A new home for F8 Puffers? Maybe..

Kanoria

Kanoria

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#1
Dec 26, 2009
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I currently have a fairly typical community tank set up.

75 gallon freshwater tank.

6 Platies (they're like rabbits)
5 Swordtails
4 Neon Tetras
1 Dwarf Honey Gourami
1 Gold Barb
1 Featherfin Catfish
1 Common Pleco

I've lost a ton of interest in the current fish selection.. mostly the platies and swordtails. I'm willing and probably will get rid of them all.

If possible I'd like to keep my Featherfin "Squeaker" Catfish (at least 5") and Dwarf Honey Gourami (1") with some F8 puffers.

Squeakers can be semi-aggressive, but mostly with my pleco.

I'm going to be switching out my pleco for a smaller one, since this one has grown to 5-6 inches he is very aggressive. :(



Any recommendations?

I'd absolutely love to get a little community of puffers.
If I can't get many together, what other cute fish might you recommend?

I have no issues with FW or BW..
SW would be insanely expensive.. otherwise I'd so go for Mandarin Gobies.

Thanks for reading!!



*UPDATE*

Well, instead of F8's.. I used www.aqadvisor.com to see if I could figure out the best combination of fish and I came up with this..

20 Dwarf Puffers
1 Clown Pleco
1 Featherfin Catfish
1 Dwarf Gourami


Warning: At least 3 x Featherfin Catfish are recommended in a group.
Note: Clown Pleco needs driftwood. (I have that in my cabinet)

Recommended temperature range: 77 - 77 F.
Recommended pH range: 7 - 7.8.
Recommended hardness range: 10 - 15 dH.


our aquarium filtration capacity is satisfactory.

Your aquarium filtration capacity for above selected species is 107%.
Recommended water change schedule: 47% per week. (You might want to split this water change schedule to two separate 27% per week)
Your aquarium stocking level is 83%
 

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misterking

misterking

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Aug 12, 2008
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I'm not an expert on puffers, but I do know your gourami is likely to suffer with them, they can be fairly boisterous and often nip at other fish. I've read that most puffers should be kept in a species-only tank, but I'm pretty sure there's a puffer expert on here somewhere who might be able to clarify.. not seem them online in a while!
 

Kanoria

Kanoria

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Dec 26, 2009
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Hope one of 'em pops up!

There are really only 3 fish I'd love to keep..

Squeakers (Featherfin Catfish)


Honey (Dwarf Honey Gourami)


Manny (Gold Barb)


Pardon the tank's current setup.. it's going through a cleaning and remodel. :3
 

Kanoria

Kanoria

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Dec 26, 2009
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He looks to be around 6+ inches. I've had him for about 3 years now :)

He was an accidental shipment to petco.
I picked him up the second I saw him, no hesitation.

Cutest thing ever and loaded with character!
 

Kanoria

Kanoria

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Dec 26, 2009
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Love him to death! Best addition to my tank.

I guess I'm just going to go ahead and rid myself of all my fish but those three and try out some dwarf puffers or something. @_@
 

paperdog9

paperdog9

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Dec 11, 2009
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Yeah, looks like it. I would start with only like one or two puffers and see how they react, but be ready to remove some fish from the tank if things get out of hand. I love cat fish too. I caught a little yellow bullhead who is about one inch long, and put her im my five gallon. I'm going to release her next year because she is a little troublemaker and I feel sorry for her with such little space :( . I had to make a DIY tank divider to seperate her from my sunset platy, because she took off part of the platys fin. Check out the website in my signature, it has pictures and stuff!! :) :D :) :D
 

Doomhed

Doomhed

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Feb 11, 2003
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If I were in your situation I would get rid of the gourami too, he is gonna bully the puffers, and they will bully him en-masse back. puffers might actually get themselves killed by nibbling the barbels of your catfish, most likely killing him in the process when they puff up. Puffers, while adorable, aren't even remotely in the realm of "bright". They make platies look like rocket scientists.

If I were you I would totally get some parrot fish or something else colorful and active. a few green terrors or a Buttikoferi.
 

misterking

misterking

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Aug 12, 2008
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As I've said, puffers shouldn't really be kept with anything other than their own species, and that's if they're one of the less aggressive species. It just sounds like an experiment waiting to go wrong, if you want puffers you'd need to get rid of everything else in the tank. I'd set up a smaller, single-species tanks for dwarves of f8s if I were you, and get something else colourful with personality for the 75 as Doomhed suggested.
 

