My Choice Of Fish

[Frost]

Hello.

After yesterdays post ive done some more searching and come up with 3 different kinds of fish i'd like to keep together. My tank is 18UK gallons and is fully cycled (fishless method).

Panda Cories - 3/4?
Harlequins - 5+?
Sparkling Gouramies - 4/5?

What do you think?

Are they going to put up with each other or tear each other fin from fin? Also if you have any suggestions about other fish or about the number of fish i should get please tell me, as i really want to hear them!

Thanks a lot!

Frost

 

[OohFeeshy]

That should be fine. No problems compatability wise, plus you can add on a few more of each species (especially the cories).

 

[Frost]

plus you can add on a few more of each species (especially the cories).

Sounds good, do you mean buy 3/4 first and let them settle - then buy some more at a later date? Or do you mean i could get more in the first place?

Are all the numbers for my fish about right? Or should i have more/less of any?

Cheers

 

[OohFeeshy]

good, do you mean buy 3/4 first and let them settle - then buy some more at a later date? Or do you mean i could get more in the first place?

Are all the numbers for my fish about right? Or should i have more/less of any?

Group numbers are fine, more the merrier with them though, and since the cory group is smallest that would be first choice to increase. Since you've cycled fishlessly, you should probably put all the harlequins in first, then a week or two later the gouramis (either all at once or in two lots depending on how many you settle on), then maybe a few more weeks later if everythings stable and such, the cories as they can be a bit sensitive.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

fine, compatibility wise, only put the harlequins in for now though, the panda's and sparkling gourami's are quite sensitive and would do best in a tank over 6 months old.

 

[Yazan]

How is your tank setup (Planted .etc.)?

 

[Jozlyn]

You know I'd add a Bristlenose Catfish too, but only because I absolutely love them. They're really characters!

 

[OohFeeshy]

fine, compatibility wise, only put the harlequins in for now though, the panda's and sparkling gourami's are quite sensitive and would do best in a tank over 6 months old.

Sparkling gouramis aren't overly sensitive providing they're from a decen supplier, it's only really because they're imported so small there can be problems but if they're at a decent size and from a clean tank and have been QT'd properly, there's no trouble.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

fine, compatibility wise, only put the harlequins in for now though, the panda's and sparkling gourami's are quite sensitive and would do best in a tank over 6 months old.

Sparkling gouramis aren't overly sensitive providing they're from a decen supplier, it's only really because they're imported so small there can be problems but if they're at a decent size and from a clean tank and have been QT'd properly, there's no trouble.

fair enough, i've never seen them in shops as anything other than tiny though so how often you'd find them of a decent size is questionable

 

[OohFeeshy]

Well, decent as opposed to the minescule <1cm things I've seen sold before. Mine were almost full grown when I got them, although it might be difficult to find them that big, it's mainly advoiding tanks with dead ones in (well, more than you'd expect in a standard lfs. It's when you see most of them dead and the rest lethargic it's not a good plan to buy.)

 

[Frost]

Just an update.

I went to LFS and I got the Harlequins (6 of them). The bloke who served me wouldn't let me have any more fish - plus i couldnt find any Panda corys or sparkling gouramies.

He'd never heard of doing a fishless cycle by adding ammonia, and he reccommened changing the water and cleaning my filter to start my cycle again with my harlequins, or by buying some "live" bacteria in a bottle which is just like having a "mature tank in 5 minutes". He would have let me buy more fish if i bought some of this "live bacteria" and used it on a fresh setup. He also seemed to think that if i was adding ammonia to the tank i would have too much bacteria in the tank for the small amount of fish i was taking home and that most of the bacteria would die, creating more ammonia from the dead bacteria and i would get a huge ammonia spike that would kill all my fish.

Well after 2 days of having my fish, the water seems to be getting near perfect, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and maybe 10 nitrate....but i havnt done a buckets worth of water change today.

If i went back to the fish store do you think the guy would let me buy more fish, as my harlequins look a bit lonely in this tank, theres a huge amount of space to be filled as my harlequins seem to squash themselves into a small shoal and stay in a corner swimming up and down the glass, looking at their reflections I should guess.

