Fish Wish List

I know, Dr. Seuss is rolling over in his grave.

Since the ich outbreak, my bioload has decreased significantly. I lost 15 fish. Over half the population of the tank. So, I've waited out the ich cycle and assured myself that the parasite is gone. (Please let it be gone.) The skirts and congos, and the brave little Burmese loach all survived. (I miss my yoyo.) And four tiny baby clown loaches are in the quarantine tank this week.

[The clowns will grow and will eventually need more space. I'm not crossing that bridge right now. Should I have gotten them, knowing they'll eventually outgrow their home? I dunno. They just make me happy. I could watch them for hours. It's been a rough year for me, and if watching clows snarf around the tank gives me some peace of mind, then dammit, in they go.]

Now that I've added a kickass canister filter that is made for 100g tanks, I have a little extra wiggle room. While I don't want to push the old, albeit flawed, 1-inch-of-fish-per-gallon rule, I think I have some freedom in my tank. The world is before me. And yet I have no idea what I want to get.

In the pre-ich tank, I had a school of Cardinals. Ten of them. I believe they actually were the carriers, although the carnival goldfish disaster may have played a role too. (I have neither the heart nor the stomach to regale the blogosphere with that story, ever. EVER.) (And nobody is reading this at all anyway.)

I'd very much like to recreate my Cardinal school. That flash of blue jazzes up the tank tremendously. And blue isn't as easy to come by as other colors. However, if I can get my hands on a new tank in the next six months, I'd gladly put a school of Cardinals in there, along with a blood parrot. (Imagine a wistful smiley face as I think of a blood parrot, because as a writer, I cannot condone the use of smileys.)

Cardinal Tetras
Blood Parrot Cichlid
German Rams for the fantasy dwarf cichlid tank
Rasboras, of any variety, simply because I have never owned a rasbora
Gold Barbs, because I adore their color and they were my first tropical fish, along with clowns
Cherry Barbs, because I adore their color; red also jazzes up a tank
Corys, because they're so damn cute
Otocinclus, because I've got a HO light and I think I'm going to need them
Angelfish, for my fantasy hex/half moon tall tank
Serpae Tetras...I had them before and they were colorful and fun
Green Spotted Puffer, because they are freaking awesome and have a terrible attitude. Just once, I want a fish with a crappy attitude. They're too high-maintenance, though. So this fish goes into the fantasy category.
Black Ghost Knife...I've had two and they are so personable. And hungry. Chomp. Not a good match for small tetras.
Bosemani Rainbow...this is probably a definite for my 55-gallon now, if I can find a purty one.
Betta...if I ever have an occasion to get one, I shall. Who doesn't love a betta?


 And now, the Absolutely Not/Never Again list:

Gouramis. Nasty buggars. My blue dwarves beat the living sh*t out of each other, eventually eating each other bite by bite. This goes for opaline gouramis too. They are, indeed, little Napoleons.
Plecos. As much as I love the word "plecostomus", I hate them. They are ugly as all get out, and they get huge. I hate sucker mouths. Blech.
Catfish. I could make an exception to this rule if I went with a semi-aggressive tank. Or if Uncle Phil will give me his 30-gallon. He has two growing cats in there that might be happy to live with me. The pleco has to go, though.


I could go on with this exercise for hours, but Ben is crushing my abdominal organs.

*Note to self regarding fish to research: Golden Dwarf Acara.