Help me decide

[VirgoWolf]

Hello, I am planning on converting my 75g into a gourami/barb tank and I wanted to add a few other things, I need to decide what to add. (for more info on the tank, read my post in the betta/gourami forum)

I know I want a pleco, but not sure what kind, here are a few that I like, feel free to add suggestions.

Trinidad
Clown
Tiger
Net
Golden Stripes Peckoltia
Albino Sailfin

Not Plecos, but close
Otocinclus Cat (already have 1, want to make a small school of 6 not sure if they should go in this tank or not though)
Gold Algae Eater

Also, I was thinking yoyo loaches, but with them I need snails, do I let the snails breed in the tank, or breed them seperately? What is the best snails to get? Will yoyos eat cherry fire shrimp? Will they bother Singapore Flower Shrimp?

Also, I don't know if sharks belong here, but would an albino rainbow shark be a bad idea with any of these guys?

 

[VirgoWolf]

OK, I was looking through pleco profiles and it seems most plecos do well with high aeration and water movement, but with the gouramis there won't be as much, would it still be OK? I almost said I'd just give up on plecos altogether since I have enough to fill the tank anyway, but I REALLY want a stinkin pleco! LOL

After looking through them, this is what I came up with: the Trinidad seems like a great fit for this aquarium, but my husband said he doesn't like the spotted look. We both like the Tiger, but there kinda small and dull for such a big bright tank. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Pario, but I am worried about his size, liveaquaria says 70g min, so technically he's OK, but it just seems like he would need more room? Am I wrong here? If he would be OK, would he limit my stock? The Net Pleco seems like a good alternative, but again, pretty small for this tank. And my new addition, the Queen Arsbesque, but again, just a wee little one. Is there anything anyone can suggest now that you can see kinda what I am going for and all the tank specs? I was hoping for an adult size of 6"+ if possible, I think giant plecos are awesome, but I don't want to cramp my tank or sacrafice the right conditions for the pleco or the other fish. Light bright colors are a plus, and eyes like the net or Pario draw me in! LOL Anyone?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I can't help you with the pleco questions, but I can hit some of the others...

Otos can go with pretty much any fish except cichlids, they'll be fine with gouramis and etc. in that tank. BUT, you want to wait until your tank is up and running for a bit, because they need algae growing in the tank... usually they'll take algae wafers eventually, but since they're often wild caught and skinny when you get them it's best to have algae ready for them. (This is from reading posts here, not personal experience. I killed off my oto attempt...)

With the loaches... while they do eat snails, they don't need them for survival (unlike, say, puffers which require snails to keep their beaks short). Loaches should clean out the snails in a tank, and make short work of any that come in with plants or whatnot, but they're more of a treat than a dietary requirement.

 

[PlecoCollector]

I was going to suggest a Queen Arabesque, but you already got there. I find them to be very colorful (they may only be two colors, but they're vibrant) and really not that small. Mine is full grown at 4 inches and isn't too hard to spot

Green and Blue Phatoms have wonderful color as well, and hit about 8 inches when fully grown (that's wht my research has said at least). Is that more in your size range?

 

[VirgoWolf]

Thanks guys!

Caps, I think I decided on keeping the oto (and his soon to be school) with the guppies, just because I want to save the room in this tank and I am worried about them being so tiny with all the big guys.

Thanks for the loach info, so I will probably just get a few snails and if they breed they breed and the loaches will take care of it. What type would be best?

Pleco collector, Thanks, I like the queens, I will keep them in mind, still not so sure about them, there not my favorite, but they are cute. The Blue phantoms are AWESOME, but it seems to me that they are hard to find and quite expencive?

Anyone have any info on the Pario? I can't stop looking at the pics of them, they sure are unique and georgious! *Edited to add: Just did a search for more pics, there seems to be 2 different looks, a more creme look and a almost black look, do they really generally look like they do on liveaquaria?* The Net Pleco almost looks like a mini version though, and I guess 4.5" isn't HORRIBLY small, but nothing has cought my eye as much as the Parios though! (well and true zebras of course, but I'm poor! LOL)

 

[PlecoCollector]

I don't find Blue Phantoms all that hard to come by... but then, my source has a huge selection. I paid 21.99 for my little guy, so they're not too bad. He was the same price my Queen Arabesque was.

Anyways, good luck in your search... I've never heard of a Pario... ^^;

EDIT: Nevermind, I found what you mean. The only thing I have to say about the Pario is how big it gets. A foot is quite big... so I don't suggest stocking your tank too heavily if you get one. They may grow slow, but when they hit the bigger numbers... you'll need the room and your filter will probably appreciate a lighter bioload.

 

[VirgoWolf]

Thanks P.C., I did a search online and the cheapest price I saw for the phantoms was $70 with most others being MUCH higher and my search yielded very few results, so I was just assuming they are not readily available.

This is tha Pario I am referring to
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1001
Doesn't get much more georgious than that! But all the other pics I can find of them are like this
http://www.jjphoto.dk/fish_archive/aquarium/scobinancistrus_pariolispos_x.jpg
Still georgious, but not as much as the other one, and I doubt hubby would like the dark background spotted look.

 

[PlecoCollector]

That's a really lovely fish!

On the Phantoms... I guess it just depends where and when you look. I get mine at Big Al's, but I've never seen them anywhere else, so I can see where the search would be hard...

