Which fish where?!

[Dibbledabble]

Hi, I'm fairly new to the hobby - I've had small tanks before etc but I've taken on a load of fish from someone that was moving and couldn't take with.

To be honest, I don't think it's a great mix of fish. I'm trying to consider what's best for all of them and have split the best I can but I've read so many different opinions I'm now completely confused. I'm thinking I may have to find homes for some of them although I am looking at bigger tanks as its really giving the fish keeping bug!

There were more fish but I found someone that could take some of the others. All this was in a 90 litre tank

So - who's best where do think? Should any more be moved on or if I get the 200l tank I'm looking at would that be sufficient (I want to keep the 55litre if I do)? And do any actually need a friend? I've read so many conflicting reports on gourami for example that I'm totally confused

I've got currently :55litre tank with 1 gold gourami, 3 corys and 6 guppies
And 120 litre tank with 4 gold barbs, 2 mollies, 1 raphael catfish, 1 three spot gourami and a red tail - I know red tails need big tanks hence pricing up larger aquarium.

I've got filters which are bigger than needed in each as well as air stones with hide holes and loads of plants. So far (few weeks in) everyone is getting along fine. I want to make changes to the set up but I'm giving them time to settle first.

Thoughts?

 

[IHaveADogToo]

So kind of you to take on your friend's fish!

Are the guppies all one gender? If not, expect babies... lots and lots of babies.

3 corys is better than 1 or 2, but they really need to be in groups of at least 5 or 6.

Glad to hear you're looking at bigger tanks for the red tail.

You're absolutely right, the person you got these from was dangerously overstocked.

 

[Dibbledabble]

He was more a friend of a friend - and a bit of a prat tbh

Is a 55litre big enough for 5 corys? With the others?
We split the gups into 2 groups so hopefully got them all right and no more will appear...

I am a sucker for anything that needs a home - but I like to do it right.

All advice much appreciated

 

[Colin_T]

Depending on the sex of the gold and blue gourami, if they are male and female you could move the gold in with the blue and in the 120 litre tank. Then leave everything else as is. The red tail shark is fine in a 3 foot tank and so are 2 blue or gold gouramis, gold barbs and mollies. If the Raphael is less than 6 inches it will be fine there too. If its bigger than 6 inches then it will need a bigger tank when you can get one.

Post a picture of the gouramis and we will tell you what sex they are.

Leave the guppies together in the 55 litre tank.

 

[IHaveADogToo]

If you move the gold gourami to the 120 liter like Colin suggests, that will free up the space in the 55 liter for you to bring the corys up to shoaling numbers. But that tank will be full with the guppies and a shoal of corys.

If you've got the bug for a bigger tank for the red tail and the raphael, I say do it. Do you *need* to do it? meh... you might be fine for now. But you know you *want* to, I can tell from your post, and you might need a bigger tank later for the raphael anyway.

 

[Dibbledabble]

Yes - a 200l isn't going to be much more work than a 120l right?!

Gold gourami is male and blue is female so that's sorted and then I'll get couple more corys (which is great as love corys).

The raphael is striped and about 2.5 inches at the moment. The red tail is about 4 inches - although the chap said he'd had him about 6 years?

My uncle was heavily into fish keeping (sadly no longer with us) and I remember his red tail was enormous and lived for about 15 years. He did have a 6 foot tank though - I haven't got room for that!

This is great thank you. One more question sorry. The filter in the 120 tank seems a very fast flow. The barbs love it but the gold gourami (who's still in the 55 at mo) seems to prefer more sedate - I've got a spray bar in that one. Is it best to keep the strong flow but was thinking would put in a big rock or something to make a calmer bit? There are the shelters but the shark has one and the raphael the other - there is a third (coconut shell) and plants but the blue gourami doesn't seem bothered and goes all over

Thanks so much for help!

 

[Colin_T]

Are you sure about the sexes of the blue and gold gouramis?

If the filter outlet is too strong you can (depending on the type of filter) move the outlet hose/ spraybar so it faces down or into a rock or wherever. Gouramis are surface dwellers that naturally occur in calm water so you don't want too much current in the top half of the tank.

Red-tail Black Sharks only grow to 5-6 inches maximum, usually 4-5inches.

------------------------
Big tank, small tank, they are all the same to maintain. Use a bigger gravel cleaner and bigger diameter syphon hose for bigger tanks. You still do the water changes just as often (about once a week), and gravel clean each time you do the water change.

You can make a big gravel cleaner using a 2litre plastic fizzy drink bottle (like a 2 ltr Coke bottle). Cut the bottom off the bottle. Get a length of plastic hose from the hardware and make sure it fits snuggly over the top of the bottle (where the lid normally goes). Run the length of plastic hose out the door and onto the lawn, then use the plastic drink bottle as the gravel cleaner.

You can also move the current power filters into/ onto the new bigger tank so it is cycled and then add another filter further down the track.

 

[Dibbledabble]

Fab thanks. Yes the gold has long pointed dorsal fin and the blue is short and rounded.

I've put sand in the bottom (on both) with gravel patches but I've got a gravel vacuum. It's a bit of a fiddle but Im getting the hang of it.

I swear my uncle's red tail was more like 8 inches, maybe because I was younger it looked bigger

Just had a look at the outlet and it doesn't move - and it didn't come with a spray bar. It was with the previous owner's 90 tank but it's an 800lf so will do up to 150l.

Ive tried to find spares online but can't - can I make a spray bar? I'm not exactly handy so not sure how easy to do. The filter looks new but didn't have any attachments.

I've moved it down so it's not disturbing the surface for now

 

[Colin_T]

Go to a hardware and buy 1/2 meter of 10-12mm diameter pvc pipe and an end cap. Drill some 2-3mm holes in the pipe and stick it on the outlet of the filter.
The more holes you drill the less pressure the water will have when spraying out. The bigger the holes in the pipe, the less pressure it will have.

You might need a pvc adapter from the hardware to make a snug connection to the outlet. This is simply a piece of pvc pipe that is smaller on one side and bigger on the other side. You might not need this is you can find pvc pipe that fits onto or into the outlet hose.

You can also use black poly pipe (irrigation pipe) and do the same thing.

And if you want to get really fancy, run the pvc pipe down to the substrate instead of along the top, and have the jets of water spraying along the back of the aquarium at different heights in the water.

And if you want to get really really fancy, you can make a wave maker and have some of the water pumped into that and it creates waves in the tank and the fish get washed one way, then back. But you can't have too many waves per minute otherwise the tank starts swaying left to right

 

[Ch4rlie]

Just a quick question.

The red tail you speak of, is it a red tail black shark- epalzeorhynchos bicolour?

https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/epalzeorhynchos-bicolor/

Or is it a red tail catfish - Phractocephalus hemioliopterus?

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/phractocephalus-hemioliopterus/

The two species are hugely different and require vastly different sized tanks, a 3 to 6 foot is fine for red tail sharks but the red tail catfish basically needs a big pond or a 10,000 litre tank.....

Hope it’s the red tail shark we speak of here. Just want to be sure is all.

 

[Dibbledabble]

Definitely red tail black shark I've really not got room for a pond so glad not the other!

Thanks Colin, I'll have a go with making the spray bar - think the wave machine might be a bit beyond me yet!

Have moved the gold gourami and they seem happy together

Thanks so much for all the advice!

 

[Colin_T]

Thanks so much for all the advice!

That's what we're here for. Now, time for your bill...

 

[Dibbledabble]

Ummm cheque's in the post

 

[Colin_T]

lol