Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => New Fishkeepers => Topic started by: Woodsie on June 17, 2020, 03:23:25 PM
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Hi all, I have been keeping fish for a few years but have decided to up my game, just a bit. Until recently I had a Fluval 125ltr. I'd had it for over 10 years and kept a variety of safe community fish in it. It was planted but not well and I didn't feed the plants etc. Well this sprung a leak when a seal burst and I decided to upgrade.
I am now the proud owner of a Aqua Vogue 245 - details below -
Make: Aqua One | Model: AquaVogue | Litres: 245
Aquarium Depth: 45.0cm | Width: 120.0cm | Height: 55.0cm
I took delivery, from Lynwood aquatics on 21/5/20. I put in standard gravel but also 4 shallow plastic take away boxes filled with tetra complete substrate and planted a few plants into these boxes at the back and a few smaller plants directly into the gravel at the front. I left it a while then slowly added the fish that had survived the leak and been kept in two much smaller tanks. I did this over a three week period.
The survivors are a mixed bunch as follows.
4 black neon tetra
1 Platy, I think :( :fishy1:
3 Five striped barbs (very peaceful ones)
1 as yet unidentified but small and calm, if lonely
1 bristle nosed pleco (I have 2 but the 2nd one is bigger and disruptive e.g. digging up the substrate and plants so he's stayed in the small tank for now at least)
1 horseface loach (i think, very small bottom feeder) I now think it is a dwarf loach
1 Honey Gourami, mits a Gold apparently
1 Opaline Gourami.
Some of these were clearly stressed in their small tank and are now much calmer but I worry about the ones that are singles or in a small group. They have plenty of space and I want to add more. I'd like to have a couple of showy fish and I'm thinking of a couple of Angel Fish.
So now for the Qs please.
1. Do you think Angel Fish a good idea
2. If so can I add them soon or should I wait longer.
3. Should I make up the numbers of the little ones first e.g a few more tetra and Mollys.
n.b. I have been testing the water regularly and all has been good, the odd spoke you expect with a new tank but settled quickly. I have had my brown alga bloom but this now gone, probably speeded as I reduced the lighting time to 4 hours white 2 hours red.
My PH however hovers near 8. I've looked into this and a) it always has been b) I suspect my local shop is similar as that is the PH of the tap water c) I have read a few places that chemical treatment for PH is to be avoided d) I've also read stable is better than lowering and letting it rise and it is stable
I do use liquid plant fertiliser too.
Wow you lot are great, thank you for the welcomes and the info. I can see I'm going to be obliged to take out a proper subscription.
I've amended my fist list as pretty sure I have a lone platy not a molly and I got one of the Gourami wrong but I'm not sure it changes much. I also now think my loach might be a dwarf as it is very small and peaceful and doesnt dig.
Quite disappointed that Angel Fish and Gouramis are not compatible, not least as the decision to get angels came from a family vote. Still no rush nor harm done.
It turns out my water hardness is Calcium carbonate(CaCO3): 258 ppm which I believe means it is hard even if it's not right at the end of the spectrum,
I also found this info on the Thames Eater site if it helps further.
Degrees Clarke:18 -Degrees German(DH):14 - Degrees French:26
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The thing against getting angelfish is that you have gouramis. Angels and gouramis are not a good combination, especially a potentially aggressive gourami like the opaline (a variety of 3 spot, which is one of the most aggressive gourami species).
The other thing that is of concern is mixing fish which need very hard water (mollies) with fish which need soft water (just about everything else).
If this was my tank, I would find out how hard my water was, then increase the numbers of those species which suit my water. Look on your water company's website - you need a number and the unit of measurement as words are misleading. The unit is needed as there are about half a dozen different ones.
In a tank this size, you have plenty of room for larger shoals of fish :)
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Hi @Woodsie and welcome to the forum. :wave:
Thanks for the information and pictures of your tank. :)
I agree with @Sue about getting the information on your water supply, and having plenty of room for shoals of fish.
When we have more information about your water we can make some suggestions for new fish.
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Hi and welcome.
Your ‘honey gouramy’ appears to be a gold gouramy (same species as the opaline).
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Welcome to the forum, thanks for sharing the pictures and it looks like you got some bits to get on with. I look forward to see the progress :fishy1:
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Welcome :wave: Lovely tank. :cheers:
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I didn't see the photos when I replied, but I agree with Hampalong, the gouramis are both variants of 3 spot (gold & opaline). In this case, angels would not be a good choice.
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Wow you lot are great, thank you so much for the welcomes and the info. :wave:I can see I'm going to be obliged to take out a proper subscription.
I've amended my fist list as pretty sure I have a lone platy not a molly and I got one of the Gourami wrong but I'm not sure it changes much. I also now think my loach might be a dwarf as it is very small and peaceful and doesnt dig. I'll add some new pics, hopefully.
Quite disappointed that Angel Fish and Gouramis are not compatible, not least as the decision to get angels came from a family vote. Still no rush nor harm done.
It turns out my water hardness is Calcium carbonate(CaCO3): 258 ppm which I believe means it is hard even if it's not right at the end of the spectrum,
I also found this info on the Thames Eater site if it helps further.
Degrees Clarke:18 -Degrees German(DH):14 - Degrees French:26
If Angel fish are definitely out what might be a good option?
I guess I better make up some numbers of the others first?
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That photo isn't a horse face loach as you realise. It doesn't look quite right for a dwarf chain loach (Ambastaia sidthimunki) either, though as there is only one and it's a shoaling species, it will probably be quite stressed.
With your hardness, angelfish are not a good choice, even without the gouramis as they are soft water fish.
But what would work is one of the species or rainbowfish - there are a couple of soft water species though most are hard water fish.
Have a look at the fish on this site http://rainbowfish.angfaqld.org.au/Melano.htm You won't find all the species of rainbowfish in shops but it will give you an idea of possibilities. Some of the larger species will need a longer tnak that yours but many will be suitable. Make sure they are hard water rainbowfish!
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Thanks again, I will take a look at thye rainbows and see if my ,local stocks them. I intend to fill in a few gaps first i.e. build up the numbers of the ones that should be in larger groups. If that little loach isn't a dwarf chain though I'm not sure what he is. I'll see if my local shop have any ideas.
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The loach could just be a stressed dwarf chain loach. They are normally black and white but they do go grey and white when stressed or when two males are vying for dominance. The patterning is right, it's the colour that's raised a query in my mind
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OK, thanks Sue. I am planning on seeing if my local shop has any in stock this week. So maybe he'll colour up when he's got a couple of mates.
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Hi, Just a,little update in case anyone's interested. I got a few more of a my solo fish, once you'd help me identify them That is except for the one I'd wrongly suggested was a horse faced loach and some one , Sue I think said it might be a (very pale) dwarf chain loach. I've finally identified it as a south american darter aka darter characin which seems to part of the tera family although it behaves otherwise. Its a cool little fish that, as it name suggests darts about the bottom of the tank as is very inquisitive. I can't now find any more though, I went back to Maidenhead A' where I got it. They remembered having them in but did not know if they'd get them again. I shall keep an eye out. Interestignl;y it does not appear in this fporums fish finder.If you're interested yo can read about it here thouygh https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/how-to-keep-darter-characins/
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Glad you finally identified what it was :)
The fish profiles on here tend to list only the more common fish, though there are some unusual ones.
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Thanks for the update, @Woodsie - very interesting, and glad you're enjoying having the fish. :cheers: