Fish Additions?

[Herpetology!]

Okay, incase you missed my intro, I'll give a list so you can see where we're going with things so far.

It's a 31 gallon tank with 2 live plants and lots of hiding places, including some driftwood.

We have:

3 rummynose Tetra
3 bloodfin tetra
3 blackskirt tetra
2 Bolivian ram
1 Krepensus (sp) cichlid
1 rubbernose Pleco
1 white fin blue shark
1 yo yo loach
2 honey dwarf gourami

We've lost no fish other than a halfbeak that lasted 2 hours. Darn pet store said it was tough!

We're thinking of a dwarf aquatic frog, one or two ottocinclus (when we get more algae), some German Rams, maybe 3 small tetra of the same shape and size as the bloodfins and rummynose, maybe another loach, some other rams perhaps...we have no idea. Any suggestions for fish with nice reds, blacks, browns
that won't be terrible troublemakers? Thanks!

 

[Betta5]

whats a Krepensus chiclid, mosts chcilds will out grow a 31G tank, except dwarfs, I havent heard of a white finned blue shark either. Halfbeaks are so annoying i cant keep em alive either. The tank seems pretty full anyway, how long has it been running?

 

[Herpetology!]

It's been cycling about a month or so now. We just added some today. It's not that full.

The Kepensus cichlid is a dwarf. It has a purple belly with purple anal fins. It has yellow and black stripes on the sides and has a rather small caudal fin. I don't remember the name they gave me but that sounds about right. It gets only a few inches long. Apparently it's a new world cichlid, that's what I was told. Very docile, very small and very good community fish I'm told.

The white finned blue shark is actually a black loachish looking fish with blueish white fins. Looks kind like a rainbow shark but has whitish blue fins. Nice small size, only about 2 inches max or less.

All of our fish are rather small at full size. We were just looking to add one German Ram, the dwarf aquatic frog and perhaps some tetra. I'd like some Rainbows but they usually get too big or tend to be expensive here in Alberta.

 

[Shelly0518]

I also think that your tank is already stocked. Especially considering your rams need their space and demand prestine water conditions. Also tetras do better in groups of 5-6 per species and your gouramis should be either 1 male w/ 2 females or an odd number of males only.

Hope this helps,
Shelly

 

[Herpetology!]

We have two female gouramis and are on the prowel for a male. The bloodfins school well with the rummynose, otherwise we'd get more. The blackskirts don't seem to school too much, just randomly swim around like idiots.

So no more fish?? It looks rather empty at the moment, lots of them spend time near the bottom and the uppermost part of the water column is basically unused except for the gouramis who happily swim around there.

Isn't the rule supposed to be "One inch of fish per gallon"? We'd fall a bit short of that, I think.

 

[Tetras]

Look up the length of all the fish full-grown. Usually they are young when purchased so size will change as they grow. Then add everything up, I'm sure you will find that it is allready fully stocked.

Hope this helps.

 

[Herpetology!]

Yeah I figured it was getting close. I've seen all the fish we have fully grown before. It's disappointing to realize my pretty tank is full...thanks so much for the advice!

 

[jtnova13]

krepensus = kribensis a dwarf african cichlid. I know africans prefer higher pH water like 8.2 or so and are herbivores. The pH for your bolivians should be on the lower end 6.5-6.8, tetra also like lower pH. I think you should decide which cichlid you want, with your current stocking, i'd say keep the bolivians get rid of the kribensis.

 

[Boids-n-more]

To give a fuller look for now you could try some neons in there. they stay small and i always see them swimming in the mid to upper water colum.

 

[dwarfgourami]

krepensus = kribensis a dwarf african cichlid. I know africans prefer higher pH water like 8.2 or so and are herbivores.

The kribensis is not an African Rift Lake cichlid, jtnova, but a West African, which makes a bit of a difference. It is supposed to prefer medium-hard, slightly acid water, but I don't really think they're particularly fussy. And it's not a herbivore, either. Nor are all the lake cichlids herbivores, for that matter. There's an awful lot of different things go in African lakes

Anyway, herpetology, as others have hinted, the main problem with your tank is that you have far too many species, with little thought for their interaction.

