# Small fish for a paludarium



## Estrato (Jan 6, 2009)

I was just wondering what kind of fish are small enough to keep with darts but arent really sensitive to water conditions in smaller tanks (like tetras)?


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## fraser2009 (Jan 4, 2009)

what size, depth and temp is the water area and what have you got filtering it?


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## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

What about snails and glass cleaner type fish?


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## fraser2009 (Jan 4, 2009)

Ziggi said:


> What about snails and glass cleaner type fish?


Depends on the size of the water area plus snails have a habit of over populating a water area


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## Estrato (Jan 6, 2009)

The water area is about 3" wide x 16" long x 3-4" deep. Water temp is room temp, which is roughly 72-3 degrees. I have a zoomed 501 canister filter also. Id only really want 2, maybe 3 fish at the most.


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

If your only want 2-3 fish id count any major schoaling fish out. ie tetras, harlequins etc etc.

One fish species ive always found to do well in trios are corydoras.

I have had trios of pandas, peppered, bronzed, albino etc.

And they all do great.

A trio of one of the smaller-med sized corries would be great for your water section, they will brush off any FF's that get into the water, and they like cooler waters so theyll be fine with your room temperature. 

Plus they all come from around the same areas as most PDF's so theyd tie in great with the whole south american rainforest feel.


Richie


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## Estrato (Jan 6, 2009)

Thanks, ill check those out. I was also thinking about zebra danios. I used to use them for cycling so I know theyre pretty hardy, I just cant remember exactly how big they get and I think they may need more swimming room.


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## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

I'm probably going to sound really negative here, but I'm just giving my two cents on your situation. Please don't take it personally .

There are a lot of problems you run into with this scenario... Say your water is 5" deep max. You don't have enough water to have multiple layers of living space, so surface dwelling fish will feel trapped against the bottom and bottom dwelling fish will feel exposed. (I'm also going to assume that the length of the water area is against the glass.) Fish are just as susceptible to stress as amphibians and this alone would be a reason not to include them in your set-up. Another issue you'll run into is the lack of water volume to support the bio-load that even one fish would introduce to the system (ph and ammonia levels are sure to become an issue). Something else to consider is that most small species of fish, especially characins, are generally shoalers, and need a minimum of 5 (as sort of a rule of thumb) of their own species to begin to feel at ease. 

If you are still determined to have inhabitants in your water area I would recommend a single betta, or one or two shrimp if you can keep your water quality high. I'd also recommend aquatic or emergent plants if you don't have any. Just know that you'll either have to do water quality tests regularly or be prepared for the likelihood of losing fish/invertebrates from time to time. I personally have never attempted a paludarium because after keeping aquariums for several years I decided that water alone was enough work and I couldn't imagine doing maintenance on land AND water .

Anyway... Good luck!


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## Lnm130 (Jan 18, 2009)

Danios are schooling fish, and active swimmers. They do much better in groups of about 6 and in longer tanks rather than taller. I don't think that they would be a good choice. They are hardy and great fish though.

I agree with the above poster that the fish will liekly be very stressed by the environment and its lack of water space.

That being said, if you are determined to have fish, you could _maybe_ do male guppies, or if you have access to them, American flag fish may do well. The American flag fish are more natural looking, and I think they would look nice in a paludarium.


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## wildman (Dec 21, 2008)

You are fairly limited by the volume of water(0.62 of a gallon by my calculations). Maybe a betta. Guppies. Crystal red or bumblebee shrimp (they tend to have a lower bioload, are attractive and would look great w/ some low maintanence aquatic plants). American flagfish, some of the smaller gouramis(careful, they can get BIG!). Small corydoras. You could try one of the fish forums for advice or your local fish store.

I'm not sure of the details of your canister filter but I would think that it would be more than able to filter your volume (it IS rated to 30 gallons). I think that with plants in the water that it would be fairly low maintenance.


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## Estrato (Jan 6, 2009)

I was planning on using java, riccia, micro swords and maybe hair grass or duckweed in the water in the hope that a lot of hiding places would cut down on stress. The bio load is what I was also concerned with, and if it doesnt look like itll work out (and it doesnt) I probably will just go ahead and get a few cherry shrimp. Ive kept a lot (a LOT) of tropical and other fish in the past, with shrimp and frogs, just never with darts or in a space this small. I may just wait until I can do it on a larger scale.

Sucks about the danios. I do remember them being pretty fast and always moving around, so I figured that may be the case. Ill check out american flag fish though, thanks.


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## Lnm130 (Jan 18, 2009)

Yea danios really are great fish, but really require a lot of room. I've got 18 giants in my 125 and it is constant motion. My mom has some of the american flag fish, they are really nice little fish, and have more of a natural look to them.


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## bobberly1 (Jul 16, 2008)

I'd go for tetras, they aren't sensitive at all, they're beautiful, and they're from the same area as the darts. Neons would be beautiful, cheap, eay to find, and hardy.


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## Estrato (Jan 6, 2009)

Ive had bad results keeping neons unless the temperature was pretty warm and steady and if the water conditions werent good. Im almost positive theyd be dead within a few days in a pond area this small. When I do a large paludarium they are my #1 choice, however. For now it seems like itll just be cherry and maybe one other small shrimp species in the water.


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## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

I have had a similar set-up before and I had a couple feeder guppies. I would suggest that you get only males though. If you get a female the guppies will soon be so thick that your frogs will be able to walk across their backs. I believe they come from the same area as dart frogs as well.


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## Jerm (May 20, 2008)

I keep a betta iin each of my vivs to eat the fruitflies that fall in. Bettas love fruitflies. I put females in the ones with smaller water areas. For algea i have otocinclus which is a small algea eater.


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

How about bettas, paradisefish, killies like Aphyosemion, and my personal favorite: Endler's livebearers.........

Endler's Livebearers Home Page


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## bobberly1 (Jul 16, 2008)

Good call on the endlers, I have some and that went right over my head. They're great, small, and beautiful, and mine love fruit flies as well. They do come from the northern range of the darts as well.


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## bobberly1 (Jul 16, 2008)

Here's a good link I came across.
Central American Killies? - Tropical Fish Forums


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## bobberly1 (Jul 16, 2008)

I can tell you that the vendor mentioned, Fred Behrmann, is a great guy as well.


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## Fuzzy (Sep 29, 2021)

Estrato said:


> I was just wondering what kind of fish are small enough to keep with darts but arent really sensitive to water conditions in smaller tanks (like tetras)?


maybe mountain minnows as they can deal with the low temps ?


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Fuzzy said:


> maybe mountain minnows as they can deal with the low temps ?


Hello, this thread is 12 years old.


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## Fuzzy (Sep 29, 2021)

fishingguy12345 said:


> Hello, this thread is 12 years old.


Ah my apologies Im still getting used to all this


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