Something missing

[wrs]

key wholes and rams are cichlids. they are both territorial. They also claim the bottem like the corries do.
Also the keywhole would eat the neon as when it got to big they would fit into his mouth most likely.

Also, you shouldnt keep any danios in anything les han a regular 20 gallon long.

Another idea:
10 neon tetras
2 BOLIVIAN Rams ( pair )
5 Corriedoras catfish, stay with a smaller kind like Pandans or Pygmys.


Alsdo, you should get some nice live plants. Try maybe some mornswort and anacharis. Red Ludwiga is alos nice, but should have a Co2 system.

 

[Fishy411]

key wholes and rams are cichlids. they are both territorial. They also claim the bottem like the corries do.
Also the keywhole would eat the neon as when it got to big they would fit into his mouth most likely.

Also, you shouldnt keep any danios in anything les han a regular 20 gallon long.

Another idea:
10 neon tetras
2 BOLIVIAN Rams ( pair )
5 Corriedoras catfish, stay with a smaller kind like Pandans or Pygmys.


Alsdo, you should get some nice live plants. Try maybe some mornswort and anacharis. Red Ludwiga is alos nice, but should have a Co2 system.

if yur gonna get bolivian rams you should just skip rams altogether. I just got two and am very dissapointed. They have no personality and spend their time hovering near the bottom in the back of the tank

 

[wrs]

key wholes and rams are cichlids. they are both territorial. They also claim the bottem like the corries do.
Also the keywhole would eat the neon as when it got to big they would fit into his mouth most likely.

Also, you shouldnt keep any danios in anything les han a regular 20 gallon long.

Another idea:
10 neon tetras
2 BOLIVIAN Rams ( pair )
5 Corriedoras catfish, stay with a smaller kind like Pandans or Pygmys.


Alsdo, you should get some nice live plants. Try maybe some mornswort and anacharis. Red Ludwiga is alos nice, but should have a Co2 system.

if yur gonna get bolivian rams you should just skip rams altogether. I just got two and am very dissapointed. They have no personality and spend their time hovering near the bottom in the back of the tank

well obviously you forgot that they need to get accustomed to your tank. They are stressed out and need to get to know their new home.

I would still go with the bolivian rams. the others are too weak and die alot.

 

[Ben]

wrs - keyholes would never eat a neon, i have a breeding pair in a 25 gal with 13 other neons and they havent touched one for nearly a year now, and they dont bother cories and cories dont bother them,do you keep keyholes?experienced with them? and remember not all cichlids are territorial,only when breeding,

Fishy411 - you're oviously not doing something right because my Bolivians are active and theyre very cheecky sneeking up and spooking my cories
EDIT:spelling )
EDIT(2)just saw this)

.... the others are too weak and die alot

thats not true,if you keep them in the conditions they require they wont die unless a serious disease breaks out in your tank or they get too old
DD

 

[wrs]

i reas on a key whole site that they will eat the neons if they are to small or when they get bigger.

all cichlids are territorial. Just because they are peaceful doesnt mean they arent.

also, rams are quite weak. Alot of peoples are very week. All mine have died for no reason at all, and the water was perfect!

 

[Ben]

i reas on a key whole site that they will eat the neons if they are to small or when they get bigger.

all cichlids are territorial. Just because they are peaceful doesnt mean they arent.

also, rams are quite weak. Alot of peoples are very week. All mine have died for no reason at all, and the water was perfect!

i have a neon the size of the finger nailon your pinky finger and it hasnt goten eaten,at all,

once again,not all cichlids are teerritorial,rams/apistos/dwarf acaras and other NW dwarf cichlids will only,and i mean only get aggresive when breeding,ive been keeping them and breeding them for 2 years now.

your water might have been perfect,but was it perfect for the rams?right temp.?eact PH levels?did you introduce them properly?

DD

 

[Fishy411]

wrs - keyholes would never eat a neon, i have a breeding pair in a 25 gal with 13 other neons and they havent touched one for nearly a year now, and they dont bother cories and cories dont bother them,do you keep keyholes?experienced with them? and remember not all cichlids are territorial,only when breeding,

Fishy411 - you're oviously not doing something right because my Bolivians are active and theyre very cheecky sneeking up and spooking my cories
EDIT:spelling )
EDIT(2)just saw this)

.... the others are too weak and die alot

thats not true,if you keep them in the conditions they require they wont die unless a serious disease breaks out in your tank or they get too old
DD

What could be wrong? They are in a 10 gallon tank with 3 cories. I will move them to the 55 when they grow a little because they are way to small to be in that tank. the 10 has been set up for almost a year and has o nitrite, 0 ammonia and i dont have a nitrate tester but it cant be too high because my tetras are fine.

 

[Ben]

is the PH to their liking?the temp.?as i said before.they will be happiest when their needs are met.

