I have always had African cichlids , my last one died this morning . I spent the day draining it and cleaning it up . I am now debating on what to restock it with , I even flirted with quitting all together but I love my fish . I am looking for something more peaceful , that I can set and watch swim with out all the chasing and fighting for territory . I would like to have a mix , maybe some danios , platies and tetras or maybe just some gouramis . I don't have a lot of experience with anything but cichlids . Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated .

Most Tetras are good schooling fish, always buy three or more of each type. I myself keep one 46g community tank that is mostly tetras. They actively move around the tank. Danios are great top of the tank fish and very active. I personnally like Harlequin Rasboras, they too actively school and move around the middle of the tank. Rosey Barbs are very active but don't school tightly. Dwarf Gouramis are nice, full size gouramis can become aggressive towards schooling fish. Clown Loaches are great in small schools but will hide if you give them a highly decorated tank. Mollies, Platys and Swordtails are nice hearty fish but will tend to be less active then tetras and hang near the bottom of the tank (except at feeding time). The upside to these fish is the almost inevitable live breeding that will occur. I would caution against Neon and Cardinal Tetras until your tank was settled down a few weeks after a completed water change. Likewise smaller catfish, like corys don't like new water. Most people don't realize that these little catfish are fairly active and will school. How are you keeping your beneficial bacteria alive? Your gravel/sand and filter media need to stay wet and oxygenated. If the bacteria die, you will have to recycle your tank.


This is just my opinion. Hopefully some of this information was helpful, I don't know your background.



Keep us informed of your tank re-stocking activities and good luck

Lumpydogs wrote:Most Tetras are good schooling fish, always buy three or more of each type. I myself keep one 46g community tank that is mostly tetras. They actively move around the tank. Danios are great top of the tank fish and very active. I personnally like Harlequin Rasboras, they too actively school and move around the middle of the tank. Rosey Barbs are very active but don't school tightly. Dwarf Gouramis are nice, full size gouramis can become aggressive towards schooling fish. Clown Loaches are great in small schools but will hide if you give them a highly decorated tank. Mollies, Platys and Swordtails are nice hearty fish but will tend to be less active then tetras and hang near the bottom of the tank (except at feeding time). The upside to these fish is the almost inevitable live breeding that will occur. I would caution against Neon and Cardinal Tetras until your tank was settled down a few weeks after a completed water change. Likewise smaller catfish, like corys don't like new water. Most people don't realize that these little catfish are fairly active and will school. How are you keeping your beneficial bacteria alive? Your gravel/sand and filter media need to stay wet and oxygenated. If the bacteria die, you will have to recycle your tank.


This is just my opinion. Hopefully some of this information was helpful, I don't know your background.



Keep us informed of your tank re-stocking activities and good luck

I was not entirely accurate in my post so I will clarify . I did not completely remove all the water .I left the gravel submerged so as not to kill off the helpful bacteria . I leveled the gravel back out because my cichlids piled it in the corners when they redecorated , rearranged the tank then refilled it with the same temp. of water that was in it originally (out of habit ) and have it running with original filters (which I submerged in my fish bucket with some of the old aquarium water in it) and heater temp. as if I still have my fish in it . I hate cycling new tanks or recycling old so I wanted to keep as much of the bacteria alive that I could while I made up my mind what to do . I do need a filter change though , but I only replace one cartridge at a time so one new and one old at all times . But after removing most of the old water , I will have some recycling to do , it just shouldn't take as long .

I was thinking of Danios , Rosy Barbs and Harlequin Rasboras or Neon Tetras and maybe dwarf gouramis for my community tank . And some Cory Cats later down the road . I do like dedicated tanks such as one filled with all Zebra Danios or Neon tetras , but I really want a mix of colors and types .

When I had a 30 long FW tank I had a school of Silver Tip Tetras along with a small shoal of three Angelicus Loaches (Kubotai botia). I also had a group of about ten Kuhli loahes (Pangio myersi and Pangio oblonga). The only problem with the Kuhlis is that they hide all of the time. I really enjoyed that tank until I turned it into a sump for my marine tank, but the fish got an upgrade to a 55 gal. :)

It's hard to go wrong with peaceful schooling fish. If I were going to do another tank that size I would probably get some danios for the high level, some cory cats for the bottom and whatever I could find to fill the mid level. I like schooling fish. :)

I have it stocked with zebra danio and serpae terta . Everything has been running smooth , no spikes in ammonia , nitrites or nitrates as it has always been . After I make sure everything is fine I will add more later .

I think I am going to try and find a place for my 20 and try my hand at a planted aquarium . I have never fooled with live plants because when I was new to the hobby I didn't want to add another worry , then after my tanks were established , I had perfect water conditions in my tanks , my fish were healthy and happy and I didn't want to change what was working for me .