Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => New Fishkeepers => Topic started by: Aquamaid on December 08, 2014, 05:16:53 PM
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Iv'e decided my new 260l tank when it is cycled, will be a Rainbow tank with maybe Congo tetras if i can get away with the Ph level etc (Lfs says ok) Does anyone keep rainbows and have advice to give, i gather pristine water is a must so no slacking in the wc department. How many minimum of one variety if having a few different.
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Hi Aquamaid,
I've never kept rainbows myself, but from what I've read most are shoaling fish, so 6-8 of each species you intend to keep. They come in a fantastic variety of shapes and sizes, but the Bosemans are popular for a reason. Stunning fish. Banded rainbows are beautiful too!
Good luck!
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Don't you have hard water and high pH? The Thinkfish profile for Congo tetra says "although it is quite happy in harder water, over the longer term it is best kept in soft-medium water", while Seriously Fish suggests ph of 6 - 7.5.
Rainbowfish are interesting, but most do grow to a good size, though your tank is obviously big enough. I have just one Lake Kutubu fish which came with a second hand tank. I failed to find someone suitable to rehome it (I don't consider taking a fish to the LFS as rehoming, it's more like passing the buck, who knows where it may end up) and so kept it. It's more than twice the size of any other fish in the tank and dominates the others. Basically it never moves from the feeding point and explodes onto the surface as soon as the flake hits the surface. Rainbowfish are known to be greedy, care needed not to overfeed them, but apparently have narrow throats so can only swallow small food items. If mine grabs a big piece of flake, it keeps spitting it out until it breaks into pieces small enough to swallow. I've seen a Neon tetra swallow a bigger piece than the rainbow can manage.
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i have 3 Bosemans in my tank althow how they got there is still a mystery to me as i have never actualy bought any ,i had 4 in a tank for a freind for two nights he had problems with a cracked tank then a few weeks after they gone i found little black things swimming in the tank so can only assume they had babies lol but they have grow nicely over the last 5 months , there a lovely fish to watch but i agree with richard they get very greedy.Mine are currently spending most of the time shoaling with my danios no problem even thow there getting alot bigger .
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Ooh thanks, good to know, yes Richard i do have high Ph and hard water, my Lfs is supposed to be very reputable and often tells me that certain varieties of fish are reared in UK in hard water areas so are accustomed to our water, but i will have to look into this further.Mmm Danios or Penguin Tetras, i will have to think about that too : )
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If you can find them, the Giant or Bengal "danios",(Devario aequipinnatus or D. devario) would fit in well with rainbowfish, your tank size and water conditions. There is a profile of the Giant Danio on this site under "Rasboras".
Not sure how easy they are to find.
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The more i research rainbows the bigger they seem to get *blink* so any suggestions, i have a 230L tank 4' x 18" x 18" i would like a school of 6 congo tetras, and wanted some banded, Lake Kutubu, and red rainbows but if i need to keep 5 of each as i have read, this seems unlikely. Is it possible to keep two of each species, and can they be all males or would a m/f pair be better? Don't want to overcrowd but it's sooo hard to choose, i like the boesmans too, but i also want some cory in the tank, oh dear :-\
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What about dwarf rainbows (http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/melanotaenia-praecox/)? They aren't quite as big as some of the others
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A possiblity Sue, thanks : )
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Hi AM! :wave:
What about thread-fin rainbows. They are small and despite the pics on here they are actually quite pretty fish. They live well with harlequins and shrimp!!! These would all be possibles for your tank. If you consider shrimp, make sure none of the fish you choose will eat them!!!!! Most shrimp traders will say that any fish whose mouth is big enough will eat them, which may well be true!! I am considering having CPD's or cardinal tetras in my shrimp tank.
Just a thought!!
FC76
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Thanks, Fishcake, oooh so many re-thinks in this fish keeping lark isn't there :-\ :)
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Threadfins are stunning and small rainbows. I love Forktail Rainbowfish too, though not technically rainbowfish so I'm told...
I'd go with the CPD's Fishcake as Cardinals need a longer tank. Check out the Emerald Dwarf Rasbora too. Gorgeous fish!
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I wouldn't have Threadfin rainbows in such a large tank. They are quite shy and I reckon big rainbows, which are pretty boisterous, might be too much for them. In general, I reckon it's not a good idea to mix fish which differ too much in size, unless the smaller ones are really robust fast movers, like danios.
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Well iv'e set my heart on the congo tetras, so 6 of them, and if i have to choose a rainbow species, i think maybe 4 of the banded, 5 or 6 corys and some penguin tetras or maybe danios.