Re: The Blood Tank!

[CuRlEyBoY]

Well first of all thanks for the hand,I am a beginner though so i really appreciate this, Like i said i had 1 dovii,2 koi,1 green terror... I decided to keep 1 gobie,2 parrots,3 clown knives 2 red bellies,1 aruana,1 dragon fish and 4 plecos. I now own another tank a 60 gallon, My ph is now good and the fish look happy movin around and what not the plants and rocks i have make for a pretty good looking tank, personally. I think my parrot is pregnant though...=/, What do you suggest for setups? Thanks again jr. I WILL HAVE PICTURES SHORTLY!!!

 

[GeraldTheMouse]

WAY overstocked. The arowana will outgrow the tank in no time. Everything else will probably be torn up by the red bellies. I think this is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[Katie217]

The arowana is in the...100gal?

 

[MissFishy]

Yikes, you really need to research some of those fish and their needs. Your tank is still a blood bath waiting to happen...

 

[CuRlEyBoY]

Ok so the red bellies have gotta be separated for sure... Once that any suggestions for the rest of the tank? And yes the arowana's in the tank.

 

[James From Cali]

1 gobie-May be able to keep. Dont gobies prefer brackish water.
2 parrots- You can keep since this is a 60g right?
3 clown knives- Get rid of. You have no room for their adult size.
2 red bellies- Get them gone.
1 aruana- Bye bye
1 dragon fish- Not sure. But I would think its another that should go. But someone with experience with this fish should chime in.
4 plecos- What kind. If common get rid of all but one(and that may still be pushing it)

 

[angel51431]

When you say dragon fish, do you mean this one? Dragon Gobies
I have a feeling he'd wind up being attacked and/or eaten by bigger fish. They aren't big enough to stand against the other tough fish you've got. They are good tankmates for fish like mollies...

Clown knife fish grow HUGE - Clown Knifefish Caught in Florida
Do you think you really have room in the tank for that? here's another - NAS - Species FactSheet
If you do decide to keep one, keep ONE. They're not friendly, as they mature.

How big was this tank again? You said you got another one now?

See thing is, when keeping aggressive species, you have to pick one or maybe two species, and keep a mostly empty tank otherwise. If you like the arowana, get rid of everyone else and keep it as the only fish in the tank. If you like pacus, keep only pacus. If you like parrots, keep parrots and maybe one other big cichlid and that's it. You just can't have everything. Besides, aggressive fish are territorial. They don't want neighbors.

and your parrot isn't pregnant. Parrots are hybrid cichlids and are generally sterile. They just have deformed backs and look all bulgy and bumpy.

 

[MissFishy]

My suggestion is to get rid of everything but the gobie and the parrots. As those other fish get older, if you are inexperienced, they will just cause you problems and become difficult to care for. If you have just the parrots and gobie (what kind is it?), depending on the size of the tank (how many gallons is it?) you'll be able to possibly add some more things once you get your water quality and everything else settled down. Parrots are great fish and will provide you with lots of entertainment. Make sure you are returning these fish to the fish store and asking for store credit! Most stores will give you money back or store credit depending on the condition of the fish (hopefully they haven't been ripped to shreds yet). Come back on here and let us know how this progresses! I'm sure everyone will be happy to help you pick out some compatible fish!

 

[Seleya]

CB> which fish are your favorite? Pick one species from your collection and we can go from there.

Have we determined yet what the dragon fish and gobie are? A bichir will bring different answers than a violet goby would. As for the gobies, they can be quite small to good sized and again would give different answers accordingly.

 

[CuRlEyBoY]

Ok,There are 2 tanks 1 has everyone in there the other is a 60g with a ph of 6.5, its lightly planted with some java fern and some random plants from petsmart and good to go, regarding the gobi its this one just all black... http://www.ag.auburn.edu/fish/image_gallery/data/media/30/gobie.jpg... Sorry about the mix up the dragon fish is not, it is a bichir(Polypterus ornatipinnis),Also the plecos closely resemble the Albino Marble Sailfin Pleco,just on a light shade of brown they are 3, ranging from 3 to 6 inches and a little black one about 2 inches in length.

So Now the list is as follows:

1 gobie
2 parrots
3 clown knives
2 red bellies
1 arowana
1 dragon fish
4 plecos
1 bichir

I plan on keeping the red bellies though,about the parrots i think that because; one is a lot smaller than the other and they seem to gang up on whoever gets too close to their little cave that they've actually buried down to the glass in "their" corner of the tank.Again thanks a lot for all your advice C/B.

 

[James From Cali]

The Red Bellies will get way to large and vorocious(spl). I think if you got rid of everything but the 2 parrots, 1 Gobie, 4 plecos then you would have room for a schooling fish. Tetras. But other than that you are hundreds of 'inches' overstocked. The inche per gallon rule is a good way for you to start. It will get you on track but you have to take in consideration:

1. Adult Body mass. The larger the fish gets the larger its body mass. This means the larger it is the less room it has in a certain sized tank. You cant fit a 10" Oscar in a 10g. It just dont work.
2. Aggressiveness. The more aggressive a fish is the more room it needs. Covict Cichlids need alot of room if you plan on keeping them with other fish. They are terribly aggressive. Hiding spaces are needed but dont always do there jobs.
3. How many you have. Some of the fish you own can be housed by themselves. The fire bellies are a schooling fish that need 5 or more for them to technically feel good. 5 2 feet fish is something you have no room for.

Overall I think this is what you have as far as your fish max size:

Gobie-Not sure
parrots- 6" x 2
clown knives- 36" x 3
red bellies- 24" x 2
arowana- 36"
plecos- 10" x 4
bichir- 15"
Total- 259"

You have roughly 259 adult fish inches in a 60g tank! Way too much. These are rough estimates of the fishes size so if any one wishes to correct the sizes please do.

 

[jessey]

he doesn't have them all in the 60 gallon; they're in a 100 gallon tank and the 60 gallon he just set up is his second tank (i believe).

regardless, CB, you're still way overstocked. i could be wrong, but i think if you wanted to, you could keep -only- the red belly pacus in the 100 gallon tank (by themselves).

not only do the clown knives get *massive*, but they're not very attractive either... though of course that's only my opinion. either way, you'll be happier without them!!

like someone else said, decide what you want to keep, and plan out the stocking of your tanks - even if you have to get rid of everything you have right now. cichlids are really fun and you could devote one of the tanks to them, but even within the world of cichlids there are hundreds choices. good luck!

 

[James From Cali]

I wouldnt even opt for haveing 2 Pacus in a 100g really. That really wouldnt be enough room for their Adult size. But temporarily the Pacus in the 100g would be fine. Just make up your mind on what to keep for the 60g.