Catfish Recommendation ?

[T22493]

I see. I'll be putting that off to a later date.

Assuming i build up my schools, I'd probably be moving one pair of fish to my girlfriend's mother's tank, and completing the school there.

Her tank is 125 gallons, has 2 spotted featherfins, a bristlenose, adopted iridescent shark and bala shark, and an enormous striped convict. Lots of space available.

Any opinion on which school (red glass barbs or columbian tetras) would do better in this tank?
:D

[daimen123]

your mothers tank sounds like it has stocking issues also. Why can't you just return the fish to the store?

[talldutchie]

Talldutchie, Are my danios at risk here? I thought they stayed small and manageable. And mine stay near the top of the tank. Is this because they're confused and looking for more danios?

Thanks again, i appreciate the insight.

Danio is a fast swimming shoaling species. You don't offer anything for either fast swimming or shoaling. It's a robust species so it won't keel over and die.

I think you're running on LFS advice and a few hints from here. I would advice you to read up on nitrogen cycle and read species profiles on seriouslyfish.

you could also try a small school of cories but like I said your tank needs to be well maintained and stable for them also

A hex has little floor space typically. You don't know what's on the bottom. The dwarf species of cory aren't suitable for those running on lfs advice.

[T22493]

daimen, those fish are many years old, they're what's left of a thriving community.

dutchie, thank you. I'll just have to buckle down and do lots and lots more research. Thanks a million for the reference site.
No more comments necessary

[moghedan]

There is good advice here, even if some time people need to lose the attitude. Especially in the beginner's sections. However, in their defense, they don't even realize they are doing it, and they mean no offense.


Your tank is not what is usually considered to be very large. The Hex shape does not help. You don't get much top or bottom. So, you generally want to avoid top and bottom dwelling species. This precludes most catfishes and loaches.

You want mid dwelling species that remain small and are not overly active, as they do not have a huge amount of room to swim. This precludes most rasboras and danios. The "sharks" are all bad choices, as they get too large.

You want to make sure your filter is not creating a cyclone, as the above species rarely like strong current.

Finally, you want to watch the size of the school, or shoal. The above mentioned types usually prefer the company of their own kind. The LFS, wanting to sell you fish, will tell you 3 is the minimum. Here at AC, the accepted answer is about 6, but all will say bigger is better. 10-12 is a really good number to look at.

If your fish grow to 2, 2.5 inches, one shoal will about fill your tank. If they are tetras that stay .75-1.5 inches, you can get two shoals, over time. It's best to start with one.

If you want a centerpiece fish, consider something like one of the Dwarf Gourami species. IE, Solitary, colorful, and slow moving.

[imma24]

I agree with all of the above - danios aren't appropriate for that size or shape tank - they need length - they grow to about 2" apiece and are very fast, plus they hug the top of the tank.

I wouldnt' recommend any fish for the bottom due to lack of appropriate bottom space. The cleaning is the responsibility of the tank owner - that's what siphons, water changes & algae scrapers are for.

I also wouldn't recommend 2 groups of tetras - perhaps 1 group of a smaller tetra.

Please don't follow the advice of people at a LFS - they are there to bag fish & sell you things and of course, they will tell you your tank is cycled so they can eagerly put more fish into a bag for you! If you want to maintain this tank appropriately, it's best to get a liquid test kit (recommended is the API freshwater) of your own and check your own water parameters.

[T22493]

Later on in life. I have removed the barbs from this tank.
Experimenting with different species. I have 3 pairs of different species of tetras who shoal together, and the shoal of danios.
The danios have become more comfortable, and now explore the entire tank, and chase each other around, happy as can be.
I introduced two dwarf cories and my tank is thriving. thank you for all the advice, AC.

[Limming]

You need to stop adding fish I can grantee that your tank is not thriving. This is for a few reasons, the first is that having 3 different pairs of tetra even if they seem to shoal together are being stressed not being in a larger group of their own kind. The second is the danios even if they appear to be ok need a lot of room to swim I've never kept them but the minimum size tank is around 3 feet to give them room for a larger school of their own kind and the room they need to swim. The third is the cories they too need to be in at least a school of 5 or 6 with lots of room at the bottom (which a hex tank doesn't provide) to look for food.
It also is critical to get a liquid test kit of your own, don't depend on the LFS for testing and stocking advice. Do your own testing and do the research on how to set up a tank the right way, it well be a pain to correct all the problems but once they are taken care of with the right stocking levels the fish well be better off and the tank well look much nicer.

[CrunchyLeaf]

Later on in life. I have removed the barbs from this tank.
Experimenting with different species. I have 3 pairs of different species of tetras who shoal together, and the shoal of danios.
The danios have become more comfortable, and now explore the entire tank, and chase each other around, happy as can be.
I introduced two dwarf cories and my tank is thriving. thank you for all the advice, AC.

I know how frustrating and disheartening it can be to find out that your tank has stocking issues. The flood of an overwhelming amount of information can make you feel like you don't even want to try.

That being said, I promise if you listen to all the advice you are being given, you will be so pleased with your tank in the long run.

When we say that tetras are a shoaling species, that's with their exact species, not within the entire tetra family. So, for example, neon tetras, congo tetras and black skirt tetras will all require their own shoal of 6 - 12 fish. (I know those arent the types you have, but it's just an example) So if you have 3 different species of tetra, you cannot properly fulfill their shoals. I know you said the ones you have are all shoaling together, but they all swim at the same level in your tank, which is taller than it is long, so they will always appear to be swimming around one another. If they are schooling, like actually swimming together in a tight group, that is a sign of stress as schooling species only school as a defense mechanism.

No matter what their behavior, your tank will never be appropriate for danios. They need length in their environment to swim and dart in long uninterrupted streaks. (horizontally, not vertically).

One important thing to learn about fish tanks is that they are like icebergs. What you can see is only about 10% of what's actually going on under the surface. Your tank may "look" like it's thriving, but you have no idea what's going on with your ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and overall water quality. I have seen time and time again where a tank appears to be chugging along in a happy healthy fashion for weeks or even months, and then there's a crash where fish start dying for no explicable reason, which can be very devastating.

Moghedan's post to you is a great summation of the guidelines for stocking your tank. I highly recommend you do away with the danios, the cories and some of the tetras and get some fish that will be a little more suitable for the tank that you have.

You also always have the option of getting a different tank if you're really attached to those types of fish.