What Fish ??

[Sheeps]

Hi,

I am new to keeping fish. I recently got given a 4ft tropical tank with two gouramis, two angels, a blue acara, a pepper cory and a plec. What types of fish are safe to go into a tank with these? I have been given lots of information by the 'experts' in town, but the advice seems to contradict in more ways than one .

Is there anyone that could help me?

Thank You.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Hello,

Don't worry about the different info thing, it happens to most of us.

First things first, quickfire round:

- How long has your tank been set-up?
- Is it cycled?
- What kind are your gouramis?
- What kind is your plec?

Now then, I reckon you are going to want some more corys as they are schooling fish that like to be kept in groups of 3+. I think those fish are good community fish so you should have a good choice of what you can put in with them, although dunno about the gouramis, depends what kind I think. Also, many people would not put neons with angels as they are their natural food but I know of many people keeping them both happily. What size are your angels?

Sorry for the questions, hth.

 

[G_Sharky]

You could choose from various species of tetras, just stay away from the small ones like the neons as Ms. Cheesy mention it would be a snack to your angels

 

[Sheeps]

Thank You both for replying

The tank has been set up for a little over four months now, with the tank having a slight water change every week and the gravel cleaned every month. I was told to do this by the people who had the tank previous, and it seems to have worked so far.

The the gouramis are a blue / three spot and a pearl (i think - it is an orange colour with fainter orange / white patches throught out his body) and they seem to chase each other round the tank alot

The two angels are around four inches long from nose to tail. When we got them, they were slightly larger than a thumb nail and i was amazed at how quickly they have grown.

The plec is a Hypostomus Plecostomus, and i have been told he has reached his full growth. He doesnt bother the other fish but is excessively fond of chichlid sticks.

I have another fish that i forgot to mention, some type of nocturnal catfish. I have no idea what type he is, but he is a dark redish brown colour with black spots across his body. I was also told he had a spine in his dorsal fin if that is any help

Thanx again for the help

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Thank You both for replying

The tank has been set up for a little over four months now, with the tank having a slight water change every week and the gravel cleaned every month. I was told to do this by the people who had the tank previous, and it seems to have worked so far.

The the gouramis are a blue / three spot and a pearl (i think - it is an orange colour with fainter orange / white patches throught out his body) and they seem to chase each other round the tank alot

The two angels are around four inches long from nose to tail. When we got them, they were slightly larger than a thumb nail and i was amazed at how quickly they have grown.

The plec is a Hypostomus Plecostomus, and i have been told he has reached his full growth. He doesnt bother the other fish but is excessively fond of chichlid sticks.

I have another fish that i forgot to mention, some type of nocturnal catfish. I have no idea what type he is, but he is a dark redish brown colour with black spots across his body. I was also told he had a spine in his dorsal fin if that is any help

Thanx again for the help

What size is he? It's common for them to get to 12"+.

I am not sure about the nature of those gouramis as I have different ones. I think you have to find out what the nocturnal catfish is as there are some that can't be kept with small fish as they will eat them as they sleep

Spotted/striped talking (raphael) and pictus are examples of these. Try looking here - http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/com_index.htm

I think you have quite a few options with regards to fish as you have only a few in now and the tank must be quite big. Is it 4ft x 1ft x 1ft?

 

[FanOFish]

Sheeps, sounds like you have a pretty good amount of fish already but I would say add a couple more pepper cories for sure and then perhaps a few tetras that are large enough not to become angel fish food; if you don't mind spending the money, congo tetras are large and beautiful.

 

[Sheeps]

Hi,

sorry it has taken me so long to reply, but i have been trying to find out what type of nocturnal catfish i have. Turns out he is a Thai Woodcutter.

The Plec is just short of a foot long. I have been told that he is too big for the tank and was given the advice of either hitting him over the head to kill him or throwing him in the garden and leaving him to die. Not an Option!!

The tank is 4ft x 1ft x 1ft, but i am trying to find a larger one for a reasonable price.

What do you think?

Thanks again

 

[pendragon]

Sad to agree with you, but you're pleco is definitely miserable in there. You need to get a bigger tank (much bigger) or find him a loving home with someone who has the room for him, if possible. If he's the generic Hypostomus Plecostomus, he could get bigger still. They can be monsters. I don't know that even a 55 Gallon tank is big enough for a fish that large, but I've never had one that big; maybe someone here can offer their advice on minimum tank size from experience. A 12-inch pleco needs a BIG tank.

I've never heard of a Thai Woodcutter, and I can't find any info on the web relating to that name. Knowing nothing about it though, I'd have to agree with Cheese and say you should probably assume it can (and will) sneak up on smaller fish at night and eat them. I would stay away from very small fish (like neons). Medium-sized tetras are probably a good choice, as long as the catfish isn't large enough to swallow them.

Having said that, though, depending on the size of your other fish (based on what you're saying about the pleco I would guess more of these fish may be full-grown already), you may not have as much room bioload-wise to add a lot more fish as you'd like, though you should certainly have some. Consider the size and space requirements of the fish you have when you decide how many more to add. A four cubic foot tank (4 x 1 x 1) is 29 Gallons, so use that as your basis to begin determining how much "fish" you can accomodate. Using the old guideline "inch per gallon" rule, just the pleco and two four-inch angels use up 20 gallons (though in reality they likely need a bit more). Your gouramis and catfish probably take up the rest easily. It's going to be difficult to put much of anything else in there safely until you move the pleco out.

Good luck!

pendragon!