# What are the most colorful FW fish for a 12Gal



## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

Hello, 

Just finished cycling my 12 Gal tank, it has 2 inches of eco-complete covered by 1" of natural gravel. I also have two large pieces of driftwood. I'm hoping to have it planted once I can find some cheap plants. 

Problem: My wife thinks that my current fish (see sig), are too "Dull". 

So my question is what would you recommend as being the most "Colorful" fish I can could use to stock my 12gal?


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

You can try a planted tank with some shrimp and some celestial pearl danios or galaxy rasboras.

Or you can just do a planted tank and throw in a pair of german blue rams or kribensis.

Pablo can take you the rest of the way.


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

Since this is such a small tank, would the German Blue rams or Kris be a little cramped?


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Brian said:


> You can try a planted tank with some shrimp and some celestial pearl danios or galaxy rasboras.
> 
> Or you can just do a planted tank and throw in a pair of german blue rams or kribensis.
> 
> Pablo can take you the rest of the way.


Awwwwwwwww 

Galaxy danios are a good choice because there is a lot of color there.









along with a paradise fish









or swap the danios for gold white clouds










I recently suggestted this setup to someone else and theyre happy with it afaik.

You could also choose a small gourami such as a dwarf gourami, in standard red or blue. You could pull off a pair of them, and some dither fish, such as the danios. This would give you red blue yellow and white










Or get one blood gourami









and some colombian tetra









Or some killifish and dithers. . .

1000 000 options.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Shattered said:


> Since this is such a small tank, would the German Blue rams or Kris be a little cramped?


no. It'd suck for them though. Knowing that, its still an ethically acceptable size. I'd go with the rams over the kribs.

Finatics apparently has some pretty nice ones atm


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

More choices

Cherry barb









neon/false neon tetra
http://www.aqua-fish.net/imgs/fish/neon-tetra-3.jpg
_False neon have BLUE eyes, neon have white/yellow eyes
(can be fragile)









rams (fragile-ish)









Apistos (fragile)









sunset platy









sparkling gourami

Personally I say paradise fish, colombian tetras, and a couple of plants. If you have other preferences, rams and tetras. Or rams and those cherry barbs.
Avoid serpae tetras and other aggressive though small fish.


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

Thanks for the insight, Pablo and Brian. This will be a planted tank, once I can find some cheap plants. (BA's has a good selection but 9.99-12.99 each plant is a little out of my budget.)

I'll stay away from the larger fish as I'd like them to have as much swimming room as possible. Once I have this one finished I have a 29Gal that I will be setting up for shell-dwellers. 

Guess, I'll have to take another trip to BA's tonight to see what they have. Being in Barrie, makes it hard to find a larger selection.

Another point, Barrie's water is has a PH of 7.8, if that helps with fish recommendation.

@Pablo: Yes I agree, the paradise fish would be a great choice.


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

If I went with the paradise fish, should I stick with a M-F pair? Would that max out the tank? 

Another option, mollies and platies; how many would be comfortable in the 12gal?


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Shattered said:


> Thanks for the insight, Pablo and Brian. This will be a planted tank, once I can find some cheap plants. (BA's has a good selection but 9.99-12.99 each plant is a little out of my budget.)
> 
> I'll stay away from the larger fish as I'd like them to have as much swimming room as possible. Once I have this one finished I have a 29Gal that I will be setting up for shell-dwellers.
> 
> ...


Big als sucks IME. Menagerie will have most of these small bizarre fish. Just call ahead.


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Menagerie sells their plants for a 1/3 of the price at BA's! It's also the best place for selection! Wait till the weekend and make a pilgrimage, trust me, it's worth it!


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

Go for the galaxy rasboras 

They are one of my favourite fish of all time!


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Brian said:


> Go for the galaxy rasboras
> 
> They are one of my favourite fish of all time!


Are they not an endangered species?


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

They are new and rapidly declining but not endangered or extinct. There are people who are currently trying to boycott the fish to stop it from being collected to extinction in the wild.

What we can do as hobbyist is to try and breed these guys and supply the local market as they arn't really that hard. A lot of people have had success, a lot of success!


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Tabatha said:


> Are they not an endangered species?


And Cherry barbs are extinct in the wild. Yeehaw!


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Brian said:


> They are new and rapidly declining but not endangered or extinct. There are people who are currently trying to boycott the fish to stop it from being collected to extinction in the wild.
> 
> What we can do as hobbyist is to try and breed these guys and supply the local market as they arn't really that hard. A lot of people have had success, a lot of success!


I don't know, it doesn't make sense to rob the wild population of it's genetic diversity for our own selfishness. Look at all the fish that are inbred and aren't even extinct _*yet*_.

Should we continue to take them from the wild till there are none left?


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

Well, the thing is they arn't even considered endangered yet... they are just scared they might be since they are being harvested so quickly but its not like there couldn't be another population out there, they are a fairly new species.

