tinfoils and clown knife?

[jacblades]

i j ust got 4 albino tinfoils for my new 55. (right now they are around 3 inches or so)
i am eyeing some leporinus fasciatus but need a bit more info before getting them. do they school or would it be ok to just get 2? the ones at work right now that i am eyeing are about 5 inches right now. are there any plants i could have that they wouldnt massacre?

now i know in the future i will need a massively larger tank so dont waste your post telling me how i will eventually need to upgrade...i will be delighted to get a 2 or 3 hundred gallon in the future ...but not right now in my apartmet.

i really dont want that many fish in the tank (as i tend to be an "understocker" if there is such a term) but if i need to have a school of l.f. s, i will do that and wont add any more fish.

i have also been eyeing some albino rainbow sharks (about 4 inches right now)
or
i was considering a bichir (most likely senegal since thats the only kind i can find)
or maybe some sort of eel, peacock, tiretrack...whatever. i assume a kuhli would be too small for the tank

woohoo-ive been here for a year and a day!

 

[The-Wolf]

Hi Jacs
glad you are aware of tank sizes needed, so I won't go there

ok now to the fish in question;
From what I've just read up about them, I can see a few problems mainly that as they get older they have a habbit of eating all other occupants in the tank, be they bigger or smaller than they are.
I found this on a place I can't link you to (TFF rule 4)
Initially they are a small and somewhat timid fish, but as they grow their dispostion changes dramaticly. They are voracious eaters, and this includes any of their tankmates who has the misfortune of not being able to defend itself. In under a year, our two leps ate an elephant nose, a plecostomas, an albino catfish, a clown knike, 2 apple snails, and an astonishing amount of goldfish meant for their bigger tankmates. I had to remove the larger one because he started picking on a pleco that was at least 3 times bigger than he was. The remaining one seems a little calmer now, but for how long......? While they are interesting to watch, their aggresiveness needs to be weighed heavily before adding them to an existing aquarium

another problem, maybe, is that they need a failry soft water, so peat filtration is recomended.

I hope that you make the correct choice for you and if you do get some, post pics!

 

[jacblades]

ok scratch those guys.
thanks wolf.

perhaps one day i will have a tank just for them

hmmm...i guess my next choice is albino rainbow sharks. theres a pair at work that keep showing off for each other

what about a bichir? id love to find an albino and then have an all albino tank ive seen a few on aquabid.

would the 4 barbs, 2 rainbow sharks and a sengal bichir be an ok combination (for right now)
what would be an appropriate size of the fish to upgrade? when the barbs get 6 inches?

 

[freddyk]

6-7" sounds a good size to upgrade, but you'll also be able to judge the water quality and at some point (you'll know when) water volume will really help you out.

If you feed the tinfoils a diet of roughage with the meaty foods as a supplement it will help them grow at a slower and more natural pace while giving you more time before the inevitable upgrade. A good veggie flake (HBH is as good as I've seen) makes a great staple for this and many fresh veggies, like peas, will work. This will help mimic their diet in the wild. In the long term the slower growth tend to lead to a longer potential life span and a more streamlined and less top heavy shape. A lot of the reputation for their rapid growth is the result of a less then ideal makup of meaty foods as the sole diet. Don't get me wrong of course, these guys will grow quick enough anyway.

 

[jacblades]

we got some royal clown knives in today that were labeled as regular clowns. they are about 4 inches right now.

since i plan on eventually having a huge tank (and if i got a knife, it would validate me getting a giant tank even more!) i see no problems size-wise.

would just the 4 barbs and a knife do ok or would the knife eat/bully them when he gets bigger?

mods-please move this to the oddball section if need be.

thanks so much
+jac+