Squidlet Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Has anyone had any experience with these pretty little fish? From the research I have done my 40l aquarium will be big enough for a group of 6 as they only grow to a max of 2cms, however I wanted to know what you guys would advise on this. I have also read that they can go with pygmy cories (which I have two already), harlequin rasbora and dario dario. I thought that dario dario could be aggressive though? Any other ideas what you could keep as tank mates? O riginally I was just going to keep 6 mosquito rasbora with 6-8 pygmy corys on the bottom, and plant the tank up nicely to make a mini scape for my study desk (so I can procrastinate when I study you see). Im moving on sunday so I will need to set up my 40l and completely re-cycle it before I add any fish. So I guess I have a little bit of time to find out more info. Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirt Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Hi I'm not sure about the fish, but if opyou keep the biological media in the filter wet while transiting it, you won't have recycle your aquarium. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidlet Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I was going to ask about the filter media but forgot by the time I got to the end of my post. You must be a mind reader thanks! I was going to take over half the aquarium water also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirt Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Yeah or even a 1/4 would do. It's not a lot of water anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Dont know about the fish either, but when moving the media keep the container open, or with a large head of air, so the the bacteria can breath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 6 in a group isn't enough. They are a shoaling fish and prefer to be kept in larger numbers. A lot of people at pet shops say that if you are getting a shoaling fish e.g. neons to get a group of 6, however I disagree with this. You should keep at least 10-15 of them. Your 40L tank will be perfectly sufficient for this amount of fish If you watch the videos of Sophia's tank you will see she has about 12 of the similar species Boraras maculatus, which are slightly bigger, and the tank is only 22L. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=51335&start=150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I am certain they can go with pygmy cory as I have seen them in other tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 And they will definately be fine with harlequins and Dario dario. The darios are only aggressive amoungst themselves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copper Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I've got 10 or so of the mossie rasbora in a 74L, and it looks pretty empty. I'm still tossing up whether to double the number. I've got them in with Kuhli loaches and Sundadanio axelrodi (only 3 left now &c:ry ). I use to have them in with a dario dario and it was fine. The rasbora tend to hang around the top (they quite like floating plants) and the dario dario would hang near the bottom. As for food, my ones will eat anything from flake to daphnia. It's pretty funny watching them take on fully grown daphnia. Don't be put off by the colours of the fish in the shop. Give them a month or so of good food and they'll colour up nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 i think with the dario it will be fine as long as you only have one dario they tend to fight with each other Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 in my experience what the others say is right about the combinations of fish and the behaviour of the little fish. You may find that you would like to have more than 6 of them as they are so pretty when their colours come out. I went from 7 to 12 in my tank and there are now no stragglers where before there was often a grumpy one not hanging out with the others. Perhaps now because there are lots more females than males they are happier, I'm not sure. I wouldn't have more than 2 dario in that size tank, they do get a bit quietly aggressive to each other - I have seen the lead dario chasing the other one but never any biting or nipping, more like headbutting. My 2nd one has since died, I can't tell if he got caught somewhere or died first. Copper, I reckon you could triple the numbers at least, you will be really pleased with the results. I don't think they are heavy on the bioload as they are little eaters 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidlet Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Oh wow thanks guys! You have all been really helpful. I am super excited now to get a shoal of these lil guys and some more pygmys. :happy1: May even put some harlequins in with them also but first I need to work out how many cm of fish I can keep in the tank. The measurements are 37 X 30 X 30cm (Its a cube). With my tank being not so long I think that means I have a smaller surface area and there fore can put less fish in it. By my calculations I have a total surface area of 172.28 in squared, or 437.6cm squared. (Using online aquarium stock calculator). Which gives 14inches or 35cm of fish. Have I done the math correct? :smln: If the mosquito Rasbora grow a max of 2cms, and pygmys a max of 3cms, I could have 10 mosquito rasbora and 7-8 pygmy corys, or perhaps 10 rasbora and 6 pygmy corys, and a dario dario. As you guys mentioned however they have a smaller load on the system, so how many does anyone care to recommend would be suitable? Id like to get a dario dario as well, but im having enough trouble sourcing the rasbora let alone one of those! There is currently one left in the tank at the LFS and it is stunning! However they said to expect a wait of a month before they get any more :tears: Perhaps Im being too particular about fish numbers? Since I'll be setting this tank up again, I want to do it properly from the start. from what I have researched it seems to me so much trouble could be avoided just by lowering stocking density. Im going to wait a couple of weeks anyway once Ive shifted, and just plant the tank and get it all arranged to my liking before I put the fish in. I figure this could also help iron out any hiccups I may get with the filter. Thanks for the tips on keeping the bacteria alive as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I wouldn't bother putting the harlequins in. I just think the mossie rasboras would look nice on their own. Also harlequins need a bit more space, especially if you are planning on having a group of them as well. And if you were to just put two or three in it makes the stocking look messy to the eye. I learnt the hard way - I got one or two of every fish I saw in the shop that I liked and spent heaps of money, and the final result looked aweful so I sold everything and started again. Also harlequins are a larger fish and won't really suit your small tank IMO. I think 15 mossie rasboras would be a good amount for your tank. Also don't worry about the surface area thing. If you have good circulation and the surface is agitated a bit then you'll be fine. And you'll still have room for your cories and a dario or two I saw a picture of an Amano tank in a book I am borrowing from Caryl, that was stocked with about 30 Paracheirodon simulans (which grow to about 2cm). The dimensions of the tank were 36x22x26cm, which is 19L He had lots of plants in there though and the fish looked in great condition. Happy plants = happy fishes as Amano says So I reckon you'll definately be fine with your stocking :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 To start with I reckon 10-15 rasbora would be great, and up to that amount of pygmies (6 minimum usually), 1 or 2 dario - depending if there are lots of hiding places and plants for them to easily work out territory. While it's not something that the scientists recommend I usually judge how many there should be by eye and watching behaviour - how much room do they appear to need to get along together, how much floor space for the size of the group and do they like to swim fast in one direction etc. If you can reasonably easily get all the fish you would like to keep then you could start with 6 or 7 of each and then build up the numbers as you prefer later on. Generally I think rasbora maculatus (dwarfs like mine) are available more often than mosquito rasbora and they get to about the same size or smaller even. I don't think you can do the judging by eye with bigger fish like livebearers and catfish that make a lot of poop but once the filter is established a few more little fish doesn't seem to make a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidlet Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Ok thank you so much for all your help guys Can't wait for these fish to come into stock again I will post some pictures once my tank is all set up and sorted. :happy2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Just one thing - I haven't read right through the thread again but has anyone mentioned to you that you will need a filter that won't suck them in. I assume you have see how tiny they are in the shops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidlet Posted January 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 Yup I have an AquaStart 340 Pro, which has in internal filter which sucks in one side and spits water out the other. It wont pick up fish poo from the sand, so Im assuming it wont suck the fish in. Ive had molly, guppy and swordtail fry in there when they are about 1cm big, which havnt been sucked up. So hoping it wont happen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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