Think Fish Keepers Daily News. [2016-2019]

I've just got back from my hols... eveyone is ok except my harlequins. I had 3 old harlequins (3 of the first fish I ever bought) and 2 new ones. I now have just 2 old ones looking quite lonely.  I suspect the new harlequins were part of a bad batch as I lost others quite quickly when i first introduced them to various ailments the other tank inhabitants never picked up and their colouring never seemed quite right and hey didnt grow much so I suspect they were inbred or something. The old guy I'm pretty confident died of old age as he was floating on my return  . No sign if the younger ones... suspect my clean up crew has been at work!..

I hope there isn't something more sinister going on. I can't believe there would be for the hardest fish to die off first. Fingers crossed anyways.

Not sure what to do with the 2 remaining harlequins now. They don't seem comfortable in such small numbers but I suspect they don't have long either... im torn between restocking them as i really like their different body shape and colouring etc. or keeping the number of species in the tank down and increasing numbers of existing fish...

Sorry to hear about the harlequins matt.I must admit i love these fish i think it's the way they school together tightly backwards and forwards that makes me like them so much.

I don't know what it is about rummynose tetras, but I've always had a bit of a soft spot for them. Even though they seem to have quite understated markings, I think that they are very pretty.

Both real rummy noses http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/hemigrammus-rhodostomus/ and false rummy noses http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/hemigrammus-bleheri (the species most likely to be sold as rummies) are fine up to GH 15. Though Seriously Fish does comment their colours are a bit faded at pH above 7.0.

Not sure what to do with the 2 remaining harlequins now. They don't seem comfortable in such small numbers but I suspect they don't have long either... im torn between restocking them as i really like their different body shape and colouring etc. or keeping the number of species in the tank down and increasing numbers of existing fish...

Very sorry to read the news about your harlequins, @Matt.

As to the course of action to take, I'd probably wait to see how the situation pans out over the next few weeks. My x-ray tetras are now down to 3 in number but, following the initial week or two after the most recent death, seem to be integrating well with the 6 harlequins and not showing any signs of distress. Obviously, I wouldn't advocate keeping such a small number if they were younger but they seem quite content/relaxed in the company of the harlequins, as though they're all part of the same gang, possibly because they've all been in one another's company for 3+ years and thus are used to it. Most fish are dotted around singly, in pairs or small groups at various locations around the tank at various times of the day, and sometimes this can be 2-3 harlequins or a 'pairing' of an x-ray and a harlequin or 2 harlequins plus an x-ray, etc. It's only when lights go off that they tend to congregate in species-specific shoals and even that changes after the first half hour or so. Hope that might provide some reassurance. [It will be interesting to see the dynamics when the microdevario kubotais move into the main tank - I'm inclined to think that this new gang may hang around together, while the old gang remain together, rather than the two rasbora shoals intermingling and leaving the 3 x-rays out 'in the cold'.] If, however, your harlequins show signs of distress (eg hiding, not eating) due to being in such small numbers, then perhaps it is worth increasing their shoal numbers.

The 2 remaining Harlies seem just fine. They are 2 males though as they are disply fighting. They spend a lot of time apart as well though so i think they are happy enough.


I went to the LFS yesterday evening for a little aquascaping project ive been doing... and i saw dwarf pencil fish... they might have made my mind up for me. I think im going to be replacing the harlequins ive lost with a group of them! From what I saw in store the dwarf pencilfish were all at the surface, which would be great as im missing something in this area currently. The rocket killifish id previously considered were distributed more evenly around the tank (as they have been when I've seen them previously in other stores). The internet is not helping confirm if this will be the norm or not...

I had a proper kid in a sweet shop moment,  they also had golden eye dwarf cichlids which id not seen before and Im going to have to get before I never see them again. I went in thinking about increasing the number of Rams I have - I might leave this till after I see how the golden eyes do. If not ill get another pair only (believe me I had a tank full of them in my sweetie shop head yesterday!). The ones they had were labelled as Czech rams which had me excited, but this looks to just be where they were bred, no other difference form my research.

I can't decide if I prefer ember tetras or chilli rasboras. I do want a smaller species in the tank again after the loss of my galaxy rasboras a while back.

Oh dear...

I already spent quite enough on the aquascaping project stuff!...

I've had dwarf pencilfish before. They do stay in the upper half of the tank and tend to hover a lot which makes them an unusual addition to the tank. I have read people say they can be aggressive but I never found this.

The cichlids - Nannacara anomala? Just to warn you it is not a good idea to have more than one species of cichlid in a tank.....

Both lovely fish, that's a tough choice.

I'm looking forward to seeing pics of your pencil fish when you get them into your tank. 

A large shoal of chilli rasbora will also look amazing. Obviously you will need to post loads of pics of them when they settle in. Please.

I'm not sure I get the kiddie in a sweet shop feeling when I go to a shop. I think I get more a sort of Maria in the Sound of Music, running in with arms outstretched, but instead of "the hills are alive...", I'm more "mine, all mine, I want them all", while twirling around. Good job it's just a feeling, and not an actual physical display. 

I'm not sure I get the kiddie in a sweet shop feeling when I go to a shop. I think I get more a sort of Maria in the Sound of Music, running in with arms outstretched, but instead of "the hills are alive...", I'm more "mine, all mine, I want them all", while twirling around. Good job it's just a feeling, and not an actual physical display. 

This made me chuckle so much that I inhaled my morning coffee! Perhaps we could create "Thinkfish - the musical" and write some songs to illustrate fishkeepers' experiences of the hobby...