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What do you think of my stock?

8K views 60 replies 10 participants last post by  Byron 
#1 ·
Well i finally got my tank cycled. Got rid of my Kissing Gourami and my 6 cherry barbs. So i finally thing i decided what i all want. As of right now i have as follows:

7 Kuhli Loaches
2 Yoyo Loaches
4 Ghost shrimp
1 Longfin Bristlenose Pleco
5 Dwarf Gouramis(3 red flame, 2 powder blue)
3 Opaline Gouramis(1 male 2 female)


And on friday i will be adding a school of 6 Loxozonus Cory's, 10 Cherry shrimp,5 Amanos, and 3 more kuhli loaches.

I have also wanted to get some Pearl Gouramis, i was thinking of re-homing 2-3 dwarfs and 1 opaline to make it easier for them what do you guys think?
 
#2 · (Edited)
I would absolutely not mix pearls with 3 spots. While they are of the same genus, they are VERY different temperaments. The pearls are far too docile.

As far as the stock goes - its not something that I would ever consider doing, nor would I ever suggest such a stocking. Just too many gouramis.
 
#3 · (Edited)
I would absolutely not mix pearls with 3 spots. While they are of the same genus, they are VERY different temperaments. The pearls are far too docile.
Well thats kind of what i got from reading, but then you start seeing about how they can be just as aggressive. I was also thinking of re-homing all 3 Opalines and getting 4-5 Pearls if it would work out to be less aggressive.

EDIT: Didn't see your last part you said there. Why not? Everything has been fine in my tank aggression wise and they are pretty interesting fish all together.
 
#4 ·
If a pearl is ever as aggressive as a 3 spot, it's not a happy fish, for one reason or another. There are always accounts of fish not acting as they "should". While some fish are just rogue, most of the time it's an environmental issue that is causing them to act that way.

In my experience pearls are group oriented. Mine enjoy the company of their own kind very much. A group of 4-5 would be fine, provided the tank were large enough. I had trouble seeing your aquarium info on my phone, so I don't know what you have.

As far as all the gouramis - when I tried to keep multiple dwarf gouramis I had huge problems. Many others have as well. It's likely that stress is keeping them all in line, or maybe you just get lucky with the ones you got. Not sure how long you've had them together, but things can just up and change one day. I can't tell you how many times I've refrained from saying "I told you so".

How big is the tank?
 
#5 · (Edited)
What size tank is this? There are some issues but we need to know the size to adequately advise.

Depending upon the size, before increasing the kuhli loach I would increase the Yo Yo Loach. All loaches are shoaling fish, and 5 should be the minimum with few exceptions. They are highly social and will get very stressed on their own (just 2). And aside from their health, it could cause other problems.

The gourami issue is a bit odd, but again the tank size plays into this. But as was mentioned, I would not mix Blue Gourami [this is the Opaline, 3-spot, gold... species] and Pearl Gourami. And with the Blue species I would not have any other gourami.

As for things seeming OK now, this can suddenly change. We as aquarists must always remind ourselves that we are dealing with living creatures that have basic instincts and temperaments according to their species. While some fish can be more, and some less, obvious in these, it is still the normal basic instinct/temperament. Sometimes as fish mature, or as they settle into a new environment, they develop those tendencies more than they show initially. This is to be expected. The wise aquarist considers the "probable" and plans for it, not pushing the envelope (so to speak) which is at best a risk but at worst--and more commonly--a disaster in the making.

Edit. Almost forgot, the shrimp. Remember that crustaceans are natural food to almost all our fish, so any fish with a sufficient sized mouth will attempt to eat shrimp.

Byron.
 
#6 ·
The tank is a 55Gallon.

My dwarfs are great together they never show any aggression towards each other they all hang out with one another. I'm not worried about the compatibility in my tank with the fish in it in just wondering the best case scenario if I wanted to get some pearls
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#8 ·
Loaches are highly social fish that develop complex hierarchies. As certain as you are that they are "happy", we are more certain that it would be best to get more. You can't wish away the nature of a fish, but you can convince yourself that it's not important.

You could keep a group of 4-5 pearls in a 55, though I won't sign off on it because of the DGs. In my experience, it did not end well.
 
#9 ·
I've kept a few different species of Botia. I've never seen them as healthy and active as when they are able to group/play/chase/sleep with their own kind. Even in my mixed tank I see them having a preference of their own species. I have seen first hand how over time if they are forced to live in a smaller species how it can affect their behavior/health.

You need to either take the yoyo back to the pet store, or bring 4-5 more home.
 
#11 ·
You cannot say they are fine just because they are always out and chasing each other. This shows me very clearly you do not understand their behavior.

Loaches like Histrionica, Rostrata, Almorhae, and Clown Loaches all share something very in common (Yoyos are Almorhae). They are highly social species of fish. This does not mean that they can be social. It means that the need to be social, as this is part of their nature.

The "Chasing each other around" is a behavior they do because they establish something called a social hierarchy. It is common to see them challenge each other in the form of chasing, posturing, spinning in circles, and fading their colors to gray. At first this behavior is harmless and innocent. In a proper shoal size no one fish is being picked on too much. Even when a fish knows it is in charge, it will still chase and challenge other fish as if to ensure they know who is in charge.

My Yoyo shoal has one big fat one in particular who is constantly in struggle with a second slightly smaller yoyo. They often pick on each other over dominance but usually the fat one wins. Then he turns around and chases the other Yoyos, and the smaller Rostata and Histrionica as well.

I have seen the smaller of those two Yoyo attempt to go up against the two big Histrionica and they promptly put him in his place! I've seen those two big things push the little young Histrionica around even though they are a fraction of their size and hardly able to put up competition.

