fish!

[pa2k84]

OK i have painstakingly narrowed down my choice of fish and have come up with:

Pearl gourami - 1 female (5") = 5"
Three-lined cory - 2 female 2 male (2") = 8"
Cardinal tetra - 4 female 4 male (2") = 16"
Agassizi's dwarf cichlid - 1 female 1 male (3") = 6"
Cockatoo / Crested dwarf cichlid - 1 female 1 male (3") = 6"
Threadfin Rainbow - 2 female 2 male (2") = 8"

I am going to be getting a tank 81 x 50 x 36 cm with a capacity of 125 litres

Can anyone see any problems with these choices and if so can anyone make suggestions - would be very thankful

p.s. i would not be putting all these fish in at once may take months/years to fully stock tank just want to know if these choices would be possible when fully stocked.

p.p.s if the tank can hold any more could you also let me know - i THINK i have got it right but who knows!!

 

[Boxcar Muzzdogg]

I am not familira with those types of cichlids and their temperaments, but even the most non agressive of cichlids will probably kill most of those other fish.

 

[Ferris]

That actually looks pretty good. The only issue may be the Agassizi's and the Cockatoo's if either pair spawns but i think the tank is just about big enough to cope with that. I'd say go for it!

 

[Sky042]

Not sure how you're going to be able to accurately sex the Cardinals.

As far as the cichlids you may be OK but teh cardinals and the pearl gouramis are very docile fish so you'd better hope you don't get a cichlid with even a slight mean streak

 

[sylvia]

I can see a few problems. You could solve them all pretty much by removing one of the two cichlid species and adding a few more of some of the other fish.

Female pearl gouramies also happen to do better when kept in a small group. If you only want one, get a male.

Threadfins also happen to be a schooling fish and are shy if not kept in a large enough group (of at least 6).

The apistos also generaly do better in groups with one male to several females. In a pair, the male may bully the single female if they try to breed.

Your tank is also only about 30 gallons. Having two, potentialy breeding, pairs of cichlids in there may not be the best idea. Particularly if it's not a long tank as it's the footprint that counts with these fish.

If the cichlids breed, the cories will probably get bullied unless they are in a large group. Sometimes 4 is enough, sometimes it isn't.

I don't think the top-dwelling pearls will have issues with the cichlids though.

 

[pa2k84]

ok new list - wasnt to hard there were so many that interested me in the first place i have just shifted around - is there any problems with this list?

Three-lined cory - 2 female 2 male (2") = 8"
Cardinal tetra - 4 female 4 male (2") = 16"
Serpae tetra - 4 female 4 male (2") = 16"
Angelfish - 1 female (6") = 6"
Variable platy - 1 female 1 male (2") = 4"

 

[DaveW]

I can't say I see a problem But then again I still having thoughts about my tank mates. Of which is still being cycled.

 

[pa2k84]

i dont want to cycle my tank with fish

just want to get right matches to avoid deaths

 

[DaveW]

It's not easy is it, with some many lovely fish.

 

[rdd1952]

As someone mentioned earlier, I don't know how you will sex a lot of them. Angels are almost impossible to sex. To get a breeding pair, you usually buy 4 to 6 and see which ones pair off. I'm not sure on the corys or cardinals either.

 

[tttnjfttt]

I know in the wild, Angles eat neon tetras as part of their diet, I'm not sure if the same applys to cardinal or serpae tetras. Check out this discussion.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=98895

 

[sylvia]

Young angels brought up with cardinals usualy work because the cardinals grow big enough by the time the angels get large to not be eaten. However, angels are very much inclined to eating any small neon-shaped fish so be very careful. Serpaes are the wrong shape to get eaten though.

Other problems I can see is that the serpae tetras are known nippers and will probably drive the angel mad.

Variatus platies (not variable ) need to be kept as trios or all the same sex (but not just 2 males). 1 male with only one female will chase her until she becomes so stressed she gets sick and may die as a result. Get 2 females for every 1 male. Otherwise, skip this completely. Also, variatus get larger than the normal platies so, as you need a trio, maybe you are better off with normal ones.

