Adding More Fish!

[vert310]

Hey guys,

New to the forum, just had a couple questions. Right now I have a 60gal tank with about 7 Silver Dollars and 2 small catfish. I want to start adding some additional fish to the tank. Are silver dollars semi-aggressive fish? Also I want to add some fish taht have a lot of color. What fish do you guys recommend. Generally, what class of fish can be added to the tank so everything is kept peaceful. When I was at the store, one guy suggested barbs. I was looking at the tiger barbs but they seem really aggressive. Also, resilient fish would be great, sometimes I am not home to feed the fish for a day or 2. What do you guys think?

vert310

[thecoolguy]

Hey guys,

New to the forum, just had a couple questions. Right now I have a 60gal tank with about 7 Silver Dollars and 2 small catfish. I want to start adding some additional fish to the tank. Are silver dollars semi-aggressive fish? Also I want to add some fish taht have a lot of color. What fish do you guys recommend. Generally, what class of fish can be added to the tank so everything is kept peaceful. When I was at the store, one guy suggested barbs. I was looking at the tiger barbs but they seem really aggressive. Also, resilient fish would be great, sometimes I am not home to feed the fish for a day or 2. What do you guys think?

vert310

2 words

colorful plecos

plecos rule!

[Glasstapper]

silver dollars are a peaceful species, so you're on the right track for a peaceful community. (I take it the two small catfish are peaceful, too? I don't know what kind they are)

For people looking for color, you just can't go wrong with platys or swordtails. They are both peaceful and come in very bright colors. They are best when kept in a ratio of 3 females for every male. Be prepared to have lots of babies, though. You can either seperate them and grow them up to sell them, or just leave them be and usually the parents will just eat them.

The tiger barbs are what I would go with, personally. :) I love them! Yes, they are semi-aggressive, but they work in peaceful communities as long as you have at least 8 of them. Considering the size of your tank and the room you have, I'd go with a school of 10-12. They are more impressive in large schools, all of their aggressive behavior will be kept to themselves, you can mix the different colors (green, tiger, albino) because they all school together, breeding them takes special care so you don't have to worry about lots of baby fish, and they are by far soooooo entertaining to watch! They are quite hardy and will be fine if left alone for a while if you need to leave home for a few days.

One more species that is colorful is the dwarf gourami. Most people have success with them, while others don't (I didn't). They are a tad sensitive to water quality, but as long as you keep up with your weekly water changes, they should be ok. They don't school, so you would probably only want one or two to avoid undesirable behavior. (They can be territorial, but usually only to others of the same species).

I hope that helps you. :)

[Lady Hobbs]

Silver Dollars are the most peaceful fish around. They chase each other in play but never bother any others. They get along fantastically with tetra's.

[vert310]

Thanks for the input so far. Ha, i'm not one who does weekly water changes so maybe that fish isnt for me (more like monthly). Gonna try the barbs and the tetras. Any other ideas in terms of color?

vert310