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Whats do you think of this?

3K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  tophat665 
#1 ·
Ok so there is:
1: blue gourami
2: dwarf gouramis
2: Guppies
2: Other fairly medium sized gouramis
2: silvertipped sharks
1: Pleco
1: Wether Loach
6:Guppy minow things from the creek(Permanently small)
3: Lamp eye Tetras

10 Gallon tank!



LOL nah just kidding! its 60 gallons I want to know what you think of this setup yes's and no's But also what do some of you guys think my catfish would really go after to eat like for food cause one of them is really skinny!

Let me know what you think. Thanks8)
 
#4 ·
First, that's a lot of gouramis. I'd be worried about aggression among them with that many sharing a tank. Second, just a word of warning, if that's a common pleco it will get big, figure somewhere around 18" or even larger. Finally, exactly what kind of sharks are they? Either a picture or a good description will clear it up. Unfortunately neither of the answers I'd expect will work in that tank.

A columbian shark is a brackish water fish as a juvenile and will need to be slowly acclimated to a salt water tank as it matures. It needs a large tank as its an active swimmer and will get up to 20" as an adult, if properly cared for. It's also a predator and most of the smaller fish in your tank will get eaten. For a real treat their doral fin spines are venomous. A bala shark is a freshwater fish but it's not suited for a 60 gallon tank. They grow to a foot or more in length, are schooling fish preferring the company of a good number of their fellows, and they are very active swimmers. A proper tank for them is 125 gallons at a minimum (mostly for the 6' length of it) or larger.

For food the pleco would do well with algae wafers and fresh green vegetables, preferably blanched.
 
#5 ·
To add to what others have said:

The weather loach is a coldwater fish, so it shouldn't be in a tropical tank. Unless you live in the tropics, the "guppy minnow things" are probably also coldwater fish. Not to mention that it's never a good idea to mix wild-caught fish with store-bought fish as there are probably *tons* of diseases carried by both that the other hasn't developed an immune response to. Plus, catching fish like that to keep in an aquarium is likely illegal.
 
#6 ·
So here is the silver tipped shark I was talking about. And it is really illegal to put fish from the lake into your aquarium? I know that they carry diseases that either one might not be immune to but They are small and not to many. They have been in there for like 5 months now and no problem, but I would definately not stick a yellow catfish or perch in there or anything. but what do you think these sharks would really thrive on? Food wise?
 
#9 ·
Those sharks (columbian) are going to get big and need brackish water.
 
#10 ·
1 blue gourami, 2 dwarf gouramis, 2 Other gouramis - This will not work. If you have that many gouramis you will probably have two males, and you really need 6' of tank to keep two male gouramis for the long term.

2 Guppies - Fine if they're male. Fine if they're female. Less fine if they're one of each. If you want guppies breeding in your tank, get 3 females and 2 males. And make sure you have some fish in there that will eat guppy fry. Even then, understand that you will be bringing excess guppies to your Local fish store to be sold as feeders (and you won't get any $$ out of the deal because they;ll be doing you a favor by tanking your extras)

2: silvertipped sharks - Has been said, but let me put it in even better perspective for you. Tho call these fish brackis oversimplifies it. They start out freshwater, and migrate to full marine. They can get up to 16" long, and you need a school of at least 5 to get anything like natural behavior. So your 2 little fellows in your 60 will need 3 mates and a 200 gallon tank that you will be slowly upping the salinity on. This is one in my personal demonology of fish that should not be found in anything but specialty aquarium stores and should not be sold to anyone without a great deal of money and space and experience in both freshwater and saltwater aquarium care.

1: Pleco - What kind of pleco? A common pleco can get a foot and a half long. Get a bristlensoe, a clown or a bulldog/rubbernose pleco.

1: Weather Loach - Shouldn't be mixed with tropicals, but I keep mine in a tank in the high 70s, and they're doing fine. Make sure you oxygenate well - lots of surface agitation. They're champion escape artists too, so a full, tight lid is a must.

6:Guppy minow things from the creek(Permanently small) - Depending on where you are and what these are they may or may not work. If you're in North America, you may be looking at some sort of shiner or dace or you may be looking at one of our native livebearers. You'll need to check local laws on this. Your state fish and game department should have something on their website about collecting and keeping native fish. One thing to keep in mind: you cannot return them to the stream when you get tired of them - that will spread diseases. They probably want cooler water than most tropicals, but a lot of them can be happily kept at the low end of the tropical range (call it 75). Course, that would put a kibosh on the gourmais, as they like the higher end of the range.

3: Lamp eye Tetras - assuming you meant Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae - aka Red-Eye Tetras, and not one of the African lamp Eye Species (a different type of fish altogether). 3 is not enough. They'll hide all the time. You really need about a dozen to get good action from them, and at around 2 dozen they school almost as well as rummies.

SO.....
You could set your heater to 78 and go with:
One Blue Gourami, One Dwarf Gourami (2 if one of them is female)
A Bristlenosed or Clown pleco
10 or so Lamp Eye Tetras
2 to 5 guppies and.....
A pictus catfish - That will work in a very similar way to Silvertip Sharks, and will enjoy freshwater. It will also eat most of our guppy fry, and will eventually eat your guppies (in a couple of years).

OR you could set your heater to about 68 to 72 and go with:
A Paradise Fish (Up to 3 if only one is male)
A school of your local fish
A bulldog/rubbernosed Pleco.
A trio of Weather Loaches.
This will need serious oxygenation, but, if you keep paradise fish, you can't have mush water movement, so lots of bubblers. If you don't go with the paradise fish, you could add a school of white clouds or pearl danios, and I would recommend googling "River Tank" and considering setting the tank up that way with a strong current along the longest dimension. Also remember, when you're doing you stocking SWAG (scientific wild guess), you have about half the capacity in a coldwater tank as in a tropical one - it's the oxygen thing.

So there you have it. There are a couple of different tanks you can get out of that assortment, but you shouldn't keep them all together.
 
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