I would not add any more cichlids in here. If you have a pair of Bolivian rams and add a pair of Germans, you will get fighting when either pair tries to breed. The tank is not big enough to provide territories for the two of them. Given the smallish size of the tank, I would also rehome the krib if you can find it a good home.

Can you post a picture of the shark? It is worth knowing what size it grows to, if it has special requirements, and (not least) if there is any risk of it growing up into a fish predator.

Then you do need to up the numbers of tetras. These are schooling fish and need to be in groups of at least 6-8 of the same species to feel safe. Otherwise they are going to be permanently stressed, which may result in susceptibility to disease and (in the case of the black skirts) in aggression. They may seem fine at the moment, but then you may wake up one day and find that the honey gouramis are strangely lacking in fins. If you get bigger groups, you will also be able to watch them interacting in a more natural manner- more fun!

If you feel the tank looks empty, how about spending some time and money on the landscaping? Plants, caves, fish emerging from unexpected corners, all these lend interest to a tank. And then sit down to watch them interacting- it's the best bit! Check out who's the alpha fish. Watch out for mating behaviour. I also find trying to provide a varied diet adds interest to a tank. Live foods, vegetables, there's all sorts of things they can enjoy.

I've got a tank twice the size of yours, with only four species in it, but there is honestly never a dull moment.

 

[Boids-n-more]

I retract my previous statement i was tired and misread what was wrote. I completely agree with dwarfgurami. Also if you get another crib and they turn out to be a pair , they will pick a spot in the tank for there territory and will keep all other fish from entering it. Your best bet would be to finish the tetra schools and to add plants and rockwork like dwarfgourami said previously. I have never owned a yo yo loach but i have heard they can get aggressive so you might want to double check that.

 

[jtnova13]

doh, that's why i stick to the new world cichlid forum

thanks for correcting me

 

[Herpetology!]

The shark is supposed to stay small, from what I've been told. The girl at the store I know quite well and has had them before and said there was no problem.

As far as the interactions:

I've noticed the bloodfins and the rummynose like to hang out together alot. I've seen them schooling alot together in a big group of six. Does that count as schooling?

Also, the blackskirts I have seriously DO NOT school. Ever. They just swim around in different areas of the tank and occasionally bite at each other. The loach and the Shark tend to roll together when the loach isn't hiding under a decoration in a burrow and the shark isn't either chasing something out of it's small territory or hiding in the ship. The rams tend to mind their own business cept when they make the krib mad and the gouramis are high up in the water column and are ignored. The pleco is a pleco...ignored by all.

The fish all seem happy and healthy, no deaths at all except the half beak who died in a few hours.

Edit: I forgot to mention that the shark is rather mean. He never bites anyone but just chases everyone when he isn't stuffing his face or hiding. He goes from the krib to the rams and leaves everyone else alone. The loach on occasion gives him the business to keep things in balance. I think HE would be the problem if anything...but he won't get big and isn't too bad at all unless food is invloved (then him and his yo yo loach are both mean together along with the krib).

 

[dwarfgourami]

The shark is supposed to stay small, from what I've been told. The girl at the store I know quite well and has had them before and said there was no problem.

Have you checked out your other thread on this? The-Wolf is extremely knowledgeable; I would take his word against most people's. Particularly against somebody's whose business it is to sell you a fish....

I've noticed the bloodfins and the rummynose like to hang out together alot. I've seen them schooling alot together in a big group of six. Does that count as schooling?

That might work then, keep an eye and see how it goes.

Also, the blackskirts I have seriously DO NOT school. Ever. They just swim around in different areas of the tank and occasionally bite at each other.

Of course they can't school when there's only the two of them. That's why they bite, they are trying to establish the hierarchy within the group, but there is no group. It may well end with the stronger killing the weaker and then turning aggressive on the other tetras. It may not happen, but it's a thing we hear a lot about on this forum, and black skirts are some of the best known offenders.

 

[Silverlady]

Just wondering is Black Skirt Tetra another name for the Black Widow Tetra.