which big fish will I be able to get that will work?

[annsrum]

Hi,

I am currently going through cycling with some little fish. While I am waiting I'm trying to figure out what fish to get once the cycling is complete.

The tank is 37 gallon and I currently have 4 guppy and 4 platy and an accidental bamboo shrimp (came free with the clay head I bought that has moss like stuff tied on as hair).

I didn't realize it at the time being a newbie, but all the platy are male as are the guppy. The guppy's are kind of a little mean and initially chased the platy's. Two of the platy's have begun to hold their ground with the guppy's and are being left alone but the other two still get chased from time to time. Kind of wish it was a little less testosterone fueled behavior in the tank!

Trying to figure out what else I can put in the tank once cycling is done. My hubby thinks the current fish are wayy too small and says you can barely see them (they are next to the TV). He says we need fish as big as his fist. I agree somewhat (you can barely see the current fish from the couch) although I don't think they need to be fist size. Just bigger than what we currently have.

The only fish I've read about that might be able to work with what we have are gourami's. Are there any other types of fish that might work? I generally prefer fish that are colorful and don't really like silvery type colorations.

Also, whatever you recommend, if you could please include how many fish, what size they will be at maturity, and what sexes they should be (in your opinion).

Thanks!

[ZebraDanio12]

Dwarf cichlids would be great. Theres many different kinds. My avatar is a male cockatoo apisto. There are lots of apistos. Those and red flash are the most common.. They're also Rams. And I think a pair of kribenese would work in that. A pair of angels could also work... Really all depends on what you like.

[annsrum]

Originally Posted by ZebraDanio12 Dwarf cichlids would be great. Theres many different kinds. My avatar is a male cockatoo apisto. There are lots of apistos. Those and red flash are the most common.. They're also Rams. And I think a pair of kribenese would work in that. A pair of angels could also work... Really all depends on what you like.

Will cichlid's work with guppies and platies? I thought they were considered aggressive (I'm still pretty new so sorry if the questions are silly sounding).

[OhYesItsMe]

It depends on the cichlid, rams and angelfish should work

[annsrum]

Can rams and angelfish work with gourami's? or do rams and angelfish get too big for my tank and/or too aggressive for gourami's?

[ZebraDanio12]

All I listed will work with guppies/platies. None will get too big if you dont go over a pair. I have both rams and dwarf apistos in my 20 and i have had angels. I think gouramis would be fine

[annsrum]

Do the pair of rams have to be the exact same kind of ram? Like both German Blue Ram's or can they be a male of one kind and a female of another? and can the different kinds have babies still (not sure that I want to pursue that, but just curious)?

[ZebraDanio12]

Blue rams, electric blue rams, and gold rams can all interbreed. No the don't have to be the same kind. Its more likely for them to breed if the same kind, but defiantly not impossible. There are some really beautiful crosses out there. If you interested try aquabid.com. I've seen some nice crosses there.

[annsrum]

I saw some rams at petsmart today (just looking since I was in there getting a filter) and they were mostly gray with almost no bright coloring. Were they all female or does it take special food to bring out the color, or are they not mature enough for color, or is that there regular color? They were all around 2 or so inches in length. Not positive which kind they were.

[ZebraDanio12]

That would be Bolivian Rams. In my opinion the aren't quite as pretty as blue, electric blue, or gold rams. They are normally pretty dull, although there are some breeds that are a bit more colorful. They get much bigger than other rams tho. If you go for blue rams you could get more of them.