New 75 Gallon

[Calusa]

I recently bought a 75 gallon tank with canopy, lighting, stand, filtration and heater (and bubble tube!) for around $250... But now I need to put stuff in it. Sure, my 5 gallon minibow is overstocked, but, not 65 gallons overstocked! I have lots of room to play in.

Currently, I have

1 Zebra Danio
1 Tiger Barb (I hate this thing... I seriously do, but it's so healthy... too bad it picks on the other fish.)
1 Long Fin Neon Rosy Barb Tetra-thing
1 Flounder
1 Elephantnose (the pride and joy of the tank)

I would like somthing I can breed lots of, and preferably somthing colorful, and not sensative, as I am leaving for college and I don't think it'll get quite as much care as some fish require while I'm at school.

The fish I've been looking at, however are:

Bala Sharks
More Long Fin Neon Rosy Barb-things
Rummynose Tetras
Neon Tetras
Guppies
Blue Crayfish
Maliwai Electric Blue Cichlids

Now, I know I can't keep the Cichlids with the others, but would like to cut the tank in half with a divider, and keep the cichlids on one half, everyone else on the other. I'd only get 2 cichlids, and they'd have to be just as beautiful as they are in the magazine, because I hate cichlids in the first place, but they're too beautiful to pass up.

I'm thinking about cycling the tank, and introducing a freshwater stingray into half, and getting rid of the malawis or the others... in order to make room (and/or possibly buying a new tank for them, depending on how much trouble they cause )

I would like to have somthing that will breed, so if you could tell me which (if any, besides guppies) I could gain prolific ammounts of.

I also need things to be compatable

Sand Substrate desired.

Keep in mind, I need easy fish to care for, so I'm thinking tetras are out.

Thanks a bunch!!

Calusa<><

 

[cichlidmaster]

Maliwai Electric Blue Cichlids

Now, I know I can't keep the Cichlids with the others, but would like to cut the tank in half with a divider, and keep the cichlids on one half, everyone else on the other. I'd only get 2 cichlids, and they'd have to be just as beautiful as they are in the magazine, because I hate cichlids in the first place, but they're too beautiful to pass up.

Your above statement pretty much sums up what you should do.........

DON'T BUY THE CICHLIDS..................

First off....cutting the tank in half would only give the electric blue's 2 square feet of living space!!! Not nearly enough room for even 2!!!

Second.....Not being able to do regular maintanance on the tank would ensure their eventual death in that small a space.

Third.....you don't seem like the type of person to purposely mistreat fish soooo..........

Do them and yourself a favor.....leave them to the people who do like them as they will surely die in the set up you plan for them.....

CM

 

[Calusa]

it was only going to be for while they were small, and I'd send them off as I became unable to care for them, but the general concensus is to leave 'em be, so that's what I'm gonna do.

Can anyone offer advice on the other fish?? [Please? =P]

 

[hollywoodH]

If the barb is agresive take it back to the lfs or put it in a shoal as this may placate things a little, but it may not. I have a blue crayfish in my malawi tank and he is very cool, but i think that him and if i am thinking correctly your flounder will not get on, when you say flounder are we taling the lye on the bottem of the tank type thing?? If so dont they get huge??? I am usually wrong so...

Malawi's - no

bala sharks can also be agresive and again if its what im thinking get quite large

Neons - look really good in a big shoal dont keep them unless you can keep a decent number 12 or more.

Your zebra danio would be better off with a few friends again as like the company of others

Guppys - Your tiger barb would nip its fins

Hows that? There are people on here with a lot more knowledge and experience than me but those opinions are from my experiences..

Most of all good luck matey

 

[cichlidmaster]

Calusa,
I just finished re-reading your original post and would like to add a few comments...If I may....

Freshwater stingrays are very hard to keep!! They require a great deal of maintenance. I know of a few stingray keepers and importers who recommend DAILY 50% water changes!!!!

Bala sharks, as hollywood stated do attain a good adult size and also require above average water quality!!

I may be missing something here....and please correct me if I am wrong, but are we to assume that the fish you have listed as currently having:

1 zebra danio
1 tiger barb
1 long fin rosy barb
1 flounder
1 elephant nose

are ALL in a 5 gallon tank or are they in the 75 gallon??

The flounder will eventually make a snack of the danio, and the barbs.
The elephant nose requires, IMO the absolute best water quality possible!!!

You also state that you would like fish that would give you lots of fry.

IMO the best thing you could do for the fish and yourself is hold off on buying any more fish, find new homes for the fish you currently have and wait until you will have the time necessary to give the fish the healthy environment they need and deserve.

Without good environment, diet and care fish will not spawn, and if they do the fry will be weak and most likely not survive!!

Now I may get a lot of flack for being this direct, but by your own admission you will NOT have the time to give the tank and fish needed to keep them healthy and happy.

This IMO is not fair to the fish!!!!!!!!!

Please reconsider your desire at this time, and wait until you have the time to give the tank... Your fish will then love you for it.

CM

 

[hollywoodH]

what so i said something right again? what twice in one day? There is something strange going on here. lol


I have to agree with cm. I work incredibly long hours and then come home and check all my water etc. Takes a lot of time but you will find more enjoyement from it.. There is nothing more pleasing than seeing all your fish swimming about happily knowing that everything is OK with your set up.