Thanks

Frost

 

[Jozlyn]

Just an update.

I went to LFS and I got the Harlequins (6 of them). The bloke who served me wouldn't let me have any more fish - plus i couldnt find any Panda corys or sparkling gouramies.

He'd never heard of doing a fishless cycle by adding ammonia, and he reccommened changing the water and cleaning my filter to start my cycle again with my harlequins, or by buying some "live" bacteria in a bottle which is just like having a "mature tank in 5 minutes". He would have let me buy more fish if i bought some of this "live bacteria" and used it on a fresh setup. He also seemed to think that if i was adding ammonia to the tank i would have too much bacteria in the tank for the small amount of fish i was taking home and that most of the bacteria would die, creating more ammonia from the dead bacteria and i would get a huge ammonia spike that would kill all my fish.

Well after 2 days of having my fish, the water seems to be getting near perfect, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and maybe 10 nitrate....but i havnt done a buckets worth of water change today.

If i went back to the fish store do you think the guy would let me buy more fish, as my harlequins look a bit lonely in this tank, theres a huge amount of space to be filled as my harlequins seem to squash themselves into a small shoal and stay in a corner swimming up and down the glass, looking at their reflections I should guess.

Thanks

Frost

You know I'd have a go at educating the guy at the LFS, print the info on fishless cycling and give it to him to read. The reason I say this is because I've stopped my LFS from Selling Dwarf Neon Gouramis as their supplier has fish infected with the iridovirus, I printed out all the stuff I could find on the virus and they stopped selling the fish. They also have the Neon Tetra Disease, but I haven't told them about that one yet! I figure I'll give them the info and suggest that they sell cardinals instead. Given that they know next to nothing about fish, I think they'll follow my advice again.

Just an update.

I went to LFS and I got the Harlequins (6 of them). The bloke who served me wouldn't let me have any more fish - plus i couldnt find any Panda corys or sparkling gouramies.

He'd never heard of doing a fishless cycle by adding ammonia, and he reccommened changing the water and cleaning my filter to start my cycle again with my harlequins, or by buying some "live" bacteria in a bottle which is just like having a "mature tank in 5 minutes". He would have let me buy more fish if i bought some of this "live bacteria" and used it on a fresh setup. He also seemed to think that if i was adding ammonia to the tank i would have too much bacteria in the tank for the small amount of fish i was taking home and that most of the bacteria would die, creating more ammonia from the dead bacteria and i would get a huge ammonia spike that would kill all my fish.

Well after 2 days of having my fish, the water seems to be getting near perfect, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and maybe 10 nitrate....but i havnt done a buckets worth of water change today.

If i went back to the fish store do you think the guy would let me buy more fish, as my harlequins look a bit lonely in this tank, theres a huge amount of space to be filled as my harlequins seem to squash themselves into a small shoal and stay in a corner swimming up and down the glass, looking at their reflections I should guess.

Thanks

Frost

You know I'd have a go at educating the guy at the LFS, print the info on fishless cycling and give it to him to read. The reason I say this is because I've stopped my LFS from Selling Dwarf Neon Gouramis as their supplier has fish infected with the iridovirus, I printed out all the stuff I could find on the virus and they stopped selling the fish. They also have the Neon Tetra Disease, but I haven't told them about that one yet! I figure I'll give them the info and suggest that they sell cardinals instead. Given that they know next to nothing about fish, I think they'll follow my advice again.

 

[vinylman]

How strange that he'd only let you buy more fish if you bought a bottle of something completely useless, too. He's obviously not THAT stupid...............

 

[Rillan]

Most people that work at LFS are useless. No offence to anyone that works at fish shops. Most of the ones at the place I go to are kids who are looking for easy money. Theres only one guy there that knows his stuff and I refuse to talk to anyone eles there. Last week one of the morons there had put a siamese fighter in with loads of tetras and he was wondering why they were dying. I couldetn belive it. Even my girlfriend knows that and she got herpennies worth in when we were complaining. The bloke we talk to just laughed and called the kid there a to**er.

 

[01edmn]

actualy i'd like to stop eny stores buying cardinals as ive heard thet they are tkaen out of the wild as they are hard to breed in captivity (big fish farms)