My Stock List

[agusf]

so, heres my story:
I tried to fishless cycle tank and went to store one day
they told me tank was ready so i bought 7 hardy fish:
4 zebra danios and 3 bronze cory
got home and was told i was now in a fishin cycle
got frustrated, whatev. id my reasearch, know what to do.
here's what i plan to have in my tankstock list)
4 neon blue dwarf gouramis
3 otos
10 cardinal tetras
and 1 species of cichlid: (still not sure which)
either kribensis, german blue ram or angel fish
any other fish suggestions?
suggestions on which cichlid?

more info coming later
agus

 

[kiriyama]

Bolivian Ram ?

 

[agusf]

more info:
my tap water and aquarium water ph is around 8, so is the ph of all the lfs near where i live.
i have a 150 liter tank with 1 piece of bogwood , heater, 200 liter internal filter, *hiding*
rock, small *hiding pots* eheim auto-feeder, 3 live plants and 1 fake. 15 kilos worth of gravel.
im using tetra min and tetra pleco to feed current fish (with eheim feeder)and have an air pump.

hope this info helps
agus

 

[ZoddyZod]

4 neon blue dwarf gouramis - you'd probably need 3 females and 1 male. If you had all males (who have the best colouration) then they will most likely fight, probably to the death
3 otos
10 cardinal tetras fine if you have softwater, but lifespan will decrease if kept in hard water
and 1 species of cichlid: (still not sure which)
either kribensis, german blue ram notoriously difficult to keep, need pristine water and low pH (under 7) or angel fish what size is your tank, and what height is the water column? Angels fins get long and they need a tank with suitable height
any other fish suggestions?
suggestions on which cichlid? if you like the German Blue Ram, what about it's slightly less coloured relative, the Bolivian Ram? They may look a bit drab in the LFS but in the right conditions they colour up nicely....alos have a lot of 'personality'

more info coming later
agus

more info:
my tap water and aquarium water ph is around 8, so is the ph of all the lfs near where i live.
agus

in that case, I would not go for the German Rams or the cardinals.

 

[agusf]

bolivian ram is a great idea!! did not know it existed.
but what about the dwarf gouramis? could i keep just 2 , 1 male and 1 female?
and whats wrong with cardinal tetras?
any opinions on the otos?
agus
p.s. my tank is about 30/40 cm tall, about 1 foot

 

[ZoddyZod]

but what about the dwarf gouramis? could i keep just 2 , 1 male and 1 female?you'd probably end up with the female being harrassed by the male all the time, that's why it's better to keep more females then males. I'd say keep one male. I had one in my 125L and he looked magnificant
and whats wrong with cardinal tetras? Cardinals do not like high pH/hard water, so your tank water isn't really suitable for them. If you can get some locally tankl bred neons, they would be an obvious alternative
any opinions on the otos? dont know much about them
agus
p.s. my tank is about 30/40 cm tall, about 1 foot if the tank is only 1 foot tall then it's not really suitable for angels. They really need a MINIMUM of 15 inches of water.

 

[agusf]

what about the ballon ram\angle ram? it says the species
is hardy and easy to take care of

agus

 

[ZoddyZod]

what about the ballon ram\angle ram? it says the species
is hardy and easy to take care of

agus

hmmmm, I think they are similar in sensitivity as the German Blue, but maybe someone has a different opinion?

 

[agusf]

well the page on it at this forum nsays its hardy and i have read so on other
internet pages , but then againthe scientific name is almost the same , even
though the differences inbetween the german blue ram and balloon ram are obvious


agus

 

[ZoddyZod]

well the page on it at this forum nsays its hardy and i have read so on other
internet pages , but then againthe scientific name is almost the same, even
though the differences inbetween the german blue ram and balloon ram are obvious
agus

I THINK that they are two morphs of the same fish but I could be completely wrong. Try asking the question in the New World Cichlids forum, those guys should know.

However I restate my opinion that if you like those fish then Bolivians are a great alternative.

 

[OldMan47]

Your question about why not cardinals is easy. Cardinals will not prosper in water with your high pH. Water that is consistently high in pH across an entire region means water that is high in minerals. It is entirely possible to have a freak high pH from a single well that is simply not reflecting mineral content but is reflecting an absence of CO2 or some similar factor but not across a large area that would include several LFS. A quick search here and also using fishbase tells me that of the rams being discussed, only the Bolivian might be suitable for your water conditions and even those would prefer a lower pH. The dwarf gouramis are in fact suitable in your water and are very adaptable. The caution with gouramis in general is that males can become quite territorial. Otocinclus are delightful in a mature tank with lots of algae. They are very hard to feed using artificial foods, they simply don't eat the food. Kribensis are another fish that does fine if you are careful about not getting too many of one sex. They can be very territorial when breeding, even when it comes to fish other than kribs.
Stocking observation - Do not try to add any fish during your fish-in cycle. It will just add to the water change work involved.