 

[Pure]

Plecs that get to be a decent size..but less than a foot, all stay around the 8 inch mark. L128, L200, L030, L007, L255, L034, L001

This is just what I could remember offa the top of my head, I'm sure there are others. Go hear to find info on these L#s http://www.planetcatfish.com/core/search.php

The L001 may be closer to what you are looking for. Good luck let us know how it goes. Oh yeah, all the L numbers I gave you are easily found on www.aquabid.com

 

[VirgoWolf]

P.C. Isn't it though! Thanks for all the help!

Pure, the L001 is beautiful! I am having a hard time thinking my husband would agree because of the spots though. Not much info on them.

The L200 is a good option. Seems like a good fit, except they all say there from rapids, it says they addapt well, but is it humane to put them in a tank with nearly no current?

Anything that dosen't have spots?

 

[Pure]

L200s have spots Gonna be next to impossible to find a nice sized pleco that is a solid color.

Yes putting them in a tank that doesn't have lots of current is just fine. An air stone is a good idea tho. If it is a wild caught specimen adding a power head until it gets used to the tank will help.

L204 is one that has stripes, but the white slowly goes away with age. I have one that is almost solid black. They might work for you, but do not get as big as what you are looking for.

 

[VirgoWolf]

I know the L200 has spots, but they seem to really fit our needs/wants well, and there ADORIBLE, Hubby is the one who is anti-spots though and he doesn't love them, so they're out.

While I would like a bigger pleco, I have overstocked this tank as it is (theoretically, just in the planning stages), so I am thinking we will have to settle for a slightly smaller species. The 204 fits the bill, and my husband likes them, so that's our Pleco! Thanks a ton for helping us decide! How easy are they to find? What are the prices like? That may be a deciding factors! LOL

Any advice on snails and/or shrimp?

the

 

[Pure]

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwcatfishp&1141862819

http://www.exoticfinds.net/plecos.html

One of my fav shrimp is the cherry shrimp. Nerite snails are good for eating algae.

With the L204 make sure you have some soft driftwood in the tank. You do not want the stuff that sinks automatically. They are wood eaters.

 

[VirgoWolf]

Thanks! LOL I love you right now! hahaha (in a totally platonic non-stalker sort of way! LOL) Not too bad. Can't get one for a while, but at least I know there out there and they won't cost me an arm and a leg! When buying driftwood (which I want plenty of anyway) how can I tell which is best for these guys? I can't necessarily try to sink it before I get it home.

I like the cherry shrimp too, and the singapore flower shrimp, but I am worried about keeping cherry shrimp with the loaches, will they be OK? (yoyo and kuhli loaches)

 

[Pure]

Most fish will pick on shrimp. But they will come out after lights out to eat. I keep a couple of Amonos in a 75 gal community with yoyos and angelicas loaches. You could put a few ghost shrimp in the tank and see ho a cheaper shrimp does.

With the wood. You should be able to almost dig your fingernail into it. There is a commonly sold wood thats attached to a slate base that fits the bill nicely. Sorry I have no clue what kind of wood it actually is. I can tell you you do not want Malaysian or African root wood.

 

[VirgoWolf]

Hummm, I have a nice chunk that I got with one of the rescue ball pythons that is pointless for the snakes (at least the terrestrial heavy bodied pythons I keep!) It should fit the bill well, after a nice mild bleach soak, and a few clean rinses! It's got some nice holes to swim though too, although it's attached to the slate with screws, but I don't like the slate anyway, and it would look better on it's side! So there is my first piece then! I'll get a pic just to see if there is any problems with it that I am missing.

 

[VirgoWolf]

hehehe I forgot I had another one in with the kingsnake, but I am going with rack systems, so it is probably going to end up in one of the tanks too! Do these both look OK? do they look like the right type of wood?

Need to remove the base from this one first, but how I love those holes for the fish! Oh yeah, this is about16"x9" at the longest and widest points.

This one is about 9"x7" at it's longest and widest points, althout it is a little more dense than the previous one.

What do you think?

 

[Pure]

The bottom one looks like grape vine. It should be fine. The top one looks exactly like what I was talking about.

You need the slate. It will float without it. Have the hubby reattach it the way you want it to sit.

Boiling it would be a better option vs bleaching it. Remember the fish will be eating this wood. If it's too large to boil and bleaching is the only way...soak it in a bucket with at least 20 times the recommended dose of dechlorinate after rinsing it very well first of course. Let it soak in this water for about a week and it should be fine. Maybe a lil over cautious but, better safe than sorry.

Edit: nice wood BTW!!

 

[VirgoWolf]

Yeah, I figured as much, I've never used real driftwood in an aquarium, but I know for the snakes we usually use a mild bleach solution then RINSE RINSE RINSE and then usually bake it for a while to dry it and make sure EVERYTHING is DEAD. We can't boil it because of the sheer size, but I will definitly AmQuel it to DEATH after soaking LOL.

Have hubby remount? LOL I'll do it, it's safer that way hahaha, no he's as good with tools and such as I am, just a bit less into the fish. LOL

 

[Lotus]

I've also heard of people running large driftwood through a dishwasher (without soap, of course). I haven't tried it myself.

The cherry shrimp might be OK with the loaches. I have cherry shrimp in several tanks with loaches, but the tanks are heavily planted. The shrimp hang out in the plants and breed like crazy. I suspect several do get eaten, and I know my angelfish eat them, but I have a large enough population that it's OK. Having said that, the shrimp usually cost about $4 each, so it could be an expensive snack for your loaches!

On the snails, if you do get "fancy" snails (nerites, mystery, pixis, etc.), the loaches will usually pick them to death.