I'm Hooked - Here's My First Tropical Tank

[bigpee]

Killing machines! Don't like the sound of that. My loaches look exactly like the bottom picture. Is that good or bad?

 

[GlidergirlUK]

Don't get confused with these Oto's these are safe fish.

 

[bigpee]

Here's a picture of the fish. It hasn't captured the dorsal fin that well but it really does look like the picture above. Any ideas what fish it is and is it bad news?

 

[Curiosity101]

If you genuinely think it is a Chinese algae eater then if at all possible return them. They're gorgeous and lovely little fish whilst juvenile, but as they grow they really do become evil. One of mine literally killed one of my dwarf gouramis.
Chinese Algae Eater

Also, they grow pretty large. Around the 15cm mark is quite average.

 

[azzaknight]

get rid off the chineese algae eaters and purchase in 5-6 corys. or maybe 7-8 pygmy corys.

also any new pics of the tank?

 

[bigpee]

Hi - I think I'll be giving the fish shop a call Monday to get these fish swapped over. My better half is trying to convince me to keep them but I want a nice happy community tank so I think they'll have to go before they get to big.

Here's an updated picture of my tank. It's a little orange from the tannins from the bog wood (I had boiled it and soaked it but clearly not enough ) but otherwise getting there. I really want some sort of plant that will carpet the front right of the tank. Also there will be some more background planting. It is definately a work in progress .

 

[azzaknight]

lovely tank. i have that plant on the far rght and mine has grown up to the top off the tank and now across the top and i also have 5 new shoots. a good plant to fill in that holeis camboda. it grows really well and i have taken cuttings which are surviving in another tank. your tank looks awsome bi the way.

 

[bigpee]

Thanks - it's nice to know others think the tank is coming along nicely. In a few months it'll hopefully look very lush and green. That plant on the right has already grown a fair bit - it was moved from the left hand side as it was taking up too much space.

Those CAEs are proving right little gits to catch. They clearly don't want to go back. Call fish shop and they'll happily swap over. I've got one but the other one has hidden himself now!

 

[azzaknight]

what are you swapping them for??

 

[bigpee]

They're swapped over now. Boy were the sucking loaches hard to catch. They just didn't want to leave!

I asked the advice of the fish shop and got pointed in the direction of a rather nice small little dotted fish. I was told what it was but have forgotten. From looking him up in a book I think it's a bristle nosed catfish (ancistrus dolichopterous) which seems perfect .

http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancistrus_dolichopterus

 

[bigpee]

Having said that a closer look and now I'm not so sure. Can someone ID this for me please?

 

[Davo86]

yep its an ancistrus sp.

 

[crazychris]

You'd be better with a small shoal of Corydoras catfish rather than a sucking loach which might decide to attach itself to the sides of other fish!

 

[K-Holed]

Ancistrus sp. are lovely fish imo. Far nicer than what you had.

 

[mixmaster jay]

hi and welcome.
if you are moving fish you need to move some mature media to. which in a biorb is gravel i think someone will confirm that for me tho. as leaving a tank for a week is not cycling there is a pinned topic on cycling here is the link
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=175355"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=175355[/URL]

its alot to take in as a beginer but read it a couple of times and ppl on here will be more than willing to help with any advce along the way. get your self a good liquid test kit alot of ppl on here use the api master liquid teat kit (myself included) and you can get it on ebay. as it tests for ammonia and nitrite which are poisionous for fish.

can i ask how long your biorb has been running?

the gravel in a biorb is alphagrog thats what comes standard with them and also air driven sponge filter in the middle bottom