I need advice for my 28 gallon tank?

Question

I have a 28 gallon tank with a rock/cave structure in it. I really want to put a big variety of fish in there that will get along, but I don't know where to start. Can anyone give me advice on which types of fish will go well together in my tank?

Answer 1

It kind of depends on if you want salt water or fresh water fish. Ask someone at a local petsmart or petco. They have always been very helpful when it comes to helping pick out my fish. Also, when my fish got sick, petsmart and petco always led us in the right direction. I recommend you don't ask some of the less known places, or the places that are only in your local area. Hope this helps :)

Answer 2

Community fish...the possibilities are endless.

If you do a Gourami...only do one.  Honestly, with 2, one will probably be chased to submission...and they grow to be about 8 to 12 inches.  There are some out there that are smaller...like the Honey Gourami gets bout 4 inches.  Dwarf Gourami are also nice and only get bout 2 to 2.5 inches.  But only get one Gourami.

There are many schools of Tetras to look at.  The bigger Tetra...like the Black Skirts, Redeyes, etc.  Also look at Tiger Barbs.  Best in groups of 5 or more.  These are fin nippers so avoid long finned fish like guppies and such.

Get some Cory Cats, they are social and easy to keep and will stay at the bottom of your tank.  3-5 is a great number...but no less.

Zebra or Leopard Danios would go good in this tank also.  About 5.

Is your tank a Hex tank or Long tank.  I think with the Hex you would want to skip the Danios.  They like to swim back and forth constant...so with shorter length...this would not be good.

Recap

1 Gourami (I like Dwarf or Honey for this size tank).

3-5 Cory Cats

5 Tiger Barbs

OR 5 Black Skirt Tetra

5 Zebra Danios (short finned)...unless its a hex tank then just go with the school of Tetra.

1 Mystery Snail (Black or Golden)

And your tank will be covered...put some plant cover in there (silk or plastic) and add a small log for the cory cats.

Best of Luck!

Answer 3

First of all 28 gallons will not allow you to put a lot of fish, unless

1. you get a dry filter

2. do frequent water changes

That being said number 1 is very costly and time consuming.  Dry filters can take up to 12 months to start really working at full spec.

Keep the above in mind and if you want to add more fish you'll need to add an extra sub filter but that doesn't mean you can overload your tank.

All that said, many fish get along but some fish that you want to stay clear are:

1. cichlids (all types of cichlids)

2. big fish (they will pretty much eat anything that fits into their mouth)

3. sumatras (small and pretty but very aggressive)

4. puffers ( ditto above)

There are many more but numbers 1 , 3, 4  are the biggest mistakes

many people make.  

A lot depends on the individual fish in many cases but one thing to consider is the natural place the  fish occupies in the tank.

For example.  neon tetras occupy the middle of the tank as opposed to corys which occupy the bottom.

By keeping this simple thing in mind, you can avoid a lot of problem and you'll have a nice tank where you'll see fish in all parts of the tank.  

Also the benefit to this is that you'll have a "cleaner" fish that cleans the bottom of the tank so when the top feeders don't finish, the bottom feeders will.

A typical tank would be,  neons in the middle and corys in the bottom.

with gouramis as top and middle feeders.  I'd get an algae eater like an otocinclus or an apple snail to keep the tank walls clean.

This is just an example and you'll see tons of different fish at the local fish store.  Just keep in mind the simple rule and get top, middle, bottom feeders and you'll have a happy tank.

Answer 4

Neon tetras

Zebra danios

Platys

Mollys

Cherry barbs

Community fish are your best choice.