Tankmates

[Lexie3787]

If u look at my sig, u can see whats in my 29 gallon. It looks empty and Id love to add something to it. My pleco is going to a friend soon because it is getting toooo big. So basically all im going to have is the 6 tetras, and my african butterflyfish. Question is, what can go with the butterflyfish. It doesnt attack the tetras because they were there before him, but it attacked any other fish i put in before him. Hes slow so a fast fish would work, or is there a way I could mess with his head and make it seem like the new fish have been there longer than him? I tried to rearrange the decoration and whatnot but one is really big and can only go one way.

 

[loader]

Hi Lexie
What abouy some corys for the bottom. They will stay out of the butterfly fishes way and will give you some activity on the bottom of the tank.

Loader

 

[Lexie3787]

The 29 gallon is gravel bottom, and I wouldnt want the cories to rip up their stomachs, thats a good idea though if i ever convert that tank to sand.

 

[Lexie3787]

What Id love to do is keep the tetras, make it sand, put in guppies and german blue rams. But i think if i did that, the african butterflyfish would have to go?

 

[Ben]

your plan might work, except one slight problem, if you get guppys.
ABF's genrelly only eat anything the size of a neon and a guppy so most fishlarger arew safe, why not try swordtails or mollys or even platys as a substitute for guppys?

Is your gravel big and sharp? if its just rounded and relitivly small you could still get corys, but sand looks better IMO.

HTH

DD

 

[Lexie3787]

Its just that reg. gravel that you see line the walls of petco and petsmart. I love sand but the only reason im hesitant into making it sand is because its gonnna be a biiiiitch to do. I had mollys in that tank before the ABF attacked the new ones and left the old ones alone. He's moody though because he only attacked them sometimes. I love the way guppies look I always wanted them. Oh and I dont think id be able to put corys with gravel, even if it is small and rounded, id still feel bad, ya know?

 

[andywg]

There is actually an experiment I was reading with corries where after reading that gravel can damage their barbels and they should be kept on sand, someone kept them on broken glass.

Now I am not saying this is a good idea, and neither did he, but he found that they had exactly the same condition (particularly barbels) as other cories bought at the same time and kept in coarse gravel, fine gravel and sand.

 

[fishing4exotics]

Hi Lexie3787, how about putting your ABF with your 3 corys in the 10 gallon and putting all the other fish in your 10 gallon into the 29?

 

[big mick]

Corries are fine on gravel, my gravel is small but its not near as fine as sand and mine are fine.
Some say it can damambe their barbels (I think thats what they are called...?) but it wont tear their bellies.

 

[Lexie3787]

Well I wouldnt want to do any damage to them. ABF need atleast 30 gallons and I have him in a 29.

 

[Lexie3787]

Well I got the German Blue Rams today, my pleco will go to a friend soon. I hatttte givign fish away. Im not worired about his health because hes going to a friend of the families who owns a fish store, hes going to keep it in his personal tank though. Still I had this pleco since he was the size of a dime and now hes turning into a giant. Ehh anyways, I have the tetras and I really want to get guppys or something else. Something that my ABF wont eat, but Ive just always loved the way guppys look.