# Deciding on the fauna



## Deni (Jul 6, 2005)

I'm trying to figure out what fish I eventually want to have in my tank. If I know what fish I'm going to have, it'll steer me in one direction or another as far as aquascaping.

I have a 12 gallon -- 20"l x 14"h x 10"d -- and I would like to have 4 to 6 fish. The ideal would be to be able to have different colors of fish within the same species. I know I can get this with male guppies, but somehow they just annoy me. The other thought I had was a "sorority" betta tank, with several female bettas. I've been reading horror stories about experiences that people have had with their lady bettas not being so ladylike to each other. It seems that sometimes they're okay, but sometimes not and there's no way to know ahead of time.

I could still have the bettas, male or female, if I add some dividers into the tank, but that would mean, in effect, aquascaping three or four nanos and I'm not sure if I want to do that. OTOH, I've come up with some names for both male and female bettas, which I think are rather clever and I'd like to have a chance to use them.

The idea of naming my fish may be silly to some, but it's something that I enjoy and is at least part of the reason that I want multiple colors of fish. That's how I can tell them apart. In the past I bought six white clouds and I couldn't even tell the sex of them without looking closely. I came up with six names for the six fish, but I never was able to actually assign any name to a specific fish.

Another other reason I would like to have multiple colors of the same species is to have a colorful tank without having just one or two of each species that would probably rather be in larger groups with their own kind.

It's likely that the only way I can get multiple colors within one species is to have a species like bettas or guppies that have been genetically manipulated to the hilt. I don't know what other species are like that and stay small enough so that I could have at least four of them in a 12-gallon tank.

If I can find others that fit my criteria, I may go with them. If not, I'll likely start planning how to 'scape four sections in the tank.

I really appreciate any suggestions that anyone might have.


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## Anafranil (Mar 15, 2005)

personally I would go for a group of tetras for that size of tank but if you insist in getting different colours you are probably limited to livebearers..


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

Dude, I have the same tank as you!!!!! Eclipse 12 pride!!!! 

I am going to put in a pair of rams or apistos and 3 otos if I can find a home for the fish I have now, what would you recommend doing with the old fish? My pet store won't take them.

We should PM each other with updatess to see what pathes we took differently.


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## Deni (Jul 6, 2005)

That would be "dudette" . 

I don't know what to do with your unwanted fish. When I got rid of my white clouds, I took them to the fish store. Maybe you can find an aquarium club in your area and they can make a suggestion.

My 12-gallon has been empty for quite a while. I was trying to decide what to do with it, when I got sick and was away from home for a long time. I've had an empty glass box in my living room for well over a year. That's one reason I want to get the decisions made and do something with it. I'm tired of looking at it.


Thanks, Anafranil, for your input. I've got a number of possible schooling fish that I've been researching. I could go that way if I can't find anything that fits my other criteria, although I may be formulating some ideas for a compartmentalized tank. I'll have to let it fester in my brain for a while.


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

IMO domesticated fish will probably be the best way to get fish of different colors. Perhaps platies? Most other fish small enough for your tank will prefer to be kept in schools.

There is quite a bit of variety and color in Endlers livebearers; have you considered them?


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

Deni said:


> That would be "dudette"


Whoops....

Well, I would love to hear updates on what you decide, that will correlate with my tank and visa versa


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## Deni (Jul 6, 2005)

lauraleellbp, other livebearers than guppies are an idea. I've hesitated before because livebearers seem to mean being overrun with fry. (I had a bad experience back in the 70s with swordtails and that has colored my opinion ever since.  )

Thank you.

fishman, I'm sure I'll be posting here as anything develops.


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## Adragontattoo (Jun 3, 2007)

you could do Rasboras but they prefer to school together and not a hodgepodge.

unless you count my one lone glowlight who is with a bunch of Galaxies (oh wait they are danios now)


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## Deni (Jul 6, 2005)

Right. I've got a number of rasboras on my list to choose from, but if I did that, I would have 6 or 8 of one species. 

I guess the other possibility is to have one male betta lord of the manor and some otos or corys as "the help."


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

Well, in a 12 gallon, you could have like 9 henglii rasbora, they are extreme schoolers, then you could also keep 3 otos to mainntain algae levels.


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## Deni (Jul 6, 2005)

I have lots of possibilities for schoolers, but in this tank, I'd rather not have them. If I can't find something that I like, maybe I'll look into schooling fish. Or maybe I'll just have a non-fauna tank. There's no point in having fish I'm not excited about.


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