Tank Mates?

[tqfan]

we are in the process of setting up a new 4ft tank, which should be set up in the next 1-2 weeks.

the fish that will be going into this tank, once setup, will be:
1 black ghost knifefish
1 clown loach
4 albino cats
2 mountain minnows
2 serpae tetras
1 silvertip tetra
1 male guppy

well, i assume this is what it will be, the silvertip is an unusually aggressive bugger that is chasing the other tetras, minnows and guppy... did have 2 male guppies, but found the other dead earlier today, and the others are usually hiding...

not sure if getting more silvertips will help, as i did start out with 6 of them, and it did nothing but attack them also. always thought they were peaceful fish, and not to be kept with aggressive fish, but this one is the opposite!

also, we have another 2 clown loaches together in a different tank, which are about a year younger than the one in this tank, and so not sure if put together in the new tank, they will get along?

anyway, my point is, can anyone give any tips on suitable tank mates for these fish listed above?

thanks in advance

 

[Straydum]

minnows and guppies would end up as food for the bkg and when it gets bigger so will the others

 

[Twistersmom]

Clown loaches do best in groups. There may be a few spats at first to establish a pecking order, but they will be much happier in a group setting.

 

[Darkerwhite2]

The clowns do need larger group and i think a large shoal of that and your bkg would be a nice even looking tank. Maybe a top dweller as i know the loaches are a bottom fish but not 100% on the knifefish.

 

[tqfan]

the knifefish rarely comes out during the day, unless we pop in a worm or two for it. it sticks to it's hideaway, usually with the loach for company.

not had a problem with it attacking the other fish, so not sure why this was pointed out. it was said 'when it gets bigger' - i don't expect it to get that much bigger, maybe another inch or 2, so don't know why it would start attacking fish then, when it's clearly big enough to do it now...

i did ask for further suitable tank mates, so can anyone else help?

 

[Attilauk]

Black Ghost Knife Fish will grow to nearly 20" and need a minimum of 75usg (and more importantly a tank over 20" wide so they can turn around properly), i've heard they can be ok with smaller fish if they have grown up in the tank with them but be aware that anything that can fit in their mouth is a potential meal. how big is it now? and how wide is your tank?

as for tank mates, medium sized barbs and tetras would be good, so would Bosemani Rainbowfish

 

[millie1]

my clowns are in a large group and look fab and are really happy

they imo bring my tank to life

my BGKF - is about 5inches or so, friendly/hand feeds and comes out alot - although his fave spot is sat in the plant near the air pump!


so definately have the clowns ina group....

will the minnows be too small though with the other fish you have picked?

 

[ryan200L]

yes, definatley put the loches together and get some more guppies! lol

 

[Athena]

Please bear in mind that clown loaches also grow quite large - over a foot in length - so a 4 foot tank is not really large enough to house a shoal of clown loaches to be honest - at least not in the long term. If you go ahead and put 4 or 5 CL's in that size tank and they all survive to adulthood, you will then have the problem of trying to rehome most of them.

Another thing to check is the depth of your tank (front to back measurement). If this is only the standard 12" then, again, it's not suitable for very large fish as they will have problems turning around once they are fully grown.

Regards - Athena

 

[Darkerwhite2]

Please bear in mind that clown loaches also grow quite large - over a foot in length - so a 4 foot tank is not really large enough to house a shoal of clown loaches to be honest - at least not in the long term. If you go ahead and put 4 or 5 CL's in that size tank and they all survive to adulthood, you will then have the problem of trying to rehome most of them.

Another thing to check is the depth of your tank (front to back measurement). If this is only the standard 12" then, again, it's not suitable for very large fish as they will have problems turning around once they are fully grown.

Regards - Athena

Very good point, i had completely forgotten the size that CL's get.

 

[always4lora]

althought clown loaches are slow growers so could stay in there for a bit giving time to upgrade again

 

[Darkerwhite2]

althought clown loaches are slow growers so could stay in there for a bit giving time to upgrade again

they are but its so easy to forget and let them grow and it be too late and can't find home. I've begun looking for a new home for mine now before he grows to big and his friends passed on... so if your in the Alberta Area pm me

 

[tqfan]

hi, thanks for the replies. think the tank is 15", not 12", will have to double check that.

the knifefish we know how big it can get, same with the loach. are knifefish not slow growers, too, though?

we're moving them into the bigger tank for now, cos it'll be a good while before they start to outgrow that tank, in which time we'll have been able to prepare space, etc, for a bigger tank elsewhere. or even reluctantly finding new homes if we can't upgrade when the time comes. we actually do have someone in mind if we take this route, but like most, we'd prefer to keep our fish!

Ryan, no!! we have another tank full of guppies! we don't want them everywhere!!