# Mono Argenteus



## Scoutmaster Steve (Jan 12, 2006)

Hey guys I know this is a plant forum but I have a question about this Mono. Someone here has to have experience with this neat little guy.
So here is the story: I found this fish (3 of them) at my LFS and after seeing a Mono Seebae in their large freshwater display tank I wanted to give this more colorful Mono a try in my 125 gal planted freshwater tank. Got them home and acclimated (floated, added tank water, netted) them. They seemed just fine first 3-4 days, eating well, schooling and zipping to and fro. On the forth day one of the three all of a sudden started to act drunk swimming sideways doing loops and crashing into plants and objects. In a matter of about 20 minutes it was dead. No signs of any disease or injury. Obviously I am concerned so I watch this tank with vigilance now. Two days later I see another one start to get tipsy but this time I am a bit more prepared so I scoop the two remaining Mono's out to my sick tank loaded with salt and 82-84 degrees. That was last night and this morning they seem much better. I know these are brackish fish as adults and had intended to convert my 55 to brackish as these guys grow. Right now they are about 1.5 inch long and came from fresh water with only a tablespoon of salt per 20 gal. I do inject CO2 pressurized and bring my PH down from 7.3 tap to 6.5 in the tank. All other fish are doing great with no loses in this 2 month old heavy planted fully cycled tank. 
So go ahead guys tell me I am wrong trying a brackish fish! Serious, any idea what has happened?


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## RTR (Oct 28, 2005)

Monos are BW to SW as adults. Hard alkaline water is required even for fry. They are very fast, get very large, and absolutely have to be in schools. This means that they are not planted tank fish to me.


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## Gumby (Aug 1, 2005)

I'd imagine the pH difference did it. They really are better off in strong brackish to full salt. Any time I've seen them successfully kept in fresh or brackish for an extended period of time, they were in a pH of 8.0+ (usually more like 8.3-8.5). 

In a planted tank, probably a bad idea. Aside from their water chemistry requirements, when they get big the get mean. I'm not talking occasionally nipps fins, I'm talking mean as HELL! 

I saw a school of 3 of these guys(about 4-5 inches long) rip the fins completely off of an oscar within a day. They also tore the dorsal fin off a 1.5 foot long goldy pleco in during that same day.

I wouldn't reccomend these guys unless:
1. You have a large, open, saltwater tank with predators
2. You have a large, open, dedicated brackish water tank with predators.
These fish are just too fast, get too large, become too agressive, and are too demanding on having harderwater/higher pH for most people to be able to keep them.


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

they eat anything that can fit their mouth. shrimp, guppies, cardinals...only advisable as species or other monos.
so greedy and hunt very aggresively. cool to watch but not for planted tank IMO.
so greedy some of them choke on feeder fish lodged in it's mouth.

schools really well and do ok with my african cichlids...alas all died in power failure...


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