Fish Type Recommendation Please

[DukeT]

Hi,

I have recently returned to the world of Tropical Fish ownership and over the last 9 months have slowly built up my 55 Gallon Tank to where it is today, with the following;

9 Cardinal Neons
6 Black Neons
8 Ember Tetras
8 White Mountain Minnows
3 Otocinclus
2 Small Butterfly Pleco's
5 Snails
2 Shrimp
7 Assorted Plants

I am fairly happy with the set-up and enjoy watching the various shoaling fish. The Minnows tend to stay near the top of the tank, the Tetras towards the middle and the Pleco and Shrimp at the bottom.

However, I was hoping to add a special fish of some variety to stand out among the others. After talking to someone at the Fish store I purchased a Betta fish, but sadly he was hounded by the Cardinal Neons and died after only 2 weeks (he may have already been sick, but most likely the stress fro the Neons either killed him, or finished him off).

Can anyone recommend a fish please, to be the last part of the set-up for my tank? I did have a look at some sites and thought the Red Tail Shark looked interesting, but I want to be careful that the fish will not only stay a reasonable size given the size of my tank, but also will not disrupt the shoaling of the small fish I have in there, especially the Ember Tetras which are quite small.

My thanks in advance for any suggestions you might be able to give.

 

[Didge007]

From what I understand the red tailed sharks gets very big?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The sharks get very big.

I would recommend getting some peaceful cichlids. Bolivian Ram, German Blue Ram (a bit more sensitive), or some Apistogrammas (Dwarf Cichlids). My personal favorite of the apistos is the double cockatoo (red).


A pair of those or maybe even two pairs if the tank is long enough could be quite stunning in the display, and while they are territorial while breeding, they should do much to the others, but chase them away from the fry.


I am planning a very similar set-up in my 56 gallon tank. The last ones I will be adding are the rams and apistos. They will be my "show pieces".

 

[DukeT]

Thanks for the advice.

I have done some research on the Dwarf Cichlids and discussed it with my wife and we are going to look at some at our local tropical fish shop at the weekend. I will also make sure I find a nice cave for them to explore.

Hopefully with the rest of the tank already settled they will not cause disruption when they are added.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Thanks for the advice.

I have done some research on the Dwarf Cichlids and discussed it with my wife and we are going to look at some at our local tropical fish shop at the weekend. I will also make sure I find a nice cave for them to explore.

Hopefully with the rest of the tank already settled they will not cause disruption when they are added.

One thing that is suggested when adding new fish is to redecorate a little to break up any potential territories that may have existed, this will help the new fish in getting settled themselves and not have them be hounded by a fish that has established their territory already. I'm not sure it is as important for you with your shoaling fish, but it couldn't hurt.

 

[fishchick]

I have a lot of the same fish as you do in my 55. If your not satisfied with the cichlid selection I would recommend a close cousin to the red-tailed shark, the red-finned shark aka rainbow shark. They get about 6 inches in length and are a great addition to any tank. If that is too big, then another fish i would recommend is either a gold gourami or a Dwarf gourami. They are both very impressive fish with vibrant colors. They are also a very social fish who will come to the front of the tank to greet you..Hope this helps Best of luck!

 

[KISSfn]

As I am thinking of getting one my research found the Red Tailed Black Shark's maximum size is 5 inches. Hate to disagree with my buddy Eaglesaquarium but that's what I've read. It also seems to have very specific compatability issues and "tankmates must be chosen with care." That's why I'm only "thinking" of adding one. I also read it should be the last fish added as it may claim the whole tank as it's own so I have some more time to think about this cool looking shark. The Bala or Silver shark is a big boy at 14 inches. Probably by now you've already got your new fish so I guess I'm talking to myself again

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I think I got my sharks mixed up! But that size is still big enough to be a problem for the other fish. The other fish are all in the 1-2 inch range. In that grouping, I think that the shark would look "very big" and would act like it, I believe. But you are correct Kissfn, 5" is not very big, normally. I was thinking of the Bala shark.



And no, KISSfn, you aren't talking to yourself. I'm still scouring this board looking for every new little nugget of good information I can find!

 

[waterdrop]

I have not kept RTSs or Balas (except perhaps an RTS in one of my tanks when I was a kid and didn't know better) so I can not speak from direct experience. However I do remember a few wonderful postings here on TFF that went into more depth (unfortunately now that all the good search tools seem to have gone down the drain after the big hacker problem we had I guess it would be much harder to find these.)

One of the things I think I remember was that the character of the red-tailed shark changes over time. I think what was said was that after they get quite old they can become much more territorial and aggressive.

I also remember one of the experienced members saying that in general there seemed to be good reason for adding the term "shark" to a number of the fish popularly used in aquariums and that virtually all that got this moniker had one or more major problems getting along in community situations eventually.

