So having spent a bit of time researching again what fish to go for and taking into account;
- The probability of them allowing my cherry shrimp to reproduce in some form and not hunting them too much (appreciate all fish will eat shrimplets given the chance but selecting fish less likely to)
- Max size (I like scale - so max 2 inches per fish)
- Colour
- Comparison to the Espei Rasbora I have already (colour, shape, etc)
- And probably in that order
I'm now thinking;
- Pencilfish - never kept them, look great but having looked at videos on You Tube and seeing the males harassing each other, I think I'm going to rule those out. I want a tranquil tank and some of the videos I've seen show the opposite (unless someone can convince me otherwise)
- Cardinals - colours are obviously right up there but very similar to the Espei in terms of shape, size and to a degree colour (the reddish colour in the Espei once they settle, grow and colour up). Still a possibility but I'm moving away from them
- Danios - similar shape to the Rasbora but not the most colourful, although that could be interesting in itself as they are different. Very active, so should give the Espei some confidence. Leopard would probably be my first choice. Celestrial are lovely but pricy by comparison and I'm not sure I'd see them much?
- Chocolate gourami - nice fish but I think won't be too hardy so I'm ruling them out
- White cloud mountain minnows - kept them years ago, cheap, active, swim near the surface from what I can remember so different to the Espei. I always liked the standard colour which again would be different to the Espei. I think these could be a favourite right now unless someone can see something I'm missing?
And regardless I think I'm going to get 20 more Espei (so 40 total) to bolster their numbers
Cheers
- The probability of them allowing my cherry shrimp to reproduce in some form and not hunting them too much (appreciate all fish will eat shrimplets given the chance but selecting fish less likely to)
- Max size (I like scale - so max 2 inches per fish)
- Colour
- Comparison to the Espei Rasbora I have already (colour, shape, etc)
- And probably in that order
I'm now thinking;
- Pencilfish - never kept them, look great but having looked at videos on You Tube and seeing the males harassing each other, I think I'm going to rule those out. I want a tranquil tank and some of the videos I've seen show the opposite (unless someone can convince me otherwise)
- Cardinals - colours are obviously right up there but very similar to the Espei in terms of shape, size and to a degree colour (the reddish colour in the Espei once they settle, grow and colour up). Still a possibility but I'm moving away from them
- Danios - similar shape to the Rasbora but not the most colourful, although that could be interesting in itself as they are different. Very active, so should give the Espei some confidence. Leopard would probably be my first choice. Celestrial are lovely but pricy by comparison and I'm not sure I'd see them much?
- Chocolate gourami - nice fish but I think won't be too hardy so I'm ruling them out
- White cloud mountain minnows - kept them years ago, cheap, active, swim near the surface from what I can remember so different to the Espei. I always liked the standard colour which again would be different to the Espei. I think these could be a favourite right now unless someone can see something I'm missing?
And regardless I think I'm going to get 20 more Espei (so 40 total) to bolster their numbers
Cheers