My sons new 6ft aquarium. Thoughts?

[JuiceBox52]

The guy from a reputable fish keeper took a list of my fish and said fish eat fish. Just make sure that they can't fit in each others mouth.

He quoted it's a gamble on any fish you put together. A bit like human beings, stick a few humans in a room together and it only takes one to cause upset.

Unfortunately many of us here have learned this the hard way, from the experience of listening to pet store workers. Don't. It never ends well.

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

The guy from a reputable fish keeper took a list of my fish and said fish eat fish. Just make sure that they can't fit in each others mouth.

He quoted it's a gamble on any fish you put together. A bit like human beings, stick a few humans in a room together and it only takes one to cause upset.

Yes, the "gamble" thing is true, but that doesn't mean you should put any old fish together and wait for sh** to hit the fan. There are fish that are more volatile or aggressive than others, and doing proper research minimises the risk you take.

Really, the way it's described in gambling terms is pretty disgusting. Fish are living creatures and shouldn't be treated like they're part of a poker game.

 

[JuiceBox52]

So what do I do now?

Wait until some other members can reply take a deep breath and know that it's ok for now, and soon I would recommend to rehome some fish, and choose which one is your favorite, and choose the new stocking based on compatibility to that one

 

[itiwhetu]

Interesting tank

 

[Wills]

Hi welcome to the forum Great to hear you are enjoying it and you have some stunning fish in there! That Dat is stunning!

Unfortunately as people have said above there are problems here, the ones that stand out are the Datanoid, the Leporinus and the Discus. The Dat is going to get 18-24 inches + and is really predatory so things like the Swordtails and Tetras are at a huge risk of being a snack in the near future, the Gourami potentially too. The Leporinus will likely start getting aggressive and being such a big fish (potential for 12 inches+) could do damage, especially to the Angels.

The Discus concerns me a bit too as they look quite skinny, Discus often need specialist set ups otherwise they just dont thrive in mixed set ups. They need super clean water, high temperatures and soft water where as most community tanks with messy fish.

There are cichlids in there like the Electric Blue Acara and Angelfish but I'm not too worried about them at this stage - only thing to mention is the tank does not look that tall and the Angels should really be kept in a minimum depth of 18 inches (preferably 24) due to the height they get.

Do you have a list of all the fish in your tank? This might be a better way of doing it than working it out from pictures?

As mentioned above too, the advice you were given about it being like humans in a room is not realistic, if you want to think of it in terms of animals you've got a Tiger (the Dat) a butterfly (the Discus) and a load of sheep (the tetras and swordtails) together. If you plan out your tank you can make sure you get the right mix in advance.

Wills

 

[Andyhaigh85]

I have in the tank;

3 large catfish not sure of there scientific names.
4 guramos 4 inch.
1 discuss 70mm
4 angel fish 90mm
1 amarillo louisinna
2 parrot fish
1 banded leporinus
1 severum
1 golden nugget pleco
1 shark tale
1 nicaraguan cichlid
1 Jack dempsey
1 siamese tiger

 

[itiwhetu]

I have in the tank;

3 large catfish not sure of there scientific names.
4 guramos 4 inch.
1 discuss 70mm
4 angel fish 90mm
1 amarillo louisinna
2 parrot fish
1 banded leporinus
1 severum
1 golden nugget pleco
1 shark tale
1 nicaraguan cichlid
1 Jack dempsey
1 siamese tiger

At least with that combination there will always be plenty of action.

 

[foxgirl158]

I have in the tank;

3 large catfish not sure of there scientific names.
4 guramos 4 inch.
1 discuss 70mm
4 angel fish 90mm
1 amarillo louisinna
2 parrot fish
1 banded leporinus
1 severum
1 golden nugget pleco
1 shark tale
1 nicaraguan cichlid
1 Jack dempsey
1 siamese tiger

Where are the swordtails?

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

I have in the tank;

3 large catfish not sure of there scientific names.

Catfish in the photo looks like it's probably in the genus synodontis. Assuming it's a featherfin/synodontis squeaker, they generally grow pretty big, up to 12" but don't tend to grow that large unless in a very big tank. Can be pretty aggressive towards smaller fish, snails, e.c.t. but not known for being dreadfully rowdy.

 

[Andyhaigh85]

At least with that combination there will always be plenty of action.

The feeling of lost and disappointed starts looming over me. I've not seen any aggression so not sure of the next steps now?

 

[Andyhaigh85]

Where are the swordtails?

Sorry 1 of those left as I said the siamese tiger took care of those.

 

[foxgirl158]

Sorry 1 of those left as I said the siamese tiger took care of those.

Starting off with, I would take the remaining swordtail out immediately so he doesn’t get eaten as well. Put him in a clean bucket with tank water until you figure out if you’re keeping him or rehoming him. If he’s in the bucket for more than 12 hours, do a little water change with new water from the tank.

 

[Andyhaigh85]

Still what do I do now to move forward?

 

[Andyhaigh85]

Starting off with, I would take the remaining swordtail out immediately so he doesn’t get eaten as well. Put him in a clean bucket with tank water until you figure out if you’re keeping him or rehoming him. If he’s in the bucket for more than 12 hours, do a little water change with new water from the tank.

Ok doing that now. Then what?

 

[foxgirl158]

Ok doing that now. Then what?

I’m not quite sure. Others may be able to tell you more about what to do with your bigger fish, I just knew that the swordtail would be a target. Good luck!