For many years I have kept fresh-water tropical fish. I have dabbled with most types from your basic Guppies & Tetras to Angels & Discus. I have successfully bred Discus, Angels, Rams, Kribs, Apistogramma and of course, Guppies.
I now keep a community tank with just some basic fish. I find more pleasure in creating the display of the tank and looking after the tank than I ever did with trying to breed the more complicated fish, but at least I can say I done it.
My current tank was bought second hand, and it came pretty much fully stocked so a lot of the choices in the tank were not mine.
I don’t always follow guidelines with fish, and along the way, I have learned some hard lessons, but I have also seen success where others have said it was unlikely. For example, I currently have a small population of shrimp in my community tank, where they are happy & thriving. I do have some shrimplets, but the majority of them get eaten. I am happy with this because I was never in it to breed them. The adults spend the majority of their time out in the open, and never seem very bothered by their tank mates.
Current Stock In The Tropical Tank
The fish that came with the tank:
- Guppies
- Neon Tetras
- Zebra Danios
- Rummy Nose
- A pair of Dwarf Gouramis
- Plattys
- A Black Molly
The fish I have added:
- Yellow & Red Cherry Shrimp
- A pair of Apistogramma
- A pair of Electric Blue Rams
- Bronze & Julii Cory Cats
- A Red Tail Shark (Ernie, my partners fish)
- Ramshorn Snails
- Malaysian Trumpet Snails
- Assassin Snails
- A pair of Panda Garra’s
Stocking I have lost:
- Golden Algae Eater – 8th Jan 2019 (Came with the tank)
- A Marbled Molly – 19t Feb 2019 (Came with the tank)
Now, before anyone shouts at me about my stocking choices, as mentioned earlier, I don’t always follow guidelines. I research and research and research before any purchase and make a judgment call based on my findings. I also realise that the tank is over-stocked. I do lots of water changes and monitor everything religiously. I now have a happy, healthy tank with plants and fish that are thriving.
