[GothicGroucho]

Hello! I haven't posted on this site in quite a while. I had been running a 10-gallon planted betta tank for several years, and after the last betta died I upgraded to a 20–long. Right now the new tank is running well, the plants are growing, and I have a school of 12 neon tetras swimming around.

I am thinking about possible additions to the tank, and I am considering peacock gudgeons. I have not kept these fish before, but they seem interesting. I have a few questions:

1. Has anyone had any problems keeping them with neons?
2. My substrate is Eco–Complete. Will this present any problems? (I have heard that some bottom-dwellers don't do well with it, although I'm not sure to what extent peacock gudgeons hang around the bottom of the tank.)
3. How many should I buy, and should I aim for any particular distribution of males and females?
4. Is there anything else I should know about this species?
5. If you don't think peacock gudgeons are a good idea, what kind of fish could I consider instead?

Thanks!

 

[Nefarious]

I kept a trio (2 female, 1 male) it various tetras (rummy nose, glowlight) with no issues. The recommendation is multiple females to each male. Fortunately, they're relatively easy to sex. I've even successfully bred them with just the trio. They kept my RCS population in check and colored up beautifully.

 

[underwaterview]

I have never had neons, but recently had a few gudgeons in a 27ish cube. I originally had a pair, then eventually got rid of them as they were the more aggressive fish in my tank (all nanos otherwise). They really like structure and deep holes, and mine basically bred non stop- I rarely saw or could even feed the male as he was always on eggs. Not sure even how he ate honestly because he was always MIA on eggs. He would come out in a bit of a bad mood though. They lay eggs in dark crevices on wood where they can shimmy up next to them. Its basically every 2-3 weeks or something- quite frequent. I think they like groups so maybe 1.2 be a good start since the tank isn't big. The males have a hump head. They like meaty foods, mosquito larvae, black worms, bits of shellfish flesh etc. I would just have a few layers of structure for privacy for the plants to fill in around and they should feel good. I have a soiled tank w gravel, I dont know about your substrate.

 

[NotThePainter]

I tried twice and lost them both times. My guess is that I couldn't find a good food for them. So read up, especially form people who have kept them before. From reading underwaterview's post above, I do think it my my food.