New to the forum. Fish ID requested.

[Cydeth]

Good morning to you all.

I made something of a mistake yesterday evening when I bought a lovely fish tank on eBay. It will need some work, but it owes me very little so I'm fine with that.

The issue is that the listing did not describe it as coming with fish included, which is needless to say not ideal and caused me to have to drive home rather carefully with a tank a third full in my boot.

Obviously when I got the tank back the filter refused to work and I didn't have a spare on hand for that size of tank. I did, however, have a quarantine tank running that I was able to quickly transfer the fish to.

I've kept fish on and off for 25 years, but I'm never going to claim to be an authority and my fish ID skills are currently being tested by two of the 4 species of fish that I have inherited. Hence my coming to your forum.

I'm sure I have a group of 4 blue tailed male guppies, I'm also sure I have 1 pretty standard looking platy.

The other two species of fish I'm less confident about but I have some guesses that I'm hoping to have confirmed or corrected.

I have a group of 6 neon yellow fish that to me look like a danio, two of them are fatter with long fins and the rest are more the traditional danio sort of shape. I will attach a picture of each shape below. Are these glo fish danio? They look far more neon in person.

The second fish is a single orange/yellow fish that I suspect to be a Chinese algae eater, but I'm not sure at all.

Thank you in advance for any help offered.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Congratulations on the new tank! How big is it?

The first two are glo danios, which are a genetically colored zebra danio. 6 is a good group size for them, but they need a lot of space as they are very active. The last one is indeed a chinese algae eater. Nasty, evil fish, in my opinion, as they get really mean and quit eating algae once they grow up.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Welcome to the forum! I hope you decide you like it hear and stick around, we really could do with more people here with your kind of experience!

I agree that they're glofish danios, the second one looks like a longfin glofish zebra danio, plus the Chinese algae eater... always gotta be a nightmare fish in an inherited tank, eh?

The weird thing is, glofish are illegal to trade in the UK... an EU ban prevented them from being imported, so how the previous seller got them...?

 

[AbbeysDad]

 

[Cydeth]

Congratulations on the new tank! How big is it?

The first two are glo danios, which are a genetically colored zebra danio. 6 is a good group size for them, but they need a lot of space as they are very active. The last one is indeed a chinese algae eater. Nasty, evil fish, in my opinion, as they get really mean and quit eating algae once they grow up.

Thanks for the help with the identification.

The tank i took was was 150 litres, so a nice manageable size. It also came with a small 50 litre tank that was again not described, so i guess i'll be getting a betta or something to put in there... we can't have empty tanks.

Welcome to the forum! I hope you decide you like it hear and stick around, we really could do with more people here with your kind of experience!

I agree that they're glofish danios, the second one looks like a longfin glofish zebra danio, plus the Chinese algae eater... always gotta be a nightmare fish in an inherited tank, eh?

The weird thing is, glofish are illegal to trade in the UK... an EU ban prevented them from being imported, so how the previous seller got them...?

Thanks for the warm welcome, i'll be sure to take a closer look at the forum when i have a little more time and try to chip in where i feel able.

The algae eater is no longer a problem or a threat to the other fish, i'm currently in the process of introducing it to my grow out tank for my plants. I'm happy to have it living in there by itself with some nerites.

I always thought the glo fish were illegal too, and I've certainly never seen any for sale locally. I did ask the guy i bought the tank from what was in there and all he said was "rare guppies", so either he had no clue what he had or thought there may be an issue telling me. He could of also just been referring to the 4 guppies that were there too, but they look pretty normal to me.

I'll attach an image of the guppies, i don't think they are anything special but i'm sure you guys are more knowledgeable than me on these things as I've not kept guppies for about 20 years now. Please excuse the somewhat tacky decoration i threw in to provide a little temporary cover.

Thank you.

 

[Essjay]

I always thought the glo fish were illegal too, and I've certainly never seen any for sale locally

They are illegal in the UK (and the EU) because they are genetically modified and all gm creatures are not allowed except on a case by case basis. I doubt that decorative fish would ever be approved.

It does make me wonder where the previous owner got them from

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Thanks for the help with the identification.

The tank i took was was 150 litres, so a nice manageable size. It also came with a small 50 litre tank that was again not described, so i guess i'll be getting a betta or something to put in there... we can't have empty tanks.



