Scarlet Badis?

[Ben M]

hi, i have a 216l 4ft community tank, and i have just discovered the scarlet badis. i really like the look of these fish, but i'm not sure if they will be ok in my tank. the fish i have are 4 kribs, 5 SAE's, 20 copper harlequins, 3 Otocinclus affinis, 3 serpae tetras, 4 rummynosed tetras and 3 cardinal tetras. i will soon add about a dozen corries if i can get a new tank for my kribs, and if i can move my kribs then i will get some shrimp aswell. the tank will be heavily planted with 2/3 sand substrate, with the left 1/3 2-3mm gravel. the lighting is quite low, and i have read that the badis like this. would scarlet badis be ok in a tank like this? and what could i feed them? would they accept flake/granular food, or do they need live foods? and are they readily available in shops, and what sort of price are they? also, how many should i get, and is there a male/ female ratio that is needed? and would i need to move the kribs before i get any?

pause for breath

sorry for the billions of questions.

cheers

 

[Always Learning]

Good choice

With the Kribs.. No. I'm not sure about the SAEs as I have never had them, but if they are in any way aggressive, then I'd advise against the Badis. They're very shy generally, but as always, they all have their own personality. They should be fine with the other fish though. Try them with flakes but have some sinking pellets for them too, as they're mainly bottom dwellers and might not be able to compete for the food with your other stock. As with any fish, live/frozen food are appreciated.

As for sourcing them, I have yet to see them in any of my LFS, but they were more than willing to order them. Price wise, I've no idea. Everywhere is different.. though they're not hard to source, so don't pay through the roof.

 

[Ben M]

thanks, i really want a species setup for the kribs, because they are too aggressive for my tank. i would sell them, but as they are breeding constantly, i don't really want too. the SAE's aren't at all aggressive, they just cruise around looking for algae to nibble on. i'll have a look to see where i can buy them.

cheers