12g Planted Tank - Stock suggestions?

[antiver]

I've just ordered a 12g JBJ nanocube that I plan on heavily planting. I've done some research, but I'm not quite sure what to put in a tank this size. I kind of want to do a Redtail Black 'Shark' (I know it will outgrow the tank in a year or two).

Assuming I run with the shark, what else should I have with it? I'd be happy to have something else besides fish (eel/shrimp/shellfish/etc?).

If anyone thinks the redtail is a bad idea, what should I get instead?

I'd prefer to avoid the basic tetras, guppies, etc and get something more interesting..

TIA for any suggestions!

[NeonJulie]

I don't know, guess you won't buy into my 12g stock, although it's a classic, and I love it so:

http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1147/4181325/16967977/262448116.jpg

1 Dwarf Gourami
7-10 Neon Tetras
3 Otos

One Priceless collaidescope of brilliance, color, personality, and fun.

(We had a redtailed shark in our 29g a few years ago. I think I saw it twice...)

*Edit: The only reason I have that many tetras in there, which I normally wouldn't suggest, is because I bought the new stock of tetras, before the old ones actually (read: never) died of their "terminal" illness, and after 4 months in quarantine, are back in with the others.) That and the tank sits next to a toilet and bathtub, so water changes are twice a week, and a snap.

[antiver]

I'm open, but I'd rather have a coupe fish than a school of anything. I just ran into some red tailed black sharks at the pet store and wasted the rest of my there time staring at them. So until I make a trip to a different local aquarium store to see what they have, I'd like to have some more focused ideas of what I want. For bonus points, I've read that the sharks do well in heavily planted environments. I'd like to get some algae eaters or something, but I'm not sure what would be intruding on the "shark" and what wouldn't.

A Gourami would be worth it if I could find one- but will the shark play nice with it in a 12g? Otos sound good too if they're truly effective at the algae buffet. How about a chichlid ram? Any non-fish?

[NeonJulie]

Maybe dwarf puffers, if you're adventurous regarding feeding, might be something to look into.

I personally don't think it's enough room for rams, so I didn't go for them, and if you're worried about compatibility with a RTS and a gourami, I'd say rams are even more precarious. But you'll find the answer on how many ram cichlids can you fit in a 10g, as controversial as how many neons can you put in a 10g.

Otos are great at algae, sometimes overeat their supply, but it's not all forms of algae. (I'm not sure I have any algae so I supplement.)

A brief profile from liveaquaria.com, aside from mentioning the fish should have 50 gallons of tank has this to say:

The Redtail Shark, also known as the Redtail Black Shark is great for the semi-aggressive community aquarium, as long as they are the sole sharks and the other tankmates are of similar size. The Redtail Shark is a beautiful fish with a jet black body and a bright red tail. The dorsal fin is marked with a white tip.
It requires a large aquarium with driftwood, rocks, and spots of dense vegetation. This shark may set up territories around the aquarium. The Redtail Shark will become very aggressive towards its own species when mature.

Again, like I said, we had one, I hardly ever saw it, it must have been buried a lot or something, and one day it simply disappeared and we never found it, so I guess I don't feel the excitement. It's also frustrating that fish that are one way in the store, are not really in their natural environments, so you can't really know how visible/aggressive they will be when they get in their own tank, with decor/substrate, and other types of fish.

The compatibility chart they have (a guideline of course, every fish is different), shows that gouramis might be considered compatible. They recommend caution for other types of fish, which appear to include rams.

[TowBoater]

Some cory cats would do nicely and you would see them all the time and then you can get about any tetra or barb in there. Loaches are cool if you get like a khuli loach and I think they would do all right in it.

[dev]

Some cory cats would do nicely and you would see them all the time and then you can get about any tetra or barb in there. Loaches are cool if you get like a khuli loach and I think they would do all right in it.

Keep in mind that coolie locahes (Pangio kuhlii) should be kept in groups and prefers a sand substrate. The same goes for corydoras, of course.