Colourful Tank Mates Ideas

[tino]

Hi, im looking for ideas for a shoal of brightly coloured fish to put in my 4ft tank. dimentions are 4ft long x 24inch high and 18 inch deep. The problem is i have a resident crayfish, that although wont hunt them for food my take the oppertunity too! In already is luigi (the crayfish 7 inch), Jack (dempsey 4 - 5 inch), 2 golden barbs, 1 inch each, 2 silver dollers, 3 inch each, 3 bristle plecs, 2 inch each , all of witch get on brilliantly however the tank looks a little slow.

apart from the obvious platys, guppies (witch i think jack wud eat!) what others could anyone suggest? Pet Shops near me are out the door with these fish but lack alteritives.


Any ideas?

 

[Carlovel1]

Hi, im looking for ideas for a shoal of brightly coloured fish to put in my 4ft tank. dimentions are 4ft long x 24inch high and 18 inch deep. The problem is i have a resident crayfish, that although wont hunt them for food my take the oppertunity too! In already is luigi (the crayfish 7 inch), Jack (dempsey 4 - 5 inch), 2 golden barbs, 1 inch each, 2 silver dollers, 3 inch each, 3 bristle plecs, 2 inch each , all of witch get on brilliantly however the tank looks a little slow.

apart from the obvious platys, guppies (witch i think jack wud eat!) what others could anyone suggest? Pet Shops near me are out the door with these fish but lack alteritives.


Any ideas?

Denisoni Barbs

 

[Gilli]

You cant beat rainbow fish for colour & fast movement! Ive got some red rainbow fish (see my avatar) and also some Bosemani rainbows too in my 4 foot tank . They are real personalities get on with everyone, plus they are a nice big fish but not too big - I wouldnt be without them!

 

[shroob]

Before adding new fish I would up the number of some of your existing ones. Silver dollars and golden barbs are shoaling species so I would make their numbers up to 6 of each. Also the barbs may get predated on by the JD as it grows.

Though you know this already , I feel I should warn of the dangers of keeping crayfish and fish together. Sure it can work out, but theres also the chance it wont. How would you feel to wake up one morning and find it eating your JD or more likely a barb. There is also the possibility the JD will scoff the crayfish, they do after all eat aquatic invertibrates in the wild.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

The Gold Barbs and I think the Silver Dollars are both social fish and need bigger groups

Is a Jack Demsey adult safe with the rest of its current tankmates?

If there is room and they are safe with the JD, a school of Odessa Barbs would be colourful and active.

 

[tino]

Before adding new fish I would up the number of some of your existing ones. Silver dollars and golden barbs are shoaling species so I would make their numbers up to 6 of each. Also the barbs may get predated on by the JD as it grows.

Though you know this already , I feel I should warn of the dangers of keeping crayfish and fish together. Sure it can work out, but theres also the chance it wont. How would you feel to wake up one morning and find it eating your JD or more likely a barb. There is also the possibility the JD will scoff the crayfish, they do after all eat aquatic invertibrates in the wild.

hi, i was thinking of adding more S/Dollers but was worried about having 6 fully grown ones swimming about, my mate has three and they are as big as a small plate!!!! as for Jack (dempsey) iv had him for about 8 months and not a bad thing to say about him or her!? crayfish been in over a year now and nothing to report there either, i appreciate your concerns but they honestly all get along fine, otherwise i wouldnt be adding more! the barbs i got from a friend as his fish starting dying off for no apparrant reason, so after a few weeks of quaritine theyve been in the longest, 2 years now i think maybe longer.