Large Empty Tank And Thinking Of Oscars.....

[mattlee]

i actually bought 1 more yesterday so i now have 7. these are awesome fish but i really like them in with my cardinals in my planted tank it really does look great. they are the best shoaling fish ive had even better than most tetras and would give rummynoses a run for their money. ive been looking at dithers just in case i need a few to bring the best out of the bigger fish but if i need them i want them to be as small as i can get away with really so they dont take the greatness away from the cichlids etc.
my first thought on this tank was to plant it out and get a big group of denisonii barbs with lots of colourfull tetras but as its in the garage it wouldnt be seen by many people so i decided to just go for this 'wetpet' kind of set up or a 'me' tank.
if i do need dithers or decide the tank would be better with them then would a speies of rainbows work? or maybe congo tetras? i really like silverdollars but due to their max size i feel the tank would look over full when all the fish get to the potential sizes....

 

[Verminator89]

If you were thinking of a shoal of rainbows i think you have 3 options.

Red Rainbow (Glossolepis Incisus) 6"
Boesemani Rainbow (Melanotaenia Boesemani) 5"
Banded Rainbow (Melanotaenia Trisfasciata) 4-6"


There may be more, there the three that stick out to me.

 

[Davo86]

How about using something like blue botias or even clown loach as dithers or maybe even a group of 4 Hoplo catfish? giving you plenty of activity across the bottom and then your centrepiece fish further up the tank

 

[stevereade]

Fully planted.

 

[Verminator89]

Have you concidered something like Flying Foxes, or even true SAE's? Not only are they quite 'big' (sort of), they do shoal (sort of), they are active (very) and also they will eat algae. Atleast the true SAE's would.

A shoal of Tee Barbs perhaps? They get to about 6-7" i believe.

 

[mattlee]

How about using something like blue botias or even clown loach as dithers or maybe even a group of 4 Hoplo catfish? giving you plenty of activity across the bottom and then your centrepiece fish further up the tank

i think ive got the bottom covered with the sun cats and plecos.

Have you concidered something like Flying Foxes, or even true SAE's? Not only are they quite 'big' (sort of), they do shoal (sort of), they are active (very) and also they will eat algae. Atleast the true SAE's would.

A shoal of Tee Barbs perhaps? They get to about 6-7" i believe.

i actually have a 4.5 inch true SAE that will be going in the tank as i no longer want him in my other tank. but whenever ive had more than 1 in a tank they just harrassed each other to a point that it did my head in.....

 

[Verminator89]

I currently have 4 in a Rio 180 and they chase each other a little, but more often than not they swim around the tank together. I can see them all in the tank right now, 2 are swimming around a chunk of wood with the other 2 resting on thin branchy bits. I think there is an element of luck in it also, i used to have 2 false SAE's and they harrassed each other like you wouldnt believe. However, my current bunch are one big group

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

A group of 10 or so Yellowtail Congo Tetra (Alestopetersius caudalis) could make a great dither group, as they are regarded as being quite hardy and "plucky" for their size (more so than Congo Tetras). My school of eleven were determied to call the spot behind the bogwood "home" when it was in the Rio240, despite the dominant Opsarius trying to claim that patch for himself. Being laterally compressed and reaching ~7cm SL, they will not impact too much on the tank bioload.

Quite a few shops are showing these less common tetras in stock according to www.tropicalfishfinder.co.uk , so you might find some reasonably local to you.

 

[mattlee]

A group of 10 or so Yellowtail Congo Tetra (Alestopetersius caudalis) could make a great dither group, as they are regarded as being quite hardy and "plucky" for their size (more so than Congo Tetras). My school of eleven were determied to call the spot behind the bogwood "home" when it was in the Rio240, despite the dominant Opsarius trying to claim that patch for himself. Being laterally compressed and reaching ~7cm SL, they will not impact too much on the tank bioload.

Quite a few shops are showing these less common tetras in stock according to www.tropicalfishfinder.co.uk , so you might find some reasonably local to you.

thanks mate ill bare them in mind if i decide to go for dithers

 

[Wills]

+1 for the yellow tails, would fit really nice with the comm thats coming together from all over the world

 

[hamfist]

....and im currently searching for the L114.

There have been a load of these in one of my LFS for ages. THey are very nervous and hide all the time. Have you experienced them at all ? Maybe the ones in my LFS are not typical.

 

[mattlee]

....and im currently searching for the L114.

There have been a load of these in one of my LFS for ages. THey are very nervous and hide all the time. Have you experienced them at all ? Maybe the ones in my LFS are not typical.

no ive had no experience with this pleco. simonas recomended then as he used to keep 1. as soon as i saw it i loved its colouration etc. he didnt say that his always hid away.... maybe the ones at your lfs have become nervous since being there.... ill look into it though as i dont want fish that hide just out of curiosity how big and how much are they at the lfs?

 

[Flagtail]

How about some giant danios?

 

[mattlee]

How about some giant danios?

ill be thinking of dithers if i need them at a later date. but danios arent really my thing tbh...

 

[hamfist]

just out of curiosity how big and how much are they at the lfs?

THe L114 at my LFS are about 5" and about 30-40 quid each I think