DD

 

[Fishy411]

temp is around 78-80, Too high? also i guess i need to get a PH tester. Would a ph strip meant for a hot tub be ok to test with?

 

[Ben]

they like a temp of around 75-76F.
its better to use a aquarium tester to be safe
DD

 

[sylvia]

Can I just say that being territorial and being aggressive are 2 totaly different things - keyholes ARE territorial. But that does not make them aggressive. They have an area they call their own like most other cichlids - including rams - but aren't particularly aggressive when it comes to defending that area until it's breeding time. The keyholes I have kept have been quite shy towards other cichlids. As for them eating neons, mine have eaten small fish so I wouldn't immediately disregard the chances of this happening with fully grown keyholes.

Also, you can't use sand right from a beach because it'll raise pH and the height of the tank would not affect the life of a betta (just 2 things mentioned earlier).

As for bolivian rams being hardier, this is true. They also do not require acidic water (which is important for breeding with german blue rams) and do perfectly in pretty much any pH within reason. They are also slightly more aggressive.

If you want to go for cichlids, remember that they preffer the lower levels and that this also applies to catfish like cories and that a 20H offers a lot less floor space than a 20L. Because of this, you shouldn't attempt to keep as much.

I'd get a pair of rams (I preffer bolivians but it's up to you realy), 5 pygmy cories (which preffer the middle layers and are small schooling fish), 1 pearl gourami OR 1 banded gourami (colisa fasciata) OR 1 thick-lipped gourami (colisa labiosa) OR a trio of honey gouramies (colisa chuna/sota - get a male and 2 females). All these gouramies preffer the upper layers. You could then also add a small pleco like a bristlenose or rubbernose plec or get a school of some small peaceful tetra or rasbora - I'd either go for 5 harlequins or 5 black phantoms but you could go for some neons or rummynoses or someting like that if you preffer. Don't get anything that grows to over 2" and don't get any nippy barbs or active danios. I don't think a keyhole should be put in a 20H unless it's going to be the only cichlid in the tank. The only reason being that they get to about 4" and a pair should be given their space. Not due to aggression; it's because they deserve to have room to swim without running into another fish's territory. That would also apply to rams and things but they are at least smaller.

 

[metfan581]

key wholes and rams are cichlids. they are both territorial. They also claim the bottem like the corries do.
Also the keywhole would eat the neon as when it got to big they would fit into his mouth most likely.

Also, you shouldnt keep any danios in anything les han a regular 20 gallon long.

Another idea:
10 neon tetras
2 BOLIVIAN Rams ( pair )
5 Corriedoras catfish, stay with a smaller kind like Pandans or Pygmys.


Alsdo, you should get some nice live plants. Try maybe some mornswort and anacharis. Red Ludwiga is alos nice, but should have a Co2 system.

if yur gonna get bolivian rams you should just skip rams altogether. I just got two and am very dissapointed. They have no personality and spend their time hovering near the bottom in the back of the tank

the reason this is a community tank is because i want rams

 

[metfan581]

This is what I would like to have :
neon tetras
zebra dainos
Rams(what are the differences between them?)
tiger barbs
Cories
how many of each should i get
how should i set up the tank
what should i add

 

[sylvia]

Forget the danios as we've all already pointed out that they require a long tank.

Tiger barbs are also a bad idea because, if you realy want rams, they can be intimidated by overly-active and nippy fish. Plus tiger barbs get to 3" and are realy active so providing them with an adequately sized school to reduce aggression (7 fish) leaves you with no space for any other inhabitants.

You could then get:

2 rams (a pair)
4 cories
7 neons

I think we've already been through the differences between the various species/types of ram:

There are two main species - the bolivian ram and the german blue ram.

German blue rams are less aggressive, can be fragile and are known for their bright colors. They tend to preffer soft water (as do neons BTW) but this isn't necessary though better if you intend to breed them. However, don't play around with your water's pH or hardness, this can do more harm than good. The only reason I'm mentioning these pprefferences is so that you can choose your ram based on the parameters of the water from your tap. There is also a color morph called the 'gold' ram and a variety called a 'balloon' ram.

Bolivian rams are somewhat more aggressive and, IME, more active, they are hardier too but aren't quite as colorful as german blues. They do fine in any parameter within reason but I have found that they do best in slightly alkaline water.

All these fish require a cycled (fishless) tank to thrive. A planted tank is best and sand is appreciated by cories. Obviously, good filtration is essential and all these fish are tropical so require heated water.

If you are going to get a hardy species of cory like bronze or peppered, I'd put these in first. If you are going with bolivian rams but not getting hardy cories, add those first. The tank MUST be cycled first, however, no matter which fish you add, as they will die otherwise.

 

[Fishy411]

is the PH to their liking?the temp.?as i said before.they will be happiest when their needs are met.

DD

sorry to hijack.


DD- i turned the tem p down to like 74-75 and already they are showing more color