What kind of tropical fish should be kept by themselves?

Question

I'm wanting to add a little more variety to my tropical fish tank. I haven't started adding fish yet, but I have an idea as to what kind I want. I'm going to add a larger school of Neons and a small school of Leopard Danios and Cory Cats (emerald?). I'm looking for a couple of fish that can be kept as individuals, like a Betta. Do Gouramis do okay by themselves? Do Dwarf African Frogs do okay? Or a kind of crab? What about Clown Loaches or something like that? Will they get too big though (16 gallon tank)? Also, I heard that a Plecostamous (sp?) is not a good choice for a community tank...what do you think? Thanks!

Also, I kind of need something that prefers the top, as Neons stay in the middle-bottom & Cory Cats stay near the bottom.

Answer 1

Top dwelling - A dwarf gourami.

Bottom dwelling - Bristlenose pleco.

You are right, dont get a Common pleco, they are generally a good community species, as long as you have a 90gal tank. Not a good choice for a 16gal though. But Bristlenose plecos stay small.

Clown loaches need to live in a group, and they also get BIG. You could get some dwarf loaches, but again you need a group of them

Ian

Answer 2

A betta could go in that tank, ot a gourami, but not both. Gouramis are to color full and are also a bit nippy. African dwarf frogs need to have at least 1 other frog in the tank with them. You could get 2, or a small group of 5 or so! You can get a small crayfish for the tank, but he might take out a fish every  once in a while. Clown loaches are schooling fish and get to large. Not all plecos get to large. A bristle nose pleco could go in your tank! Something that stays at the top is hatchet fish, or platys. But platys and other live bearers reproduce fast!

Answer 3

Top dwellers would include hatchet fish and they like to be in schools of three or more. With a small tank like you have you do not have much room for many fish.clown loaches like to be in schools of 4 or more and they can get to be over 12 inches long so they are out of the question for a small tank.A pair of dwarf cichlids like rams would be OK in that tank (as long as water qualities wee OK for them.The celestial danios are a very active and good looking fish that can be put in a small think (they are also a schooling fish)For algae control after you start getting algae, you can get a couple of otto cats, they only get to be less than 2 inches long.Or a bushymouth pleco which some species can grow to the massive size of 6 or 7 inches but most remain smaller. One of my favorite animals for a small tank is the dwarf crayfish. I have not seen them in stores except once so you might have to get them off of Aquabid..