deformity.

Now I tested my water today and everything but the ph and alkalinity looks alright. The other 2 are very high.

What are your readings? Usually there is no need to 'adjust' those two values.

 

[CatKittyFish]

300 and 8.4

Didn't know that about ballon mollys...I agree...so no ballon mollys for me

 

[Newman]

idk about your KH and GH levels, but if those are as proportionally high as your pH I'd do the cories (hardy ones like peppered or perhaps panda) and livebearers like platies or guppies. theres also shell-dwelling cichlids so that may be something to explore.

 

[CatKittyFish]

Thanks!

Thanks everyone for you responses to my thread. I do believe I am going to go with the shell dwelling cichlid idea. Right now I have 5 happy danios that are hanging out in my tank for a little while. They are cute, so I think I am going to set them up a tank they will really like...I have a spare 10 and 20 gallon I need to collect from my grandparents grauge. BTW my sick betta is no longer ill and building a bubble nest. I also bought an almost completly white halfmoon betta (he was to pretty to pass up). So that make 3 male bettas lol. They all have nice little homes away from eachother so they wont stress out. But I think I would really like to try to breed them so heres hoping *PEACE!* Thanks agian everyone