Intro

[DRay]

Hello,

My name is Daniel, and I've been in the hobby for a few years now. I currently have four aquariums up and running, so I figured it was about time I started getting involved in a community where people share my passion for the hobby (my roommate could care less). I have a solo South American Redtail Catfish tank, two community tanks (one active, and one calm), and a five gallon with a couple Dwarf Puffers.

Anyways, any comments are appreciated.

 

[fluttermoth]

Welcome
 
More details of your set ups would go down well, as would pictures (we love pictures )
 
As for comments; well, all I can say is, I hope you have a big tank for that red tail!

 

[Ch4rlie]

 
Yep, seconded to everything that fluttermoth says
 
Esp the pics

 

[RRaquariums]

Welcome to TFF

 

[DRay]

The RTC is going in a pond eventually. I know better than to try to keep an aquarium large enough for his evergrowing mass. I'm sure to research any fish in-depth, before the purchase. Currently he is alone (just the way "Dahmer" likes it) in a 60 gallon, but he's just around 12" in length. As long as he's maneuvering well, and water changes every week suffice, he's enjoying his temporary home.

I have a 50 gallon community of active fish. Get ready for the novel:

Shoal of Neon Tetras (and a single Bloodfin)
5 Cory Cats
2 Syn Petricola
2 Dojo Loach
2 Gold Dojo Loach
2 Yoyo Loach
2 Dwarf Gourami
2 Kribensis Cichlid
1 Redtail Shark
1 Chinese Algae Eater
1 very large snail

My calm community is a custom DIY rock background 40 gallon. That has:

4 Angelfish (2 black, 1 golden marble, and 1 marble)
5 Glass Catfish
2 Cory Cats
2 Guppies (RTC refused to eat just this pair awhile back)
2 Hogchokers (I've read conflicting findings on whether or not they NEED brackish)
1 German Blue Ram Cichlid
1 Otocinclus
A mix of Mystery, Tiger, and Zebra Snails

Then I have a 5 gallon Fluval cube with the Dwarf Puffers, 2 Algae Shrimp, and 1 Cherry Shrimp.

I'll post some pictures soon, promise.

 

[DRay]

Any advice on making these pics less than 300kb? That's awfully low for any semi-decent image.

 

[LyraGuppi]

You could try uploading them to Photobucket and resize, that's why I do.
 
Welcome to TFF!

 

[DRay]

Ugh. Well, this officially just became a thing.....

 

[DRay]

Woot!

 

[Akasha72]

Hi and 

  hope you enjoy the forum.
 
On a side note - looking at your stocking can I ask why you keep 2 cories in one tank and 5 in the other? Cories live in large groups in the wild and would do better kept together in one tank. The same for the oto's really too. They are much better in a group too, although I would also advise a little caution on keeping them with angelfish - unless you are heavily planted. There are a few horror stories of angels attempting to eat oto's and the result is generally the death of both fish as the oto extends it's barbed fins trapping itself in the angelfishes mouth. I have 3 remaining oto's in my tank with my angels and I worry about them day in day out. Once old age catches up with them then I won't be getting anymore
 
Nice pics by-the-way

 

[DRay]

At first I had all 7 together. I ran into a problem of too much uneaten food just sitting on top of the sand, so I was going to toss 3 of the 7 Corys in there to help remedy the problem, as well as the Oto. I tried to catch Cory #3 for 15-20 minutes after finally giving up. My 50 gallon acrylic has those two holes on the top of the tank, making it difficult to net anything (in addition to all the decor). The Oto was in the 5 gallon, but it was overstocked I guess, causing the Nitrite to rise. I'm keeping an eye on all the water specs, to see if I can add more Corys/Otos to the tank. Most of the inhabitants will only grow larger, and I want to stay away from any overstocking issues in the future. I just needed something in there as an algea eater. Plecos and Chinese AEs just get too large for the tank. My Angels are some of the tamest I've ever encountered. They didn't even go after a Neon when they were in my 50 gallon. That being said, I'm always watching for aggression, and have no problem mix and matching tankmates that do well together. The only problem child is that Redtail Shark. He's only 1", but he harrassed my Blue Ram, and now he's chasing my Kribensis. Maybe he's just playing? Lol
I'm just glad I have a LFS that allows trade-ins. They give half of whatever they charge for it as store credit.

 

[Akasha72]

my angels are very tame too and I think it's that that's allowing the oto's to survive - not to mention the neons and the newly added harlequins that are technicly small enough to be eaten in one gulp! Some angels are well behaved, some are not. It's just the luck of the draw. If you're confident that your angels are well behaved then no worries
 
If you are able at some point in the future to add to the cories then they'll definitely appreciate it. Cories need to be kept in groups of 5 or 6 of the same species. And you'll see better things from your oto if you keep them in a group of 6 or more. 
 
I just need to say aswell ... keep a close watch on the CAE, they are fine and cute when young but once they hit adult sized they tend to run out of food and turn their attentions to eating your fish alive. 

 

[DRay]

I felt bad, so this morning I picked up another Cory, and 2 Otos, making it 3 of each in the tank. I'm really worried about my stock level on this one. It's a 40 gallon, but w/ the custom background, filter, and decor, I'd say it only holds around 30 gallons. I'm sure they'll be fine for now, but it's a matter of how much space all the fishes will take up when fully grown.

I am very confident in my Angels. Tetras are their natural prey. If our Angels don't eat Neons, they should be fine, right? I've read a lot about their aggression being based more on their breed, over luck of the draw. I know Marbles are supposed to be very tame by nature.

Yeah, I've heard CAEs can become somewhat aggressive, and can become quite large. I started tossing in an algae pellet a day. Hopefully it keeps him in check. Fishes that can't coexist in my community tanks either get turned in at my LGS, or fed to the RTC. I have no room for thuggery in my tanks.

 

[DRay]

I took some close ups.