Thanks for the warm welcome, i'll be sure to take a closer look at the forum when i have a little more time and try to chip in where i feel able.

The algae eater is no longer a problem or a threat to the other fish, i'm currently in the process of introducing it to my grow out tank for my plants. I'm happy to have it living in there by itself with some nerites.

I always thought the glo fish were illegal too, and I've certainly never seen any for sale locally. I did ask the guy i bought the tank from what was in there and all he said was "rare guppies", so either he had no clue what he had or thought there may be an issue telling me. He could of also just been referring to the 4 guppies that were there too, but they look pretty normal to me.

I'll attach an image of the guppies, i don't think they are anything special but i'm sure you guys are more knowledgeable than me on these things as I've not kept guppies for about 20 years now. Please excuse the somewhat tacky decoration i threw in to provide a little temporary cover.



Thank you.

No problem! It really is good to see people with long experience join the forum. Lots of people post daily with problems with their first tanks, often needing guidance about testing and cycling, stocking etc, so you don't need to be an expert to help We have a lot of beginners to the hobby joining in too, which is also good to see. But over the course of 25 years, you'll have valuable personal experience to share.

I also enjoy hearing from people who have been in the hobby for a long time, it can be interesting to hear how the hobby has changed over the last few decades. For me, I'm pretty new to the hobby, only set up my first tank when I'm in my thirties, but my parents were in the aquatics business 40-45 years ago, and my dad in particular is set in his ways, and we've butted heads a few times over things like filtration, water changes, stocking and water testing (I took over maintaining his tank since he's in his 80s now and I'm caring for them.) Back in his day, large water changes weren't done - people thought it would kill the fish or ruin the cycle or something, so he was wary of my new-fangled test kit and 50% water changes @Essjay and I have talked about how things have changed too, she found some very old fish-keeping books with advice that people nowadays would never follow. So it's always nice to hear bits and pieces from people who've been in the hobby through many of those changes.

One not so fun change though is guppies - long thought of as excellent, hardy beginner fish, they're a lot weaker and more prone to illness and disease than before They've been so poorly bred and mass produced, that they're a lot weaker. At my local fish store the other day, usually very good - saw their new shipment of mutt guppies arrive, and it was like a display case of every disease in one tank. I saw dropsy, a deformed spine, white spot, fungal infections, fin rot, and what looked like potentially columnaris... and that's not even starting on the worms they likely all had... Very glad that he quarantines and doesn't put them straight in a shared filtration system!

I like your guppies, look just like the ones I started off with;

Which I've always seen called 'half-black blue guppies'. Pretty common, if I'm ID'ing them right. Luckily, we have a livebearer expert here, @emeraldking will be able to tell you for sure whether you have a rarity on your hands.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Ooohh, sorry to spam you, but forgot to say - nice that you have a perfect home for the algae eater! I think they're kinda cute And if he can live out his days in a nice planted tank without other fish to terrorise, he's landed on his feet!

 

[Cydeth]

They are illegal in the UK (and the EU) because they are genetically modified and all gm creatures are not allowed except on a case by case basis. I doubt that decorative fish would ever be approved.

It does make me wonder where the previous owner got them from

They are certainly not a fish I would be drawn to if I was walking around a shop, but I have to admit they have been catching my eye when I've passed them in my fish room. I suppose that was the point of the genetic modification, draw the youngsters to them and potentially start a new generation of fish keepers. As for the legality of these, they have found their final home and I have no intention of breeding or selling them. I haven't looked closely enough to try and sex them yet actually.

They are active little things, so I'm not altogether upset that I have them.

No problem! It really is good to see people with long experience join the forum. Lots of people post daily with problems with their first tanks, often needing guidance about testing and cycling, stocking etc, so you don't need to be an expert to help We have a lot of beginners to the hobby joining in too, which is also good to see. But over the course of 25 years, you'll have valuable personal experience to share.

