Hey Guys. Just something Im wanting to know, Dad wants to buy me a few more fish for my community tank later on this week, I just want to be sure I get the right fish in there. Its just over 40 ltrs so not a huge tank, the calc I used detirmined I need at least another 16 cm of fish in there. 3 Albino corys and 1 female fighter at the moment, I dont know how big corys get these guys are all around 2cm.

Now I need to know what fish will be great community fish as well as interactive, either with me (preferred) or with a school of their own kind.

My female fighter gives me alot of joy, every time i do something in the tank shes right there hanging out with me looking what im doing. Eats from my hand or bites me when theres nothing on offer lol.

So a fish with personality, that can get on well with everyone lol. I love a stunning looking colourful fish as much as anyone but only if its got personaily to boot. My rules are: Fish happy/healthy > Matt happy/healthy lol so no good to be having the most beautiful fish if neither of us are happy.

I also have a 90 ltr tank arriving in a few weeks, free from a loving uncle, which will be the community tank then.

SO if you guys know some really good ideas on which species I should be thinking about, let me know. Or maybe im dreaming of some kind of frankenfish someone will have to make me on a dark and stormy night with his spinally challenged lab assistant.

Hi. Have you thought of Dwarf Cichlids? Have a Google for Apistogrammas. I love my A. Cacatuoides but there are plenty of others to choose from.

Yip Dwarf Cockatoos are awesome and really easy to keep alive. Or maybe a pair of rams

Ive thought about bolivian rams, just dont know what the fishes temprement is like. Ive heard if they want to breed they can get pretty nasty. Those dwarf cichlids seem pretty nice indeed. In which case would be nice to have say 2 different kinds if that would work out well for the fish too. Ill have to see what Dad thinks too lol, I know when he says buy me some fish hes probably thinking of $3 goldfish or something

what are dwarf cockatoo like if a pair decides to breed? reading about them I cant see that it would pose any problem to any other fish in the tank. Im thinking 2 of those and 2 rams does that sound reasonable?

In what sized tank?

I have a couple of Butterfly Rams in a 2foot 54L tank and they're quite territorial, always squabbling with ea other.

I'd have one pair in each tank, only one though.

yeah thought as much teehee, tanks just over 40 ltrs. Prolly just a couple of dwrf cichlids then?

Yeah, I agree, just the one pair of Dwarves.

Dwarf cichlids are pretty expensive. For a ram they're about $22-$25ea and a Dwarf Cockatoo is about $25ea if you can find them at you lfs

Well Ill take my time and see whos got what where lol. Thanks for the help peeps

Try Phillip (New Zealand Discus Man). He specializes in Dwarf Cichlids

whats the difference between a bolivian ram and bolivian cichlid or they the same fish?

Any dwarf would be ok, if you don't want them to get scrappy then only get a male to cruise around by himself and for you to enjoy..

Phill has a few dwarfs but his cockatoo's are wild and quite bland, yes they look good in his photo but without a flash and in a normal tank they don't look too flash... Its a shame you aren't closer I could have sold you a male eunutus I have 7 of them lol..

Bolivian rams/bolivian cichlid/whatever name phill makes up is the same fish

how bout dwarf gouramis? honeys or dwarves or sparklings or croakings or thicklipped. There are some very colourful strains of honeys and thicklippeds and dwarves in particular and they have a lot of personality

Ive thought about bolivian rams, just dont know what the fishes temprement is like. Ive heard if they want to breed they can get pretty nasty.

No they are the biggest wooses around even when breeding.

My black shark seems to have a lot of personality. Always running up to the front of the tank when I walk by. But after murdering $300 worth of other tank inhabitants the little bas...Err...Carptard better try and suck up to me.

Oh, btw, black shark, TOTALLY inappropriate for your tank. I agree with the dwarf cichlids suggestions. Maybe a krib would work?

Ended up with 2 bolivian rams, tried for male and female but I think I got both boys. They are wusses, but nice fish, I wanted these from the first time I saw them. Built a small cavern from rocks for them too, so they seem happy, lots of hiding places for when my female fighter is in a bad mood. Its just getting the food to them without greedy guts eating it all. I had to distract her with flake while I got some crushed novotab down on the other side. Doesnt take long before she catches on tho and chases the rams away to eat everything in site, I dont know how shes gunna drop her eggs like this lol, Ill have to put the entire tank on a famine at this rate lol.

Ended up with 2 bolivian rams, tried for male and female but I think I got both boys. They are wusses, but nice fish, I wanted these from the first time I saw them. Built a small cavern from rocks for them too, so they seem happy, lots of hiding places for when my female fighter is in a bad mood. Its just getting the food to them without greedy guts eating it all. I had to distract her with flake while I got some crushed novotab down on the other side. Doesnt take long before she catches on tho and chases the rams away to eat everything in site, I dont know how shes gunna drop her eggs like this lol, Ill have to put the entire tank on a famine at this rate lol.

The wussyness I found is what makes them interesting - they just look so cute when they try to be aggressive... even I go awwwwwww

Though I did have a bolivian fully bulldoze a cory side on was quite funny, pushed it half way across the tank

lol they're a lil stumped by my corys,, about 5 every night they starting going mental, pushing each other around in spawning behavior, last night the rams ended up involved, as a cory tried pushing one along it ended up going along with it lol, Now they roll with the corys.

My Bol Rams (from Phil, TYVM) are very timid. One pushes the other away when it's feeding time but they both scat when I walk up to the tank suddenly. Maybe it's because I'm running 4 tubes over their tank :roll:

I dunno coz mine are timid but only by something sudden, they'll come up to the side of the tank Im on, before my female fighter gets jelous and chases them away. But I think all the little cracks and caves around the joint help them be more relaxed. They have little squabbles between themselves too for top hiding places, very interesting fish to watch im very pleased with them.

Its just over 40 ltrs so not a huge tank, the calc I used detirmined I need at least another 16 cm of fish in there.

Do remember Nymox that those calculators can be a bit of a hit and miss thing sometimes, for example some say 1" of fish per 10L, well if you have ten neons which equals 10" total that would mean by their calculations you need 100L (which is *heaps* of room) but if you had 10" of oscar in a 100L tank that would be grossly small. Its really their 'mass' that is the important part

You have *heaps* of options for fishies that can go in your 40L tank and even more if you are getting that 90L soon!

Do remember Nymox that those calculators can be a bit of a hit and miss thing sometimes, for example some say 1" of fish per 10L, well if you have ten neons which equals 10" total that would mean by their calculations you need 100L (which is *heaps* of room) but if you had 10" of oscar in a 100L tank that would be grossly small. Its really their 'mass' that is the important part

You have *heaps* of options for fishies that can go in your 40L tank and even more if you are getting that 90L soon!

I still think they should use "Cubic neons" on the assumption that fish produce a roughly consistent amount of waste per unit of volume as their size increases. And, at the same proportions mass cubes with the increase in dimensions.

So a neon is about one inch so is 1^3 cubic neons= 1 cubic neon. A 2 inch fish would be 2^3=8 cubic neons. 8 inch fish would be 8^3=512 cubic neons.

:lol: Awesome Ira, *very* well put and I whole heartedly agree