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Change of fish wanted -advice please

Discussion in 'Freshwater General Discussion' started by CharlieB, Jun 11, 2010.

  1. CharlieB

    CharlieB Thread Starter New Member

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    Hi,

    I have a 30gal freshwater tank with:
    4 penguin fish
    8 serpae tetra
    1 black phantom tetra
    1 swordtail
    2 kuhli loaches
    5 amano shrimp
    1 peppermint plec
    1 other plec (not sure what but has leopard pattern)

    I recently had to babysit my friend's siamese fighter for a few weeks, and i really liked the graceful floaty sail fins. Unfortunately i had to isolate it as the serpaes and the swordtail wanted to eat the sail fins (!)
    However now the fighter has gone home, and i want to change my stock for fish that are more gentle and graceful, with big fins. I also quite like Discus.
    I would be grateful for some suggestions of the types of fish that would be suitable, pics too if you have them.
    thanks, charlie
     
    CharlieB, Jun 11, 2010
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  2. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    Many fish pictures and profiles can be seen here--> Aquatic Fish Profiles

    what are you planning to do with the current tank inhabitants?

    Will these be going into the 30g or a different tank?

    What kind of filtration will there be? What's the pH?

    Discus are gorgeous (I keep them), but they are EXPENSIVE & require a tall tank rather than a long tank (just for starters)....and really good water quality (so frequent water changes are a must).
     
    MOD_Dawn, Jun 11, 2010
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  3. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    Ps. Can also google (images) for pictures.

    Waiting on answers to the above questions, but thinking longfin/Hi Fin species will be to your liking.

    Below is a random list (not all are compatible!!, these are just some that come to mind)

    Ex. would be Hi Fin Serpae Tetras, Hi Fin Platys, Sailfin Molly, Longfin Danio, Longfin White cloud, Chinese Hi Fin Banded Shark, LongFin Bristlenose Pleco, Male Betta, Hi Fin Black Skirt Tetra, veiltail angelfish, Diamond Tetra, Congo Tetra, African Butterfly fish, multiple types of your fancier goldfish.
     
    MOD_Dawn, Jun 11, 2010
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  4. CharlieB

    CharlieB Thread Starter New Member

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    Hi Dawn,

    thanks for the suggestions and weblink, useful to see a list with pics like that. To answer your questions:
    some of the current inhabitants i was going to return to the store (wouldn't want to flush them!) I was mostly concerned with returning the "fin-nippers" like the serpaes and swordtail. I love the little Kuhlis and shrimps and plecs, although i would probably return the bigger (leopard) plec to make room for the newbies.
    The current filter is an internal Eheim Aquaball 180 (expandable)
    The PH is 7.6
    The tank internal water dimensions are 420mm by 820mm - does this quality as tall enough for Discus?

    I think one of my issues is my sofa is qute far from the tank, so i would prefer bigger fish, tht i can see more easily from a distance. Before you ask, no its not an option to move either the tank or teh sofa, i've had my current flat for two years now and tried every living room layout i could think of :rolleyes: Also i'm thinking a change of fish would be a good time to overhaul the tank, which i've been wanting to do for a while. I want to change the white sand (i know, lol) for gravel, and have a more coherent planting scheme, with some taller stuff at the back.

    looking forward to your advice
     
    CharlieB, Jun 12, 2010
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  5. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    420mm by 820mm so that's 16.5" x 32.2" ...you my friend probably have a 30 gallon long tank (36"x12"x16"). I'm somewhat familar with the Aquaball, but not with that model number.

    I know you won't like this, but I recommend staying away from Discus because their taller body shape/size needs the height when they begin to reach maturity (meaning 24" & up in the height).

    SUBSTRATE:
    If you wanna do a total overhaul and don't like sand I recommend Eco-Complete Planted Substrate (I've always used black, but it comes in a red color now too).

    PLANT TABS/CHEMICALS:
    Get the plants in there before the inhabitants & give them a bit of time to form nice strong roots (less chance of fish uprooting them...or even you when you do partials). Also, if your doing any type of swords I'd stick Seachem Flourish Tabs under the substrate close to where you're planting them (roots will grow towards tab). If your not using co2 and want a well planted tank then you may want to try something along the lines of Seachem Flourish Excel (liquid co2) or a diy version (can be found in the diy section of the forum).

    PLANTS:
    dependant upon your lighting (high light, medium light, low light) if you want something that will get tall and work great for the background you may wanna try something like Vals (corkscrew), onion plants, swords like the red melon.

    middle range plants that come to mind for being easy are java lace and java fern, and even rosette swords.

    front row plants that are easy and quickly come to mind would be something along the lines of red/green/bronze wendtii, anubias nana, dwarf hairgrass, or even a chaining sword.

    DECOR:
    if your going for a natural looking tank the easiest way to achieve the "natural" look is through driftwood. I use a galvanized screw and attach slate to the bottom of the larger pieces that refuse to sink...but you can also get manzita which will sink from the start.
    Ps. Many types of plecos need some type of wood to rasp on (Bristlenoses being 1 of them).

    Slate or Rock is great for making a "hide away" cave!

    Background can be just about anything...my 90g has a plastic banquet table cloth, my 20L has a piece of styrofoam project board.

    INHABITANTS:
    If starting over maybe something like
    [*]1 African Butterfly fish, or a trio of marble hatchetfish
    [*]1 or 2 Pearl OR gold Gourami's
    [*]A pair of veiltail angels (can grow them up, or purchase them at adult size)
    [*] maybe like 4-5 Hi Fin corydoras, or even a longfin Bristlenose Pleco
    [*] 4-5 Kuhlii Loaches

    Ps. with angels you could even try something like the sailfin mollys, longfin swordtails, or very bright cherry barbs which I'm sure you'll be able to see from far away!
     
    MOD_Dawn, Jun 12, 2010
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  6. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    or something like...
    INHABITANTS:
    [*]a small group 4-5 of longfin zebra danios--top level
    [*]a group of about 8 rainbowfish (Boeseman's/Praecox)--middle level
    [*]and a group of Kuhlii Loaches --bottom level
    -----------------------------------------------------------
    [*]Goldfish are rick's speciality (cooltow1), but I'm sure if you asked him he'd make some great recommendations in that area for you.
     
    MOD_Dawn, Jun 12, 2010
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  7. CharlieB

    CharlieB Thread Starter New Member

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    Hi Dawn and thank you for the very detailed response! You've certainly given me a lot to consider. While I do want to carry out a large overhaul of the tank at some stage, other commitments must take precedent.

    However i might change the fish in the short term, and i'll definitely have a look at the ones you have suggested.

    Many thanks, charlie :)
     
    CharlieB, Jun 15, 2010
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  8. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    your welcome charlie,
    keep me posted on what you decide...and a photo will be a must too. LoL!
     
    MOD_Dawn, Jun 15, 2010
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