Interesting suggestions for fish for experienced aquarist?

Question

I am transferring my current fish out of my little 12 gallon planted bowfront, and I'd like some suggestions on a new fish, or group of fish to add. I'd like something a little more unique/fun and/or more difficult to keep, since I already have more common communities in larger aquariums. I know fish, so I'm not looking for the typical beginner responses (tetras, platies, mollies, etc.), but instead something I might not have thought of. And keep in mind, it's only a 12 gallon so I don't have much space to work with.

Answer 1

How about some dwarf Rainbowfish? I love the blue eyed types, such as Furcata or Gertrudae rainbows (Pseudomugil furcatas or gertrudae). They are cute little schooling fish. They may not be too hard to keep but they can be difficult to find and are very eye-catching. You could keep a school of 6 of them along with some Pygmy cories (Corydoras habrosus, hastatus, or pygmae) which are also pretty unique and can be difficult to keep. You could have 8 of those in the tank since they stay at 1 inch. Another option is some Micro rasboras. I'm not sure on the scientific names, but if you do a search, you'll find some names.

Another option is some shell dwelling cichlids. You have a few options for that size tank. I love Lamprologus ocellatus (Gold)...also called Gold Occies. They are cute little fish and quite interesting I hear. I plan on setting up a 20 long in the future for a group of these guys. Other shellies are Lamprologus multifasciatus (Multies) and Lamprologus brevis.

You can google the names of any of these and find tons of infor mation about them. For the shellies, a good site for information is www.shelldwellers.com.

edit: Sorry I just noticed that the tank is planted. The shelldwellers won't work, of course. But you could keep them in mind in case you tranfer the plants out sometime.

Good luck! I am to the point where I want to keep more unique fish as well. :)

Angelfish, African cichlids, Red Tail Sharks all get too large for a 12g...sorry to the poster below.

Answer 2

Here are some of my favorites:

Lace Angel Fish (Cichlids) - maybe just a pair in a 12 gal. NO TETRAS with them. Believe it or not, Tetras have small teeth on their upper jaw and may tear the lacy fins to pieces and eventually the angels may die.

African Cichlids - learn about the species you choose. Some get fairly good sized.

Dwarf Gouramies (Anabantids) - Pretty and they do well in a small community of them. Say 6 or 8 in a 12 gallon. Can be aggressive somewhat, but usually a good community fish.

Red Tail Shark - Tank has to be real healthy for them to show their dark black body with a bright red tail. Feed mostly on the bottom so a few other fish would be nice in there with them.

Actually, if it's to be a community tank, I do like a small tank with a nice variety of the Tetra's in there. A 12 gallon will hold a couple dozen of the small ones (if you have a good filter that circulates the water well).

Just some quick thoughts.

Hope it helps.

Answer 3

Do you want to keep this tank planted?
With plants -
Betta bellica - a trio & they may breed.
Badis badis breeding group ( yes I know they've had a name change but more info on Google under the old name)
Three lined pencilfish - again these will breed in a species tank.
Breeding corydoras - most of the smaller species will have surviving offspring if the tank is well planted with no predators. C panda or C arcuatus babies are easy to rehome.
Shrimp! - no fish just cherry shrimp.
Without plants;-
Shell dweller cichlids - a choice of species with great character. Colony breeders & great fun.
Coolwater;-
High current tank with cobbles for hillstream loaches.
Marine nano;-
live rock, a few inverts & maybe a prawn goby.
OR perhaps a mantis shrimp?

There are thousands of options but your water supply & livestock suppliers are the main limitations.

Answer 4

One of the coolest fish I ever owned was a butterfly fish. It basically stays floating on the top and has a large, "hinged" mouth, no doubt designed for catching insects. I would feed it freeze dried baby shrimp, which it loved, and occasionally a few insects I'd catch on the screen door of the kitchen. It was totally peaceful, but very exciting to watch when it fed. They only grow to about 4".

Unfortunately, mine died after about a year in a very odd fashion. One day it began "listing" slightly to the side. After a few weeks, it had totally lost the ability to swim upright, but it floated on it's side, and seemed to be fine, still ate, etc. It did this for about 3 months. Then, one day I came home and the angelfish were nibbling on it. It had gotten so weak, the other fish saw it as potential food. It still managed to stay alive for another week or so, and then it finally died.

Other cool, unusual fish
black ghost
rope fish
freshwater dolphin
glass cat
shark cat
angelica cat
parrot
bamboo shrimp

Some of these (parrot, dolphin) need at least 30-40 gallons.

Answer 5

You might consider annual Killie-fish, they can come in very beautiful and unusual colors.

Answer 6

A puffer by itself.