what varieties and how many fishes can be in 12 gallon aquarium?

Question

Hardy and showy ones. Hopefully a few species, (one species a school of them, and 1-2 species that can be "loners")

Answer 1

I'd get 4-5 Red Eye Tetras Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae.
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/characins2/a/redeyetetra.htm
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/10tetra_redeye.htm
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=10674

Answer 2

You are very limited with only 12 gallons. You could do a school of about 6 or 8 tetras of some type but that is pretty much fully stocked. If you have extra filtration and keep to a good weekly maintenance program you could maybe add a couple more but I wouldn't advise it. There aren't many loner fish that are also community fish. Most small fish stay in groups for protection.

One option of something besides the fish would be some ghost shrimp. They are generally very inexpensive (usually sold as feeders for 3 or 4 for a dollar) and don't have much effect on the bio-system. Since they scavenge for food and keep excess food eaten up, they may actually remove more waste than they produce. Another type of shrimp that would work would be some algae eating shrimp like amano shrimp They are a little more expensive ($3 to $6 each around here) but they would also help with any algae build up, depending on what type algae it was.

Answer 3

In a 12 gallon you could have a school of neon tetras (8-10) or other species of tetras. checkered or cherry barbs, rasaboras, and small species of barbs are also good schooling fish. For loners you could get a pair of dwarf gouramis, a few bulldog plecos, a few dwarf loaches, or a pair of Peaceful Bettas would be good. Hope this helps you!

Answer 4

In my ten gallon I have 3 neon tetras, 2 corys, and 6 guppies. My tank is established and can handle a couple more tetras or guppies. But I wouldnt recomend this many to start a tank, start with 2 or 3 inches of fish. I chose guppies because the come in so many colors, Neons are irresitable, and corys to clean.