I love Elephant Noses but they as far am aware could probably be better in groups which takes up room and if the water quality is not superb then it will be severely affected.

Agreeing with CM again, and repeating previous comments made but if i was u i would take your current selection to your LFS and get them to take them off your hands. Then take a look at the stock of a couple of shops and decide what sort of thing you like be it rift lake cichlids, american cichlids, beta's, corys etc then buy a decent book on them and a decent water testing kit. With these you can then try to make sure that whatever you put in the tank will thrive..


Most importantly Good Luck Its so satisfying when you get it right i love it

 

[Calusa]

ok, I'm not gonna flame you for being up front- that's what I want!

Everyone is currently happy and healthy in the 5 gallon. I realized that I would be needing a bigger home, so I got one. It's set up in the [heated] basement right now.

If ANYONE is leaving, it's the tiger barb [the little devil.. ] I may opt to get rid of the danio as well. I did originally buy more than one danio, but it didn't live long [less than 3 days, though I'm sure the fact that it appeared to have scoliosis didn't help]

The flounder is currently about 1.5 inches long, I don't have problems with him, his mouth isn' t big enough to eat anyone [yet!] The Rosy barb is about 2.5'' long- I highly doubt that the flounder will make a meal of that, even when the flounder is fully grown [as long as they only get about 4-5", otherwise, maybe they will eat stuff]

Balas- I heard they were pretty laid back, I've actually read it a number of places. If this isn't true, please let me know ASAP!

The thing about neons is that I've tried to keep them before, unsuccessfully, and I don't want to spend $12+ on a fish that's just going to up and die on me. [that's like flushing money down the toilet, pun intended ]

The sting rays were just a thought, I'll probably look into them again [for a 5th time] when I settle down out of college. However, the knowledgable staff at the LFS had full confidence in the fact that I could do it.

Elephant nose- apparently I'm doing SOMTHING RIGHT HERE!!! because I've had the elephant nose for over 3 months. APPARENTLY my water quality IS NOT suffering, despite the fact that the tank size is less than ideal. I have researched the Elephant nose. The key with them is to either have ONE, or 5 to 6. Elephant noses are expsensive fish, and I don't have the current funds to spend about 70 dollars on 5-6 fish. Maybe later on down the road, I will. But as of right now, I can't buy a large group of them. They need large groups because, as in barbs, they will single out the weakest and pick on it, unless there's a larger group, and the picking has been evened out.

I don't feel it neccissary for you to suggest that I am a poor keeper, and that I need to find homes ASAP, seeing as everyone is healthy, and I am aware of the space situation. My ONLY issue right now is the fact that the Tiger Barb is a little jerk [yeah, I should have known it would come to this, but the problem just started recently]. The Rosy Barb, to be completely honest, looks like a goldfish more than a barb, though it has different fins and a different coloration, the mouth is goldfish-like, and the body shape, everything. I may just stock with the elephant nose and rosy barbs, a few kuhli loaches, the flounder and the crayfish, and if there's any problems, I'll deal with them accordingly as the arrive.

I MYSELF will be about a thousand miles away, and won't be able to care for it in about 2 years, so I'm trying to keep things easy for those that will be caring for the tank [parents and younger siblings]. If I realize that there will be upcomming problems that are best dealt with NOW before it becomes more severe, I'll fix it before I leave.

Things in my tank ARE thriving, I haven't lost anything for about 6 months, and even then, it was a danio that was ill when I got it.

I've been keeping fish for about 12 years, I have a good idea of what I'm doing. I was just asking about other species that I haven't yet tried, and was thinking about giving them a shot.

I've never kept a Bala, Guppy, Rummynose, or Neon [well, not successfully, anyway, on the neon.], and all I was asking for is advice on them... not to be reamed about my current conditions, which are fine. Please don't make assumptions on things you don't know.

Thank you once again, for your up-front and honest comments.

 

[PunkRock050]

Try adding about 5 Tiger Barbs in there with yours. That should calm him down some. Ive got a school of 6 and they havent bothered any of my other fish. I also have 2 Bala Sharks. I think they get about 7" long. Great fish. They make a cool clicking sound at night sometimes, and when they want to be fed/while theyre eating. The only wierd thing is that when I got them they were both small..but now one of them is about 4" long and the other is the same size as when I bought it (2" or so). Maybe its because of its sex?

 

[hollywoodH]

$12 for a neon tetra they are about £1 each over here

 

[cichlidmaster]

Calusa,

First...

I am sorry if you took my comments personally!! They were not meant as an attack on you or your fishkeeping skills (as pointed out in my first reply)

Second...

My comments were not based on "things I don't know". They were based on the information in your post's!!

If you read them closely you will see that!!

I am glad you have a LFS that is knowledgeable as many are not.

Good luck with you education and your fish!!

CM

 

[William]

Hi Calusa, you may want to try cardinals if you find neons hard to keep, they are far more hardy and are in my opinion even more colourful, good luck with whatever you go for

 

[Calusa]

about the $12 neons... What I meant was that if I were to buy an entire school, it would end up costing me about that much.

I'm also considering the cardinals. Thanks.

 

[hollywoodH]

calusa just to wind u up i say yesterday 5 neons for £1 i almost brought some for live food for my malawi's lol. IT WAS MEANT AS A JOKE I WOULDNT DO THAT