Back in the deep end again!!

Hi all,

New to posting on the site, been watching it a while though and v.impressed so far!

I stopped keeping tropical fish about 8 yrs ago when I was devestated by accidentally electrocuting my tank full of FABULOUS bettas (2 top quality homebred males, 4 females and dozens of fry)...but addict that I am despite moving, keeping cats, dog and birds over the years I've been irresistably drawn back to this most beautiful of passions. My 2 kids are going to be just as addicted as well I think, there is much debate as to what to get. One wants a bala shark, the other wants a pleco and I'm still drawn to the bettas... all told, not the best of tank mates lol! Also my sister has a male betta that she is looking for me to take!

Since my experience is cnfined to bettas I'd really appreciate if someone can steer me in the right direction as to (1) shoal fish that will cohabit peacefully with other shoal fish in this size tank.

Also (as I've discovered that the two local petshops that do have fish dont seem to be taking care of them) could someone tell me if transporting fish from the Coagh or Midelton sponsor shops would be too much for them. I live in Tralee so it would be about an hour(ISH!) in the car...I think!

For a pleco i would suggest one of the Ancistrus. They dont seem to be as shy as a lot of plecos and would suit your 84L tank.
I'm afraid the Bala shark will grow to big and needs a lot of swimming space.
For schooling fish IMO rummynose tetras are the best. They stay in close groups and are very peaceful to all tank mates. Should be fine with Betta's.

Thanks Platty!

Any ideas on cardinal or neon tetras, or what about guppies and dalmation mollies?

Probably seems very daft simplistic questions......but I'd really like loads of colour and a peaceful community tank.

I've kept the background and gravel neutral (although I did bow to pester power and got one of those fake coral ornaments!) to further enhance the colours of the fish I get.

Also I understand the need for 5/6 of each shoal with a week in between introductions but in terms of the sequence, should it be smallest type or least agressive first?

Any other useful hints much appreciated!

(Its just as well I've got kids who're becoming just as obsessed, and no-one else claiming on my time or disposable income...!)

Sounds like you have plenty of family support.
If you want loads of colour then neon's and/or cardinals is the way to go.
Guppy's should be fine but they can be a bit week. Have a look at Endlers. They are like small Guppy's.
I have never kept Molly's so i cant really comment on them.
Have a look at some of the Gourami. There are some nice colourful ones.
Maybe a school of Corydoras cats for the bottom of the tank.

Hi ArielBetta
Cardinals Vs Neons -- Cardinals all the way... Though they can be a bit delicate compared to some other tetras
Endlers Vs Guppy's -- Endlers . a really busy little fish with some mad colours,but don't keep them with guppies as they can breed with one another so you get cross strains
Corydoras -- great little fish,always busy around the bottom of the tank or how about some clown loaches...? a nice colourful fish and always moving around
Shoaling - Agree with platty252 Rummy noses- Fantastic colourful shoaling fish,have 6 in a tank and have a group of 6 Glowlight tetras that follow them around as well...
Plecos-- my 2 are rarely seen...hiding under the bogwood a lot
Other tetras ... Pristella tetras are nice as are penguin tetras tho IMO the penguins can be narky little Buggers,Glowlights can be really nice in a planted tank
I have never kept Mollies or platty's tho of the 2 id go with platty,brighter colours and neater looking fish

are you putting bogwood or plants(real /fake ..?) into the tank...?

Lar

PS - Left a reply about the travelling distance on another thread see- Re: Petmania pet/fish shop opens in Navan

Welcome along Ariel,
I tnink Lar's reply is perfect there. Its a very good summary of the fish that you are looking for.
I do and have kept mollies,they are nice fish,and indeed I prefer them over the platty if Im honest,the Plattys can be a little to busy I find so Id go with mollies but thats a complete personal decision,most of my fellow fishkeepers go with platty's! Both are easy to keep anyhow.

Tetra's are great fish and alot of variety also. As for cardinal vs neons. I find that the cardinals tend to grow a small bit bigger,but they are still a rather small sized fish and they tend to be brighter than the neons,simple to distinguish the difference also,the red strip continues through the body of the cardinals. All part of the Characin family. In fact Id go with a mixture,they will still shoal together most times.I have a mixture of both and they all hang around in the one group.(not true shoaling fish but stay close together for safety).
Rummy nose tetras are fab. If you want a true shoaling fish that is peaceful, then rummys are definetly the ones to go for I think. It can take a while for there nose to colour up once you introduce them,but they will shoal in your tank and are v peaceful.
Id also go for a small ancistrius,nice fish and not as shy as alot of plecos as Platty mentions.
Also get some nice corys for the bottom,they will be a cleaner fish for your tank and they too prefer to be kept in shoals. You could comfortably put 3 or 4 bronze corys in there or perhaps 4 or 5 panda corys. Finally if you want to add something that is a little different Id also consider putting some shrimp in the tank. You can decide what shrimp you want yourself,but red cherrys are nice and should survive in a tank that is a community set up, but stay clear of Bala sharks. Also it doesnt mention the size tank you are hoping to keep,I think Platty said its 84 litres,so you will have a tank that can comfortably fit most of those community fish that are being mentioned here. Guppys are also nice fish,but can create a population boom when they get frisky,same with the mollys!

Finally the Midelton sponspor is no longer operating,they are now closed since last year. (Can the admin team amend the site please to reflect this?).

Best of luck with it, its great that the whole family are getting involved in it,I think its wonderful. If you are still intend on keep a betta,why not get another smaller tank and just house the betta in it with some corys perhaps.

Gavin

Hi Ariel
I got two golden wonder panchax some months ago and think they are really beautiful fish. there is also a great selection of barbs in the LFS. I have a gold, ruby, platinum and 3 green tiger barbs...all get along fine

UPDATE!
I've finally got some fish!!
Went to D&M in Croagh...thanks again LimerickBandit! Met Tom28 there too, lovely store, great setup, plenty of very healthy fish!!
I got 1 lyretail guppy, 1 sunrise tetra (sold to me as a golden wonder though!), 2 lemon tetras, 2 bloodfin tetras (sold to me as glowlights!), and an unknown little red fish who refused to leave the net when catching the lemon tetras!

The kids chose the first two, all have now been named and -having survived the journey -have settled in and are colouring up nicely!

I'll definitely be returning to get more fish soon, despite the variety confusion the quality of fish there is, from what I've seen, faultless....

On another note it looks like the plant in my tank is terresterial after all as its decaying more quickly that I initially thought, this has not been helped by the fish nibbling away at it of course!!

I also had another look in Petmania (Tralee)...the situation with the plecos has got worse, they are still selling terrestrial plants as aquatics, there are also still several other fish types looking decidedly unwell....on top of which, while there a staff member almost sold a shoal of piranhas to go into a community tank with neon tetras and dalmation mollies....!!

Thankfully another staff member stopped her in time! :phew: