Will this tank be overcrowded?

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 09 Jul 2003, 10:11

Hi,
I have setted up and half cycled a 100- 43-50cm tank.So i think that its time to decide which fishes to order to my Lfs.I plan to put these fishes into this tank:

10 Cardinal tetra
6 Splash tetra
2 Diskus
3 Leporacanthicus galaxias
6 Corydoras melanotaenia

Do you think that this combination will work or i may have compatibility problems?Will three galaxias live together peacefully or not?Also i would like to ask you if this tank will need additional algae eaters.If it needs please suggest me some.

PS:In this tank i will attempt breeding galaxias,so please tell me if there is a possibility the eggs or young being damaged by any of the above fishes.

Thank you in advance.

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 09 Jul 2003, 12:45

If all three galaxias have their own hide-out, they'll be fine.
The tank is OK for all the fishes, except the Discus! Adult discus are 6-8 inches across (long and high), and IMO this is a bit too big for your tank.

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 10 Jul 2003, 09:24

Hi,
Do you think that the galaxias will eat all the algae of the tank or i will need some algae eaters?

S. Allen · Post by **S. Allen** » 10 Jul 2003, 09:55

well... I haven't ever recommended discus for anything less than a 55, and even that is scraping it, but, if he can buy a BREEDING PAIR, they'd probably be ok in even a 30 gallon. Of course, this is tough. I sold a breeding pair for $350, of interesting, but not rare genetic makeup, probably a better solution is to spend that $ on a bigger tank and buy some younger discus, grow them out and have a few pairs or just a nice group.

If you get 2 males, or a male and female that don't care for each other, a tank less than 75 gallons can be dangerous. I've had ram pairs protect half of a 90 gallon... and bite me when removing the eggs for incubation. A discus pair is much happier with half a 90 gallon. I will admit I've had a tank of 5 discus all spawning at once. one pair on each side and an ex, and jilted female, laying on the central driftwood. either she was confused about what was going on, she misread the pheremones, or she was just trying to win back her man. Her version of tight leather pants or something. very sad to see... her boy with a 4 inch hussy cobalt blue that had always been ugly and misshapen, her at 6 inches and a wonderful pidgeonblood.... of course he was a snakeskin and neither brood would have ever reached free-swimming under my watch, but still sad.

Anyway... If you can find a verified breeding pair, and you're willing to deal with the fry or constantly cull them(I'm talking every week... with 2 pairs in the tank and a pair of breeding rams my tank was a pleco paradise of eggs....) then it'd be worth it.

My suggestion is go with a standard 90 US gallon tank... if you're willing to do 2 water changes a week you can keep a whole handful of plecos... ;) if you're in doubt check my website, everything but the scarlet is in a 90 gallon, currently with 3 discus... I should have counted when I moved a week ago, but I didn't want to think about how many were in there. Er, plus discus tanks make great growout tanks for other catfish, like my 5 inch juruense and 7 inch niger cat. anything loving algae, extra flake/frozen food, or even a detritovore will be happy in a discus tank.

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 11 Jul 2003, 10:32

Thanks a lot.
I bought a one metre tank because i dont have rom to put anything larger.

At what size the diskus pair?

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 21 Jul 2003, 10:17

Hi,
Will the Leporacanthicus eat all the algae of my tank?

T · Post by T » 21 Jul 2003, 12:19

No they prefer meaty foods mine will sometimes chew at algae wafers but thats about it.

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 21 Jul 2003, 17:30

You can add a single baby Bristlenose (ancistrus sp). He'll fit in with the rest just fine, and clear out the algae.

S. Allen · Post by **S. Allen** » 21 Jul 2003, 21:43

well, they may start to pair at 3.5 inches, although in my experience 4 is more likely, and the bigger they are, likely the better parents they'll be.

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 22 Jul 2003, 09:05

Hi,
Thank you all for the replys.
I will ask my dealer to give me a pair of diskus(he is diskus maniac and he currently has 180 diskus of 93 different kinds).
Hi SG_Eurystomus,
Can i put a pair of rineloricaria instead of the ancistrus?

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 22 Jul 2003, 15:13

No.
Rhineloricaria's are very nice and easy to keep, but they don't eat much algae.

also, to keep your Discus in good health, you should put up the temperature well up, like 26'C or more; Rhineloricaria doesn't like that at all; Ancistrus are very hardy, and can cope with this (Common Bristlenoses that is! not some fancy L-ancistrus or A ranunculus or so!!)

