Hello everyone I am new to the forums and my wife and I are looking into getting our first aquarium. We have made a list of the fish we like but we have no idea which will go well together and how many will be ideal. We would like to have around 5-6 different types. Which of the following and how many of each do you think would go well together? Thanks in advance

Black Veil Angel
Green Tiger Barb
Betta
Panda Cory Cat
Turquoise Danio
Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami
Green Cobra Guppy
Platinum Lyretail Molly
Boesemani Rainbow
Siamese Flying Fox
Otocinclus Catfish (we definitely need an algae eater, is this a good choice?
True Rummynose Tetra

Welcome to Fishforum.com, Gus.:wave:

Before you buy any fish, please make sure your tank is cycled. A read with this thread will help you.
http://fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=3738

Buy API liquid test kit to start with. Test kits are always handy. Avoid test strips as much as possible. These are misleading. Monitor your ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and pH. You want zero ammonia and nitrites by the end of the cycling phase. Both prove too toxic to the fish and will subject fish to permanent damage shortening their lifespan. Always monitor your water parameters regularly.

As for the fish, it is a good idea to plan in advance. This gives time to determine what your local fish store has in store for you. First of all, what are the dimensions of your tank? We need to know this so we can pick the proper choices for you.

I will start giving my opinions on the following fish you selected.

Black Veiltail Angelfish
Like all other strains and species of angelfish, they need a tank height minimum of 18 inches. The taller, the better. These fish reach almost 6 inches in body size diameter. For a 30 gallons, a loner or a pair might work ensuring that as a pair, the other one will not be harassed severely by the stronger one. Provide vallisnerias and other tall plants for their refuge.

They should never be mixed with smaller fish such as neon tetras as they can become a menace and will prey on the fish that will really fit in their mouths.

Green Tiger Barb
Just one of the color morphs of the original tiger barb. Like all other morphs, these are notorious for fin-nipping habits. Never mix them with fish that are slow-moving and sporting long fins. Bettas, gouramis, angelfish and goldfish for instance are extremely incompatible with the tiger barbs regardless of the size of the aquarium.

These are best kept in a group. Minimum when keeping a group is 8. They establish social hierarchy and may turn their aggression onto the others if their number is lesser than eight. Rasboras, danios and loaches are the best tankmates for these fish.

Betta
Either you choose a male or a group of females. The choice is yours. I would simply suggest keeping them with rasboras, corydoras, otos and ancistrus plecs. Never keep them with boisterous species particularly those that will nip their fins.

Provide floating plants for this fish.

Panda Corydoras
These are one of the smaller species of corydoras. Although known to be sensitive to water conditions, they are hardy once completely accustomed to their new tank environment. They are best introduced only when the tank has reached four months of being established. The longer, the better.

Tetras, angelfish, apistogrammas, rams and rasboras are suitable tankmates for these fish.

Turquiose Danio
Like all other danios, they occupy the surface level. Rasboras and loaches are excellent tankmates for these fish. They need plenty of swimming space. The longer the tank, the better for them.

Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami
Opinion is similar to the betta. You can keep a pair. Again, no fin nippers should be mixed with them. I would suggest you pick honey gouramis instead as dwarf gouramis are not that hardy nowadays. A lot of gouramis are pumped with hormones and you do not see the females very often.

Green Cobra Guppy
Like all livebearers, the recommended sex ratio when keeping guppies is one male to 2-3 females. Females are often harassed by males so it is best to get more females than males so the aggression will be spread out. Do not keep them with fin nippers, bettas, some gouramis and angelfish. These fish, in particularly, will harass the guppies who do not know how to even defend themselves.

Platinum Lyretail Molly
Sex ratio is similar to the guppy. No need to add salt if you ever hear someone recommending it. This fish will prefer hard, alkaline water and may not thrive well if the water is soft and acidic. I find this fish to always be the first to show signs of something wrong with the water.:?

Boesemann's Rainbowfish
This fish grows to 5-6 inches. Not recommended for a 30 gallons. They need plenty of swimming space. The longer the tank, the better. A more suitable option is Melanotaenia praecox which is very prolific. If you wish to keep the praecox, I'd suggest keeping a group of 6. Females have yellow or orange fins compared to males having red fins.

Siamese Flying Fox
Be careful with what you get. A lot of fish have been confused with the true Siamese Algae Eater which is more peaceful and will eat black brush algae industriously.

