Community Cichlids

[Kajuki18]

If he got rid of some of his fish he could get rams because there sort of peaceful compared to other cichlids. But he should definetly not get any discus. Because his tank would be extremely overstocked.

 

[ANIM4L]

ok no to discus, but rams are awesome too!

 

[pnyklr3]

The English language is a beautiful thing. You say you have 57 inches of fish with the cat, and I said you had NEARLY 60 inches of fish (that mean "almost", or in this case, 57"). I also said "not including HOW BIG THE CATE FISH COULD GET". That means that I included the 12" of catfish, but not the possible 24". I think I have found the problem here: You don't read the entire posts.

The research I've done is what has given me the number I gave you before. If I have found an Opaline Gourami that has reached 6 inches, then it is a possible adult size.

 

[ANIM4L]

there has to be a way like i said to get a freshwater clumbian shark. I dont want to lose him, and i have seen many stores with FW set ups with 8-10 inch sharks. They were not in any brackish environments, they were even with many other fish, including 2 BGK, so i know there was no salt i the water, they would die. it is kinda hard to tell if u meant the fish, or the full size, and in aquariums they get between 8-11 inches, in the wild thye can get up to 2 feet or more.

 

[pnyklr3]

But everything I have read state that these catfish should be moved to a brakish environment...they can live in freshwater while small, but I couldn't imagine it would stay healthy if in it for a long period of time.

Do you still have the Albino Paradise Gourami, Blue Gourami, Paradise Blue Gourami, and the Dwarf Gourami (not the fire)? These were all listed in another thread as being in this 60 gallon. If they aren't in this tank, where are they now?

EDIT: Never mind, I'm done with you at the moment. You have been told before that this catfish is brakish, you are over-stocking tanks left and right to get fish that people are saying you don't have the setup/room for, yet you still keep on fighting about it. You are asking about striped rapheals for your tank, but you don't have the room.

Just because something is one way Petsmart, doesn't mean that it's going to be ok at home. Petsmart keeps about 10-20 dwarf puffers in a 10 gallon with other fish. Not ok at home. Petsmart keeps a BGK in a 10 gallon. Not ok at home. Take the advice of the member here, and leave this tank as it is with the gouramis, and get the catfish out.

 

[ANIM4L]

Ok im not even going to be buying a BGK, i cant, i dont have a tank big enough, the paradise and albino paradise i took out because they get aggressive when older, the dwarf i took out because i didnt know if i wanted him or not, but he will most likely be put back in later, atm he is in a 29 gallon tank.

 

[BlueIce]

Um..just one more thing...and I'll make it brief so that you can read the entire post.

Rams in your tank = dead rams



simple eh?
-----------------------




edit...

read this as a seperate short post...

gold gourami get quite nasty as well I've seen them kill everything from a small bgk to med size angels.

 

[ANIM4L]

how come rams would die in my tank? can u explain?

this is all helping me learn about the fish, so they dont die

are you saying it is because of the gold gourami? i may be able to take him out then

 

[BlueIce]

Another short post re the brackish water...


can you get used to breathing on mars?
brackish fish don't get used to fresh water...they suffer greatly for their owners ignorance.

 

[abstract]

your tank is just fine the way it is..i wouldn't call it overstocked (especially since it's planted) but don't add anymore fish.

eventually your gouramis will quarrel....especially the male dwarfs...just for your information...

just out of curiosity when you say fully planted, what types of plants and lighting do you have?

EDIT: oh yea and a lot of fish stores will tell you that "this fish can adapt to freshwater" but that is absolute bull....fish are tough and will survive even in poor, unsuitable conditions...the question is, though, do you want to subject such a majestic fish to this torture? even if you can't visibly tell it's suffering? i wouldn't want to, whether i thought it would live just fine or not

 

[Dangerousdan]

Can i put a great white shark in my 1 pint beer glass? It hasnt got heating, infact i chill it....
Please tell mei can, then ill go fishing and see what i can catch

 

[playfulalliecat]

I just wanted to add a point.........the inch of fish per gallon rule is a loosely applied rule. In some cases, it works but you have to take into consideration the size of the adult fish as well as the waste the fish produce. The messier the fish, the less you need to have per gallon. There are cichlids like oscars, for example that although you could fit it into a 10 or 20 gallon tank, chances are it wouldn't be healthy.

Let's see gouramis can get up to 5 inches.........that's about 20 inches.
Dwarf gouramis can get up to 2 inches............that about 4 inches
Synodontis Eupterus can get up to 5.9 inches
Rubbernose pleco can get up to 7.8 inches
clown pleco up to 3.5
Silver tip catfish aka Columbian shark? This is what I found its this it? Columbian shark profile
If so it gets up to 12-14 inches and needs brackish water as it matures.
Angel can get up to 6 inches.
Ghost shrimp, I have never kept and aren't sure the size, can't seem to find a profile on them. Call it an inch which should be conservative.

Using the inch per gallon, all of these totalled together at full grown size, if the catfish I found is correct, comes to 62.2 inches. That is assuming they all live and thrive and the silver tip doesn't eat the dwarf gouramies as it gets larger.

I don't like the inch per gallon rule, fish have different needs. Most larger fish need more water as they produce more waste. It doesn't take long to foul up water conditions when too much waste is being produced for the amount of water in the tank. Hence, recommendations of larger tanks vs. smaller tanks.

I am not trying to offend you but show you why everyone is telling you your tank has enough fish as it is. Not sure what you did with your clown loaches but they definitely wouldn't fit with what you already have. It is a job to keep fish in good health and when you start overcrowding a tank, you make it that much harder on yourself, as well as your fish. It makes sense that the more fish equals the more waste.

If you want to have cichlids why not check local classifieds, garage sales, etc for used aquariums and equipment. Another tank sounds to me like just what you need and would be happy with.

 

[@ombomb]

You stated that they work well with none...which you can't state as your experience as you've only tried them with rams and angels.

Fair point, as I said, more than a little wound up due the the cold turkey from the nicotine. Sorry! )

Having said that, in this case my experience is valid. Gouramis and Rams are not a good idea. The rams will try and bully the smaller Gouramis and get bullied in return by the larger ones.

But hey this is only the fist post he's made about it, not doubt he'll make about 3 more saying he's going to get rid half of his fish and then something else will catch his eye.

 

[pnyklr3]

The inch per gallon really refers to "torpedo shaped" fish, if I'm not mistaken. I agree that the waste a fish produces should be the determining factor (plecs are poop machines). I have added ghost shrimp into a tank with one thought in mind "If they get eaten, fine they are yumnmy. If they don't get eaten, fine, they'll eat the food the other fish don't."

I think ANIM4L would appreciate a colorful and active tank, and I think the best way to achieve this is with smaller, schooling fish.

 

[playfulalliecat]

Yeah, you're probably right about the tank with schooling fish. Maybe down the road another tank with African cichlids. They make a nice community and lots of colors!

New World Cichlids are often hard to keep as a community. Some of the smaller ones like the rams may do well, i haven't kept them. A lot of the others are agressive and can get quite large and aggressive.