Gymno Australis

[Sammy1911]

Hi i have a 65 u.s. gallon planted community tank p.h 7 consisting of;
13 tetras (7 glolight & 6 neon)
2 sae's
9 pearl danios
2 nerite snails
currently has gbr's but i will b moving them...

i have an opportunity to get an ancistrus l144 and a gymno australis, im thinking an harem 1m/ 2f.... i think the neons may need rehoming when the gymnos get bigger (currently 4-5cm)... otherwise do u guys thinking this cud work??

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Just to let you know that the catfish you call L144 is as good as an urban myth, sellers use this name to make the fish seem more desireable and therby get more money...

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=905

 

[Sammy1911]

the breeder comes very highly recommend and has built up a very good reputation £12 imo for such a beautiful fish is a bargain

 

[Wills]

When you say Gymnos do you mean Gymnogeophagus? If so be prepared for the cooling period and not all your fish can cope with that at the moment.

In defense of the L144 it seems quite a new statement about it all so fair enough IMO I dont think the owner is trying to decieve Sammy as at £12 its quite an honest price for any BN.

Wills

 

[minnnt]

144's are brilliant. Very nice BN's. Their eyes really do make them stand out from Albino's.

 

[Sammy1911]

minnt i do agree such a small detail does make a considerable difference imo

Wills - yes i do mean the gymnogeophagus just couldn't remember how to spell it when i posted lol i have tried to read up before posting but cant find any more detail on this "cooling period" what exactly is it, what would i need to do? Thanks

 

[Wills]

If its a breeder your getting them from I am guessing (hoping) he will know how to do it. I have never kept them but have looked into it - basically they need cooler water for 3-4 months of the year so down to like 18-19c this is to help with their respiritory and replicates what they experience in the wild a number of other cichlids fit in this group like Astroheros and Cichlasoma Dimerus along with some Pike Cichlids.

Without the cooling period it can shorten the life span significantly and leave them weak to disease.

Wills

 

[Sammy1911]

thanks Wills will look into this a bit further then...!!

 

[Liam50]

must say the cooling period put me off ever getting some, such a shame as there are many nice ones out there!

 

[Wills]

must say the cooling period put me off ever getting some, such a shame as there are many nice ones out there!

Same - I initially thought about them in a shop once, thinking the cooling period is just a really high end thing... but the owner then told me about some he had and he said inexplicably they all died in the same week at about 18 months old which is exactly what most keepers say will happen...

Realistically though if you have them you can stock around them as they are not the only fish from those regions you will find others that will be able to tolerate the similar needs.

Wills

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Without going down a biotope correct stocking, tankmates that will work well with them in terms of a winter cooling include things like Peppered Corydoras; Rosy Barbs; Redline Torpedo Barbs; Ilyodon xantusi; Chinese Barbs etc. When "window shopping" for feasible tankmates for my Ilyodon after my original plan did not work out so great (see below), I started getting crazy ideas about getting a Gymnogeophagus balzanii hareem, but like all my new fish ideas this has had to be put on hold because of the length of time it has taken for my Steatocranus casuarius youngsters to reach a size good enough for a LFS to take them off my hands.

As regards false "L144" catfish, I agree, they are lovely looking catfish. There are breeders locally to me that regularly advertise on AC, I can see myself "pulling the trigger" on some in the near future, as my plan of a temperate Central American themed tank (Ilyodon xantusi; Megalechis thoracata; Chaetostoma milesi) did not work out as hoped... The Hoplos seemed rather rather stressed in the presence of the goodeids, while my Rubbernose spent too much time chasing goodeids away from food on the tank floor rather than eating.