Tea'sFishies Posted November 7, 2015 Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 (edited) Hello I'm a new member here... first post! I have had my 210l (planted tank) for 2 years now and I'd really like to add a few more fish - it looks a bit empty Stocked with : 5x platys - sunset/mixed1x Guppy male1x Honey dwarf gourami5x peppered corys2x gold barbs (believe me I've tried introducing more - these two almost killed them all )And lots of plants - don't look to good at the moment except the java moss/indian fern. Will be getting a new load soon. After browsing I cam across some boesemani rainbows - which I'd never heard of! They're so gorgeous!! But I think my tank isn't really fit for them as much as I'd love to get a couple. I heard they need tanks of 4ft +, whereas mine is only 91cm long. Tank dimensions are 91long x 48wide x 50cm (water line when tank's filled really high) pH has always been under 7, normally 6.5. Ammonia/Nitrites/Nitrates all 0. I do have pHUp which I thought I could start using if I were to get boesemani's - they need pH 7-8 right? Does anyone think I could keep a few boesemanis with them living happily? Question is; is my tank suitable for 3 rainbows say 7cm long? Even if pH is under 7 (or I could get it up if necessary)? Any suggestions would be appreciated!Oooh I also heard about the neon dwarfs, which I'm pretty sure suit my tank - only thing is from photos I've seen they look less colourful... not unpretty - all the rainbows I googled are beautiful- but less colourful than the boesemani's. If I'm not allowed boesemani's, would they be a good 2nd option?Thanks! Edited November 7, 2015 by Tea'sFishies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 7, 2015 Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 (edited) Welcome to the forum.Boesemani are large and active so need a good length for swimming, so 4ft minimum, especially as they are skittish and do better in a group of 6+, further requiring a larger aquarium.Do not use pHup as it will most likely cause pH swings in the tank. A steady pH a bit out of range is better than one that swings due to the regular addition or chemicals.Many fish do not show their true colours unless kept in ideal conditions with a large number of tank mates. I am sure you will find the neon dwarfs very eye-catching in the right light, especially if you have a group of them.Keep an eye on those golden barbs though as they may try to kill any fish with a similar body shape! Edited November 7, 2015 by Caryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea'sFishies Posted November 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 Thank you! Will have to go withthe neon dwarf then. Do you think the gold barbs could cause trouble? Are they best separated? I could always move them to my smller tank if they don't get along with the rainbows.How many neon dwarfs so you recommend for my tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted November 7, 2015 Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 Any fish with 'barb' in its name can cause issues in a tank. I'd go for a group of at least six dwarfs. Rainbows are stunning fish - even dwarf rainbows, once in your home tank will develop colouring far above what you see in a shop situation. Remember to give any tank with rainbows in some open swimming spaces as they do love to zoom along the tank.They will happily adjust to the pH of your tank. I had boesmani, reds, blues, dwarfs etc and they were fine in lower pH. If you do find you have a pair of them and want them to spawn then would be the time to raise the pH to the optimum level. Caryl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 7, 2015 Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 Golden barbs seem to cause problems for many, although when I had mine they were fine and I think they may have been in the tank the same time as the neons but my tank is larger than yours too. This can make a difference to aggression, the smaller the tank the more aggressive the fishes as they try and mark their territory.Pictures don't always do the dwarf neons justice as they catch the light beautifully as they move causing their scales to flash and change shade and brilliance with their movement. They may not be a flash as the Boesemani but I am sure you will find their more subtle colour intriguing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea'sFishies Posted November 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 I'm settled then!I just added a tonne more plants to the tank - the fish are going crazy! I had another question - at what age do neon dwarfs start showing colour? The ones I'd like to get are only around 3cm so I'm guessing still young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 I would expect you to notice some colouring in your tank within 7 - 10 days of adding them. When selecting look for ones with a hint of colour already. They are more likely to be males but they will show colouring earlier in a private tank than a shop setting (assuming they are coming from a shop). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea'sFishies Posted November 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 I would expect you to notice some colouring in your tank within 7 - 10 days of adding them. When selecting look for ones with a hint of colour already. They are more likely to be males but they will show colouring earlier in a private tank than a shop setting (assuming they are coming from a shop). thank youso even if they are small they should colour up quick? great! I'm planning on getting about 5 but shop keeper said (I called today) they can't hold any fish so I'll just have to take whats there when I get there Will let you guys knowps I'm getting them from aqua world - near glen field auckland - first time shopper there .. has anyone ever been?thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 I get my corals for my marine tank from there but not my fish.Not sure how new you actually are to fish keeping but all fish, purchased from any source (private or retail), should be quarantined in a separate tank for one month before adding them to your aquarium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea'sFishies Posted November 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2015 I get my corals for my marine tank from there but not my fish.Not sure how new you actually are to fish keeping but all fish, purchased from any source (private or retail), should be quarantined in a separate tank for one month before adding them to your aquarium. That was one of my concerns - all the fish I have now and have bought are quite small, and I used to quarantine them in my 25L for about 2 weeks. But these rainbows won't fit in the 25L for sure, so I have no idea how I'm going to do that. Could I keep them in a rubber made kind of container - I have a very large one - but it's plastic. I'm sure it would work if I put heater in there/etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted November 9, 2015 Report Share Posted November 9, 2015 Yes any container large enough for them. Plastic warehouse bins are also good. You will need some sort of filtration in there but you could use whatever filter you used in the 25 litre and do regular water changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea'sFishies Posted November 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 thanks Do they need anything specific when in community tank that the others don't need? E.g for feeding? I feed mine musquito larvae about once a week that they love, more of a treat than feeding habit though. But I saw rainbows needed more vege than meat in diet- can I feed them raw cucumber/etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) They have very small throats compared to their mouth size so micro pellets work well. Mine ate everything going. Just purchase a food that is higher in vege matter but keep the size of the pellets small.I've attached the article I wrote for one of our Aquarium World magazines on Rainbowfish. It doesn't go into the specifics of feeding but its a reasonable comparison of species found in NZ. The only other thing is don't fill up your tank with plants - leave them swimming space.RAINBOW FISH Proof read.pdf Edited November 10, 2015 by Adrienne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea'sFishies Posted November 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 They have very small throats compared to their mouth size so micro pellets work well. Mine ate everything going. Just purchase a food that is higher in vege matter but keep the size of the pellets small.I've attached the article I wrote for one of our Aquarium World magazines on Rainbowfish. It doesn't go into the specifics of feeding but its a reasonable comparison of species found in NZ. The only other thing is don't fill up your tank with plants - leave them swimming space.RAINBOW FISH Proof read.pdfgreat article, really helpful. I'd never heard of the other species mentioned except the reds so was really interesting to read I'm planning on getting these babies on the 16th so will keep everyone updated. Also I had another question - currently I only have 1 female dwarf honey gourami, would it be ok to add a breeding group of them into the tank? I found an established breeding group of 3 females and a male, which I'd love to add but don't want to stress my one female out. And I wouldn't want to have problems between the rainbows and the gouramis - if 1 is enough then I'll stick with 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Personally I would wait and see how the gourami copes with the rainbows zipping around the tank. In theory if the gourami hang out among your plants and stay right at the surface they should be okay. Would the seller of the group be willing to wait a while? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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