# Would these fish be okay?



## ibfan1 (Jun 15, 2011)

I'm starting a 29 gallon Walstad tank, and right now I'm deciding what fish to get. I've been reading this book, _The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums_ by David E. Boruchowitz. There are some stocking suggestions in it and I've decided on one that (it's for 29 gallons)consists of:
6 White Cloud Mountain Minnows
6 Gold Barbs 
8 Harlequin Rasboras
1 pair of either Dwarf or Honey Gouramis.
Recently I visited my LFS and they had these Sparkling Gouramis (Trichogaster pumila) for sale, and I instantly fell in love with them! However, I'm not sure if they would still fit into this tank setup so I wanted some outside recommendations. Do you think they'd work? If so, could I keep three, or even another pair (they're a bit smaller than Dwarf Gouramis)? 
These aren't fish, but could I also get some Amano Shrimp to control algae? Thanks!


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## ibfan1 (Jun 15, 2011)

Also, are these too many fish for a Walstad?


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## dclangford3 (Jun 1, 2011)

I personally believe that is too many fish for a 29 gallon tank. I have that book as well, and I think his stocking schemes are a bit overcrowded. I would drop either the school of gold barbs or the school of white clouds and keep everybody else (Personally I would drop the gold barbs, because they can be nippy and I just don't like barbs). 
A trio of sparkling gouramis would work, but I would only keep one male in a tank that size. As for the amano shrimp you could definately add those.


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## raven_wilde (Nov 16, 2005)

I would drop the gold barbs too... although I love barbs so its nothing personal 

My reasoning is that they get way bigger than white clouds and I think they might be likely to hunt down smaller Amano shrimp. Speaking of which, make sure that there is lots of plant cover or other places for the shrimp to hide, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that gouramis find them tasty.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Barbs need to go.

T. pumila is an obsessively shy fish. Even in a large group they freak out and hide a lot. In the presence of larger fish you will never see them. Best tank for them is densely planted, calm water, and lots of places to hide by the surface. They do not lose their pretty coloration when stressed so you never know when you are pushing them too much.

--Nikolay


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## ibfan1 (Jun 15, 2011)

I was also wondering whether the White Clouds would be alright with the Gouramis because I've heard that the Sparkling Gouramis need warmer water, and that the White Clouds prefer cooler. Will this be a problem?(I'll drop the barbs BTW)


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

I agree on dropping the barbs. T. pumila are beautiful, but ditto on what Niko mentioned. I had my heart set on some until my daughters decided on bettas in our 34 bow front.


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## raven_wilde (Nov 16, 2005)

White Clouds are pretty adaptable, but yes, I do believe they prefer temps to be a bit on the cool side. You might consider scrapping them and finding another variety of small rasbora or even double your planned school of harlequins. 

It might just be me, but I find White Clouds to be kind of annoying... they tend to dart around quite a bit, much like zebra danios and I find that this takes the 'chill' out of a tank. They are from fast moving streams though so it is in their nature. However, the rest of the fish you have selected are from slower waters, so maybe it would be good to consider this factor as well as water params.


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## ibfan1 (Jun 15, 2011)

How about this...
12 Green Neon Tetras
9 Harlequin Rasboras
3 Sparkling Gouramis
and maybe some shrimp.
Or is this still too many fish, 'cause I doubled the amount of the first school? (I have a thing for multiples of three...)


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

I would look at where the fish swim in the tank, too. The current list is all mid-tank fish. Sparkling Gouramis are not like many of their top-of-the-tank relatives. They stay lower. 

While they are different colors, the Neons and Rasboras are too similar in behavior and shape. 

Not to many fish, though. These are all smaller, and do not contribute so much fish-mass to the tank the way a larger species (Gold Barbs) would have.


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## ibfan1 (Jun 15, 2011)

Well, I've planted my aquarium and everything's set up right now, but it turns out that all the soil in the substrate coupled with my driftwood have not softened up my hard, alkaline water so I've come up with a new list.

9 Gupppies
6 Platies
6 Pristella Tetras
3 Dwarf Gouramis
3 Otos
and either Amano shrimp, RCS or both.
So, will these fish be compatible with each other? Will the gouramis eat my shrimp? And are these not too many fish?


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