40 gallon tank
- Thread starter fisherman1013
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As long as you keep the group of serpeas at 5 you shouldn't have any problems - many consider them bad fin nippers but I have them in two community tanks with no problems. They are colorful and active. Both mollies and platies come in many different colors, but you may have to shop around. One or two angels should work okay. I am not familiar with gouramis, but I believe most recommend just one. Then there are various cories. Beware of bottom feeders or algae eaters as many aren't as advertised and get huge.
Welcome to the forum!!
Welcome to the forum!!
Welcome and congrats to having cycled your tank first! The sky is the limit in regards to what tank mates to add. I have a female pearl gourami in with several schools of tetras in my 29gal. Schooling fish add color, activity and are interesting to watch, but single, non-schooling fish tend to have more of a personality IMO. You could do something like an angel, a gourami, a platy, etc.. as 'single' fish. My emerald corydoras are neat little buggers, but they are very skittish.
Make sure you still have a means to measure your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates after you add more fish. Having that test kit is essential.
What type of lighting do you have for your 40? Does the tank get natural light? Good lighting is important for plant growth. I've had zero luck attempting plants with standard fluorescent and LED tank hoods. Once I switched to lighting intended for plants, they took right off.
Make sure you still have a means to measure your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates after you add more fish. Having that test kit is essential.
What type of lighting do you have for your 40? Does the tank get natural light? Good lighting is important for plant growth. I've had zero luck attempting plants with standard fluorescent and LED tank hoods. Once I switched to lighting intended for plants, they took right off.
If you have just the stock lighting that came with the tank, you are pretty limited in what plants will grow but there are some options. The most common very low light plant is java fern, and that grows slowly but surely under pretty crumby lighting.
It's hard to recommend fish since everyone has different taste. But generally, having some fish at each level of the tank is a good plan - something to scoot around the bottom and some to swim up in the water column.
You have a good deal of space open, so sometimes what works well is to take a walk through the fish store, and note which available fish are appealing to you. Then either look them up online and go back for the ones that would be appropriate for the tank (or look on a smart phone while there). A lot of the fish sold in stores are cute little babies that may get a foot or more long, and not all employees know / care enough to provide accurate info. A little research before purchase saves the trouble of incompatible fish that eat tankmates, or huge fish that you have no place for.
It's hard to recommend fish since everyone has different taste. But generally, having some fish at each level of the tank is a good plan - something to scoot around the bottom and some to swim up in the water column.
You have a good deal of space open, so sometimes what works well is to take a walk through the fish store, and note which available fish are appealing to you. Then either look them up online and go back for the ones that would be appropriate for the tank (or look on a smart phone while there). A lot of the fish sold in stores are cute little babies that may get a foot or more long, and not all employees know / care enough to provide accurate info. A little research before purchase saves the trouble of incompatible fish that eat tankmates, or huge fish that you have no place for.