New Plants, New Look :)

[kylealastairlove]

i ordered some plants from plants alive about a week a go, finally received them today!
here is what i ordered:
ceratophyllum demersum hornwort
cryptocoryne becketii
eleocharis vivipara, tall hair grass!
tonina fluviatilas
cryptocoryne ciliata

i also had a few plants that had survived that i brought a month or so a go too so i decided as my tank looked a bit bare how it was, i thought i would re-scape it and this is what it looks like now...

bit of dirt still floating around as the water was disturbed! just ignore that! lol
and hopefully my plants will survive so my tank stays looking nice

 

[Noahs ark6]

Hi, are you using a base layer under the sand? thanks

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Are they Trigonostigma hengeli or T. espei I see swimming about?


Looks nice.

 

[kylealastairlove]

hi noah's ark!! i actually have nothing underneath the sand, just the actual layer of sand which is about 1.5 - 2 inch deep

hey eaglesaquarium they are Rasbora heteromorpha, or raspbora/red harlequins thanks for the comment.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Hmmmm... I have T. heteromorpha (the name changed fairly recently, but I can't remember when exactly). They don't look quite like that.


T. heteromorpha

T. espei

T. hengeli

They are all very similar, but are slightly different. The T. hengeli are the smallest of the bunch at 3.0cm. The T. espei grow to about 4.0cm. The T. heteromorpha are the largest growing to 5.0cm.


It really doesn't matter, I suppose. Just wondering. The reason I asked is because the bottom looked like an espei, while the one directly in front of the filter appeared more like a hengeli. Maybe its just the picture.

 

[kylealastairlove]

i see what you mean, they are very similar, not too sure, mine up close look alot like the pic of Tespei you put up there, i brought them from a pets at home store and they were labelled as what i said to you, i think your right though, you seem to know your fish and the pet stores do get it wrong sometimes!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yes they do. I'm in the US, so I don't have any experience with P@H, but I have read enough about them on here to know that they are fallible.

I don't know all fish as well as those guys. I actually spent about 2 months deciding which of them to get. I decided on the T. espei. Then, out of the blue I was "gifted" with 3 T. heteromorpha. So, instead of getting the T. espei, I just upped my numbers of T. heteromorpha - I know have 10 of the little guys! They are more readily available in the US than the espei or hengeli. All three are very hardy though and I find them fun to watch. The espei are a bit more timid, in my experience than the heteromorpha, probably due to their smaller size, but in a nicely planted tank, they should feel very comfortable.

 

[kylealastairlove]

ahhh right! the last time i visited P@H was to get my harlequins and that was about 2-3 weeks a go. i was asking one of the guys that worked there about the betta fish they had, as i really really wanted one, but he wouldn't sell me one because i had only had my tank set up for about a month and a half, and he said they're not suitable for begginers, although im glad i actually didn't get one now as much as i do like them. i jsut dont think they would go very well with my kind of setup and what fish i want to keep.
i got 3 for my first set of harlequins still only have the 3 as well, i do need to get myself some more, i love watching there orange glow under the tank light, very nice looking fish

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If your's have an "orange glow" then they are almost assuredly espei, but possibly hengeli. Hengeli's are nicknamed "glowlight rasboras" because of the patch that seems to "glow" and the espei are sometimes referred to as "false harlequin rasboras", so the confusion makes sense at P@H.


Yes, they do much better in groups of 6+, regardless of which specific specie you have. (Just be sure that the next batch you get match the ones you have currently... the fish will be happier all together rather being a hodge podge.)

 

[kylealastairlove]

hmm both are really similar, hard to tell although something tells me mine are espei
i might take a trip down there tomorrow and buy some more the more the merrier, think they'll look stunning in a bigger group too
anyways i have learned a bit more about harlequins and the different species through your comments so thanks for your help and knowledge ;D

 

[eaglesaquarium]

No problem... Glad to help.


If you are adding more be sure to keep a close eye on the ammonia and nitrite.

 

[kylealastairlove]

will do! thankyou very much my friend