I forgot about that high temperature; it might also bother your tetra's, although Kardinals usually can cope better with it than true Neon Tetra's. Maybe get Ruddy Nose tetra's instead; these usually like warmth better than Kardinals or Neons.

S. Allen · Post by **S. Allen** » 22 Jul 2003, 20:44

eh, discus are really best at like 83 or so degrees, but no pleco I have has ever shown any signs of problems with that.

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 23 Jul 2003, 10:09

Hi,
Thank you all for your replys

Hi SG_Eurystomus,
Which pleco except for the ancistrus will eat the algae and wont damage pleco frys?

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 23 Jul 2003, 16:44

Kostas what's the problem with Ancistrus? it's the best algae eater by a long shot for your -small- tank, and it reaches about 10 cm max.
Unlike Common Plecs, Gibby's and the like who grow to a length between 1 foot -30 cm- and half a meter!

S allen; I'm no good with fahrenheit....how warm in celcius- is 83'F?

IME Ancistrinae (Panaque's, Ancistrus, Peckoltia's, loads of L numbers and their ilk, with the exception of Chaetostoma) and Plecostominae (Gibby's, Common Plecs, more L numbers etc) are often much better coping with warmth than Rhineloricaria and the other flat sanddwelling Loricariids.

Post by **Silurus** » 23 Jul 2003, 16:51

how warm in celcius- is 83'F?

28.3

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 24 Jul 2003, 09:22

Hi,
The problem is that they have bristles which,..aouts,hurt.
Can stourisoma cope with warmth?

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 24 Jul 2003, 11:07

????
The bristles are only present on the male and actually they're kind of rubbery, he wouldn't be able to hurt a baby guppy with them....

Those galaxy Plecs are much more spiny than a Bristlenose....

S. Allen · Post by **S. Allen** » 25 Jul 2003, 02:06

;) some find bristlenoses kinda, err... ugly/plain... myself included to be honest, but they're industrious fellows and you can get some cuter ones... I like the ones with the larger green-yellow spots myself, available out here every so often as dwarf bristlenoses, cute as buttons normally come in at maybe 1/2 to 3/4 an inch. I've given up on them, mainly cause I have enough semi-efficent algae loving plecos that algae's not a problem.

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 25 Jul 2003, 09:53

Hi,
I know that galaxias are more spiny but they dont have that long bristles which ancistrus have.Once i saw in my dealers display tank an ancistrus guarding eggs attacking a cory ,which tried to eat the eggs, and damaging its eye.Thats why i dont want to put them in my tank.
Hi S. Allen,
I also dont like some grey variates of ancistrus but i like very much the variaty you mentioned and some all black ancistrus with tiny white spots and relatively small bristles.

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 25 Jul 2003, 10:29

THOSE bristles; the hooked ones that are invisible until he slits 'em out from his gillcovers: opercular gill-spines.
Yup; nasty. They fight each other with these as well as enemies including fishnets and your hand.

If you get a single female, however; no problem. she has those too, but: no eggs, far less aggression, so no problem. I've kept Cory's with Ancistrus for many years and never had any problem. I HAVE been stung myself repeatedly however when handling those.

btw ALL Ancistrus species have those; also the fancy looking L-number Ancistrus with the white spots and/or the white fin edges.
And they ALL are very good parents, well capable of defending their eggs and fry.

S. Allen · Post by **S. Allen** » 25 Jul 2003, 20:20

heh, yes, a nasty little switchblade indeed. but as he said, they all have them, to varying lengths, check out the picture of the royal pleco out of water in the cat-e-log... enough to give you nightmares...

mine never spawned, as I tended to keep what I could get, which was all different species, so I never really had a problem with that. I did have one particularly nasty male that thought both caves and all the driftwood in a 4 foot tank belonged to him... any time some one would go near the other cave he'd rush out of his across the tank and chase them off, then stay in the newly liberated cave till it happened again... I moved the bugger to a 20 gallon fry tank with about 30 or 40 pounds of slate in it and never saw him again till I tore the tank down and sold him.

Kostas · Post by **Kostas** » 30 Jul 2003, 12:31

Hi,
I agree with you that all the pleco have them but not so long.I also had a royal pleco.I cathed him and i putted him on my hand to take photos and i got a lot of scracthes while he was slowly moving his tail and by his gill spines.Really strong spines.
I lived a nightmare while i was transfering my Leporacanthicus home.They maked holes to their bags and i arrived home there was no water left in their bags.

S. Allen · Post by **S. Allen** » 30 Jul 2003, 17:07

haha, yeah, you ought to play with a Psuedodoras niger... crikey they're built to not be handled