Kanoria

Kanoria

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Dec 26, 2009
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Mmm.. maybe. I'd worry about my squeakers with cichlids though. He's pretty peaceful. Only aggressive when someone tries to pwn him.

I'd hope to get a lot of colorful or semi colorful either semi-aggressive or peaceful in my 75g. That wouldn't bug my kitty fish much.

Having 2-4 9"-10" would make me wonder what drugs I was on lol. Its a huge tank and it would seem empty to me.

I do like the green terror and buttikoferi cichlids though. Very pretty. :p

Yeah I can agree about the puffers with squeakers. I'm up for suggestions for my 75g. I do have another tank I could do puffers in. But I think I'll just save it as a breeder/hospital tank and just wait on the puffers. :3


*Update*

I did some research and found some "peaceful" cichlids.. what do you guys think about these?:

Angel Ram -Microgeophagus ramirezi (Absolutly GOREGOUS!)
http://www.youtube.com/v/BYxFcoSjkXI&hl=en_US

Blue-Eye Cichlid - Archocentrus spilurus
http://www.youtube.com/v/8E0aJp3Mcv0&hl=en_US

Checkerboard Cichlid - Dicrossus filamentosus
http://www.youtube.com/v/Yzy7mOPpYWY&hl=en_US
 

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misterking

misterking

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Aug 12, 2008
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There are many types of cichlids that would leave your squeakers alone. I probably wouldn't go with green terrors (terror by name, terror by nature). For example, severums would work well, get to around 8 inches and are quite beautiful. Oscars might work too but in a 75 you could only get one, 2 at a push. You could also possibly try firemouths but they can and do get quite territorial, as with angels. Parrot cichlids are peaceful and tend to hover more in the middle of the tank than the bottom but it depends if you like them - I think they're lovely but many argue the ethics of such mutt fish.

How big's your gold tetra? Because some cichlids may eat small fish if they can fit in their mouths.
 

misterking

misterking

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Aug 12, 2008
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Oh no not glofish, I hate those things :p Rainbowfish have many different species, google rainbowfish and have a look :) And thinking about it, I'd get a few more gold barbs, they like to be in groups. What are you looking for, a group of small fish and a few centrepieces? Also, I don't think your dwarf gourami would be any issue, but may be the victim of bullying by larger, more boisterous fish.
 

Kanoria

Kanoria

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Dec 26, 2009
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I'm just hoping to get more of a single type of fish instead of a bunch of random ones. I've done that phase already and it kinda makes you have A.D.D. when you look at it lol.

I love the idea of schooling fish. I like Neon Tetra's but they're so small. @_@

Yeah I had more barbs, they bit the dust. Had them for a few years :D
I left the tank the same for 3 years and this is the result:

YouTube - My Fish Tank (Going through a makeover)
YouTube - My Tank (Going through a makeover 2)

There is my current tank. Forgive the horrid quality.. cameras aren't the best camcorders.

Rainbowfish don't seem very colorful to me for some reason. They look more silver than anything. .-.
Rainbows, Rainbow Fish, Tropical Rainbow Fish

Maybe I'm just looking at some bad pictures? o.o
 

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Newman

Newman

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#19
Sep 22, 2009
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#19
bosemani ranbow
ruby rainbow, and australian rainbow

Glossolepis incisus

checkered rainbow

the fish pics on that seller's site are of really scared rainbows lol. when theyre fed a good diet, live in clean water with live plants they can be very colorful.
 

Kanoria

Kanoria

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#20
Dec 26, 2009
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#20
Ah yeah, those look better lol!

Australian rainbow



Glossolepis incisus

Has this image been touched up? Or are there some really like these?


Anyone know the names of the (bright) Yellow and Green Rainbowfish?




Puntius fasciatus pradhani

or
Puntius nigrofasciatus

Would be beautiful with some rainbow's if they'd get along.


This is also a horribly small picture, but does anyone know what these are?:





-----
saltwateraquariumguide.com
travel.mongabay.com
superakwarium.pl
akwa-mania.mud.pl
 

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