Half Beaks Or Goodeids?

[guppymonkey]

I am moving this weekend and FINALLY get to set up my 40 gallon tank (48"X12"X12" I think, same base as a 55G but shorter). I want to set it up for my livebearers but am not sure who to set it up for my halfbeaks or my Chapalichthys pardalis. I would like to set it up as a colony tank but want something nice, maybe my Limia perugiae?

 

[nmonks]

Why not do both? Halfbeaks generally get along well with other fish, and provided you have plenty of hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) in the tank, the fry will be safe enough. Halfbeak fry are fairly large (10-15 mm long) and thus should avoid casual predation for a few hours, long enough for you to find them anyway. The poecilids and goodeids will be deeper down the tank than the halfbeaks, so there shouldn't be much competition for food or living space.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[guppymonkey]

My C. pardalis are very very aggressive. I am not sure if this is because they are in a 20G though. Even the fry are aggressive ripping the fins off any other fish that goes in with them. Maybe the Limia perugiae and the half beaks?

 

[nmonks]

In a 20 gallon, I agree, the halfbeaks might not have the space to avoid really nasty fish. Besides Celebes halfbeaks (up to 10 cm long) might be a bit big for such a tank, and at the very least would run the risk of bumping their snouts. Possibly you could keep Celebes halfbeaks in a "long" 20 gallon, but I wouldn't like to keep a full grown female in a standard 20 gallon tank.

I would have thought Limia and wrestling halfbeaks, on the other hand, would get on very well. Wrestling halfbeaks like hard water and will even tolerate a little salt, if you need to add it. Wrestlers seem to ignore baby fish, too, provided they are well fed, so mixing them shouldn't cause problems because of predation.

Cheers,

Neale