I know you wanted new fish, and if your bioload/filtration & water
change schedule can handle it... A larger school of glolight tetras,
harlequin rasboras, and glolight tetras would look much spectacular.
Obsevering a small school verses a larger school is a much difference
experience. I'm probably counting wrong as I didn't include the loach
size (don't know it), but it seems as though you have 42" (the neons
counted as 1", but they really should have been 1/2" due to their
slenderness, they don't have much bioload, same with glolights) of
fish. Only the Black Neons and Serpae Tetras are truely worth counting
as 1", so you got room to grow.

Bumble gobies are brackwish water fish as far as I know, are they
doing okay in your tank? Tetras don't usually tolerate the addition of
salt, as they are soft water fish, so I don't recommend adding much
salt if any. I'd recommened selling them back to the store or giving
them to a friend with a brackish tank, as they would do much better,
regardless of how cute they are (I want some too), but I don't have a
brackish tank.

Here is my suggestion:
1)Keeping your tank the same but adding mo
Increase the glolight tetras to 12, the harlequin rasboras to 12, neon
tetras to at least 12 (they look magnificent if you are willing to get
more than 12 - they stop being as shy and their schooling behavior is
one of the best - very *close and tight* together, maybe opt for 16 if
you are in the mood). Get rid of the gobies (or set up a brackish tank
for them), research the loach (I don't know the size or conditions it
needs). Then either remove the loach or keep it, I don't know much
about it - try looked it up, but no dice.
Add each group of fish and monitor the tank conditions making sure the
Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate are all within normal paramaters.
If you can wait long enough, do this for 1 month for each group of
fish. It's the best course of action, but it takes patience. If not,
at least wait 1-2 weeks if at all possible. Don't buy the fish all at
once and dump that in, you'll get an ammonia and nitrite spike and
lose a lot of money and fish.
Let things run for about a month (after the tank is set up completely
with the new small fish) and keep testing the Ammonia, Nitrite, and
Nitrate and see how your tank is doing.
If it is doing fine and you still want larger fish, a school of 6
congo tetras of 6 rainbfish of any variety will do, but they will add
much more of a bioload than the small fish you have now, but I think
the tank can handle it if you do weekly water changes. A slightly
larger schooling fish that has an undeserved bad reputation is a tiger
fin barb (great coloration, I think), but in schools of 8+ their
nipping stays within themselves (ie. like those beautiful serpae's),
and they are quite playful and entertaining to watch. They stay in a
loose school, chasing after each other occasionaly, very different
from tetra behavior.

Generally larger schools of single fish look better than the minimum
amounts of schooling fish. If I was making a tank of this size I'd
have 6 congo tetras, and perhaps 2 small schools of tetras (ie. neons
and glolights), along with 4 cories , and the ottos of course.

If you are feeling adventerous. You could also go for 4-6 cories of
whatever kind you like (there are many to choose from), 1 single
school of a small tetra that is your favorite (neon comes to mind,
perhaps 24+), and 1 large school of 6 fish (either congo tetras for
contrast (they are shiny white and reflect rainbow colors, especially
if you have bright light for planted tanks, and they get to be 4"), or
rainbowfish for shape and size contrast (very odd shape compared to
most FW fish) and also color, they come in all sorts of colors you
don't usually see for FW fish. This also comes to 60" of fish (I took
the aggresive approach in calculating, it could easily be 50" of fish
if you only chose 4 cories and a smaller sized rainbow fish. Once the
tank is set up I'd throw in a few ottos (possibly 6) for algae
purposes, their impact on the bioload is negligible to be honest.

There is also the idea of a chaotic (but not truely) looking tank full
of action. A school of 16 serpae tetras, 4 cories, and 12 tiger barbs
(they get quite large when full grown a nice -fat- 3.5" I'd say).
That'd add excitement alright. This comes to 60" of fish, but I
believe modern tanks can handle it as long as you do a weekly water
change. Once the tank is set up I'd throw in a few ottos (possibly 6)
for algae purposes, their impact on the bioload is negligible to be
honest.


Mike K wrote in message ...
Current numbers are as follows: Neon Tetras (8), Black Neon Tetras (6),
Glolight Tetras (8), Serape Tetras (6), Harliquin Rasboras (8), Bumblebee
Gobies (4), Ottos (4), and a lone Striated(?) Loach.

in article , Allen Smith at
wrote on 12/23/02 12:40 AM:

Mike K wrote in message
...
I have a 55 gal planted tank which currently houses many small fish (neon
tetras, black neon tetras, glo-lite tetras, serape tetras, harliquin
rasboras, bumblebee gobies, ottos) and was looking for suggestions on some
larger (not huge!) species to add to this display. Any suggestions?

I'd keep an eye on the serpae tetras as they can be quite the fin
nippers among their own species and other fish as well (maybe resrict
future fish in the tank to fish without long flowy fins just for
caution sake, ie. like a betta etc.). But if the school is large
enough that seems to disappear (I'd say at least 8 fish). What are the
school sizes of the tetras you have now? They might just be happier
having more of their own company (at least 6, but the more merrier and
*happier* they are).

If you are looking for larger schooling fish I'd try some congo tetras
(around 3-4" big). They are very beautiful looking. Or you could try
any of the varius rainbowfish which also school and get 2-4" long
depending on species.