Point being, if Big Al's and other companies are going to be importing them anyways, I think as responsible hobbyist we should try our best to take care of them and breed them so that eventually we can supply the market instead of a constant WC harvest... its better than some idiots going into Big Al's, buying them and then killing them... noone benefits in that situation.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Brian said:


> Well, the thing is they arn't even considered endangered yet... they are just scared they might be since they are being harvested so quickly but its not like there couldn't be another population out there, they are a fairly new species.
> 
> Point being, if Big Al's and other companies are going to be importing them anyways, I think as responsible hobbyist we should try our best to take care of them and breed them so that eventually we can supply the market instead of a constant WC harvest... its better than some idiots going into Big Al's, buying them and then killing them... noone benefits in that situation.


Big Als benefits doubly. They profit, then likely profit again when said idiots replace said fish.


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

I meant noone human... we all know corporations are owned by androids.


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

In addition to being Colorful, the Gouramis are plain fun, with a pair of them, they'll scoot around the tank and poke each other with those little feeler thingies. It's so cute! I love my Gouramis. 

W


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

KhuliLoachFan said:


> In addition to being Colorful, the Gouramis are plain fun, with a pair of them, they'll scoot around the tank and poke each other with those little feeler thingies. It's so cute! I love my Gouramis.
> 
> W


Provided they're not both male.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Brian said:


> I meant noone human... we all know corporations are owned by androids.


I thought they were owned by sick twisted humans


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## Pleconomous (Mar 7, 2008)

You could always look into yellow labs, they're so yellow that they almost seem to be glowing. You can generally pick up the juveniles for around 8.99 or so, and probably fit 2 or 3 in that size of a tank. Great looking fish and really active. I have 3 in my agressive community tank and they are definately one of my favourite fish.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Pleconomous said:


> You could always look into yellow labs, they're so yellow that they almost seem to be glowing. You can generally pick up the juveniles for around 8.99 or so, and probably fit 2 or 3 in that size of a tank. Great looking fish and really active. I have 3 in my agressive community tank and they are definately one of my favourite fish.


Ay ay ay ay.... when will the horrors stop... 

Yellow labs are a group fish. You need to have atleast five in a tight nit group and ideally 10 or more or they don't behave correctly. You really shouldn't keep those in anything other than a malawi tank with other malawis. They don't do as well or act as happy.

Never put an african rift lake cichlid in anything other than an african rift lake tank. You can do it. Just like you can put a convict in a malawi tank- but the fish aren't happy. Fish have emotional needs. If you've never seen the fish happy longterm you dont know what youre looking for or what yorue missing.

Also- ITS A TWELVE GALLON. Yellow labs properly cared for hit five inches for males four inches for females and are a very robust fast high energy fish.

Paradise hit five inches- but are lazy and dopey. There are three inch fish that need five feet and five inch fish that need three feet but its important to know which is which.


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

Sorry, I'm confused. So mine must be a m/f pair then, if they're doing that? Or is that the beginning of agression? Do two males attack each other? Should I be watching them and separate them if they start hurting each other? What happens at the aquarium store when they've got 40 of them in the same tank?

W


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

Thanks all for the great ideas. 

I took a stroll thru BA's last night, to contemplate my choices... Guess I'll have to take a drive downtown to Menagerie. 

I'm leaning toward the Galaxy danios or CPD. But in the end it will be my wifey's choice.


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Shattered said:


> Thanks for the insight, Pablo and Brian. This will be a planted tank, once I can find some cheap plants. (BA's has a good selection but 9.99-12.99 each plant is a little out of my budget.)
> 
> I'll stay away from the larger fish as I'd like them to have as much swimming room as possible. Once I have this one finished I have a 29Gal that I will be setting up for shell-dwellers.
> 
> ...


Shattered I have some cuttings if you would like some you would have to come pick them up pm me Pat.


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

Thanks Pat, sent you a PM.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

KhuliLoachFan said:


> Sorry, I'm confused. So mine must be a m/f pair then, if they're doing that? Or is that the beginning of agression? Do two males attack each other? Should I be watching them and separate them if they start hurting each other? What happens at the aquarium store when they've got 40 of them in the same tank?
> 
> W


Nothing. Thats like being on the subway. too crammed to claim teritory


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

*My gouramis are probably girls.*

From their coloration, it seems they are female, or they were stressed even at the store. They seem very healthy and active to me. Many people report that even Male honey gouramis are among the least aggressive of the Gouramis.

Warren


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

post a picture


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

*pic of my gouramis*

here is the only one I have managed yet: http://tinyurl.com/2j822m

Sorry it's kind of blurry.

W


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

No idea what kind of gourami that is....


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

*honey gourami*

It's a honey gourami. According to pictorial identification things I've seen the pale yellow color with a slightly darker pale shade but without any other dramatic color is typical of (a) females, or (b) severely stressed males.

W


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

I cant tell you its too blurry


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

*oh well*

I'll try to get a better photo next time!

W


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