Community Tank opinions. 40 gal

[cubby]

trying to talk the wife into letting me pic up a 40 gallon off of craiglist. i would like a community tank with multipule layers of fish...... i'd like a pair of something to be "feature fish"...... but maybe a few "schools" to spice things up.

fish i am not really into stocking:

tetras
cories


fish i have kept before and enjoyed:

bettas
oscars
guppies
gouramis
clown loach (i believe thats what they were)
albino catfish
pleckos



i'd like a fairly diverse tank.... no chiclids...........

advice? i'd like no more than one water change a week. i am willing to upgrade filters as needed.... i'm unsure the make and model of the filter included at this time.

[troy]

A 40g is definitely too small for an oscar and clown loaches will eventually need a big tank. Some pleco species will get too big also. Do you know what species the 'albino catfish' were? Bettas can be aggressive so be prepared to give its own tank if need be.

[cubby]

i can't remeber the species of the albino cats.....

i had thought about just getting a single oscar....... but i want some variety.

[cubby]

perhaps i will go with some catfish of some kind... maybe even cories........ maybe a school of cories...... hhhmmmmmmm.......

[Northernguy]

A single oscar really needs a 75gal tank to be able to live a stress free life!
A Bristle nose albino catfish would be perfect for a 40.Clown plecos also stay small.Most others just get too big for a 40.They would have trouble turning around before they are full grown.
Dwarf cichlids are great for a 40!

[Sharon]

A Gourami as a feature fish, a large school of Cardinal Tetras, and a school of Cories...I know you said no Tetras, but think about it...:ssmile:

[cubby]

A Gourami as a feature fish, a large school of Cardinal Tetras, and a school of Cories...I know you said no Tetras, but think about it...:ssmile:


:22: :ssmile:

[jaysee]

You could do dwarf neon rainbows - a non tetra schooling fish for the top half of the tank.

[sailor]

Forktail Blue-Eye Rainbow are awsome little rainbows that look great when schooling.

[sailor]

Another option would be a german blue ram tank. A few plants and some nice drift wood pieces make a great looking tank.

[Oscar_freak12321]

I would go as a gourami as a feature fish for that size tank. I would recommend a species of rams, as they are perfect for that size tank, but you showed that you're not interested in cichlids...as for schooling, maybe a school of barbs? Not tiger barbs as they are a little too nippy, but cherry barbs or something? That would be a nice looking tank...

[cubby]

ok. i have changed my mind about cories i believe..... unless i can find another species of catfish to school at the bottom......

would something like this work:

8 albino cories
12 danios (the bright orange or rad ones caught my eye)
1 betta

perhaps an irredesent cat or two? would those work in there? how about the betta... i REALLY want one! :14:

[rich311k]

That stocking should work, the constant movement of the danios may drive the poor betta nuts. Forget the irridescents they get 2-3 feet long or more.

[cubby]

That stocking should work, the constant movement of the danios may drive the poor betta nuts. Forget the irridescents they get 2-3 feet long or more.


what are my options for cats which remain small?


i had a betta pair when i was younger in with a school of zebra danios........ rather enjoyed that tank.......

[rich311k]

You have corys, variuos pleco types stay small, there are lots of odd ball cats that would work. I am not great with cat fish. I just keep corys and Bristle nose plecos.