My BF wants a "cool" fish of his own

[Raechal]

Tell your boyfriend to get some money and buy his own tank. Thats what I told mine and now he has a saltwater tank.

Yea but he bought me this tank for my birthday and it was pretty expensive. Our plan is when we move out I will buy him his own saltwater tank so I won't have to maintain it and it will be all his. Although I know he will make me take care of it.

 

[Opcn]

No problem Raechal - what is it with men?

One more time guys - my precious swordtails are the reason I have fish tanks. Ain't nothing thats gonna eat my little darlings going in my tanks!

The weather loaches looked interesting, can they handle the temps of my tanks? I kind of got the impression that they were a colder water type or am I thinking of a different loach?

I think I'll do some research on rams they might be a possiblity.

I would like my tanks to be a little more mature before I try any plecs.

I tried to talk him into an angelfish but he thought they looked to sissy. (What can I say - he's a biker). Despite eating fry the tanks would work for them. The 75 gallon is 26" deep and the 55 is 21" so they should be deep enough.

I was looking at some type of molly last night that was a pearl something or other. It had a crescent tail and the funniest boxey shaped face and it was a pearly silver/white color. It's face was actually kind of ugly (something only a mother could love) in a cute kind of way. Maybe I could tell him it was a chrome fish. He he he. But I really have enough livebearers.

Thats a PLATNUM lyre tail mollie, possibly balloon as well,, weather loaches could probably make it in your tank but a tropical loach would be much more fitting,skunks maybe, the redtail and rainbow sharks are a bad idea, I had one that ate all three of my endler males at about 4 inches long,

As for Salt water fish, Have you looked at them! they are so awesome and they deffinitly beateven the most personable cichlid out, and all the reef diversity, with little starfish and shrimp scampering about on rocks and bristle worms and hermit rabs and loads of snails and fan worms, its just maddening how much diversity there is.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

how about some discus?

 

[Inchworm]

...The weather loaches looked interesting, can they handle the temps of my tanks? I kind of got the impression that they were a colder water type or am I thinking of a different loach?

Hi Polardbear

Weather loaches can thrive in a wide range of temperatures, but your tank is near the high end of the scale.

I first kept them with goldfish, in an unheated tank, but now I have one with my corys at 76-78 degrees most of the time, and it's doing fine.

I think your bf would like one. There is absolutely nothing sissy about a weather loach. They are big enough to look "macho," but sweet tempered with the other fish. They are also inexpensive. I only paid around $3 for mine.

And the best part might just be that once they get to moving.............they are FAST!!!!

 

[Polardbear]

Is a weather loach the same thing as a dojo loach?

 

[Gill]

Hey Polar,

What About some Sailfin's They are Large Enough and have that Lovely Dorsal Fin, I am Sure you can Get Silver Color's of Sailfins.

Nice and Big.

 

[Polardbear]

One more weather loach question - would they prefer sand or gravel? The 75 gallon has sand and the 55 gal has gravel. O.K. two questions - would I have to worry about them swimming upstream and getting into the filters? I've got an Emperor 400 and another H.O.B. 300 gph filter on the 75 gallon. The water return on the Emperor 400 is just barely off the surface of the water. I probably could put something under it to raise it up.

 

[Polardbear]

Those sailfins sure are pretty. I could probably sell him on one of those as long as I never admit it's a molly!

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Polardbear

Yes, dojo seems to just be another name for them.

Here's a link with quite a bit of information about them:

http/www.loaches.com/species_pages/wloach.html

http/www.loaches.com/species_pages/misgu...licaudatus.html

 

[Jezah]

Dragon fish is a good choice. They are major cool, and freaky looking yet peaceful. They are also called Violet Goby's

 

[Polardbear]

Grrrr...Went to 6 stores today and couldn't find any weather loaches. I even had decided that I'd put a khuli loach as my second choice but not a loach to be found! I did see some pretty albino rainbow sharks but I'm really hesitant about them. Does anybody know how fast they grow? They were about 2 inches long, how long would it take them to become a threat to my swordies?

 

[Opcn]

6 months perhaps. But the thing is that they are impossible to catch,they make Zebradanios lok like fancy goldfish. They rival kuhliloaches in there ability to out think a net.

Also Violet Gobies (Dragon fish is a common name used for to many fish, from ABF's to Arowanas) Will eat your newborn fry, anything that they can filter out of the water is lunch, and new born fry are just small enought to be considered planktonic.

 

[Leigh1316]

I have a Black Ghost Knife, it will only eat fish it can get in its mouth easily, it doesn't like to fight for his food. I also have a Bala shark in with my platies, mollies and guppies. As long as the fry are in a different tank you should be fine with either one. They are very a pieceful and don't bother any other fish.

 

[Opcn]

But a BKG will deffinitly eat fry

 

[Phantom Thief]

Ok, i'll summarize this...

Cool fish = too big, too aggressive, or otherwise unsuitable

So why don't you get a new tank for him and make it a predator tank?

P.T.