Man of fish
I'm Interested in.... ----|> that
+1 tizer
Size Of Shoals?
- Thread starter toffeenose_uk
- Start date
This Old Spouse
TOTM Winner May 2013
Well said, Tizer (I can't believe I just said that) and I agree completely!
We can only assume, toffeenose, that you joined this forum to find as much information as possible about your fish and aquarium keeping so you can do what's best for your fish while having an enjoyable time doing it. Yay, you! The next step is to take in what these nice people are suggesting. No one can know what makes a fish "happy" any more than we can know what makes you happy, but with the gazillions of hours of knowledge and experience at your disposal here, you might want to listen and not get all snarky when someone lays it on the line about what your fish really need.
One of the first fish I bought when I got my 55g tank was a common pleco. After all, isn't that what every new fishkeeper buys to keep their tanks free of algae and excess poo? Right. Needless to say, he outgrew my tank in a few short months while excreting more poo than I thought was possible for one animal. I was sucking up poo 4 times a day!! So I rehomed him and gave him to a nice couple with a 75g tank full of guppies.
In the year and a half or so that I've been a member of this forum, I've learned more than if I had sat in a classroom all this time. These people are a wealth of information for the most part. There are some who spout off that they seem to know it all, but generally you can figure out who they are and just take what they say with a grain of salt. Nobody is wrong all the time!
We're just trying to help you with your fish.
We can only assume, toffeenose, that you joined this forum to find as much information as possible about your fish and aquarium keeping so you can do what's best for your fish while having an enjoyable time doing it. Yay, you! The next step is to take in what these nice people are suggesting. No one can know what makes a fish "happy" any more than we can know what makes you happy, but with the gazillions of hours of knowledge and experience at your disposal here, you might want to listen and not get all snarky when someone lays it on the line about what your fish really need.
One of the first fish I bought when I got my 55g tank was a common pleco. After all, isn't that what every new fishkeeper buys to keep their tanks free of algae and excess poo? Right. Needless to say, he outgrew my tank in a few short months while excreting more poo than I thought was possible for one animal. I was sucking up poo 4 times a day!! So I rehomed him and gave him to a nice couple with a 75g tank full of guppies.
In the year and a half or so that I've been a member of this forum, I've learned more than if I had sat in a classroom all this time. These people are a wealth of information for the most part. There are some who spout off that they seem to know it all, but generally you can figure out who they are and just take what they say with a grain of salt. Nobody is wrong all the time!
We're just trying to help you with your fish.
Deleted
This Old Spouse
TOTM Winner May 2013
LOL! It's only been just over a year! It just seems like forever ...
Is it diatoms?
It will cause health problems in the long term: bent spines and deformed growth are the most visible ones, the less visible ones are usually increased susceptibility to disease and shorter than usual life span. I recommend you take those back and have a look for more appropriate species, here are some suggestions I put together earlier for 60 cm tanks: aquariumadventure.wordpress.com/species-for-a-60-litre-aquariums/
More like 6 absolute minimum for zebra danios, then 6 absolute minimum for black phantoms, then 6 absolute minimum for cardinals. In practice, this should be more like -4 zebra danios, 10-15 minimum for black phantom tetras, run out of stocking space.
LFS do not keep fish for life in display tanks, just in the same way that pet shops in some countries do not keep pupplies and kittens in small cages for life. These are temporary holding spaces.
No one is humanising fish, but regardless of what anyone says, the fact is that they are animals and as such have some requirements to be healthy.
Go Tizer!
If everyone had the guts to do that, I reckon we wouldn't have anywhere near as many emergency topics on here.
Just to add, when you research danios on the internet, in books, or ask a lfs not one of them will say they need a 4ft, I do agree that they need a 4ft but im just saying, unless we dont tell them, No one ever will.
This Old Spouse
TOTM Winner May 2013
That's why this forum is so good. You're able to utilize years of experience in the real world, not a lab or LFS. We'll tell it like we see it!
I feel that with stocking smaller tanks, the "minimum" size for a school is how many of that fish you can fit in the tank with a "centerpiece" and a school of bottom feeders like cories.
I know how tempting it is to stock a large variety of different fish, but ultimately, the fishes behavior with this method of stocking seems rather fake. Not to mention the tank seems to me to have a very cluttered look to it with many different types of small schooling fish.
In my tank, I slowly upped numbers of my tiger barbs from 4, to 6, to 10. I tell you, the tigers act a lot better, move a lot more, and are much more colorful in the group of 10 than they were in the group of 4 and 6.
Ultimately, I'd probably take the zebra danios back (they should be kept in a tank 4 foot long) and up the numbers on the black phantoms as much as possible, as they'd be more likely to display better colors and natural behavior in the tank your size. Then add in a compatible larger fish, like maybe some dwarf cichlids or a gourami, and some bottom feeders like corydoras.
It seems kinda cookie cutterish, but it looks good, and it works well for the eye and the fish.
I know how tempting it is to stock a large variety of different fish, but ultimately, the fishes behavior with this method of stocking seems rather fake. Not to mention the tank seems to me to have a very cluttered look to it with many different types of small schooling fish.
In my tank, I slowly upped numbers of my tiger barbs from 4, to 6, to 10. I tell you, the tigers act a lot better, move a lot more, and are much more colorful in the group of 10 than they were in the group of 4 and 6.
Ultimately, I'd probably take the zebra danios back (they should be kept in a tank 4 foot long) and up the numbers on the black phantoms as much as possible, as they'd be more likely to display better colors and natural behavior in the tank your size. Then add in a compatible larger fish, like maybe some dwarf cichlids or a gourami, and some bottom feeders like corydoras.
It seems kinda cookie cutterish, but it looks good, and it works well for the eye and the fish.
This Old Spouse
TOTM Winner May 2013
Abyss, there really isn't another fish forum like this, with so many members from all over the world with experience from none to a lifetime's worth. I find it valuable in that way, and glean the best advice by reading carefully and listening. If that doesn't do it for you, then sad to see you go.
onidrase, I agree with you. I now have a "tiger barb tank" with 14 of the greedy little devils, 6 red eye tetras (rescued) and one BN pleco. I love it. Once I get that tank looking better it will be a favorite.
onidrase, I agree with you. I now have a "tiger barb tank" with 14 of the greedy little devils, 6 red eye tetras (rescued) and one BN pleco. I love it. Once I get that tank looking better it will be a favorite.
I'd love to add even more to the ones I have now, but I've also got 5 upside down catfish and a firemouth, I dunno how many more I can fit in a 37 gallon tank
This Old Spouse
TOTM Winner May 2013
Mine are in a 29g.
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