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I have a 60-gallon fish tank, 48 inches by 12 by 24 LWH. I have many plants which keeps my ammonia negligible (but the nitrates will build up). I have 8 tetras, 8 cory cats, and 8 danios. (the cory cats are albino)

My water is usually 10dH so it's hard water, I guess - but my fish seem to love it. It's hard, I suppose, due to all the Flourish Excel I put in it. It makes the ammonia and pH test go off the charts. I have Daphnia, Brine Shrimp, bloodworms (all freeze-dried, they all float and only go in the depths when brought down by the filter stream), fish flakes, and sinking wafers. So my cory cats will eat the wafers, tetras the fish flakes, and the tetras and danios take care of everything else.

I want to add something smaller than a pink kisser. Those, I think, will eat my danios, which aren't big enough yet (they're like 2 inches). I don't know if I want to add schooling fish, or fish that are ok with being group of 3 - I don't know if any species of freshwater fish will tolerate being alone, like an angelfish - but I don't know if they'd be suitable due to fin nipping.

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  • If you're seeing ammonia in your test results, don't add any more fish yet -- your biofilter isn't keeping up with what you have. Water hardness and pH will affect free vs. ionized ammonia (some tests measure both, some don't), but any readable amount is too much. If I'm misreading you though, what's your typical pH and temperature?
    – toxotes
    Commented Dec 6, 2013 at 17:40
  • @toxotes: I get ammonia reading because of the flourish excel. Read post. My fish also laid eggs..just saying
    – Don Larynx
    Commented Dec 7, 2013 at 3:14
  • Well, I did read it that way at first, but Excel doesn't directly affect ammonia or pH -- and definitely shouldn't make them "go off the charts" -- so I didn't think that's what you meant. Regardless of what's causing it, these readings are a red flag.
    – toxotes
    Commented Dec 7, 2013 at 13:42
  • @toxotes: when I remove 25% of my water, the ammonia goes from 0.25 to 8 ppm. Surely my fish would suffer a severe ailment if this was the case. :)
    – Don Larynx
    Commented Dec 7, 2013 at 19:23
  • Whoa, that is weird and wrong. 0.25ppm is actually still dangerous, but 8ppm would probably be lethal. This is getting off-topic, but what test kit are you using? And by remove, do you mean a 25% water change or literally just drain out 25%?
    – toxotes
    Commented Dec 7, 2013 at 20:24

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You could put in a Betta splendens (aka Siamese fighting fish). Contrary to their name, they get along with most fish quite well. I have one in my tank with neons, corys, hatchet fish, guppies, and some other fish.

As long as you don't put them in with another male, or similar looking fish, or fish in the same family (the Pink Kisser and other gouramis would be out), it will be fine.

Bettas are very hardy fish and can survive a wide range of water and temperature swings.

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  • You do not want an anabantid (Gouramis, like the Betta) in a community aquarium when he matures and starts building a bubble nest. They become somewhat aggressive at that time.
    – ATG
    Commented Apr 30, 2015 at 11:40

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