Fish ideas?

[Fluffy]

Okay so, my original plans for my 40 gallon breeder (36X18X16) got a bit derailed by the fact that even the 3 petsmarts and 5 petcos around me (plus the specialty store I use) don't carry the types of tetras I wanted to put in my tank. So right now it's looking like I'll have 5-6 (male) mollies, and 5-6 (male) guppies, alongside my 6 bronze cories (3 albino, 3 regular). Thing is... I feel like the tank will look a bit empty with just 16 fairly small fish (63% stocked according to Aqadvisor), especially since they don't really school (Oh the corys hang out when they're resting, but they really just like to explore the tank individually I've noticed, so it takes away from some of their appearance.) I've currently only got 4 of my cories (my starting fish) and 3 mollys (they need to finish quarantine so I can go get the other 2-3 since I don't plan on adding too many at any given time). So, the question is... What else CAN I put in there? Or should I put in there as things may be... The tank's fairly warm (74-76 ish on both thermometers), well planted, with 2 driftwood (1 real, 1 fake), and a large cave, no ammonia, no dirt, I vacuum the gravel every week, and there's a smooth gravel mixture on the bottom. I'm looking for something to be a real flash in the tank; common enough to be easy to find in one of my 3 pet store options, but uncommon enough (or pretty enough) to really catch the eye at just a glance to the tank, and not dangerous to my other fish.

Anyone have ideas?

[KingFisher]

Why don't you hay order the fish you really want online?

[Fluffy]

I did think about it (and even looked them up) but decided against ordering online for several reasons really. 1) Where I live the temperatures are currently reaching nearly 100 degrees F in the day time, which means it would be difficult to keep the fish at a comfortable and safe temperature while they're being shipped. 2) I have ordered "live" pets (a pair (brothers) of fancy mice when I was in middle school) before, and even though they had a guarantee to arrive alive and stay alive for 6 weeks they arrived at my house dead and when my mother called the company about it they said "we shipped them in such conditions that they should have stayed alive. If they died or you have an issue, please take it up with the shipping company." In short, I got bit on the arse about that and don't really wanna mess with it again. 3) While the fish alone aren't expensive once the companies I found add your "shipping expenses" to the charge a $16 dollar set of 5 fish becomes nearly $40, which is a tad outrageous for fish that are a little over $3 a piece and which (if I could find a petstore that had them) would probably cost me only $20-$25 dollars. And 4) I live in an apartment/condo block with a lot of people who have cats that (sadly) they allow to roam the halls, including the mail hall... Fish get delivered, fish get left there, cat(s) gets to them before I do, no more fish.

[fishmommie]

have you thought of asking your local fish stores to order fish in for you? Most are willing to do that if they can get the stock.
side note: Even thought you have 6 bronze cories, I'd add 3 more albino and 3 more regular so you have 6 in each school. You have room for 12 and you'll see more activity with minimum groups of 6 of their own kinds as they are happier in schools.

[Stlouisfish]

IDK - why don't you just stock the tank with your current plan, wait a bit and then decide if you want more - there is no requirement to fully stock a tank and you might end up liking the look of the tank with that many fish. If you decide in the end to get something else, you might try and ask if one of your local stores will order something for you.

My 46 gal is understocked but it's kind of nice that way right now and I know I can always add more if I want and I'll be safe.

[Fluffy]

currently my regular is happy to school with my albino's... in fact he and my smallest albino are never more than 2 inches apart and sleep laying on top of one another... I think it's cute.

I did ask at the specialty fish shop if they could order fish and their response was "if it's a popular enough fish we'll put it in the next order." Which basically means it either won't be ordered at all, or I'll have to wait most of 2 months since they only order freshwater fish every 3 weeks (they get a basic shipment of certain fish every week however) and then it takes 3-4 weeks for the fish they ordered to come in. I could ask at Petsmart and Petco... but let's be honest, they don't always have the best stock and they certainly don't have the best care of their stock (go look around in one at any random time of day and you'll probably see around half a dozen dead fish just hanging out in there... I've even seen live fish eating the dead fish which can't be healthy.)

[KingFisher]

1). You can wait until the weather cools off a bit.

2). All the reputable dealers have a live arrival guarantee.

3) Yes, you would have the added costs of shipping but it is worth it to get the fish you really want instead of just settling for what is available. Also how much has it cost in gas to drive to all these fish stores to look for fish? I would bet it is comparable.

4). The chances of this happening are close to zero.



Anyway, if you choose not to go that route, you can wait a month or two and check the shops again. Many shops order minimally in the summer and stock a much bigger variety starting in September. You might also find a shop that will order certain fish for you. Many privately owned shops will do that.

In my experience it is much more enjoyable to have a tank stocked with the fish I really want as opposed to settling for what is currently available and will fit.