Baby Whale Aka Dwarf Stonebashe And Mormyrus Isidori

[snowflake311]

My local fish store that I buy most of my fish from have Baby whales. They are not doing to well. They look like they might be starving. They are not giving any cave to hide in, and I don't think they are being fed properly. I have been researching them and from what I have read they are nocturnal and can be picky eaters. They like live food best and like to eat when it is dark at night. I would really like to save one of these little guys.

I would like more info from people that have kept these fish before? I have read they can be difficult to keep. Other sites say they are hardy just hard to feed.

Info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Like what do you feed yours, the tank set up, water chemistry.


Oh and the tank I would like to put them in is a 36 Gal tank with
6 female bettas all 2"
7 red tail rasbors all 2"
2 blue rams both 2"
1 clown pleco 3"
1 tiny Oto. 1"

I am getting 2 pit bull plecos in a few weeks. Only 2" each.
I do not want to over stock the tank. What I have now looks great but I think I have a little room for 3 more small fish.

Do you think I have enough room for the whale? Do I have too many bottom dwelling fish to add a whale? I properly maintain my tank I vacuum the gravel every 2 weeks. Some people say it is the cleanest tank they have seen. The water chemistry is all good nitrites 0, ammonia 0, nitrates 0, and Ph 7.5 . I feel ready to take on a more difficult fish.

 

[nmonks]

They're not especially difficult to keep when maintained away from anything competitive or aggressive. You should be okay with the selection of fish you have at present; adding additional catfish or loaches would complicate matters. The tank is a bit on the small side for long term maintenance, bearing in mind these fish are very intolerant of poor water quality and must be kept in fair sized groups (6+) to avoid bullying. Feeding is the main issue, and only live and frozen (but not flake or freeze-dried) are taken.

Cheers, Neale

 

[snowflake311]

They're not especially difficult to keep when maintained away from anything competitive or aggressive. You should be okay with the selection of fish you have at present; adding additional catfish or loaches would complicate matters. The tank is a bit on the small side for long term maintenance, bearing in mind these fish are very intolerant of poor water quality and must be kept in fair sized groups (6+) to avoid bullying. Feeding is the main issue, and only live and frozen (but not flake or freeze-dried) are taken.

Cheers, Neale

Thanks. Yes I read about them being aggressive to their own kind. But they say you could just keep one. So I was planing on just getting one.

 

[nmonks]

No, they're gregarious. Singletons don't do very well, and will hide all the time. Get a pack of them, six or more. Or don't bother.

Oh, and don't forget to quarantine any additional fish added subsequently: mormyrids are killed by things like formalin and organic dyes. So treating for whitespot or whatever in a mormyrid tank is difficult.

Cheers, Neale

Thanks. Yes I read about them being aggressive to their own kind. But they say you could just keep one. So I was planing on just getting one.

 

[snowflake311]

They're not especially difficult to keep when maintained away from anything competitive or aggressive. You should be okay with the selection of fish you have at present; adding additional catfish or loaches would complicate matters. The tank is a bit on the small side for long term maintenance, bearing in mind these fish are very intolerant of poor water quality and must be kept in fair sized groups (6+) to avoid bullying. Feeding is the main issue, and only live and frozen (but not flake or freeze-dried) are taken.

Cheers, Neale

Thanks. Yes I read about them being aggressive to their own kind. But they say you could just keep one. So I was planing on just getting one.

Ok I don't want a school of them I don't have room for that right now. I thought I could just have one. Thank you I don't think I will be getting one any time soon.

 

[fishlover500]

The water chemistry is all good nitrites 0, ammonia 0, nitrates 0, and Ph 7.5 . I feel ready to take on a more difficult fish.

A cycled tank can't really have 0 nitrates your test may be reading wrong.