Stocking Ideas

[mark4785]

I recently created a thread here wanting to know more about the 'blue cheeked goby'. I had no idea it was a salt water fish, so here I am again looking for advise for stocking a 120 litre freshwater tropical aquarium .

I've never kept tropical fish before, I have always been a fond keeper of goldfish as a child and now outdoor Koi has an adult, so my awareness of the types of tropical fish and their compatibility with each other is very limited.

I have researched the requirements of the Goby and found that their are over 2000 different species with a few that can live in normal fresh water. A lot of people state that gobies seem to just stop eating and usually die after 6-12 months. I really hope this is not the case; does anybody know of a type of goby that lives for much longer than this?

The thing I like about the goby is the way in which it sifts sand. Are there any other types of fish that actively like sifting the sand and vaguely look like the goby? I want to avoid plecs (cat fish) as I'm aware that some can out grow the tank!

I am also in search of smallish/middle-sized fish that is very sociable (i.e. it eats at the surface) and which possibly changes colour. I'd appreciate it if someone could forward the common name of a fish that fits the bill.

Thank you!

Mark.

 

[emmettbaby]

Not all plecs grow huge. There is a list of very pretty plecs that stay under 8 inches that is pinned in the Pleco section of the Catfish forum. Maybe look into live bearers? Guppies or Platys maybe? Pretty sure they don't change color but they come in just about any color you want.

 

[mark4785]

Not all plecs grow huge. There is a list of very pretty plecs that stay under 8 inches that is pinned in the Pleco section of the Catfish forum. Maybe look into live bearers? Guppies or Platys maybe? Pretty sure they don't change color but they come in just about any color you want.

Thank you for that Emmettbaby. I will write some of those catfish names down and see If I can notice any of them listed in any LFS.

 

[Katty]

Since you're just starting out with tropical fish, stay away from any difficult and rare fish. They're harder to keep, easier to kill, and expensive to replace. So I'd be wary of a goby species with a history of up and dying on people in six months.

Have you thought about corydora catfish? They get no where near as large as the big plecos, maybe 1-2 inches depending on the type. They don't really look too much like gobies, but they do sift through sand if you give them sand. I think they're super cute, too.

 

[meguro]

earth-eater cichlids. though not many species would be suitable for 150L

bolivian rams (mikrogeophagus altispinosus) sift sand or if ur up to a challenge blue rams (mikrogeophagus ramirezi), blue rams have around 3 different colour morphs available.

some of the larger acara-like cichlids will also sift sand such as keyhole cichlids, blue acara etc.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

dojo loaches are the best fish in the world. they vaguely resemble a goby and they sift through sand. they're also peaceful and easy to care for. http/www.petsolutions.com/images/200/69400.jpg
http/www.aquahobby.com/img/Misgurnus_anguillicaudatus_3.jpg

theres the original brown type that'll get up to about 12 inches and the gold type that'll get around 8. best kept in groups but they'll survive singly. even if you only have 2, they'll really appreciate the company. great fish, i highly recommend.

 

[mark4785]

Since you're just starting out with tropical fish, stay away from any difficult and rare fish. They're harder to keep, easier to kill, and expensive to replace. So I'd be wary of a goby species with a history of up and dying on people in six months.

Have you thought about corydora catfish? They get no where near as large as the big plecos, maybe 1-2 inches depending on the type. They don't really look too much like gobies, but they do sift through sand if you give them sand. I think they're super cute, too.

I have just searched for the 'corydora catfish'. They do look pretty nice, however I've never really kept a fish with very longer barbels. I'm sure I'll get to like them. The albino type looks quite nice, reminds me of my white rabbit that I used to have

Thanks for the advise!

 

[mark4785]

earth-eater cichlids. though not many species would be suitable for 150L

bolivian rams (mikrogeophagus altispinosus) sift sand or if ur up to a challenge blue rams (mikrogeophagus ramirezi), blue rams have around 3 different colour morphs available.

some of the larger acara-like cichlids will also sift sand such as keyhole cichlids, blue acara etc.