I also enjoy hearing from people who have been in the hobby for a long time, it can be interesting to hear how the hobby has changed over the last few decades. For me, I'm pretty new to the hobby, only set up my first tank when I'm in my thirties, but my parents were in the aquatics business 40-45 years ago, and my dad in particular is set in his ways, and we've butted heads a few times over things like filtration, water changes, stocking and water testing (I took over maintaining his tank since he's in his 80s now and I'm caring for them.) Back in his day, large water changes weren't done - people thought it would kill the fish or ruin the cycle or something, so he was wary of my new-fangled test kit and 50% water changes @Essjay and I have talked about how things have changed too, she found some very old fish-keeping books with advice that people nowadays would never follow. So it's always nice to hear bits and pieces from people who've been in the hobby through many of those changes.

One not so fun change though is guppies - long thought of as excellent, hardy beginner fish, they're a lot weaker and more prone to illness and disease than before They've been so poorly bred and mass produced, that they're a lot weaker. At my local fish store the other day, usually very good - saw their new shipment of mutt guppies arrive, and it was like a display case of every disease in one tank. I saw dropsy, a deformed spine, white spot, fungal infections, fin rot, and what looked like potentially columnaris... and that's not even starting on the worms they likely all had... Very glad that he quarantines and doesn't put them straight in a shared filtration system!

I like your guppies, look just like the ones I started off with;

Which I've always seen called 'half-black blue guppies'. Pretty common, if I'm ID'ing them right. Luckily, we have a livebearer expert here, @emeraldking will be able to tell you for sure whether you have a rarity on your hands.

I started fish keeping when I was 12, I'm 37 right now. Everything I ever bought with regards to my setup, fish and plants was all done with my pocket money or whatever I could scrape together from a paper round and odd jobs for neighbours and family. I spent more than I care to recall on piles of books and pretty much any research material i could find, but even then I made plenty of mistakes that I am sure would still be common right now. The first mistake was believing the guy in the fish shop that told me to run my filter for a week before I put fish in. He then sold me a dozen tetras a week later that didn't last very long at all. I would think we have all been there though.

Things have certainly changed since I started out, particularly the availability of plants and the advancement of filters and filter start fluids. I actually still have my first tank up and running in my bedroom, although it isn't running with the under gravel filter it came with and it certainly has more plants than it ever did... and of course the snails that were almost always present on live plants back then are nowhere to be seen. Just a pair of horned nerites now. I may as well throw a current picture of that tank in this post, it's about 90 litres.

I haven't been close to the aquarium trade for a long time now so I haven't really seen the type of shipment that you speak of, but I can fully believe it. I worked weekends for a family owned shop when I was about 18 and even then some of the shipments were shocking. The guy that ran the place was pretty knowledgeable but he often used the injured fish in his shipments to feed his larger stock, which of course runs the risk of them catching anything the feeder fish had. He was in his 60's back then and pretty set in his ways as your father seems to be.

My guppies are certainly attractive, but a dime a dozen I'm sure.

Ooohh, sorry to spam you, but forgot to say - nice that you have a perfect home for the algae eater! I think they're kinda cute And if he can live out his days in a nice planted tank without other fish to terrorise, he's landed on his feet!

I really had to move it over, it was already making aggressive movements towards the other fish and being rather territorial about a piece of fake coral with a cave in it. It was very cute sitting with its head poking out but I think it will be better off in my plant tank. There is very little algae in there, if any, but the fish demolished a stick on tablet that I tried it with so I think it will be ok.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

They are certainly not a fish I would be drawn to if I was walking around a shop, but I have to admit they have been catching my eye when I've passed them in my fish room. I suppose that was the point of the genetic modification, draw the youngsters to them and potentially start a new generation of fish keepers. As for the legality of these, they have found their final home and I have no intention of breeding or selling them. I haven't looked closely enough to try and sex them yet actually.

They are active little things, so I'm not altogether upset that I have them.


I started fish keeping when I was 12, I'm 37 right now. Everything I ever bought with regards to my setup, fish and plants was all done with my pocket money or whatever I could scrape together from a paper round and odd jobs for neighbours and family. I spent more than I care to recall on piles of books and pretty much any research material i could find, but even then I made plenty of mistakes that I am sure would still be common right now. The first mistake was believing the guy in the fish shop that told me to run my filter for a week before I put fish in. He then sold me a dozen tetras a week later that didn't last very long at all. I would think we have all been there though.

