# What fish to add??



## Fish_Girl (Apr 3, 2012)

I have a 30gal tank which has been set up for a few months and is ready to stock. I have the Wal-Mart made version of the Marineland HOT Magnum 250 filter. I have regular aquarium gravel but am looking to switch to washed play sand, I have artificial silk plants and real driftwood. 

I plan on getting two Bristlenose Plecos today and was wondering what would be the best options for other fish to add. I want to get something that is larger than a Molly, but something that I will not have to upgrade to a larger tank when full grown. What's all of your opinions? :animated_fish_swimm


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## zwanged (Nov 4, 2012)

Hi Fish_Girl,

Is your tank cycled?

Have you tested your water (or brought it to a fish store to be tested)? What temperature are you thinking of keeping the tank at? Bristlenose plecos, being South American, prefer warmer temperatures (like 74-80ish), you can google around for what people say. You will probably want to get an aquarium heater appropriate for your size tank if you don't have one already. Figuring out what tank water parameters you want (pH, temperature, and to some extent water hardness) will definitely help narrow down your search for fish. 

As far as what fish you like, ideally I think you would want to pick fish from the same biotope as the bristlenose plecos, if that is what you are set on. I'd recommend doing research online for what tankmates are suitable.

By the way I recently discovered a neat stocking calculator which may help you determine whether or not you are overstocking your tank...Just put in your tank size + filter and fish and it'll tell you an estimate of the stocking (based on adult sizes), or based on smaller sizes (in 'juvenile mode').

AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

Will you have enough algae in your tank for the bristlenose plecos? Even if you have algae do you almost certainly need to supplement with algae wafers (Hikari is one brand, i'm sure there are others) as well as other foods, e.g., sliced cucumber/zucchini. Just google around to see what people do.

Also if you want sand that's easier to clean (has a lot less dirt in it) I recommend pool filter sand. looks great and costs like $10 for a 50 pound bag from a pool supply store.

Hope this helps you get started. I just got started myself on my 75 gallon. I'm cycling the fish with bacteria that I added to the tank. 

-Zeke


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## Fish_Girl (Apr 3, 2012)

zwanged said:


> Hi Fish_Girl,
> 
> Is your tank cycled?
> 
> ...


My tank is cycled and ready to stock. It is a heated tank, I neglected to mention my heaters, sorry about that. I guess I'll do a little more research into the Bristlenose and go from there.


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## startsmall (Oct 17, 2012)

The bristlenose will be fine in there. You probably will need to supplement with algae wafers but thats no big deal.

As far as other fish here are a few that would work out ok in your 30 gallon:

Any variety of ram, need very clean water most usually use RO water for them
Rosy Barb, grow to 6" max, schooling fish so when adult 5-6 of these may fill your tank
Dwarf Gourami, only grow to about 2-3 inches but very colorful and peaceful 
Most any of the rainbow fish

Obviously this is not all of the fish you could get but a small starter list, do your research for sure. 

Also instead of only a couple bigger fish you could look into a couple schools of smaller fish, I have a 30 gallon with 3-4 groups of smaller fish and I love to sit and watch the action, especially with the brilliant rasborah school as they are very active. 

Hope that helps.


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## zwanged (Nov 4, 2012)

A mix of rainbowfish would look pretty nice. Boesemani rainbows and turquoise rainbows...They are slow growers AFAIK.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Fish_Girl said:


> My tank is cycled and ready to stock. It is a heated tank, I neglected to mention my heaters, sorry about that. I guess I'll do a little more research into the Bristlenose and go from there.


Curious what method you used for the cycle? What did you use as an ammonia source?


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## plecosrawesome (Mar 1, 2011)

Gouramis get bigger than mollies and are cool fish. They breathe oxygen from the surface and are very hardy. I have 3 in my 30 gallon. Another option would be angelfish although ive never had one personally.


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