New To Rainbow Fish

[Findlay]

Hi there,
 
 I am new to keeping Rainbow Fish and just want to know if I'm doing things right... I really like these guys and would be very upset if I ended up killing them.
 
I have a 30 gallon tank with the following fish: 4 Boesemani rainbows, 2 Turquoise rainbows, 8 Neon tetras, 1 peacock gudgeon, 1 cherry barb, 1 bristlenose pleco, 1 clown loach, 1 khuli loach, 1 wood catfish, and 1 Amano shrimp.
 
The tank has black gravel and arteficial plants, and has a lot of plant cover at either end and at the back of the tank with open swimming space in the front and center. There are also a couple pieces of driftwood and two caves.
 
 The temperature is steady at 75 degrees, and the pH is 7.0. The ammonia levels are low enough that they're unreadable with my test kit (so under 0.025.) I feed them tropical flake food, freeze-dried tubifex worms, and algae disks.
 
 The rainbow fish seem happy enough, but not particularily outgoing. They mostly hide together at one end behind a piece of driftwood with one or two of them occasionally swimming across the tank. They do eat, but not enthusiastically. The male turquoise seems to be after all the ladies in the tank (no matter what species) and can really flash his orange stripe on and off when he wants to, which is pretty awesome! I am concerned because I heard they were very outgoing, enthusiastic fish, and mine seem rather shy and skittish for the most part. Does the bright light in the tank bother them perhaps? Should I get another pair of turquoise?
 
 
I have attached a (poor) photo of my tank.
Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!
 
 

 

[BerryAttack]

rainbow fish need IMO a 4 foot tank.. they love to swim and are big swimmers... *cough* even though i have mine in a 40 gallon.. didn't know at the time.. ANYWAYS
your cherry barb is a school fish and needs a min of 3+ fish.
your clown loach is also a school fish (don't know much about so someone has to put more on it) but it will grow too big for your tank... probably should rehome.
khuli loach are also schooling fish and need soft substrate. like sand... i would say rehome that one as well.
 
cool looking tank, and with the rainbows they love to be in groups, the more the better (if tank can support the group size) and they feed more comfortable in a heavily planted tank. also rainbows love water changes... i find that if you do big water changes the colours just intensify.
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGFXk6YYVOY
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNlzKJH2D3A
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDEo_NjHHTw
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2BVYi1LLxQ
 
that guy has good info on rainbows.. that are just some of his videos on them

 

[ncguppy830]

i agree with berryattack although IMO schooling fish need at the very least 5 and shouldbe at least 6.

 

[Findlay]

Hmm. I have been wondering about the size of the tank. It's only three feet long, but I'll have to wait a while to upgrade (dog needs $$$ hip surgery.) I was also concerned about the clown loach. He was donated to me by a friend who was moving and I'm pretty sure she had no idea how big he would get. Neither did I. I will rehome him if I can find the right home.
 
The cherry barb I have now is 5 years old, so not to be harsh about it, but I'm kind of just waiting for her to pass on. Might not happen soon, since she's outlived all her buddies, survived a house fire and is the boss of the tank.
 
I really wish that aquarium shops would tell people what they need to know before leavinng the store. The rainbow fish for example... I was going in for a pair of pearl gourami's and the guy convinced me to get a pair of rainbows. Then I learn they're schooling fish so I get more, then I learn my tank is too small.

  Not that I regret getting them... they're amazing. I was really happy to see that in all the videos, my fish were as colourful as that guy's fish, even if they aren't in a big enough space yet.
 
Here is my turquoise male. Sorry it's blurry. He's really turning on his stripe for the boesmani female, but she isn't having any of it.

 

[mitch70]

Is the above picture not a Lake Kutubu Rainbowfish?

 

[ncguppy830]

yea mitch is right thats no boesimi

 

[mrhidley]

Have to disagree with a couple of things here.
 

yea mitch is right thats no boesimi

 
The rainbow on the left could well be a Bosemani, and while the one on the right doesn't look like one, it may just be the lighting, Bosemani's change colour intensity through the day and depending on lighting. Mine are often dark blue with white tummies in the morning, then almost turquiose/green with white tummy and bright yellow tails.
 
 

 
your cherry barb is a school fish and needs a min of 3+ fish.
 

 
 
 Also the comment on Cherry barbs i would disagree with, Cherry barbs are not schooling fish like most barbs, they're completely happy on their own, and if there are multiples in tanks they often move in pairs, but rarely three, fours ect.

 

[ncguppy830]

cherry barbs are schooling fish and while you might think there happy on there own there social fish and need large schools as they do in the wild.

 

[mrhidley]

cherry barbs are schooling fish and while you might think there happy on there own there social fish and need large schools as they do in the wild.

 
Maybe a three, i really don't see a need for more than that, they are happy on their own (as in, i've owned cherry barbs, in many differant school sizes over the years, and have never observed the same kind of schooling i see in my Ruby and Odessa Barbs), I would always advise you start with at least three, but with a 5 year old fish, i really don't see the point in getting more. The fish has lived has lived fairly happily (I would assume OP?) up to this point and is not timid and eats well. 
 
There are other problems with the tank, that's not really one of them.
 
Although looking on youtube I can see that some peoples do school. My apologies. But it wouldn't be top of my list. Rehome that Loach.

 

[ncguppy830]

well no i agree theres no point if its gonna die soon and ya the clown is way unsuitable for the tank.

 

[Findlay]

The fish off in the left corner is a boesemani. The one featured in the picture is my Lake Kutubu (turquoise) male. Working on rehoming the loach... so far no one showing any interest has a tank large enough or other clown loaches. Cherry barb really is fine... she is elderly, outgoing, and even the rainbow fish get out of her way when she's going for food. I'm am concerned my tank might be overstocked though... I have an Aqua Clear 50 in there right now, if I add the Aqua Clear I have in the basement, would that help? And also do more frequent water changes, which I hear the rainbow fish like.

 

[mrhidley]

The fish off in the left corner is a boesemani. The one featured in the picture is my Lake Kutubu (turquoise) male. Working on rehoming the loach... so far no one showing any interest has a tank large enough or other clown loaches. Cherry barb really is fine... she is elderly, outgoing, and even the rainbow fish get out of her way when she's going for food. I'm am concerned my tank might be overstocked though... I have an Aqua Clear 50 in there right now, if I add the Aqua Clear I have in the basement, would that help? And also do more frequent water changes, which I hear the rainbow fish like.

 
Have you got an LFS? i'm sure they'd take the loach off you.

 

[Findlay]

I do, but they sold it to my friend in the first place, not telling her that it was a schooling fish or how large it would get, so I don't really trust them to sell it to a good home. I'm trying to find someone who already has a large tank, and preferably someone who already has some clown loaches (or is willing to purchase others.) Hopefully I'll find someone soon so it can have friends and a big enough space.

 

[BerryAttack]

you can post it on kijiji, OR because i see you are in Canada... don't know where though you can see if there is a Big Als aquarium store near you. they are always very good and give lots of information on fish. if you give it to them then you can get $$ back that's what i do when i decide a fish is better off not in my aquarium.

 

[mrhidley]

I do, but they sold it to my friend in the first place, not telling her that it was a schooling fish or how large it would get, so I don't really trust them to sell it to a good home. I'm trying to find someone who already has a large tank, and preferably someone who already has some clown loaches (or is willing to purchase others.) Hopefully I'll find someone soon so it can have friends and a big enough space.

 
That's tricky, I understand. Unfortunately this is a common problem with Clown Loaches, my LFS has one huge tank with about 15 of them in it, all over a foot long.