Looking for ideas

[TorPeteO]

Well, after the terrible heater tragedy that happened in my 5 gallon tank, I'm left with a decision I didn't want to have to make. What should I put in there, for now? Since the filter's cycled, I'll need something in there ASAP, I'd think. Which of the fish in my 38 gallon tank do you think would benefit best from having a tank of its/their own?

4 fry (3 big, 1 still in fry net)
3 Swordtails
1 M Platy
3 Hatchets
4 Corys
7 Neons

The ones I think might benefit most would be;

1 F Platy (Xena) - Right now, Xena is in a 2.5 gallon hospital tank because she's got some illness (I believe it's a mild fungus). The only problem is that I don't want the fungus passing onto the plants or other surfaces in the 5 gallon, and then spreading to any new inhabitants I buy when the time comes.

1 Chinese Hillstream Loach - Scooter is in the 38 gallon tank right now. I understand that, being a hillstream loach, he prefers colder water and faster currents than the tropical fish in the main tank. I'm skeptical about moving him, though, because I don't think it will be permanent; it will more than likely be temporary until I can find out what to do in the long run.

Speaking of the long run, I'm eventually going to move everything from the 5 gallon into an empty 15 gallon once I have everything I need. Since my LFS has no dwarf puffers anymore and the tank's too small for a GSP, I'm open to suggestions for any type of specialty fish that you guys have had fun keeping!

Thanks everyone,
Peter

 

[WILDER]

I would put the three swordtails and the platy in, wouldn't add the neons as they are a shaoling fish and need plenty of room.

 

[glolite]

For the permanent fish you could have a betta.

 

[TorPeteO]

The 5 gallon won't be a permanent set up...as soon as I get the chance, I'm going to pick up everything I need to complete a setup in the 15 gallon, with everything from the 5 moved over. The 5 will probably become a grow-out tank for fry when I get that done.

Any recommendations for the 15 gallon tank, once it's setup?

Thanks!

 

[Discomafia]

Since my LFS has no dwarf puffers anymore and the tank's too small for a GSP,

Did you try the Big Al's down East? Not near Kanata I know, but if you really want a dwarf puffer, I know they have them in most of the time. And I saw numerous Fahaka puffers in last week,(diff. tanks of course) guess it must have been a new shipment.

The Wal-mart at South Keys was where I got my dwarf puffer at. I had been reading up on them for long, andlast week was the first time I've seen a dwarf puffer at Wal-mart, and at that price, I couldn't wait til spring and get one in the Big Al's East... Plus she looked so underfed and she was in there with a bunch of other fish, it was a pity I could only get one.

 

[sylvia]

Well I'd put the hillstream loach in there until you know what you're going to do with it - seeing as it wouldn't realy fit into a tropical tank. Then, if you choose to keep it, you can move it to the 15 gallon with white clouds or fatheads/rosy reds and maybe some guppies. If you decide you're not going to go to all the trouble of setting up a cooler-water tank with lots of large flat rocks for algae grazing and lots of powerheads to provide the right sort of stream environment, consider killies as a 'specialty fish' and make it a neat little species tank for a few of those .

 

[TorPeteO]

Discomafia - I'll have to check out those spots on the East end. I got to South Keys all the time, maybe next time I'll check in at the *ughhhh* Wal-Mart. Or I'll have to try that Big Al's, I've never been there. Thanks!

Sylvia - I was considering white couds in a cool-water tank. I was also considering Killies. I don't recall having seen killifish in my LFS, but maybe I just didn't look hard enough.

Thanks a lot!