Noob got a 14g kit, need help setting it up.

Lupin

Tetras and cories are fine but a centerpiece would be difficult to choose. I was thinking of a Dwarf Gourami or Honey Gourami.

00ej8

I was liking the look of the Dwarf Gourami, if I get one, it will be the last addition. I read that they are harder to take care of compared to the other fish I listed, so I want to make sure everything's right before I put one in.

Any suggestions on numbers?

00ej8

what about some kind of cichlid?

leifthebunny

In a 20g, a Dwarf Gourami would be fine, maybe two if depending on how much other stuff you have (plants, caves, ...). If you want to do a cichlid, the dwarf cichlids out of south America would be better. I dont know if I would do a breeding pair as the tank is only 20g (even dwarf cichlids are pretty agressive during spawning). You're probably better off with a Ram. I'm kind of partial to German Blue Rams, but also have Gold. Bolivians are nce but might get large enough to cause problems with smaller tetras.

With the cories, I would recommend a lot of caves and such.

Lupin

Bolivian rams are fine with small tetras. It's their size that really is the issue. You can keep a lone male Blue Ram as a centerpiece.

00ej8

I really like the look of the Blue Ram, so here's what I'm looking at:

10 cories
10 tetras
1 male Blue Ram.

Is that close to capacity, or could I look at adding another species to the mix?

Also, what kind of overall environment do I need? lots of caves is all I know that I need.

I was thinking a layout with plants on both sides, a cave or two in the middle, and open area between the plants.

Lupin

What cories and tetras are they? If you want 10, stick with the cories that do not exceed 4 cm size. Corydoras hastatus is a good example of small species of cories. Try ember tetras.:)

00ej8

i'm not really sure on the specific numbers OR species, what would you put in it?

I was liking the neon tetras and leopard corys though, not sure on the numbers. I'm also getting 5 zebra danios for sure, while the tank cycles.

Lupin

I'd stick with ember tetras. Neons are hardly that tolerant of water conditions especially when they're mass produced but it depends on your luck. How about a small group of Threadfin Rainbowfish instead?:)

soco1125

no one mentioned this, so i thought i would. when you upgrade your filter, make sure you get one that is rated for AT LEAST 2 times your tank size. most filters never operate at the capacity which they claim, so it's better to go a little overboard than to have underpowered filtration.