Too many choices!!

[bubblaroo]

I am in the process of cycling a freshwater aquarium after a long time of not having fish. It's exciting, but I don't yet know what to put in the tank! I am really struggling to make a decision. I would love to get a pair of fancy goldfish but with a tank that size I know it's a poor idea, so I'm looking into creating a planted community instead.

Can you help me decide how to populate my tank? Since I can't get fancy goldfish, I would love an alternative that satisfies my desire for something flowy and colourful or calico. I am also considering gobies, angelfish, or corydoras, maybe... BUT WHAT SORT?!
I am generally not a fan of guppies, tetras, and platies.

In terms of difficulty, I would consider myself pre-intermediate but also a fast learner and willing to put the time and work into meeting the fish's needs.

Here are my aquarium parameters

55L (15g)
55 x 30 x 34,8 cm (22 x 16 x 8 inches, roughly)
filter: Mini Biobox 2
can be warmwater or coldwater, no problem
planted

[bubblaroo]

I also really dig the idea of a freshwater pufferfish but I don't know if that's a little ambitious

[Compass]

Hello and welcome to the forum. You are making the right call on the goldfish. A 15 gallon is a bit limiting. I would not put angels in there as they will need to be put in a 55 gallon at some point. Flowy and colorful, the first thing to come to mind is a beta. I know that sounds super common, but you can find very nice specimens online that you would normally not see in a pet store. Also, if you have never kept a beta in a larger tank you will find they have great personalities and really do a lot more then when kept in a bowl. The downside is this would also limit what you can put in the take as they can be aggressive.

As for the puffers, I just made a post called Pea Puffers in this subforum, check it out as one of our members made a nice write up in there for me on puffers.

[bubblaroo]

Thanks Compass!
I have considered the beta fish. If I ended up going down that route, I really wanted to take the jump and attempt to have 2-3 females cohabiting with one male. I know it's a risky one, but that with enough tank-space aggression can be avoided. Do you think 15 gallons is viable for this plan?
I've had betas in the past and do love them, but I was looking for something new and different this time. However, my local petstore has a beautiful white male that I've had my eye on...

[Compass]

Thanks Compass!
I have considered the beta fish. If I ended up going down that route, I really wanted to take the jump and attempt to have 2-3 females cohabiting with one male. I know it's a risky one, but that with enough tank-space aggression can be avoided. Do you think 15 gallons is viable for this plan?
I've had betas in the past and do love them, but I was looking for something new and different this time. However, my local petstore has a beautiful white male that I've had my eye on...

On this matter I don't know. I had a very nice jet black male in a ten gallon, but I never put him with females so I don't know how that will go. I'll leave that to someone else. You might also look into some of the smaller gouramis for a nice look. Dwarf gourami or even a thick lip. Maybe.. MAYBE a pearl gourami. I've been out of the game for a bit so my knowledge of what fish can fit where is a bit fuzzy. As is my knowledge of types of fish in general hahaha so I'm still trying to come up with more that would fit the bill.