what fish do you suggest?

[GraemeK]

Hello!

well its been a while and the tanks be active with mainly plants a few alage eaters and shrimps. i want to start adding some fish this weekend once i do some water tests. if i was to purchase some cardinals how many is best to start off with? inmy size tank which is heavily planted up and very mature will all 20 go in at once?

i'm also thinking about angels? will angels be ok with smaller fish like cardinals?

thank you!!!!!!!

G

 

[david27]

Angels will eat smaller tetras so not recomended, rams would be great choice in a well planted amazoznian style tank and perhaps some corys. cory sterbai though a bit more expensive have a bit of extra colour.
Whatever you choose let us know an perhaps post a picture of the tank.

All the best

David

 

[CFC]

I wouldnt add 20 fish in one hit to any tank, thats a hell of a shock to a filter system! I would add just 10 cardinals then keep a eye on the water parameters for a week and if all is well then add the other 10.
Cardinals should grow too large for angelfish to eat (they usually go for neon and glowlight sized tetras) but cardinals usually arive in fish stores very small, if the angels were very small too (size of a 50p piece) then it would be ok but if the are larger it would be best to wait a while until the cardinals have grown a little.

 

[GraemeK]

hi!

thanks for the advice...

i'll stick to just 10 cardinals this week then! they have a deal on where you can buy 20 for a bit cheaper.....maybe i'll ask if i can collect another 10 next week

cheers,

G

 

[Alien Anna]

a couple of siamese algea eaters will keep the algea down

...I thought the SAE's have a tendency to get aggressive as they get older?

They are more "assertive" than aggressive - a lot of the stuff you read about SAEs is due to the confusion with Flying Foxes and other similar species (most of whom are more aggressive than SAEs).

The only problem really is that they are schooling fish and grow quite large (5", albeit long and thin) so you need a minimum of 3 IMHO.

The other Major problem is that sucking loach (aka "Chinese Algae Eater"). It will grow big (11") and very vicious and severely limit your choice of fish in that tank. A CAE would be incompatible with SAEs or practically any other bottom feeders.

 

[Alien Anna]

Angels will eat smaller tetras so not recomended, rams would be great choice in a well planted amazoznian style tank and perhaps some corys. cory sterbai though a bit more expensive have a bit of extra colour.
Whatever you choose let us know an perhaps post a picture of the tank.

All the best

David

A bigger problem is that sucking loaches (CAEs) are nightmares with flat bodied fish and will probably kill them in no time.

 

[GraemeK]

i've only got some mini flying fox's of dwaft alage eaters! they dont make a huge impression on the tank so their there just for a contrast.

i still got that black hair alage but i'm keeping it under control now.

i got the tank so heavily planted that i guess it hasnt enough nutrition to grow

G

 

[Alien Anna]

i've only got some mini flying fox's of dwaft alage eaters! they dont make a huge impression on the tank so their there just for a contrast.

What's a "mini flying fox" or "dwarf algae eater"? I thought you said you had sucking loaches?

It makes a huge difference what species you're talking about here. Could you perhaps post a photograph or at least give us a better description?

Here's a picture of a Chinese Algae Eater or "sucking loach". This is the standard form but there's a gold morph as well:

If its one of them, you've got a problem. Notable features include a sucker mouth. They eat algae as juveniles but as they get older they get more aggressive and will start attacking the slime coats of their tank mates (especially wide bodied fish like gouramis and angelfish). They are completely intolerant of their own kind. They can grow to a foot long.

The only truly dwarf species of algae eater I know is the dwarf Otocinclus catfish. It is generally a shy fish and it is a schooling fish so you should have a minimum of 6 (although small tanks can get away with 3 or 4).

 

[GraemeK]

yup thats it...

dwarf Otocinclus catfish

i couldnt get cardinals today so went for 6 ruby nose tetras, 6 of these small pinky/red barbs which i'm told are peaceful and two dwaft rainbow fish? their small with blue eyes and yellow edged fins.

i will take pics asap

G

 

[Alien Anna]

Now that we know you've got some ottos (breathes sigh of relief) you ought to get a school of them (6-8 ). You'll probably see more of them if you have a proper school anyway.

I suspect the tetras you've got are rummy-nosed tetras, as they are quite common. They are rather "tank canaries" so I do hope your tank is properly cycled and you have reasonably low nitrate levels (don't let it get over 25ppm or you'll start losing tetras). You'll need to do regular partial water changes. There are however three seperate species of rummy-nosed tetra so if you want to buy some more to increase your school, do double-check you're getting the same species. Here's an article on The Three Rummy-nosed Tetras.

I don't know what species of barb you've got but rosy barbs can be problematic, although much more peaceful than tiger barbs. Do be careful about what other species you buy as barbs an be fin-nippers (a problem with fish like angelfish, gouramis etc). It can also be a problem getting the sex balance right - a lot of species won't tolerate more than one male to several females. It's generally a bad idea to buy fish on impulse for this reason, particularly when you aren't sure of compatibility.

Dwarf rainbow fish are very attractive but again, you'll need to make up the school. It's not good to keep schooling fish in pairs.

Some pics would be useful as we can then help you work out compatibility and what to do for your next step.

 

[GraemeK]

cheers!

well the dwarf rainbow fish were quite expensive and i didnt wanna go way over the allocated stocking level for this time. when i go back next week i'll try to get some more if i can. their quite pretty.

as for the rummy-nosed tetras their cool but i paid for 6 and can only see 5 i didnt count before hand so the fish shop may have miss counted

also the barbs seem to be hinding! i bought 6 and can only see 2! my tank has so many plants its hard to see anything unless their in the main swimming area.

pics coming soon

G

 

[joshua]

how to tell difference between otos and other algae eaters?

 

[GraemeK]

Otocinclus are small and shy...

they dart away when i move near the tank!

i havent actually seen an CAE so hard to say. i guess looking a pis helps!

i'm going to buy 10 cradinals this sat. the fish i bought last sat seem to be fine! i'll do a water change tomorrow nite to make sure everything is ok and do some water tests before sat when i go to buy this fish....sound ok?

G

 

[platypus]

Hi Graeme,

Definitely do a water test before you get any more - I got some rummy nose tetras when my tank was quite new and hadn't cycled yet and I lost almost all of them a few weeks in . They are really sensitive to poor water conditions so be careful and hopefully you will see yours through it!

 

[GraemeK]

will do

the tanks been up and running with a few fish and fully planted since april! i just hadnt the time to spend and therefore didnt want to introduce fish.

the fish appear fine at the moment. hopefully the water will be fine.

i guess having plenty of live plants really helps to keep the water in better condition?

G