Please read this article to study the differences among four popular alga-eeating cyprinids.
http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/

A picture of the true Siamese Algae Eater.

Always avoid Chinese Algae Eaters. Do not give in to any claims that CAEs will eat algae. Well, they do but the taste for algae eventually fades as they mature and they will eventually harass their fellow tankmates to death.

Otocinclus
Opinion similar to the panda corydoras.

True Rummynose Tetra
I doubt what you get will ever be the true rummynose tetra. There are three existing rummynose tetra species: Hemigrammus bleheri. Hemigrammus rhodostomus and Petitella georgiae. I made a sticky thread about this fish in Characins section.

These fish are very sensitive to water conditions. Again, my opinion is similar to the panda corydoras. Do not expect to bring home alive all rummynose tetras. There is always a chance of mortality rate as these are very fragile even on transport.

Other tetra options would be ember tetras, flame tetras, black phantom tetras, diamond tetras, neon tetras, cardinal tetras, glowlight tetras, lemon tetras, beacon tetras and red phantom tetras.

Go with lemon tetras and beacon tetras to start with. If you intend to keep angelfish, avoid the ember tetras, neon tetras, cardinal tetras and glowlight tetras.

Good luck.

 

Thanks so much Lupin for the information. I was going to base the tank on the fish. My wife really wants an Angelfish so we are going to have to go with a tall tank. I was thinking of something like this one http://www.petco.com/product/11535/SeaClear-Rectangular-Show-Aquarium-Combos.aspx

It is 30"W X 12"D X 18"H.

So I was thinking from what you recommended the following:

1 Black Veiltail Angelfish
1 Betta
6-8 Panda Corydoras
2 Honey Dwarf Gourami
1-2? Otocinclus Catfish
6-8 Lemon Tetra

Do you think this would be a good combo to start with?

 

Considering Petco may still have the 1 dollar per gallon sale until this time, I'd say grab the biggest tank you can afford. That tank you linked is sufficient for one angelfish. Ditch the dwarf gourami and betta off the list. The rest are okay. It must be noted that the black angelfish tend to be a little more sensitive compared to other strains so you need to pay attention on your water parameters.

Good luck.

 

Ok I will ditch the Gourami but can I keep the Betta? Also is one Otocinclus good or should I get two? I am going to go with live plants.

What size tank do you recommend for those fish? Do you think I should step it up to 35G or 40G?

I decided to go with the fishless cycle so won't be getting the fish for a while but if I am going to be using live plants should I put them in while cycling?

 

You probably don't want to keep a betta with a cichlid. Angelfish, even though they are fairly calm for most cichlids, still can be somewhat aggressive.

Otos do better in groups as they school. Also, you want to hold off til last to add the Otos. They are pretty sensitive to water conditions comparitive to other catfish. Plus, you want the algae to start building up.

If you can afford a 40G, it would be preferable to the 35G.

As for plants, I generally find that they are best added on a half tank and they will aid in cycling a tank.

 

this is just my .02 that im going to toss around like it means something

personally I wouldn't ditch the gourami just yet. I have 2 blues which are probably the most personable fish I have! they greet me every morning and every night pressed up against the glass, and spend as much time watching me as i do watching them. AND the dwarf gouramis dont get big enough to eat most sizes of tetras

my blues are already bigger than most dwarfs get and they dont bother my glowlights at all!

 

this is just my .02 that im going to toss around like it means something

personally I wouldn't ditch the gourami just yet. I have 2 blues which are probably the most personable fish I have! they greet me every morning and every night pressed up against the glass, and spend as much time watching me as i do watching them. AND the dwarf gouramis dont get big enough to eat most sizes of tetras

my blues are already bigger than most dwarfs get and they dont bother my glowlights at all!

Bettas are just my favorite looking fish but I might just end up getting a smaller 6-10G tank with one for the bedroom.

 

personally I wouldn't ditch the gourami just yet. I have 2 blues which are probably the most personable fish I have! they greet me every morning and every night pressed up against the glass, and spend as much time watching me as i do watching them. AND the dwarf gouramis dont get big enough to eat most sizes of tetras

It was not a matter of gouramis eating tetras which will not happen anyway but a matter of mixing angels and gouramis. I've tried this before and the gouramis ended up bullied in the end.:roll: People try not to recommend this combo at all unless you have another tank in case the combo does not work.

 

oooh I got the impression it was in place of the angel(s) not in addition to! my bad mmkay