Musings Re More Fish

Three years sounds about right @fcmf looking back I have had mine probably slightly longer than that (I really should keep better records!) and their numbers are now dwindling

Thanks I should have thought to check on here! I need my head looking at… anyways it looks more like 2 to 3 years in that case (which conforms to a bit of internet research I just did).

Worth adding I suspect I may have had one extra addition… can’t prove anything but one of the fish seems younger than the rest… possibly my only success at breeding beyond seeing cichlids lay eggs and eat them 24/48 hours later!

As an update:
I had intended to get the embers this weekend if at all possible but the plan has now changed.
I discovered yesterday that neighbours who are fishkeepers are moving (too far for it to be viable to take fish and the associated logistics).  By mutual discussion/agreement, and keenness to help out, it seemed best all round if I took in those compatible with my existing species and tank size - 4 cardinals "fitted the bill" (and are now in my quarantine tank).

Yes, it will be 6 cardinals & 5 espeis.  I'm gutted to be missing out on the long-desired embers, had decided long ago against any more cardinals and their inherent challenges, but wanted to help out my neighbours and couldn't bear the thought of their fish struggling to find new homes.

It brings some potential challenges that I hadn't anticipated as I hadn't actually seen them before.
3 out of 4 of these guys are huge in comparison with my own cardinals or any fish ever in my tank* (4x the body mass at least), likely due to having come from a larger and much taller tank with a lot more water volume and general activity levels. They were swimming around very actively with silvertip and rummynose tetras, while the base of the tank had yo-yo loaches and bristlenose plecs and an ageing cory. My own past and present fish have always been quite sedate, interspersed with pottering around, occasional spats or (in the case of the x-rays of old and the current espeis) bouts of frenzied mating behaviour.
Time will tell how they'll adapt to being in a sole-species and smaller tank during quarantine, and in turn in the main tank which is smaller than what they've been used to.
Hoping their size won't frighten the existing cardinals or create pecking-order issues, but their activity levels might be on a closer par to the espeis'.

Everyone has spotted one another. The only available location for the QT was on the dining table immediately opposite the main tank, so everyone has (re)located position in the tanks to eye one another up, which seems to be providing a source of mutual fascination.

Unfortunately, with the massive increase in fish mass, a feature fish won't be an option. With my elderly male nerite preferring to lie upside down on the bottom to rest, anything that might disturb or poke at him would have been off the agenda anyway. Perhaps in a few years' time, and after any aforementioned household renovations, I'll have a tank with those on my "wanted" list - sparkling gourami and ember tetras, but will have to remain patient for the foreseeable future.

[* Have noticed XXL x-ray and cardinals in shops that bore no resemblance to the size mine ever reached, likely due to having lived in larger environments. Does make one wonder whether the 60x30cm minimum recommended tank size recommended by 'bona fide' sources should in fact be larger.]

Sparklers we’re the fish I had in mind too  I dont recall much interaction between mine and any snails.

The only other option that springs to mind would be a small Apisto - maybe something like Apistogramma borelli.

The two are quite different choices - the sparklers more of a shy disposition and the cichlids more outgoing - you’d get quite a different feel to the tank. I’ve kept both apistos and sparklers and found them to be lovely fish ( I wouldn’t necessarily personally recommend other gourami or some of the other dwarf cichlids )

The story has come "full circle".  With the demise of the extremely large female cardinal which was one of 3 pieces of bad news within 24 hours (the others not fish-related), and with a shoal of embers collectively not even equating to her body mass and within the stocking capacity on Thinkfish, it seemed that the natural antidote was to add the 5 newbies in the attached photo to my brood (just released from acclimitisation into the quarantine tank within the past half hour). 
 

Thanks.
Yes indeed - they are lovely.  They "oranged" up nicely later that day, although the quarantine tank has no light on it so it's difficult to fully appreciate them. They are ever so cute as they swim around in a little shoal of 5 and inquisitively explore the end of the tank that I sit at when eating my dinner. 
In the QT, they feel safe enough for one or two to wander off and explore before returning to "the fold".  I'm *hoping* that they'll be ok once they move into the main tank and not perceive anyone as a threat - there will be 5 of each shoal/species, and the other two species are fine together, so fingers crossed that they don't perceive a third as a crowd and that everyone gets on alright otherwise the QT will have to become a permanent second tank!



 

To conclude the thread, the embers have now moved into their new home and have settled in very well - much more stimulation for them in there which is keeping them lively and entertained rather than resting as they were usually doing in the QT.

After ~ten seconds of shoaling up and adjusting to a change of scene, they dispersed - all 14 fish have been happily swimming around together (embers more with the espeis than the cardinals, likely due to preference for mid-water swimming levels) and the embers competed well for food.