Lastly, lone angels can become terrors once mature. Pairs can also terrorize tankmates if they try to breed but are otherwise relatively peaceful by comparison. Sexing young angels is impossible. You need either to purchase a mature fish (which is a problem due to the cardinals) or get 6 and let them grow out until a pair forms or you can tell by their behaviour patterns (in which case your problem is over-stocking).

 

[pa2k84]

how about

Three-lined cory - 3 female 3 male (2") = 12"
Guppy - 3 female 1 male (2.5") = 10"
Sailfin molly - 2 female 1 male 4" = 12"
Angelfish - 1 female or male (6") = 6"
Variatus platy - 2 female 1 male (2") = 6"

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

It sounds good to me, the only thing i'd like to warn you about is that livebearers(i.e platys, mollys, swordtails, guppys etc) produce alot of fry(baby fish) and can do so on a monthly basis, so if you see baby fish in your tank don't be alarmed- your angel fish will most likely eat any fry born though anyways.
When you buy your livebearers avoid getting any females that are heavily pregnant as the move will be twice as stressful for them and they may end up aborting their fry and getting sick or die altogether. The main ways you can tell if a livebearer is pregnant by
a. her gravid patch- this is a dark patch located towards the back of her tummy and is actually the frys eyes you are seeing inside her womb- in mollys though they do not always show a gravid patch and just have a very fat tummy and big chest.
b. Size of stomache, obviously a pregnant livebearer is going to have a pretty hefty stomache and will also somtimes become more unsociable towards other fish and hang around on her own alot.

With male guppys, as beautiful as they are, try to get ones that have the shortest tail as delta tailed males(long tailed guppys), their tails will often rip in a tank that has too strong a current or is too lare for them and they are also very inbred in general.

When buying any fish though, there are certain things to look out for in healthy fish;

Before buying any fish, you should inspect it closely. From an animal's external apperance, you can detect many problems and diseases. Particulary examine the body, gills, fins, eyes and skin.
Body: Any healthy live-bearer's abdomen should look convex, when viewed in a profile. The female usually looks more convex then the male. These fish have a "chubby" look to them. This should also appear in females that have just given birth, even though they may look very slender. All other fish should appear well-fed.
Be careful of fish with protuding scales, and bloated bellies! Most times, if not all times, these fish are incurable.
A large head, that looks disproportionate to it's body, is usually a sign the fish has undergone long hunger periods. This doesn't mean the fish will die, but it shouldn't be used for breeding.
Gills: Healthy fish breathe slowly, although they breathe somewhat faster in a densely populated tank. As the fish breathe, they expose the gill cover. This should appear a pale reddish color, in healthy fish.
Fins: Missing or partially developed fins are ALWAYS a bad signal. Frayed edges on the fin, are usually the sign of a disease, although there may be other causes.
In a healthy fish, the fins should visably stick out from the body. The one exception is the dorsal fin in some species.
A fish that clamps it's fins, and maybe rocks from side to side is definatly not feeling well, and may easily get a disease.
Eyes: The eyes should appear clear, and never protrude un-natuarally from the head.
Skin: The skin should not show any white spots, mold, fungus, or white film. The scales should hug the body, and look smooth. Be sure to examine the tip of the mouth with extra care, to be sure there is no white film.

Another sign to look out for when buying healthy fish is avoid it if it seems to hang around on its own near the bottom of the tank alot as this is a common sign of a sick fish. Also avoid getting a female livebearer that is heavily pregnant(although this can be hard to find, particurally in guppys) because not only is the move from the fish shop to your tank twice as stressful (i.e she will be more likely to abort her fry, become ill and/or die). The other reason is if there is a sudden difference in water stats like ammonia in coming from the lfs tank water to yours, this can cause birth deformitys in the fry, cause still born fry and/or miscarriages.

If there are sick fish in a tank, even if there are healthy ones in the tank, avoid buying fish from that tank altogether as the chances are that the "healthy" fish are already infected with the desease but have not begun to show symtoms.

 

[pa2k84]

woohoo finally got it right

now all i need to do is actually buy tank and start to set it up and get it cycled!