Things have certainly changed since I started out, particularly the availability of plants and the advancement of filters and filter start fluids. I actually still have my first tank up and running in my bedroom, although it isn't running with the under gravel filter it came with and it certainly has more plants than it ever did... and of course the snails that were almost always present on live plants back then are nowhere to be seen. Just a pair of horned nerites now. I may as well throw a current picture of that tank in this post, it's about 90 litres.

I haven't been close to the aquarium trade for a long time now so I haven't really seen the type of shipment that you speak of, but I can fully believe it. I worked weekends for a family owned shop when I was about 18 and even then some of the shipments were shocking. The guy that ran the place was pretty knowledgeable but he often used the injured fish in his shipments to feed his larger stock, which of course runs the risk of them catching anything the feeder fish had. He was in his 60's back then and pretty set in his ways as your father seems to be.

My guppies are certainly attractive, but a dime a dozen I'm sure.



I really had to move it over, it was already making aggressive movements towards the other fish and being rather territorial about a piece of fake coral with a cave in it. It was very cute sitting with its head poking out but I think it will be better off in my plant tank. There is very little algae in there, if any, but the fish demolished a stick on tablet that I tried it with so I think it will be ok.

Ha! We're the same age! Wait, tell a lie, I turned 38 in January. Oh man, I feel 40 looming...


Your tank looks amazing! I hope you found a cosy spot to place the coral cave thing for the Chinese algae eater though

I spot otos! One of my favourites

Are you using CO2 on that tank in the photo? The sessiliflora is thriving! I'm gonna have to pick your brain about that. Mine looked fantastic for five months or so, but the last couple of months isn't growing so well, and looks more thin and weedy than before. I have some of the siamensis 53b as well, but again, not looking as fantastic as yours! Mine has developed all these holes through it, mostly the older leaves. Get all holey, then drop off;

I'm a bit gutted about my sessiliflora. This is how it looked early November;

And how it looks now;

Not sure what's going on with either plant really, ferts haven't changed, water source hasn't changed (unless the water company has made any changes). Not running CO2. I did have a population boom of Malaysian trumpet snails though - I wondered whether they might be eating the plant and causing the holes, but why only the siamensis? So ruling that out as unlikely, since no other plants are getting holes like that. I have no idea how to narrow down which nutrient it might need, and don't want to buy loads of different extra ferts when it would only be trial and error.

Any tips for the sessiliflora to try to get it to bush out and thicken up like yours? When it gets very long I lop the tops off and replant, but there are a lot of skinny and bare stems mixed in there now. Maybe not enough light with the vallis and frogbit covering the surface too much?

 

[Cydeth]

Ha! We're the same age! Wait, tell a lie, I turned 38 in January. Oh man, I feel 40 looming...


Your tank looks amazing! I hope you found a cosy spot to place the coral cave thing for the Chinese algae eater though

I spot otos! One of my favourites
View attachment 133454


Are you using CO2 on that tank in the photo? The sessiliflora is thriving! I'm gonna have to pick your brain about that. Mine looked fantastic for five months or so, but the last couple of months isn't growing so well, and looks more thin and weedy than before. I have some of the siamensis 53b as well, but again, not looking as fantastic as yours! Mine has developed all these holes through it, mostly the older leaves. Get all holey, then drop off;
View attachment 133451



I'm a bit gutted about my sessiliflora. This is how it looked early November;

View attachment 133453

And how it looks now;
View attachment 133452

Not sure what's going on with either plant really, ferts haven't changed, water source hasn't changed (unless the water company has made any changes). Not running CO2. I did have a population boom of Malaysian trumpet snails though - I wondered whether they might be eating the plant and causing the holes, but why only the siamensis? So ruling that out as unlikely, since no other plants are getting holes like that. I have no idea how to narrow down which nutrient it might need, and don't want to buy loads of different extra ferts when it would only be trial and error.

Any tips for the sessiliflora to try to get it to bush out and thicken up like yours? When it gets very long I lop the tops off and replant, but there are a lot of skinny and bare stems mixed in there now. Maybe not enough light with the vallis and frogbit covering the surface too much?

I love the otocinclus as well, I've got them in most of my tanks actually. They do really well in all but one of them, and incidentally that is also the tank where the sessilflora isn't doing as well.

