Can't Decide On Fish Combo

[Miss Wiggle]

SAM UK and FBF !!!

I've been laughing for 30 min over your comments, not sure if it was meant to be funny, but very well put.

Some people have a talent for putting words down that can make the rest of us crack up.

So Thanks!!

I'm not trying to change the thread so please carry on.

......and there was me thinking id get stick for asking someone to leave hehe.

do you want to get some stick for it? sure it can eb arranged if you feel left out ?!?!

 

[Gir]

Being new to these forums, it's interesting to see the personalities and the forum's group dynamics. So, thanks Tetras for the clarification lest I think you guys are off your rockers. Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm glad this forum exists with so many knowledgeable folk to chat with. I helped maintain two 150(?) gallon marine tanks and a 55 gallon cichlid tank at university which was great but I've never started a tank of my own.

Thanks Miss Wiggle for your input. I think I'll go for the lemons instead of the neons because you think it's a nice combo too (not to say Karybou's input is worthless) but also because the lemons would be a hardier choice than the neons. Maybe at a later point in time or in some other tank I will get some. As for the corys, I like the idea of them in that my current choices lack a real bottom dweller. Other than catfish and corys, though, I don't know of any other suitable bottom dwellers that are hardy. It's one of the reasons I really want the dwarf gourami (aside from its beauty and shape) since it swims all over (or so I've read). I will be going to the lfs tomorrow so I will have to report back what I buy. And if I remember, I will have to take pics when the tank is stocked fully since you guys had a say in its setup.

Since I have your attention, I'm wondering if my water strategy has any pitfalls. I have hard water (150) that is alkaline (pH 7.8 ). I will be getting myself a master test kit tomorrow, but what I have on hand is those 5-in-1 strip tests. I found that if I mix distilled water with the tap in a 2:1 ratio, I get closer to the mark with the hardness at 75 and pH at 7.2. Is this mixture a better solution than say buying peat moss to put in the filter for the pH and/or using chemicals? I keep reading about avoiding chemical use. I also read that distilled water may have copper from processing. So if I buy a copper test and it's levels are fine (or is fine after mixed with tap), should I stick with this method?

Thanks again!

 

[ImperfectFaerie]

Please tell me you are going to cycle your tank before you go buy fish.....? Not sure if I understand the posts but that's what it seems. Other than that, your fish selection sounds like it will be beautiful, I'll look forward to seeing pictures - CJ

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

yes ok bad bad call on me only a stupid suggestion, probly one i wouldnt have ever given normally...anywayz tetras wen wer we friendz? i nvr even new u b4 this pots lol plus i didnt even get dat damn discus the stupid LFS told me and hes a friend anywayz i made up not nowing they shouda been inna biggr tank cuz i wanted one soo bad wut inconsideration, i put a stop to that and canceld my order. anwayz i hate wen ppl say stuff like that u can put it in a nicer way ya noe... sorry didnt mean to go off topic, carry on... SamUK is very mean to me sometimes cuz im from the British West Indies i think...

 

[Silverlady]

I am going to stick my Oar in here and say how can SamUk know where you are from ,it's not in your Sig.Its outrageous making such a Racist remark.
If Sam is mean to you try looking back over the suggestions that you have made, mostly to Newbies ,and see how often people have to correct your remarks.
It's very frustrating when the wrong advise is given time after time.
Well that's my Two Pennys worth.
And I don't know SamUK.

 

[SamUK]

i havent been mean once.


i jus tell you how you should be keeping your fish and you dont like that.



and yes, u caught me. its all cos your from....... i cant even remember where u sed let alone hate you for being from there!!!

 

[Gir]

I was going to do fishless cycling but due to various circumstances, the tank setup was really delayed. So, I decided to use Bio-Spira since many have claimed it really does work. Also, my poor paradise fish has been looking increasingly unhappy in his small tank so I wanted to move him to the 20 gal asap. But when I got to the lfs, they told me not to buy it since I was getting the danios. It was 3am, I was wet (caught in a downpour) and cold and not thinking straight so I came home with 5 danios (3 zebra, 1 leopard, 1 long-finned leopard) and 3 lemon tetras and no bio spira. Yesterday, I put in the paradise fish and he's soooo much happier now and he's stabilized the community. The danios were chasing everyone around, the poor tetras. I was going to get 6 zebras but ended up with whatever he caught (which I didn't realize until I got home). He told me to get them only in odd #s (1, 3, 5...). He also told me to start with only 3 lemons for now or I'll overwhelm the tank as it cycles. I definitely need more tetras because they scatter more than school. I've been checking the water conditions and so far so good. Plus, I sandwiched the old Whisper filter cartridge in the new filter so that should help kick start the cycle. I also found I had a bottle of Stress Zyme to add though everyone says that stuff and Cycle don't work. Maybe it'll help? It's going to be hard keeping the water pristine because in order to feed enough to the paradise fish (he's a slow eater), I end up overfeeding the greedy greedy danios. I have to feed them at opposite ends of the tank but they still get more than they should.

If I get one more danio, will they school better? Right now, they do more chasing of each other and the lemon than school. The paradise fish keeps to himself but looks annoyed at the danio's unruly behavior. He doesn't let them chase him though. Ha! The most timid of the bunch are the tetras though none of the fish use the terra cotta pot cave.

The lfs also sold me a piece of driftwood for my pH and hard water problem so that I don't have to do the 2:1 distilled/tap water mix. I hope it works, but I haven't put it in yet. Oh, the lfs also told me that my original combo of 6 danios, 6 lemons and 1 dwarf gourami was too many fish and that I really should stop at the 5 danios and 5 lemons. He said overfiltering will not work because it's just too much waste. He said it wasn't even a matter of how much space each fish had in the tank. Huh? He also said the paradise fish willl live peacefully in the same tank as the dwarf gourami. I thought everyone said they would be aggressive to one another?

I'm more confused now after having gone to the lfs but the store I went to is rated top notch for my area. He told me to go back in 2 weeks to pick up the rest of the lemons and that they'll test my water for me to see if it is suitable for the dwarf gourami at that point.

I would post some pics but my photos suck. I will have to find a means to capture the tank better. Of the fish, my favorite is still the paradise fish. He's inquisitive and unafraid of me at all. I really enjoy watching him explore the tank. He looks like a scientist. The least favorite are the danios because they bully everyone and are such piggies though their coloration is rather striking. The lemon tetras are sweet, inquisitive fish and the shiny yellow bodies with that bit of red above the eye is really eye catching.