I have just come across a blue ram on Youtube (URL: http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=um5-whZ4OLE&feature=related ). They look quite nice but will they need more than 150 litres of water each? A cd-rom guide (which came with my tank) said that the blue acara wasn't suitable for the tank. It didn't say why not, but It must have something to do with it's potential size/waste etc.

 

[meguro]

blue acara != blue ram

andinoacara latifrons/pulcher etc. (ur cd would probably use aequidens pulcher), commonly called blue acara, would be ok in 150L as long as it isnt a stupid size. where a stupid size is something like a tall hex tank. but u would only want a single specimen or to dedicate the tank to a breeding pair

mikrogeophagus ramirezi (these are the fish in ur youtube link), commonly called blue rams among others, would also be fine in a 150L tank. but u would also have to dedicate the tank to these fish, more or less, as the water parameters required are rather specific.

a stocking idea around blue rams would look like this
2 or 4 blue rams
12 rummynose tetra or cardinal tetra
8 sterbai corydoras

the reason is because m. ramirezi (blue rams) require a temperature in the range 28-32C which restricts ur choice of fish. the albino corydoras u mentioned earlier would be unable to survive long in a tank with these temperatures for example. though there are few fish that can live peacefully alongside the rams (and tolerate the temperatures)

what are the dimensions of ur tank?

 

[mark4785]

what are the dimensions of ur tank?

The aquarium has a height of 47-48cm, width of 80cm and a depth of 35cm from front to back.

Thank you for your stocking advise.

 

[mark4785]

Are the blue rams you mention quite aggressive?

If so, are they incompatible with other smaller fish who are small enough to be consumed?

Lastly does anybody know the recommended PH for blue rams?

 

[meguro]

no they are not aggressive, they are quite peaceful. they will not eat rummynose or cardinals for example, but they will eat eggs/fry etc.

pH 6-7, soft water (low hardness), low nitrate < 30ppm, sand substrate, temperature 28-32C, 80L 2ft tank minimum, varied diet and obviously zero ammonia/nitrite and stable conditions. the last two being the most important

edit: the tank should be cycled before adding them. try to avoid buying the balloon rams. colour morphs include gold rams, blue rams/german blue rams, electric blue rams. try to buy the healthiest looking ones u can find (shop around a bit)

 

[mark4785]

no they are not aggressive, they are quite peaceful. they will not eat rummynose or cardinals for example, but they will eat eggs/fry etc.

pH 6-7, soft water (low hardness), low nitrate < 30ppm, sand substrate, temperature 28-32C, 80L 2ft tank minimum, varied diet and obviously zero ammonia/nitrite and stable conditions. the last two being the most important

edit: the tank should be cycled before adding them. try to avoid buying the balloon rams. colour morphs include gold rams, blue rams/german blue rams, electric blue rams. try to buy the healthiest looking ones u can find (shop around a bit)

Well I still stand by my original opinion a few weeks back, that being, I'd definitely like to invest in some 'german blue rams'. Since my last post I have found out that my aquarium only holds 120 litres of water, NOT 150 litres. A book I recently bought suggested an aquarium with a width of 60cm-80cm would house "3-4 males and 3-4 females" (quoted from 'Guide to Fish Keeping' by Dr Chris Andrews).

I do not really want 7-8 of the same species fish, so if they are compatible, I may invest in 'bolivian rams' alongside the 'blue rams' purely because they are sand sifters that resemble the 'blue cheeked goby' (a fish I'm fascinated by lol).

The book I have states that 'German blue rams' need the following conditions:
PH 6.5 - 7.0
GH level of 3-4 dH.
Temperature: 25 degrees C.

My tap water conditions are:
GH: 9dH I believe.
PH: 7.5.

A part from bog wood, are there any more things (including artificial products) that will create the conditions needed to keep blue rams? I need to be able to achieve the right conditions as I'd like to be able to start breeding them also. Would this product be any good for instance?

Do the bolivian rams accept such water conditions?

Thanks,

Mark.

 

[mark4785]

Any ideas?

 

[PDSimon]

I'd go for bolivian rams if I were you... then if you liked them later on try german blue rams

my bolivian rams often sift through sand, so do my kuhli loach. The kuhlis just bury there head sometimes and you see sand coming out of there gills