I don't run C02 in any of my tanks and I don't really dose with ferts either, aside from a root tab on each end of my tank every few months, never liquid ferts. The tank I showed you is currently running at 26 degrees with a PH of about 7.4 and pretty much everything I throw in there thrives, in fact the sessiliflora is becoming a bit of a nuisance as it is spreading all across the back wall of the tank without me having to replant. I think it had been in that tank for 2 years at the point the photo was taken.

I have it as a background plant in 4 tanks, but it isn't really happy in my Betta sorority tank, and the only reason I can think of for that is that there is a lower light level. It grows tall really quickly but it is rather leggy and narrow. Strangely enough the Limnophila Aromatica I have in that tank is the exact opposite, it's bushy and healthy although growing at a slower rate.

I normally put a floating ring on the surface of my tanks to allow the light through but still allow areas of shade if the fish want it. I would be loathed to do that on your tank though, I really like the darker look of it, it's a great looking tank.

And for the sake of continued photo sharing, here's one of my male Betta making a bubble nest under a couple of floating lily leaves.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I love the otocinclus as well, I've got them in most of my tanks actually. They do really well in all but one of them, and incidentally that is also the tank where the sessilflora isn't doing as well.

I don't run C02 in any of my tanks and I don't really dose with ferts either, aside from a root tab on each end of my tank every few months, never liquid ferts. The tank I showed you is currently running at 26 degrees with a PH of about 7.4 and pretty much everything I throw in there thrives, in fact the sessiliflora is becoming a bit of a nuisance as it is spreading all across the back wall of the tank without me having to replant. I think it had been in that tank for 2 years at the point the photo was taken.

I have it as a background plant in 4 tanks, but it isn't really happy in my Betta sorority tank, and the only reason I can think of for that is that there is a lower light level. It grows tall really quickly but it is rather leggy and narrow. Strangely enough the Limnophila Aromatica I have in that tank is the exact opposite, it's bushy and healthy although growing at a slower rate.

I normally put a floating ring on the surface of my tanks to allow the light through but still allow areas of shade if the fish want it. I would be loathed to do that on your tank though, I really like the darker look of it, it's a great looking tank.

And for the sake of continued photo sharing, here's one of my male Betta making a bubble nest under a couple of floating lily leaves.

Pretty betta!

Aaww, thank you This tank is a constant work in progress, but then, they all are really aren't they, always changing and evolving just from maturing and changing plant growth. This is my favourite of my four though, just because of the plants, and because it has shrimp too. My first tank had gravel, and being new, I just ordered a random plant mix, added them wherever, and hoped for the best. Loved it, but this is my second tank and I while not carefully scaped, I had a slightly better idea of what I wanted, and the plants did so well at first. Will be making a lot of changes though since I'm going to be re-vamping the tanks since I have to tear down and move the largest one, so need to move all the others - and the amazon sword needs to come out of this one; it's outgrown the tank much faster than I thought it would.

Hhhmm, come to think of it, since the sword is right next to the sessiliflora, wonder whether that's hogging all the nutrients as well as blocking out the light. Hadn't thought of that before. Will be interesting to see if the sessiliflora improves when the sword comes out.

Haven't seen Limnophila aromatica before, but now I need to get some! It has purple leaves! So thank you for the tip

How do you make the floating rings? I would find them really helpful in a couple of my tanks, just to make feeding the fish easier when the frogbit and water lettuce get to be too thick, it can be a pain, and I worry about them reducing surface disturbance too much at times.

What other fish do you keep at the moment? You said you have a fish room? That's awesome! Would love to see more photos if you're able to share!

Just for the sake of sharing more pics, here's a couple of my bronze cory fry

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Welcome to the forum!

You have a beautiful tank!

They are illegal in the UK (and the EU) because they are genetically modified and all gm creatures are not allowed except on a case by case basis. I doubt that decorative fish would ever be approved.

It does make me wonder where the previous owner got them from

Interesting, I never knew they were illegal in the UK. That does make me wonder where the previous owner got it... ?

 

[Cydeth]

Pretty betta!

Aaww, thank you This tank is a constant work in progress, but then, they all are really aren't they, always changing and evolving just from maturing and changing plant growth. This is my favourite of my four though, just because of the plants, and because it has shrimp too. My first tank had gravel, and being new, I just ordered a random plant mix, added them wherever, and hoped for the best. Loved it, but this is my second tank and I while not carefully scaped, I had a slightly better idea of what I wanted, and the plants did so well at first. Will be making a lot of changes though since I'm going to be re-vamping the tanks since I have to tear down and move the largest one, so need to move all the others - and the amazon sword needs to come out of this one; it's outgrown the tank much faster than I thought it would.

