Black Community Fish Please

[JoanneH]

I am looking to complete my stock and would like to add a black fish for contrast. not too fussy what it is as long as it gets on with everyone else in there - have only got room for a couple though - what could I have ?
The tank has been set up for about 7 weeks now and the water quality is good at the moment.

 

[soritan]

Hn, only 'black' fish I have experience with are Schwartzi Cories (they're spotty)... are you looking for solid black, mid/top/bottom dwellers, or -?

 

[diademhill]

I am looking to complete my stock and would like to add a black fish for contrast. not too fussy what it is as long as it gets on with everyone else in there - have only got room for a couple though - what could I have ?
The tank has been set up for about 7 weeks now and the water quality is good at the moment.

You already have a lot of fish in such a new tank & I would say you are slightly overstocked already.
The fish you have will have some growing to do.

 

[JoanneH]

Hn, only 'black' fish I have experience with are Schwartzi Cories (they're spotty)... are you looking for solid black, mid/top/bottom dwellers, or -?

I was looking for mainly black or black mix really and preferably mid/top dwellers.

I am looking to complete my stock and would like to add a black fish for contrast. not too fussy what it is as long as it gets on with everyone else in there - have only got room for a couple though - what could I have ?
The tank has been set up for about 7 weeks now and the water quality is good at the moment.

You already have a lot of fish in such a new tank & I would say you are slightly overstocked already.
The fish you have will have some growing to do.

Mmm .... I have followed the advice given to me by my lfs and they are very reputable, I take your point though - will have a word with them over the weekend. Thanks.

 

[catxx]

don't always take an LFS at face value, they're there to take your money. if it means overstocking your tank so be it!

you do sound overstocked, and i always thought corys liked their own kind rather than one of each type?

 

[Katchan]

I'm going to play devils advocate here and say he's not overstocked (I admit only going on tank capacity not on dimensions), but is nearing it. As long as regular changes are done shouldnt be a problem. I can only think of 1 pure black community fish and thats a black or black lace Angel, one (when adult sized) would probably take you stock limits, 2 would over stock you slightly. As long as STRICT cleaning routine was kept shouldn't be a problem, if in doubt you could chuck in another small filter though, my 2cents

KC

 

[Annastasia]

Black Mollies. However, they need slightly brackish water, which some of your other fish would not appreciate. What type of water do you have? Soft, acidic...hard, alkaline...what?

Edit: The others seem to have control of the stocking, so I will leave them to that, and not jump in!

 

[The-Wolf]

aww I was gonna say black molly, oh well here are a few others off the top of my head.
Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi Black neon tetra
Hyphessobrycon megalopterus Black phantom tetra
Gymnocorymbus ternetzi Black widow tetra
(platies and guppies come in many blacks, from jet black to black patched)

and finally
Bagrichthys macracanthus Black Lancer catfish; however reaches 9" and will eat anything it can get in its mouth.

all the above are of course dependant on your stock levels

 

[JoanneH]

don't always take an LFS at face value, they're there to take your money. if it means overstocking your tank so be it!

you do sound overstocked, and i always thought corys liked their own kind rather than one of each type?

I have faith in my lfs, they have declined to sell me stuff in the past if my choice hasn't been correct i.e. too newer tank set up for some species. With regard to the cory's, the book I have been reading stated that they needn't be kept in single species groups as they will shoal together anyway, and they do seem to and are happy and feeding well etc.

Black Mollies. However, they need slightly brackish water, which some of your other fish would not appreciate. What type of water do you have? Soft, acidic...hard, alkaline...what?

Edit: The others seem to have control of the stocking, so I will leave them to that, and not jump in!

I live in a hard water area - had thought about mollies but had read that they preferred brackish water, otherwise they could be prone to poor health etc.

I'm going to play devils advocate here and say he's not overstocked (I admit only going on tank capacity not on dimensions), but is nearing it. As long as regular changes are done shouldnt be a problem. I can only think of 1 pure black community fish and thats a black or black lace Angel, one (when adult sized) would probably take you stock limits, 2 would over stock you slightly. As long as STRICT cleaning routine was kept shouldn't be a problem, if in doubt you could chuck in another small filter though, my 2cents

KC

my tank dimensions are 80cm wide x 54cm height (top to bottom) x 35cm deep (front to back) I check the water quality at least 3 times a week and do weekly 10% water changes, more if necessary.

 

[TammyLiz]

Sorry, I realized that what I was going to say had already been said, so this is a pointless post.

 

[SiriusStarr]

don't always take an LFS at face value, they're there to take your money. if it means overstocking your tank so be it!

I really wish people wouldnt generalize about LFS so much... we always ask whats in the tank and tell people if they're overstocked, if certain fish cant go together, etc etc. Of course we want to make money, but we also want people to have healthy, wonderful fish and to be happy.

 

[LEDit0ut]

don't always take an LFS at face value, they're there to take your money. if it means overstocking your tank so be it!

I really wish people wouldnt generalize about LFS so much... we always ask whats in the tank and tell people if they're overstocked, if certain fish cant go together, etc etc. Of course we want to make money, but we also want people to have healthy, wonderful fish and to be happy.

my LFS sucks i have a 20 gallon tank and they said i should get a bala shark w/ 8 other small fish

never going there again

they also seem like assholes

 

[SiriusStarr]

I really do acknowledge that there are a LOT of LFS's out there that suck. Badly. But not ALL of them, there are plenty good ones that take pride in knowing what they're talking about... I just wish everyone didnt think all of them were so horrible.

 

[geezer]

I really do acknowledge that there are a LOT of LFS's out there that suck. Badly. But not ALL of them, there are plenty good ones that take pride in knowing what they're talking about... I just wish everyone didnt think all of them were so horrible.

I must agree with you SirisuStarr. As a newbie to the fish scene, my lfs has declined to sell me fish since my tank was still cycling and then because the fish I wanted were incompatible with the ones I had (inherited fish tank with fish). However, the only problem that I have with them is that the last two times I went in there the clown loaches in two seperate tanks were dead and just laying in the tank. And not just one but several loaches. That can't be good, I would think. They seem to know what they are doing, and it's always packed in there, yet they are really patient and ready to answer my millions of questions.

 

[TammyLiz]

Geezer, are you absolutely sure they were dead? Sometimes clowns "take a nap" on their sides. May they have been just napping? I have heard healthy loaches often do this and when disturbed, swim off as if nothing had happened.