From what I can see the yoyo are not the same in behavior when compared to the Kuhlis. I have seen videos where people keep a few yoyos with Kuhlis and the behavior of the yoyo are not desirable. The either hide and refuse to come out, or are gigantic bullies to everything in the tank.

You want to keep fish, you need to keep them in proper conditions and groups. Save yourself a big headache and make those animals happy. Either find them someone who will give the a proper size group (or take them back to the store) or bring home 3 more yoyo's to give them a proper shoal.
 
#13 ·
I Strongly disagree with you people. My loaches are happy the way they and i also say this because i did have more in the tank and they didn't get along for all your information so you can just keep it to yourself. I am right just deal with it.

Just because some internet pages say you must do this, does not make it right. I know what i know. You do not see my fish acting. And to everyone saying i dont know that they are happy. Lol yes i do its my fish tank and i know how it all works together and it is not hard to tell when a certain fish is stressed/not happy.

I have been told to not do things many times because people read it on the internet but try it yourself for once and you might get a different answer.
 
#14 ·
Wow. Seriously?

The people giving you advice have been working with fish for decades, researching them, asking experts, even going to their native habitats to see how these fish behave in the wild. And you're saying YOU'RE right? You've had your tank less than a year, with most likely no prior experience. If you don't want to listen to advice from people who have been doing this longer than you've been alive and with success, then why are you even asking advice?

Fish cannot change who they are, or what they need. We offer them as much as we can but even then that is minimal compared to what they would have in the wild. Our schooling fish cannot even compare to the groups of thousands in the wild.

Fish behavior is not so black and white as 'happy' and 'sad'. They ARE complex creatures, with many different behaviors and needs. You can't take that away from them or change them.
 
#15 ·
Yes i know i am for a fact. I know my fish it doesnt take years to understand things i am a person who does a lot of research and believe me i have, but reading does not get you anywhere compared to actually trying-seeing-doing. You all say they need more friends as loaches, well there was 3 others in there and they completely seperated and the one group stayed as far away as they could from the others and were unhappy, didnt eat,lost all colour.got thin.....So i am saying you can keep your opinions to yourself because your wrong and just waisting your time. thanks

I asked about pearl gouramis, didnt ask if i had enough loaches because i know the answer to that question. There is some very helpful people on here. Then theres others who think they know absolutely everything, and think just because something did not work for them it never will with anyone else. And that is plain wrong you cannot argue with that
 
#16 ·
No one who has only one year of experience keeping tropical fish can possibly have the level of understanding and knowledge you think you have. I'm sorry, but that simply defies logic. I have been maintaining fish for over 20 years and I am still learning.

The scientific knowledge of each fish species is something that has evolved over decades of observation and study by ichthyologists. The data in our profiles is not my opinion, it is scientific fact. Each of us is free to accept it or not; unfortunately, the fish are dependant upon their keeper.

Fish have needs, and those needs must be accomodated in the aquarium if the fish are to be in their best health.
 
#17 ·
All my fish are in great health and everything in my tank is happy as can be if your saying it takes years to make that happen i would disagree, I have read lots of information and talked to lots of people I have done all I have can and I am gettin my tank right were I want it . I just don't understand how you people think its impossible to have 2 completely healthy happy loaches...I had more and it did not work as I already said.
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#18 ·
Pardon me for pointing this out. You say you have read lots of information, but you also tell other people who have also read information that...essentially they don't know anything. You imply that what the read isn't right, or that everything you read isn't always right.

Now I am curious, you say "It did not work". Could you explain in further detail what happened that led you to this conclusion?
 
#19 ·
Hahaha, you'll take my advice on the pearl gouramis but not the loaches. Good advice isn't always what you want to hear....

Hey, it's your tank - you're the one that has to look at it every day. I couldnt care less what you do with it. Next time, you should be more specific with your thread. "What do you think about my stocking" is an open invitation for people to...... Tell you what they think. If you don't want to know, then don't ask, or at least don't phrase it that way. I honestly don't know what you expected to hear.
 
#21 ·
I don't think anyone is going to bother telling you about the loaches anymore. Some may not bother telling you about anything anymore, after this display. Not me though - I'll keep sharing my experience with you.
 
#31 ·
Are you seriously that thick?
Some of the people on this site have been working with fish before the internet was even being commonly used in every household. They haven't been reading and parroting what they read on the internet, they have been working with fish, both tank raised and wild-caught, to see how to best keep them alive and well and living their full life spans confined inside of a tank.

Do you know what that means? That means that they TRIED what you are doing right now, and it didn't work. Not just for one person or two, but enough people that they realized that particular fish NEEDS a social group, just like it would have in the wild. They have tried multiple ways of keeping this fish and working out what works best. These profiles aren't a combination of junk on the internet, it's actual fact based on thousands of scientists' work. People who have gone to college, gone to graduate school, who have gotten doctorates and spent their lives dedicating time and energy and into discovering just what a particular fish needs to thrive in an aquarium.

People like you will never admit you're wrong though. If we tell you something you don't want to hear, you just throw a hissy fit and do whatever you want, killing fish right and left as you so please.
 
#33 ·
Those are CGI loaches ;)
 
#38 ·
Nice tank I'm glad it works for you. I'm also glad my loaches are just as happy as I've stated already
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And we can guarantee that they are not. Here is a link to the first scientific study that proved beyond any doubt that shoaling fish--and loaches are shoaling fish--will be better adjusted when kept in groups.

Study shows that schooling fish do best in larger numbers | News | Practical Fishkeeping

Fish are the way they are because they have evolved that way, and neither you nor I can change this. You can deny the scientific fact all you like, just like those who believe the earth is flat. Denial of fact does not change the truth.
 
#41 ·
I thought you were going to quit posting :roll:
 
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