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When stocking your aquarium, it is best you look at your tank as three layers - (Top, Middle and Bottom). This I find is the best approach, so that you get a even look.
different types of fish have different swimming and eating habits. Some fish like to scavange on the bottom; whilst others like to swim in the middle of the tank, going from left to right, and then, there are others who tend to like swimming at the very top of the tank.
Stocking fish should also be done on a scale of about 1 inch of fish - to 1 inch of tank length. This is only a guide, and is not a hard and fast rule, but at this ratio, your fish are more likely to thrive long term.
When looking for your first fish to add, it is best to go for maybe Danios, as they are a very hardy little fish, and will help get your tank fully established, before you add any more. If you can not find any danios from your local fish shop; you can always add maybe a couple or three guppies, (making sure that you only buy one male) the males constantly harass the females; which will lead to a very stressful female guppy. If you buy at least 2 females, it gives them a little more breathing space.
After you are happy that your fish are doing well, you will need to buy a plec; which is a type of catfish, that sucks algae of the sides of the tank, and off the substrate etc. They are very useful, and do a great job. You will almost definatley need one of these fish to help maintain your aquarium, and they look really nice too. Plecs can however become very large, depending on the type of plec you buy. I would recommend that you go for a Clown Plec, as these are only very small at about 2 inches in length, and they do not get any bigger than this. You could add a couple of them if you like, they are quite good at keeping the tank clean, so it would be your preference entirely. I would like to add, that these little critters can be quite aggrevise towards each other, so it may be best to just buy one or maybe two, so they can both find a territory and stick to it. They are good with most other fish; However, there are always rogue ones out there, so I cannot be certain of this.
Another type of catfish, which is great at sucking algae, is the Bristlenose Catfish. These catfish are a little bigger, but rarely do they excede about 5 inches in length. They are profuse breeders too; so you could get the added bonus of watching this wonderful phemonoma. I have bred lots of Bristlenose catfish, and I will discuss this in the Catfish section as soon as I can.
I will list what I think are the best fish to start with; please see below:
3-4 Danois
2-3 Guppies
2-3 Platies
6-8 Cardinal Tetras
2 Corydora Catfish
1-2 Bristlenose Catfish
1 Clown plec
1-2 Japonica Shrimps (These are great for turning over the substrate and eating any uneaten food)
This is only to be taken as a rough guide, and does not have to be followed in any way. This type of set-up would relate to a 2ft tank. If you have bought a larger tank than this, well you could add more accordingly. Just remember the rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish to 1 inch of tank.
There are lots of other types of fish out there which are readily available, but that doesn't mean that they are suitable for your tank. Some fish can be quite aggressive; whearas other may need special types of water set-up; so it is always best to speak to someone in the shop you are buying from for advice before purchasing. I do hope that my discussion forum gets used properly, and if this is the case, you should hopefully be able to get some advice from other Tropical fish keepers that have lots of good advice to give. Each day you keep fish you learn more and more of their habits and requirements. Good luck!
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