Suggestions for fish for a fish tank? - Updated! Got fish, now a fish question

[Bagor]

Just now completed the cycle despite having used the cycle product that is suppposed to accelerate the process. All in all it took 56 days post set up and 52 days post fish introduction.

In fairness though we did quite a few water changes when the nitrite was going up which may have slowed down the process. Anyways all fish are alive and appear content. Going to wait a week before adding more fish and getting some real plants in for the nitrates.

I was thinking about getting a cory cat and a Pleco but was wondering should I throw in a few Mollies, guppies or swordtails first. Does the order matter. Also, does anyone use snails to control algae growth are am I right in assuming that the plants will keep the nitrate levels low enough that algal growth shouldn't be an issue?

[Traditional_Ale]

Spare the tank. Eat the fish.

[photon]

So I got 5 Cardinal Tetras to go along with the 5 danios.. small but very vivid colour.

Small enough that I lost 2 getting sucked into the water pump!

So I got 5 more, total of 8, and put a foam around the pump intake.

Well now I'm down to 3 tetras, and I can only think the Danios must be eating them, because I never see a body, and there's nowhere for them to hide.

I thought Danios were active but didn't eat other fish?

I've seen them chase the tetras a bit at first, but since then they seem to just leave each other alone, especially after I went up to 8.

Though it seems the tetras never eat well either, I put flake and pellet food in and the Danios are active enough they beat them to the food.. the tetras will eat stuff that's falling down but it hardly seems like it's enough when I watch.

The tetras also seem to have to swim a lot, I think the water pump sets up a lot of current in the tank, maybe they're just getting too warn out.

Maybe they're just starving to death and then the Daios eat them?

I guess I'll let the last 3 get eaten and just get more Danios for the tank.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by photon

So I got 5 Cardinal Tetras to go along with the 5 danios.. small but very vivid colour.

Small enough that I lost 2 getting sucked into the water pump!

So I got 5 more, total of 8, and put a foam around the pump intake.

Well now I'm down to 3 tetras, and I can only think the Danios must be eating them, because I never see a body, and there's nowhere for them to hide.

I thought Danios were active but didn't eat other fish?

I've seen them chase the tetras a bit at first, but since then they seem to just leave each other alone, especially after I went up to 8.

Though it seems the tetras never eat well either, I put flake and pellet food in and the Danios are active enough they beat them to the food.. the tetras will eat stuff that's falling down but it hardly seems like it's enough when I watch.

The tetras also seem to have to swim a lot, I think the water pump sets up a lot of current in the tank, maybe they're just getting too warn out.

Maybe they're just starving to death and then the Daios eat them?

I guess I'll let the last 3 get eaten and just get more Danios for the tank.

I would not have thought that a Danio is big enough to kill/eat a tetra. Cardinal Tetras seem like not very hardy fish in my experience.

Don't put Cardinal Tetras with Angel Fish. Angels eat them in the wild.

[KevanGuy]

Yeah, as trout said, cardinals aren't the most hardy. I imagine the bodies are either in the filter or in the danios, though I doubt they killed them. Danios aren't aggressive like that. You might try serpae tetras. They can be a little aggressive but they are hardy. I have a couple that are going on 6 years now.

[sixpacked]

Originally Posted by photon

So I got 5 Cardinal Tetras to go along with the 5 danios.. small but very vivid colour.

Small enough that I lost 2 getting sucked into the water pump!

So I got 5 more, total of 8, and put a foam around the pump intake.

Well now I'm down to 3 tetras, and I can only think the Danios must be eating them, because I never see a body, and there's nowhere for them to hide.

I thought Danios were active but didn't eat other fish?

I've seen them chase the tetras a bit at first, but since then they seem to just leave each other alone, especially after I went up to 8.

Though it seems the tetras never eat well either, I put flake and pellet food in and the Danios are active enough they beat them to the food.. the tetras will eat stuff that's falling down but it hardly seems like it's enough when I watch.

The tetras also seem to have to swim a lot, I think the water pump sets up a lot of current in the tank, maybe they're just getting too warn out.

Maybe they're just starving to death and then the Daios eat them?

I guess I'll let the last 3 get eaten and just get more Danios for the tank.

Cardinal tetras can be a delicate fish to keep. If you like the color, you could try a school of Neon Tetras. Zebra danios can be a little nippy sometimes, however I doubt they could eat a Cardinal.

[Byrns]

Neon's and Cardinals are pretty difficult to keep. (in my experience as well) Since the majority of them are still wild caught they prefer much softer water than Calgary's.

[photon]

That's probably it then, the water out here is hard, and it's high pH (almost 8!).

So they're probably just not doing well and when they die the daios just eat them.

These are actually long fin blue danios: http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fres...nBlueDanio.php

Thanks guys. Next I think I'll actually get some oto's since the green algae is finally starting to grow, but then after that I'll look at some neon tetras or serpae tetras. Something with colour is just nice.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by photon

That's probably it then, the water out here is hard, and it's high pH (almost 8!).

