Aqua Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 I've just been given a four foot tank!!! HELP! What do I put in it???? I like the look of the red-bellied oscars @ hollywoods - are they nice fish? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 Do you like one or two large fish or a shoal of smaller ones? Do you like a nicely planted and landscaped tank or a rocky one with no plants? Your answer to those two questions will narrow down your choices Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 15, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 LOL well, my "large" 56L tank (2') is kind of heavily planted, I think that one will stay that way... So maybe a rocky tank would make for somediversity! :lol: I want to keep small AND large fish lol... that's not really possible, is it? I think I want to go for a few large fish - that way they can have names, instead of the shoal simply called "the neons" I *do* like the look of the fire-bellied (???) oscars... they look cute as babies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 A couple of oscars would fit nicely in a 4ft and you would not get any plants to survive with them. Any landscaping you try won't last either :lol: If you go for African cichlids you will get small and large (though not as big as oscars) as many are mouthbrooders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 15, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 names? Gimme some pics to go by What have you guys got in your big tanks? (I'm counting 4' as big, I don't care what the rest of you say!!! :lol:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 guppys lots of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 15, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 LOL I hate to say it, but I'm not really keen on guppies... Maybe I could just have a HUGE community tank.. Or, I've heard of like, "themed" tanks? Where all your fish come from one area? Anybody do this? If so, have you got any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 Try http://www.africancichlids.net Carla told me about that site last night. I had fun playing with the puzzles Lots of pics there. As for a themed tank, what about an Amazon rainforest stream? You would need soft water for this with a filter to provide good flow but not too much current. Suitable plants would be cabomba, dwarf swords (Echinodorus tenellus) Amazon sword (E. paniculatus), hairgrass (Eleocharis acicularis). Suitable fish: bristlenose catfish (Ancistrus sp), emerald catfish (Brochis splendens), cardinal tetras, silver tipped tetras, rummy nosed tetras, bleeding heart tetras, neons, angels, hatchetfish, whiptail catfish, discus South East Asia River: Plants; red rotala, hairgrass, crypts, vallis and if you vcan find them - water shamrock (Marsilea crenata), Japanese cress (Cardamine lyrata), onion plant (Crinum thaianum) Fish; kuhli loach, rosy barbs, striped barb, spanner barb, 5 banded barb, Siamese fighter, clown loaches, pearl danio, giant danio, red tailed black shark, harlequins, scissortails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 15, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 Carla, you're a gem The filter I've got at the moment (Came with the tank, along with a heater.thermostat & large airstone) is a Shark 3. I noticed that Shark is simply a brand name, and that it's made by Sicce? I don't know the power output of this pump... :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 Yes, Sicce make the Shark filters. I always found them good. Find a site that advertises these filters for sale as they should give the power output, or find one in your lfs. Masterpet distribute them in NZ I believe. Here is some info on the PF Shark series which I think is what you may have... PF1 - 150L, 33UK gal, 40USA gal PF2 - 225L, 50UK gal, 60USA gal PF3 - 300L, 66UK gal, 80USA gal PF4 - 400L, 88UK gal, 106USA gal PF5 - 500L, 110UK gal, 132USA gal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 Just got back from Hollywoods (another $70 gone!) I was told that the Shark 3 wouldn't be enough for my tank - the tank holds 248 Litres!!!! So, when I have my stand (in about 6 weeks), I'll be getting a Fluval 304.. $219 This "hobby" is just getting more & more expensive!!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 I would run both filters in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 Yeah, I was thinking of doing that.. Just running the Shark while I've got only plants in the tank, let it cycle for a while, and then get fish, and the Fluval Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 The shark would be enough to start with as you slowly added fish and got the cycle going. The cycle will not start with just plants, you have to have some fish as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 true that... I'm still stuck on what I want to get in there... I've changed my mind again, I think I want lots of little fish, and maybe some medium sized fish, and HEAPS of plants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carla Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 Thanks for the kind words too *blush*. How about some nice cichlids then? They are so much fun as they actually do show some behaviour rather than just swim from left to right and back (in between eating their babies like my good minnows). Must get organised, look under the house and then put up a suitably large tank and get a wishlist to Fee.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted April 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2003 Chichlids? hrmmmmm The Chichlid website says they get quite big, and I'd have to upgrade the tank in a couple of years... I'm trying to get a rein on this hobby!!! I want some medium sized fish... I think I'm going to have to spend a good couple of hours in Hollywoods working out what I want in there... They're a good crew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 9, 2003 Report Share Posted April 9, 2003 You can get dwarf cichlids too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted April 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2003 hehehe true... I quite like the dwarf gouramis... they're cute Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KerryO Posted April 9, 2003 Report Share Posted April 9, 2003 I bought some dwarf gouramis at Hollywoods in the weekend, to go with the tetras and minnows that I got from you (Aqua). Good looking fish, eat anything and everything you throw at them, don't hassle the other fish. Like to have there own teritory in the tank, especially the one busy building a bubble nest. I've also got: 2x Flying Foxes (1 would have been plenty) 2x Kuli Loaches (hardly ever seen, but amuse the kids when they do come out) 1x Clown Loach (highly recommended), and 2x Bristle nose cats(also highly recommended). I'm not sure what I'll get next to make up the balance of my tank. Maybe some Mollies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted April 9, 2003 Report Share Posted April 9, 2003 KerryO said... > I've also got: > 2x Flying Foxes (1 would have been plenty) I would say 4 is a comfortable minimum, they (especially if we're talking about SAEs) do better in groups. > 2x Kuli Loaches (hardly ever seen, but amuse the kids Such is the way of kuhlii loaches > 1x Clown Loach (highly recommended), I'd highly recommend getting 2 or 3 more, once again they behave differently and seem to 'do' better in groups. > Maybe some Mollies. I'd recommend *against* mollies. They tend to be a lot trickier to do well than their common-ness would suggest. JMHO, of course. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted April 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2003 A couple more Clown Loaches would be a good idea KerryO They like to be in groups... I got two, and they've ended up hanging around my catfish most of the time, so when I've got some spare $$ I'll get a couple more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted April 9, 2003 Report Share Posted April 9, 2003 Aqua said... > ... I got two, and they've ended up hanging around my catfish > most of the time... I had 8 (now 7) Corydoras metae from Derek Heath in my community tank but almost never saw them (except for the occasional glimpse as one or more swam up the back of the tank). Once I added the 4 (now 3) clown loaches the Corys became much more confident and are now seen all the time, in various parts of the tank, often with clown loaches in tow. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KerryO Posted April 9, 2003 Report Share Posted April 9, 2003 Well the book I read said they (Clown Loaches) are fine in groups when young, but only one adult per tank is recommended. Mine is a young one, but I didn't want to have to get rid of some when they had grown to adults. He seems perfectly happy on his own, and started work as soon as I released him into the tank. No other fish bother him, and he bothers no one. I don't want to upset the balance, but at the same time I'd love some more of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted April 10, 2003 Report Share Posted April 10, 2003 KerryO said... > Well the book I read said they (Clown Loaches) are fine in > groups when young, but only one adult per tank is recommended. That's the beauty of fishkeeping, there are as many ways to do things as there are people who do them. For some other opinions have a look at: http://www.users.bigpond.com/rjeb/clown.html http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/bo ... nthus.html http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish/profi ... cordNo=226 and so on... Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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