Hi guys,

A few years ago I had a couple of big fish tanks. One with 2 12" Tiger Oscars and a turtle, and one with some smaller fish. We had to get rid of those tanks though because we just didnt have room for them.

So i've decided to get back into the hobby. I've just bought a little 25litre tank to keep a couple of little tropicals. I was initally going to get goldfish, but have read heaps on this website about why it wouldn't be a good idea.

What sorta fish can I put in it that aren't too big? I want something colourful and I don't want a heap of fish, would just like to keep a pair of fish. Want something with a fair bit of character too. Not like guppys or anything. They get boring. No offence to anyone, I just want to try and look after something new.

The tank measures 40x26x29cm.

All help appreciated.

Cheers 8)

a small school of cardinals would look good if the tank was planted... it might be too small for a pair of rams or kribs? not sure on that...

Pair of dwarf gourami

Though they have the rep of being as dodgy as rams to keep alive :roll: Would help if you can find NZ bred fish tho

Harlequin Rasboras.

Lovely little fish, nice and hardy, small as a Cardinal/Neon but more active. Get a small group as they're a schooling fish.

Celestial Pearl Danios, if you can find some. I wouldn't put anything else in an aquarium that small.

www.celestialpearldanio.com

Just been at my LFS talking to the fish guy there who I dealt with back when i had my other tank. He had some Albino kribensis and thought they'd be fine in it. He also had some harlequin rasboras too - they are a groovy little fish.

So i've got a bit of choice. I'll wait for my tank to heat up then make a decision further.

What sorta temp should I be running for all these? It's been a while since I've done this!

Sorry for the nub questions guys and girls!

Set your thermostat for about 22-24 for Harlequins. Probably the same for Kribs.

Let us know what you choose.

Harlequins colour up real nice in a group too - lovely rosy colour to the flanks, always active, easy to feed.

Good luck with your tank!

Awesome thanks for that!

If I was going to get the Harlequins, how many would I be safe to get? I don't want to overcrowd, because I know the tank is quite little.

Wait, I lied, just did a google image search on harlequin rasboras and they weren't what I thought they were.

The fish I'm talking about were sort of guppy looking but they were a bit longer without the big tails and they had little bits of green and then purple shiny spots all over their dark bodies.

Here we go, try this...

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile25.html

Oh, and 4 is usually considered the smallest group for a schooling fish.

Hope that helps.

Yeah, they definitely weren't those - but i'm sure they wre Harlequin -somethings. haha meh. I'll have to go have another look.

wouldn't go for a 'pair' of kribs i.e. male and female or you'll end up with too many for the tank.

I've never owned a fish that lived alone. Can fish live alone? or do they get bored and go crazy like a dog if you don't walk it.

I could have made a joke about cruelty in not walking your fish....

But I didn't. It was a close call though! :evil:

Phew!

What about Killifish? They'd be great in a wee tank like that.

Yeah, i looked into Killifish and was really keen on getting some, but i just couldn't find any in my area.

I ended up getting some sort of danio that has blue stripes with yellow bits on the fins. groovy little fish. got 3 of them.