So they're probably just not doing well and when they die the daios just eat them.

These are actually long fin blue danios: http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fres...nBlueDanio.php

Thanks guys. Next I think I'll actually get some oto's since the green algae is finally starting to grow, but then after that I'll look at some neon tetras or serpae tetras. Something with colour is just nice.

The hard Calgary water is perfect for African cichlds (same as the natural lakes where they come from).

I'm not sure that otos really eat algae. I think a bristlenose pleco can, or snails.

[onetwo_threefour]

You could try Gourami's for colour. We had some in a tank with Blueberry and Raspberry Tetras and there didn't seem to be any aggression.

I think Gourami's are able to cope with a wider variety of water conditions.

[photon]

Originally Posted by troutman

The hard Calgary water is perfect for African cichlds (same as the natural lakes where they come from).

I'm not sure that otos really eat algae. I think a bristlenose pleco can, or snails.

Actually I saw a site where a guy had some dwarf otos and he showed a before and after, it was pretty cool.

Plecos can get pretty though can't they?

[photon]

Originally Posted by onetwo_threefour

You could try Gourami's for colour. We had some in a tank with Blueberry and Raspberry Tetras and there didn't seem to be any aggression.

I think Gourami's are able to cope with a wider variety of water conditions.

Wiki says they will nip fins, and my danios are long finned (though very fast).

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by photon

Wiki says they will nip fins, and my danios are long finned (though very fast).

FWIW photon I've got a couple dwarf Gouramis with neon tetras with no issues or signs of aggression even during feeding.

[sixpacked]

Originally Posted by Bagor

FWIW photon I've got a couple dwarf Gouramis with neon tetras with no issues or signs of aggression even during feeding.

Agreed, the dwarf gouramis, and possibly pearl gouramis are good tank-mates for smaller fish. Serpae tetras were mentioned as well as bleeding heart tetras. Mollies/platies like the harder/akaline water.

[Byrns]

Originally Posted by photon

Actually I saw a site where a guy had some dwarf otos and he showed a before and after, it was pretty cool.

Plecos can get pretty though can't they?

You want Bristlenose Plecos because they only get 5" max.

http://www.aquariumlife.net/profiles...eco/100049.asp

I see them all the time at Pisces.

[photon]

Hm.. a 5" fish seems like it'd eat a lot, low maintenance is a goal for my tank.

Do they need the driftwood too? I don't have anything like that in my tank.

[Byrns]

Originally Posted by photon

Hm.. a 5" fish seems like it'd eat a lot, low maintenance is a goal for my tank.

Do they need the driftwood too? I don't have anything like that in my tank.

Nah, just give them some sort of place they can hide during the day. (They're mostly nocturnal)

For extra food you can buy sinking algae wafers or toss in a slice of cucumber or lettuce tied to a rock.

[81flames]

As a couple of posters already mentioned, cardinals are delicate. I would also suggest neons as they have the same coloration and are hardy fish. I keep neons and danios together and I have never had a problems with the danios eating the tetras. Danios also keep to the top of the tank whereas neons keep to the middle, so they are not competing for the same area and it makes your tank look nicer. =)

Cardinals have trouble acclimatizing and I'm guessing they probably died.

There are many different species of tetras that would add alot of color to the tank. Keep in mind that tetras do best if they are in a school of at least 6...8 is better. They feel more secure and it reduces their stress levels.

Otos are great at taking care of the algae problems. Make sure you keep a school of them as well. They are my fav little fish and are surprisingly good at keeping your algae under control.

I have spent alot of time researching fish/aquariums as its one of my hobbies. I have found that the following websites are very informative when trying to decide what direction to take. Most of what I know, I have learned from the following sites..age of aquariums especially.

http://www.aquahobby.com/age_of_aquariums.php
This one has a great forum. If you have questions the posters are very knowledgable with many years of experience and are quick to help with stocking suggestions/diagnosing problems/etc. The gallary is good place to research fish...people will post their experience with different species and there are good pictures as well. You can also find good information on aquarium plants if that is something you want to do with the tank.
They also have great articles and instruction on do-it-yourself projects. I highly recommend this site.

http://www.fishprofiles.com/
I find this is a good website to quickly look up environment requirments on certain fish. Under the fish profiles part of the website (link of the top left hand side), it lists temp, ph, temperment, ecosystme etc. It's a really good tool to use as well.

Good luck with your tank. I find half the fun is deciding how to stock and decorate the tank to make the best environment for your fish. =)

[killer_carlson]

for great prices on some cool looking plecos and cat fish check out www.albertaaquatica.ca or go to either the Calgary Aquarium Club or Aquarium CLub of Edmonton spring/fall auctions. It is where local breeders sell their fish and it is where a lot of the independant pet stores get their stuff.

$6.00 each for albino bristlenose plecos.....pretty damn cheap.

[Byrns]

The Calgary auction is March 29 this year