Hopefully some of our shark-experienced hobbyists will happen on this thread and add more details but I know sometimes this doesn't happen in the beginners section.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[KISSfn]

I think I got my sharks mixed up! But that size is still big enough to be a problem for the other fish. The other fish are all in the 1-2 inch range. In that grouping, I think that the shark would look "very big" and would act like it, I believe. But you are correct Kissfn, 5" is not very big, normally. I was thinking of the Bala shark.



And no, KISSfn, you aren't talking to yourself. I'm still scouring this board looking for every new little nugget of good information I can find!

Thanks buddy!

 

[KISSfn]

I have not kept RTSs or Balas (except perhaps an RTS in one of my tanks when I was a kid and didn't know better) so I can not speak from direct experience. However I do remember a few wonderful postings here on TFF that went into more depth (unfortunately now that all the good search tools seem to have gone down the drain after the big hacker problem we had I guess it would be much harder to find these.)

One of the things I think I remember was that the character of the red-tailed shark changes over time. I think what was said was that after they get quite old they can become much more territorial and aggressive.

I also remember one of the experienced members saying that in general there seemed to be good reason for adding the term "shark" to a number of the fish popularly used in aquariums and that virtually all that got this moniker had one or more major problems getting along in community situations eventually.

Hopefully some of our shark-experienced hobbyists will happen on this thread and add more details but I know sometimes this doesn't happen in the beginners section.

~~waterdrop~~

You are correct as always Waterdrop! I read they can be aggressive and territorial and not a great choice for a community tank. A shame though because I saw one at a LFS and it really is a very cool looking fish! I think I will have to stop myself from getting one.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You are correct as always Waterdrop! I read they can be aggressive and territorial and not a great choice for a community tank. A shame though because I saw one at a LFS and it really is a very cool looking fish! I think I will have to stop myself from getting one.

Some of the coolest looking fish, seemingly, are also some of the most aggressive. Maybe I find them more attractive, because I know that I will never actually be able to keep them. For example: tiger barbs... they look GREAT, they are active, good shoalers and the perfect size - too aggressive for my peaceful little community, electric yellow cichlids - I'm not normally a yellow fish fan, but those fish just grab my attention every time I see them at the LFS - far too aggressive. Most other cichlids as well. Angelfish (which are technically cichlids, but look so different, I classify them separately in my mind), not to mention bettas, large gouramis, paradisfish... the list goes on and on.


My issue is that I have fallen in love with Corydoras, and no matter what else I have in my tank, they will ALWAYS be at the top of the priority list. Most of these other fish I've named above just don't go with them, but they look so cool! I doubt the wife will ever relent on any other tanks (other than my tiny 10 gallon for quarantine, etc. - I've convinced her that it is a necessity to have around at all times, but if I use it for anything on a full time basis, she's going to know something is up).

 

[This Old Spouse]

Some of my favorites were my tiger barbs, and funny thing is that they never showed undue aggression toward my other fish. But they, along with most of my other fish save the pleco and some tetras, died when the heater went out on my tank. I still miss the barbs but can't afford to replace them. And my dwarf gourami succumbed to the disease exclusive to them. But I think that's not so common in the UK? I don't hear of it nearly as often as I once did.

Wow, I'm really sounding like a Negative Nellie here. I don't mean to!

I tend to stay on the safe side with fish anymore. I've got Von Rio and Serpae tetra, and lots of guppies.

 

[KISSfn]

Well I had heard that Tiger Barbs were semi aggressive but since they look so cool I decided to give them a shot. I would not classify mine as aggressive at all. They are just very active, fast as lightning swimmers and they seem to keep to themselves as long as they are in a sufficient group. When I only had 3 then 6 then 8, each group acted differently and progressively nicer as their "gang" grew! I'm sure they could easily make the Danios life miserable but they ignore them and prefer to play with their own kind. I love em! I'm sure some people may have had a different experience with them. Anything is possible.

 

[DukeT]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, i have a rather bizarre update.

We went along to the LFS today and saw some very nice Bolivian Rams and bought what we hope is a male and female (as well as a cave and some cichlid food).

Howeevr, when I got home and started moving decoration in the tank (both to make room for the cave, but also to break up any territorial issues) I moved some driftwood and was surprised to find that one of my two Butterfly Pleco's would not let go of it. When I turned it over I found out why, there was a large pile of eggs!

I have tried to put the driftwood back exactly where it came from, and the new cave has now been placed on the other side of my tank, well away from the driftwood. I guess I am lucky enough to have a breeding pair of Pleco's and now need to research what to do it the little ones actually hatch. I do have a livebearer's net I could use, not sure they would survive long in the main tank.

Anyway, the Rams look to be settling in well and have had bloodworms as their first feeding in their new home, to help them feel a bit better about the move.

Thanks

DukeT