Any Oddballs Mix With Normal Peaceful Fish Ok

[pippoodle]

Juwel rio 180 101x51x40cm


I'm looking for something different to add to my aquarium in time and would like some ideas

at the moment i have guppys , white cloud minnow and apple snails in there
i will be adding a few more minnows - (gold , long fish etc) , guppys (pures) and some platys and neons -- the occupants in the tank are really for the children so dont want anything that will eat anything lol

is there anything oddball that will live in my sized tank with these tank mates

i did see some gobys at my LFS and they were listed as dwarf ? please dont ask me the name cos i have no idea

any help appreciated

Sarah xx

 

[nmonks]

I'd recommend you look at things like shrimps and snails, and also some of the smaller catfish. Whiptail catfish (such as Rineloricaria parva) and banjo catfish (Bunocephalus spp.) are essentially easy to keep if you give them the food they need (bloodworms and the like). They aren't predatory, and if you have a sandy aquarium will amuse you with their rooting about and sometimes burying themselves completely. Whiptails only do this when scared though!

Not really oddballs, but fun anyway, are the kuhli loaches. They're gregarious, so get a handful, and you'll be entertained by their antics. If kept in too-small a group they are very shy, but groups are more outgoing and love to hang about hollow ornaments and plant roots.

Among the snails, look out for things like Clea helena, Tylomelania spp., and the snails we call "nerite", usually Neritina spp. These are fun and generally hardy, though as with all invertebrates will be stressed/killed by some medications.

Cheers, Neale

 

[pippoodle]

I'd recommend you look at things like shrimps and snails, and also some of the smaller catfish. Whiptail catfish (such as Rineloricaria parva) and banjo catfish (Bunocephalus spp.) are essentially easy to keep if you give them the food they need (bloodworms and the like). They aren't predatory, and if you have a sandy aquarium will amuse you with their rooting about and sometimes burying themselves completely. Whiptails only do this when scared though!

Not really oddballs, but fun anyway, are the kuhli loaches. They're gregarious, so get a handful, and you'll be entertained by their antics. If kept in too-small a group they are very shy, but groups are more outgoing and love to hang about hollow ornaments and plant roots.

Among the snails, look out for things like Clea helena, Tylomelania spp., and the snails we call "nerite", usually Neritina spp. These are fun and generally hardy, though as with all invertebrates will be stressed/killed by some medications.

Cheers, Neale

got a shrimp tank already set up and running for a while and yes they are great little things to sit and watch
i got apple snails and didnt really want anymore snails as the kids are going off of them now they are growing .

Dont look like there is much choice on the oddball front then
nevermind worth a try and thanks for the information you have given me

Sarah xxx

 

[nmonks]

Forgot to mention, do see the Anti-Tankbusters pinned topic.

It isn't that there are no small oddballs, there are lots. But many are predatory towards very small fish (e.g., African butterflies) or else difficult to maintain for one reason or another (e.g., spiny eels). Your best bet is simply to consider small catfish, or perhaps things like Garra, Characidium, halfbeaks, hatchetfish or glassfish. Perhaps not "oddballs" per se, but unusual fish in their own ways.

Dont look like there is much choice on the oddball front then
nevermind worth a try and thanks for the information you have given me

 

[jourdy288]

I was just thinking about this. Any ideas of oddballs compatible with most fish for ten gallons (US)? I really think this is a good post.

 

[pippoodle]

it would be nice if there was something different that could go with the normal fish wouldn't there
hopefully someone will come up with another answer for us jourdy .

 

[KraKen]

How about bumblebee gobies, they're tiny and mine are very peaceful.

 

[Zincubus]

I was advised that gobies were fin nippers as they like their own territory ??

 

[Oddball]

Ok bit of a random shot in the dark here but the Dwarf Chameleon Fish "Badis Badis" would be an excellent tankmate if you want to bothered about your guppy fry surviving! Also maybe one of the smaller Moth Catfish "Hara Hara" Im sure theres loads of others out there, its just past midnight and my brains not working

 

[nmonks]

Both great choices. But neither is "easy" and I'd not recommend them for the community tank, at least, not the standard community tank. Badis spp. are incredibly fussy eaters, and prefer live foods though they accept (wet) frozen live foods readily enough. Moth catfish are much like banjo catfish in being slow, night-time feeders that may starve to death in a busy tank and certainly shouldn't be expected to compete with other nocturnal predators such as loaches. They'll need their own bloodworms or whatever.

In the average community tank, you need to choose oddballs that can compete at dinner time with your barbs, danios or whatever. You don't want anything that needs special food, and ideally you want something that takes flake or pellets. Many oddballs are predatory, so you don't want those either. Others require specific conditions: fast-flowing water, brackish water, acidic water, etc. So it actually becomes quite tricky choosing oddballs for community tanks.

Cheers, Neale

Ok bit of a random shot in the dark here but the Dwarf Chameleon Fish "Badis Badis" would be an excellent tankmate if you want to bothered about your guppy fry surviving! Also maybe one of the smaller Moth Catfish "Hara Hara" Im sure theres loads of others out there, its just past midnight and my brains not working

 

[codeajohnson]

How about a fire-belly newt? Think it'd work?

 

[cheesy feet]

Peacock goby's FTW..See avatar.