congos in a 3ft?

[waack]

planning on getting some congos but before i do my research some say 30+ gals some say 60 for a school of 5 as they are 'strong swimmers' i have a 3ft x 18 x 14 tank about 40 gal? is the 3ft tank ok for a school of 5??

[lobsternoob]

I've always liked them, but when I had them last they were very active and seemed to like some length to swim back and forth. I probably wouldn't put them in a 3ft since they can get decent sized. Although, on the other hand, I do have some large bows in a 3 ft tank, they are comprobably sized and like to swim a lot too, and they seem quite happy. I'm sure it could be done, but it's probably not the most preferable setup for them. Someone else will probably come along who has more recent experience with them. They are really cool fish, and I can definitely understand your wanting them.

[waack]

i no it wouldnt be 100% perfect but they have a 'display' tank at the LFS its a 3ft tank and the congos seen happy enough, im pretty sure they would be fine maxing out at 3 inches but i just wanna make sure its not gunna be a terrible mistake

[lobsternoob]

Either way I don't think it would be a terrible mistake, just that it might not be the most ideal setup for them. like I said, see what some other people say:22:

[Cliff]

I aggree with Lobsternoob. A 3 foot tank would not be good for them

My congos are very active fish that range in size from 2 to 3 inches. As these are schooling fish you would also need at least 6 or 7 of them (I've found around 12 works best). IMO a 3 foot tank would not allow them to be as active as my congos are in their current 4 foot tank. I personally would not put them in anything less than a 4 foot tank.

[Gisela]

How about some Bleeding Heart Tetras or Diamond Tetras. I have them in my 29 g and they are pretty happy there.

[waack]

I aggree with Lobsternoob. A 3 foot tank would not be good for them

My congos are very active fish that range in size from 2 to 3 inches. As these are schooling fish you would also need at least 6 or 7 of them (I've found around 12 works best). IMO a 3 foot tank would not allow them to be as active as my congos are in their current 4 foot tank. I personally would not put them in anything less than a 4 foot tank.

ouch i really like the look of them and they suit my needs perfectly, but ill take your advice on board as thats why i asked the question.

How about some Bleeding Heart Tetras or Diamond Tetras. I have them in my 29 g and they are pretty happy there.

i do like the look of those fish however im trying to create a western/central africa biotope i have kribs to go in there and plants are all set i just need something active to act as a dither fish ...
any suggestions??

[waack]

no reccomendations?

[lobsternoob]

haven't checked this thread back for a little while, sorry, anyway, I ran across this :
Yellow-tailed Congo tetra,
Alestopetersius caudalis
Origin: Central Africa, Congo
Size: 7cm/21/2″
Tank size: 100cm/39″ or more
Water parameters: Temperature:
22-26�C/72-79�F; pH: 6.5-7.8; GH: <12.0�
Notes: Feeds on small live or frozen aquatic invertebrates, such as daphnia, mosquito larvae and bloodworm. Needs open water and the security of a shoal.

on this website [Only Registered Users Can See Links.] there may be some other ideas for you there, anyway I don't know about the availability or actual difference between these and normal congos. it reccomends a 39" or more tank so 39" is pretty close. If they actually do top out at 2-21/2 inches though they'd have to be fairly insanely hyper to really need that much space. It's a good possibility that athere are some varieties that fit your tank better, I don't know anything about congo tetra varieties. The real problem might be congo's are expensive enough normally, how much is some hard to find sub species going to cost you if you can actually find it?

If I can think of anything else I'll let ya know I may look around for congo tetra varieties, I wouldn't mind getting some myself.

[waack]

thanks so much for checking this out ill have a convo with the local lfs and see if its possible to get them they are almost the same looking. i think the ones in the lfs might be these as they look very similar but ill have to ask good link btw thanks and any other findings are great ill just keep searching:)

[lobsternoob]

Yeah, np, sometimes it really helps to look into more than just what you see at your LFS, or what you commonly hear about. Now the problem can sometimes be availability, but if your're willing to pay extra, or invest some extra time... I don't live in a great area for variety, but I know a fairly good distributor now, doesn't get the rarest stuff, but from month to month they always have some oddities, and cool wild stuff. Otherwise I'd have to drive two hours to go anywhere that carries anything even slightly out of the ordinary. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is theres breeds of fish that fit nearly every application, and you can always figure out something nice to put in your tank, often you can find a type of fish that will work and is similar to one that you wanted that might not work. The problem usually is actually getting that fish. Ever look through an Axelrod's Atlas or other tropical fish guide and there's all kinds of cool fish that are barely ever seen in the hobby? It seems like the availability of different species has increased in some ways the last ten years or so and lowered in others, but we're still finding new fish all the time too. Anyway, I'm sure if you look around you can find something similar to congos that will be a bit more at home in a 3 ft tank. I know I'm going to try, so thanks for the idea :18: I am still tempted to get a school of congos, but the longest tanks I have now are 4ft, and none over 90g so there's no huge footprint to make up for it, and even in that length I don't think a decent sized school of mature congos would be the happiest. They just seem pretty active, and I have seen some pretty large ones. If I had them I would want them to be able to be very active and behave as naturally as possible, I can't exactly explain it, but they are the type of fish I'd like to give a lot more tank to than it necesarily needs to survive. Probably because my uncle had them in a tank that seemed HUGE to me ( I mean like I compared it to the tanks at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, kids have funny perspectives on things.) when I was a kid, it was a 200g. He had congos, discus, cories, and oddball plecos galore and I always loved discus, but the congos were so fun to watch. When they have a lot of room to swim and they're healthy they really put on a show! So that memory is probably why I have always thought they should be in a huge tank, but I do know they don't actually need a ridiculous sized tank like that.

Anyway, I don't know exactly what provoked me to write a book, but...if ya stopped reading halfway though I don't blame ya :)