Introducing Myself And Asking A Question

[bubble lou]

hello everyone, just found this forum and wanted to introduce myself. i'm just a casual hobbiest, who has fantasies of one day being both disciplined and knowledgeable enough to eventually keep fully-stocked planted and reef tanks.

in the meantime, plastic plants and regular water changes feel fairly manageable.

here's the tank, it's just a simple 10-gallon:

stocked:
6 neon tetras
4 rasboras
2 ______ tetras (can't remember their name)
5 khuli loaches
1 panda cory
1 sailfin pleco

closer shot:

so here's my question:
earlier today i swapped out my white gravel for black. i've had the old white gravel for over 5 years and over time it's become green tinted due to algae. i swapped it out both for that reason, but also because aesthetically, black seemed like it would give the tank a much more dramatic look.

i was right, i love the way it looks.

but i noticed something odd. i've had my khuli loaches for over a year and they've always ducked under the rocks as soon as i put them back in after vacuuming. anyone who knows them knows that they are shy suckers and HATE being exposed, especially when the light's on.

so i found it interesting that after i put in the black gravel, they seemed to dislike the dark underbelly of the rocks all of a sudden! they started looking for refuge elsewhere. have a look:

anyone have any idea why they might be doing this? i've never seen them do this before.

many thanks!
bubble lou

 

[fishfishfish]

your kuhlis may also be seeing differently and its scaring them.what i mean is maybe the rock is really shinney and hurting their eyes

corys need to be atleast of groups of 3

sailfin plec is far to big.a rubbernose plec or ottos will be much more effective and create less waste

 

[bubble lou]

thanks for the welcome and responses!

fknm,
that could be a possibility. the black gravel is brand new and the old, white gravel had been in the tank long before i added the khulis. if it's a TEXTURE issue, the white probably felt different because of the algae.

fff,
i was wondering if the majore shift in color might scare them (or at least make them uncomfortable). after several hours a few of them seem to have acclimated a little more normally (disappearing back under the rocks), but a couple of them are still getting cozy with the plastic plants.

i guess either way, time should tell.

in regards to some of the other stock...
i did have 2 panda cories, but one died a few months back. i've been planning to bump up the number to 3 or 4 when my fish store gets a new supply.

the pleco's just gonna stay here until s/he needs little more room. at the moment, s/he's only about 2.5 inches in length and seems very comfortable in the current space. that fish is kind of my timeframe for when i start a larger tank.

thank you for the tip on rubbernoses and ottos. i'll look into those for possible future additions. and you're so right about the waste. that sailfin isn't all that big, but man, sure poops a lot!

thanks for the suggestions!

bubble lou

 

[Exiled]

Hi there and Welcome!
I think those are flame tetras (the ones you forgot the name of) I kept some like those oh.... about 20 years ago. Same thing with the khuli's. I have to agree with FishKillerNoMore. That it's probably the texture that they are unaccustomed to.

 

[bubble lou]

well, it's a day later and the little guys seem to have settled a bit back into their familiar behavior, although it does seem like they're out and about during the day just a little more than usual. they don't seemed stressed or anxious in the least, just mellowly foraging around for food. they're not moving around a lot, i'm just noticing them because before they'd NEVER come out in the day.

it makes me wonder if the color of the black gravel gives them a little sense of security and encourages them to move about more (?). not bein' a fish and all, obviously it's just speculation on my part.

anyway, here are a few more pics...

back to normal

a "flame" tetra (thanks exiled and "hello"! that sounds about right)

the lonely cory (boy that glass could use a little cleaning )

and i forgot to list my betta (how'd that happen?)

i think i'm beginning to see how this forum might get a little addicting...

 

[jarmado]

any fin nipping happening with the tetras and betta around?

 

[bubble lou]

nope! everyone's gettin' along pretty good!

every once in a while the betta "flexes" his muscles in front of the tetra and makes advances, but the tetra is uninterested and can't be bothered.

i was wondering if nipping would be a problem too, but THIS group has been playing together for the last 4-5 months with no problemo!

bubble lou

 

[jarmado]

nope! everyone's gettin' along pretty good!

every once in a while the betta "flexes" his muscles in front of the tetra and makes advances, but the tetra is uninterested and can't be bothered.

i was wondering if nipping would be a problem too, but THIS group has been playing together for the last 4-5 months with no problemo!

bubble lou

maybe it's just me not having tetras on my tank, but the photo of your tetra shows some of its fin nipped?
or is that a normal tetra finnage?
or just my eyes?

 

[WayneVT08]

nope! everyone's gettin' along pretty good!

every once in a while the betta "flexes" his muscles in front of the tetra and makes advances, but the tetra is uninterested and can't be bothered.

i was wondering if nipping would be a problem too, but THIS group has been playing together for the last 4-5 months with no problemo!

bubble lou

maybe it's just me not having tetras on my tank, but the photo of your tetra shows some of its fin nipped?
or is that a normal tetra finnage?
or just my eyes?

That's how they're supposed to look.

 

[bubble lou]

that "ripped paper" look on the tetra is its normal finnage.

bubble lou

 

[jarmado]

that "ripped paper" look on the tetra is its normal finnage.

bubble lou

oic...many thanks for clearing that up.

 

[Exiled]

Well, actually you're both right -- there is a long finned variety (that Bubble Lou has) which is a breeder-induced phenotype. And a wild-type with short fins.

So Bubble lou -- getting addicted yet?

edit: You take great photos -- miind if I ask you what camera you are using? The quality is great!

 

[bubble lou]

^^ aw shucks...
thanks for the compliment!

it's a canon EOS digital rebel. it's a great camera. feels just like an SLR, but a little lighter. got lucky with a few shots. didn't use the flash (except for the shot of the tetra), so the shutter speed was pretty slow. about 75% of the shots were nothing but blurs. lil' guys are quick!

and that addiction thing...
heheh...might have to get a bigger tank with more fish just to keep the different pics interesting!

the wallet looks scared...VERY scared...

bubble lou

 

[death]

^^ aw shucks...
thanks for the compliment!

it's a canon EOS digital rebel. it's a great camera. feels just like an SLR, but a little lighter. got lucky with a few shots. didn't use the flash (except for the shot of the tetra), so the shutter speed was pretty slow. about 75% of the shots were nothing but blurs. lil' guys are quick!

and that addiction thing...
heheh...might have to get a bigger tank with more fish just to keep the different pics interesting!

the wallet looks scared...VERY scared...

bubble lou

nice fish there i have a sailfin plec and hes about 8 inches now after only 5 months they will get aggressive towards tank mates if they feel cramped well mines did before i got a bigger tank good luck

 

[bubble lou]

man! 8 inches in 5 months?
what in the world were you feeding him?

this is my second sailfin. i lost one last year and probably kept him for about a year and i don't think in that entire time that he went from 3.75 in. to 4 in. he was fed blanched lettuce and cucumber, along with whatever else he scrounged up.

i've had the current one about 4-5 months now and am not seeing any dramatic growth either. lotta poop, but not a lot of growth.

i was aware that these fish can get rather large, but i figured it would take a while to get there, based on what i had been seeing. perhaps i'm not feeding enough?

bubble lou