Hhhmm, come to think of it, since the sword is right next to the sessiliflora, wonder whether that's hogging all the nutrients as well as blocking out the light. Hadn't thought of that before. Will be interesting to see if the sessiliflora improves when the sword comes out.

Haven't seen Limnophila aromatica before, but now I need to get some! It has purple leaves! So thank you for the tip

How do you make the floating rings? I would find them really helpful in a couple of my tanks, just to make feeding the fish easier when the frogbit and water lettuce get to be too thick, it can be a pain, and I worry about them reducing surface disturbance too much at times.

What other fish do you keep at the moment? You said you have a fish room? That's awesome! Would love to see more photos if you're able to share!

Just for the sake of sharing more pics, here's a couple of my bronze cory fry

Those cory fry are really cute, but I would never of been able to identify them if you hadn't told me what they were.

I absolutely agree that the tanks are continually evolving, I'm always adding little extras and trying to fill gaps that maybe could fit just one more small plant, cave or rock. I have two 90 - 100 litre tanks in my bedroom and the newest one is particularly subject to change right now, in fact I just added in some Ranunculus Inundatus because I thought it was attractive. There was also some Micranthemum Monte Carlo that I wasn't feeling so I replaced most of that with some Bacopa Monnieri.

If you do get some Limnophila Aromatica you will soon find out why it got its name, it smells like lemon when you rub it between your fingers.

The floating rings are really simple, you just need a length of airline. Stretch open one end of it and jam the other end into it, then when the stretched end contracts again it will grip tight enough to hold together. I find that in my tanks that is generally the place that I see most algae now, so my otocinclus and nerites are often found sweeping them clean.

I currently have two tanks in my bedroom that are mostly filled with easier fish, so black neons in one of them, a group of otocinclus in each tank, amano shrimp and a nice group of ember tetras. I also have 6 albino corydoras in with the embers and I find that the entire population of the tank adore the Nymphaea Rubra I have in there, I very often find my otocinclus hanging out on top with the corys resting under the leaves. In fact the picture I just took will show that quite well, so I will attach it here.

As for my other fish, I've got various barbs, gourami, loaches and tetras. I have moved away from larger fish and tanks in favour of smaller fish that are unlikely to rip out my plants. A decision that allowed me fit in more tanks that I found to be more visually appealing than the bare bottomed ones that I was running for some of the larger fish.

Welcome to the forum!

You have a beautiful tank!



Interesting, I never knew they were illegal in the UK. That does make me wonder where the previous owner got it... ?

Thank you for the welcome and the comment on my tank.

Here is my messy tank that's about to get a good vacuuming, and I probably should wipe down that glass.

 

[emeraldking]

Thanks for the help with the identification.

The tank i took was was 150 litres, so a nice manageable size. It also came with a small 50 litre tank that was again not described, so i guess i'll be getting a betta or something to put in there... we can't have empty tanks.



Thanks for the warm welcome, i'll be sure to take a closer look at the forum when i have a little more time and try to chip in where i feel able.

The algae eater is no longer a problem or a threat to the other fish, i'm currently in the process of introducing it to my grow out tank for my plants. I'm happy to have it living in there by itself with some nerites.

I always thought the glo fish were illegal too, and I've certainly never seen any for sale locally. I did ask the guy i bought the tank from what was in there and all he said was "rare guppies", so either he had no clue what he had or thought there may be an issue telling me. He could of also just been referring to the 4 guppies that were there too, but they look pretty normal to me.

I'll attach an image of the guppies, i don't think they are anything special but i'm sure you guys are more knowledgeable than me on these things as I've not kept guppies for about 20 years now. Please excuse the somewhat tacky decoration i threw in to provide a little temporary cover.



Thank you.

Your guppy male is a HB (tuxedo) blue delta guppy .

Ha! We're the same age! Wait, tell a lie, I turned 38 in January. Oh man, I feel 40 looming...

Nothing to worry about turning 40... I'm over 50... ?