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Post by theamlinals on Feb 14, 2018 15:25:14 GMT -5
Hi guys, Stocking advice please. All i have in the tank so far are 5 otos, 3 black kuhli loaches and at least 2 striped kuhli loaches. (possibly 2 other striped ones still but i've only seen one since i got them, until yesterday when i finally saw a second one. I have sand and 2 driftwoods in there, the black ones are always out, tbe striped one(s) always hiding) Looking to fill out my little neighbourhood a little bit. I would definitely like to add more black kuhlis. 3 was all they had at the time. How many more i can add is the first question. And the answer will depend on if i get anything else too. Because while i'd honestly be happy just having a tank filled to the brim with kuhlis, i wouldnt mind having something else too. The only things that have really caught my eye so far as possibilties are the twig catfish, the halfbeak, and maybe some corys. Opinions on the farlowella or halfbeaks, if they would be okay in my tank? If they would be okay/better off as singles, or if they should be in groups? Oh also - I used to have bamboo shrimp that i liked so maybe some of them? I am a fan of any kind of shrimp if you have other suggestions, but i dont want them to end up as somebody's food if i choose a shrimp-eating tankmate. I'm trying to choose a nice peaceful quirky gang. But my tastes seem to run almost exclusively to the bottom dwellers. And i know everybody first response will be to say "get a bigger tank", as i know my tank isnt big on floor space, but as of right now my black kuhlis are only ever on the right wall of the tank, doing circles around the filter area. And the one striped kuhli hangs out under one of the driftwoods. Nobody else is ever using any of the sand or floorspace. So i feel like based on their current behaviour, there would be plenty of room for everybody to have space to hang out regardless of my existing kuhlis. So i was thinking maybe some corys? I dont know much about them, but observing them in the local stores they seemed to be reasonably active, goofing around the whole bottom half of the water level, rather than just crawling along the bottom. Is that pretty accurate? As far as patterns go, i preferred the one that looked like a maze. Could you remind me of the name of that type? And would they be a good match for my tank? Or would i need to go with the little tiny kind? What would be a good number of each to go with if i add more kuhlis and some corys? What about if i included any of the other things i mentioned, if they would work for my tank size? What's everybody thinking would be my best mix here given my preferences? Thanks!
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Post by phish on Feb 14, 2018 17:44:57 GMT -5
I'd put about 20 1.5" - 2" fish in a 20 gallon tank. I think you could get a small group of cory cats or just more kuhlis and a single twig catfish (mine just sits there stuck on the wall or driftwood and really doesn't take up any space). I've got my twiggy cat in a 26 gallon with two 2 adult angelfish, 5 adult cories, 5-6 otos and 6 juvenile siamese flying foxes (some variant of siamese algae eater). The siamese algae eaters school with the otos and they almost look alike aside from the body shape. Just make sure to keep up with weekly water changes to keep things in check. Not sure about halfbeaks since I don't have any. Can't comment on shrimp either. Should really think about getting a school of tetras or some other peaceful fish to fill up the middle/upper part of the tank or it's always going to look empty.
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Post by bettaja on Feb 14, 2018 18:21:29 GMT -5
I have had the halfbeaks and a couple in the 20 gallon would look nice along with a small school of corys. the farlowella would compete with the otos for food but could work with extra feeding of spirulina tablet. 4 halfbeaks with a school of 6 corys and you could add 3 or 4 more khuli loaches. The corys with the pattern you described is sodalis or reticulatus, they will eat anything you feed now. thats pretty much what you could do with the fish mentioned. Shrimp add very little to the bioload but if you add them, limit to 1 or 2 to see how they would interact.
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Post by theamlinals on Feb 14, 2018 23:59:12 GMT -5
I'd put about 20 1.5" - 2" fish in a 20 gallon tank. I think you could get a small group of cory cats or just more kuhlis and a single twig catfish (mine just sits there stuck on the wall or driftwood and really doesn't take up any space). I've got my twiggy cat in a 26 gallon with two 2 adult angelfish, 5 adult cories, 5-6 otos and 6 juvenile siamese flying foxes (some variant of siamese algae eater). The siamese algae eaters school with the otos and they almost look alike aside from the body shape. Just make sure to keep up with weekly water changes to keep things in check. Not sure about halfbeaks since I don't have any. Can't comment on shrimp either. Should really think about getting a school of tetras or some other peaceful fish to fill up the middle/upper part of the tank or it's always going to look empty. Thanks! I was looking at twiggies today and they werent catching my eye today as much as the first couple times i saw them. So i'm still on the fence about that one - i might skip it. I wandered around looking for something else to catch my eye. Things did catch my eye, but nothing totally dazzled me that wouldnt require a much larger tank. Lol. So i was thinking the same thing, back to looking for something that would fill the top half more. What's the minimum number you should get for tetras?
