Dont Know What To Do............

[mattlee]

i currently have 2 tanks 1 x 60x18x24 (wxdxh) and 1 x 60x24x24

my current fish stock is -


60x24x24 -

1 x large oscar
2 x motoro stingray pups
1 x bgk
1 x megaladoras catfish

60x18x24 -

5 x ornatum cichlids
1 x firemouth
4 x rainbow cichlids
3 x humbug cats
3 x pictus cats
17 x colombian tetra


my oscar isnt attacking the ray pups but is a bit boistrous around then when he digs and attacks rocks i feel that this is having an effect on the ray pups making them a bit nervous. for this reason i want to take the oscar out of that tank to leave the pups to it and for them to feel confident and safer.

i can put the oscar in the smaller of the 2 tanks as he was fine in there before. but he will not tolerate other cichlids over 5 inches or so, it just ends up in a disaster.....
if i transfer the oscar then the ornatums will have to come out of the tank otherwise it could be an expensive few minutes having them together i could have the ornatums in with the rays but they too can be a bit nippy and i would fear them nipping the rays discs.

so i think something has to go i did put an advert in the classifieds and on AQ last night for the ornatums, well 3 of them anyway.... but since doing it i feel i will never be able to keep them again due to the rarity of them and they are not at their best yet as they are still only 4.5-5.5 inches.

i have no issues having the rainbows in with the oscar or rays as they have lived with the oscar before and they are too small to be considered food for the rays at the minute.

i dont mind parting with the firemouth so much but he is a stunning example and the tetras were bought as dithers for the ornatums to help them feel safer.

so its either the ornatums or the oscar that has to go im affraid...

if i sold the ornatums they wouldnt be cheap and i could have them for a while before they sell but if i sell the oscar im sure he would go pretty fast as he is a stunning fin perfect fish.

so what to do? ive been thinking about this for ages now but cant make my mind up i know oscars are everywhere and very common but he is part of our family now and probably the best looking oscar ive ever seen.

i dont think ive had such a hard choice to make during my fish keeping time!!!!!!!!!

 

[minnnt]

Wish i could help you out in some way mate. It seems the Rays have messed things up for you as beautiful as they are.

Personal opinion would be to have Keith in the 18" with the catfish and bgk, then leave the rays and rainbows in the 24" tank. This would leave you looking for new homes for the CRFT's and Ornatums.

I know the Ornatums are ultra rare and pretty fish, but they don't have the character of Keith or the Rays. But then you may get stuck with the Ornatums due to their price.

Only other option would be to buy the 6ft tank that ND have ready for immediate dispatch for £500 notes.

 

[Devilish Angelfish]

I had a similar problem of what to do........ I bought another tank...........

 

[GShorty1981]

First you got a RTCxTSN and now you got Sting Ray Pups? man you know you will get attached to them, sounds like you are wasting a lot of money on fish that you can't keep.

Its your choice but you really are a crazy impulse buyer!!! lol

 

[fishprotector]

Your dilemmas never seem to end. Personally, I would rehome Keith and keep the Ornatums. In my eyes, they are stunning fish and as much as he looks gorgeous, Keith seems to be the cause of all of your problems recently (well apart from buying several fish which require specific conditions and have individual temperaments).

 

[walkers101]

Im staying out of this mate

 

[mattlee]

I had a similar problem of what to do........ I bought another tank...........

another tank is not an option right now im affraid. i wish it was that simple........

 

[mattlee]

First you got a RTCxTSN and now you got Sting Ray Pups? man you know you will get attached to them, sounds like you are wasting a lot of money on fish that you can't keep.

Its your choice but you really are a crazy impulse buyer!!! lol

i admit that they catfish was a pure impulse buy and ill be totally honest i never would have expected it to grow anywhere near the speed it did. my bad!

the ray pups are still about 4-5 inches disc so are a long way from out growing my tank. when this time comes then an upgrade may be on the cards just for them or i will have to move them on.

to be honest these fish if you can call them that have always facinated me and you have to start somewhere. im sure they will be just fine for quite a while in a 5x2x2. im also treating this as a learning curve into ray ownership.

i was told never to keep discus in tap water and that they are very difficult to keep, and i did just fine. i was also told that my green and gold stripe corys wouldnt breed unless water parameters matched their wild habitat, and they did on numerous occasions with loads of well raised juvis..

if we believe in everything we read we will never keep any fish we really want.

 

[mattlee]

Your dilemmas never seem to end. Personally, I would rehome Keith and keep the Ornatums. In my eyes, they are stunning fish and as much as he looks gorgeous, Keith seems to be the cause of all of your problems recently (well apart from buying several fish which require specific conditions and have individual temperaments).

Keith really has been a pain in the backside since i removed all the other big fish he had in with him due to down sizing the tank. it really has been a mission to try and get fish he will tolerate but hes kind of worth it tbh.

the ornatums are very nice looking fish and very rare but its said that these can reach 12 inch+ in time so i wont be able to keep them all anyway unless i get a huge huge tank! i believe there are no fully grown specimins in the UK or on any other forum ive visited so im going on what ive read and hear say with most things on these fish. these have been a real nightmare to find any decent info on and to be honest i couldnt even sex them even at 5 inch+ as they all look identical. it is possible they are all males or females but having them from just over an inch i have never seen a difference in them at all!

they are also quite aggressive for s.americans as they mature so i could end up with another mission ahead. although they are slow growing fish so not to worry just yet.

Im staying out of this mate

chicken

 

[walkers101]

lol im ill leave me alone

 

[mattlee]

lol im ill leave me alone

this has to be the hardest thing ive had to choose between and all you can say is "im ill leave me alone........"

 

[walkers101]

you never listen to me anyway

 

[fishprotector]

if we believe in everything we read we will never keep any fish we really want.

That is very true, and as long as you do it responsibly (which I think you are) then go for it and experience them. Like you said in an earlier post, some people buy these fish and keep them in atrocious conditions so at least you are giving them a good start and getting to see them grow.

the ornatums are very nice looking fish and very rare but its said that these can reach 12 inch+ in time so i wont be able to keep them all anyway unless i get a huge huge tank! i believe there are no fully grown specimins in the UK or on any other forum ive visited so im going on what ive read and hear say with most things on these fish. these have been a real nightmare to find any decent info on and to be honest i couldnt even sex them even at 5 inch+ as they all look identical. it is possible they are all males or females but having them from just over an inch i have never seen a difference in them at all!

they are also quite aggressive for s.americans as they mature so i could end up with another mission ahead. although they are slow growing fish so not to worry just yet.

I was not aware that they grew this large. It sounds like you might have another stocking nightmare when they grow up. I guess that you will be down to one or two by then, but still you might just be in the smae position as you are in now with Keith. I think the question is, which would you miss the most? Keith or the Ornatums?

 

[minnnt]

Camp Keith for me! But then again you already know that.

 

[mattlee]

Camp Keith for me! But then again you already know that.

but dave how can i say goodbye to these stunners....