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Post by theamlinals on Feb 15, 2018 0:10:41 GMT -5
I have had the halfbeaks and a couple in the 20 gallon would look nice along with a small school of corys. the farlowella would compete with the otos for food but could work with extra feeding of spirulina tablet. 4 halfbeaks with a school of 6 corys and you could add 3 or 4 more khuli loaches. The corys with the pattern you described is sodalis or reticulatus, they will eat anything you feed now. thats pretty much what you could do with the fish mentioned. Shrimp add very little to the bioload but if you add them, limit to 1 or 2 to see how they would interact. Thanks! Great to find someone else who's kept the halfbeaks. Tell me about them, what was their behaviour like? It's been a little tricky finding good info about them. Some things say theyre a schooling fish, some say make sure you dont get two males. I've seen them moving all around store tanks, but then most of the stuff you read says they basically never leave the surface of the water. So i dont really know what to expect. I'm not even sure why i like them, i just came across them one day on the internet and their goofy faces amused me. But if it turns out they're actually super boring, maybe i would be better off with some tetras instead?
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Post by phish on Feb 15, 2018 0:28:29 GMT -5
I'd go for a nice school of Rummy Nose tetras Think I saw some at Aqua Animania
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Post by theamlinals on Feb 15, 2018 0:41:15 GMT -5
I'd go for a nice school of Rummy Nose tetras Think I saw some at Aqua Animania Yeah i was there tonight actually, and i was checking them out as a possibility. i might prefer the irridescence of the neons though, if i had to choose one.
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Post by phish on Feb 15, 2018 1:12:25 GMT -5
I'd go for a nice school of Rummy Nose tetras Think I saw some at Aqua Animania Yeah i was there tonight actually, and i was checking them out as a possibility. i might prefer the irridescence of the neons though, if i had to choose one. Neons look better but don't really school. They just scatter all over the tank and tend to shoal when there is danger.
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Post by theamlinals on Feb 15, 2018 1:37:00 GMT -5
Yeah i was there tonight actually, and i was checking them out as a possibility. i might prefer the irridescence of the neons though, if i had to choose one. Neons look better but don't really school. They just scatter all over the tank and tend to shoal when there is danger. Hmmm. Thanks for pointing that out. Would i even be able to have a large enough number to get proper schooling action though? I assumed you'd need a lot of them to get that effect..
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Post by phish on Feb 15, 2018 2:10:24 GMT -5
You will probably see the schooling effect starting at 3 or 4 rummy nose tetras. With 5, they will definitely form a hierarchy and school around the tank.
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Post by bettaja on Feb 15, 2018 6:18:57 GMT -5
The halfbeaks you saw were the silver wrestling halfbeak Dermogenys pusillis I think (most common one anyway). They are a surface fish, a little sensitive to start with, they would be ok long term in your 20. They can fight if there isn't enough room or cover/hiding places at the surface. They are a livebearer like guppies but you will only get 2-5 young at a spawn and the parents will eat the young. These fish can add a different colour that's not often seen in aquarium fish. Feeding is best on live or frozen foods, not to sure if they will eat flakes. They don't usually do too much swimming around the aquarium so they may be a little boring for you. Hope this helps!
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Post by theamlinals on Feb 15, 2018 8:56:37 GMT -5
You will probably see the schooling effect starting at 3 or 4 rummy nose tetras. With 5, they will definitely form a hierarchy and school around the tank. Oh that few eh? That's cool, i thought i'd need at least ten or something. Can you mix tetras, like 3 rummynose, 3 neons?
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Post by phish on Feb 15, 2018 14:33:44 GMT -5
You can mix them but a larger group of either would look better in a 20g tank I think.
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Post by theamlinals on Feb 15, 2018 18:12:07 GMT -5
You can mix them but a larger group of either would look better in a 20g tank I think. Okay. Do you think one kind would be better than the other in regards to not bothering or nipping at the halfbeaks if i end up getting some of them?
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Post by theamlinals on Feb 15, 2018 18:20:07 GMT -5
The halfbeaks you saw were the silver wrestling halfbeak Dermogenys pusillis I think (most common one anyway). They are a surface fish, a little sensitive to start with, they would be ok long term in your 20. They can fight if there isn't enough room or cover/hiding places at the surface. They are a livebearer like guppies but you will only get 2-5 young at a spawn and the parents will eat the young. These fish can add a different colour that's not often seen in aquarium fish. Feeding is best on live or frozen foods, not to sure if they will eat flakes. They don't usually do too much swimming around the aquarium so they may be a little boring for you. Hope this helps! I do try to keep some floating plants in there, but they tend to get pushed off to the sides by the air bubbles breaking the surface. but there's nothing else really in there in the top half of the tank to separate "turf" or be hiding places except the air lines and air stone bubbles. Do you think that will be a problem then, like unavoidable fighting? Can you just have one, or do they basically need friends even though they fight with their friends? Are the "celebes" kind any different? Because i'm pretty sure i saw that on one of the tank labels somewhere. The other place i think it just said "halfbeak".
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