# So, what kind of fish do you keep?



## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

I've heard most of the plants everyone keeps, but it would be interesting to hear what kind of fish you have in your tanks.  

I keep the following in my 11 tanks:
Bettas, Apisto Hongsloi's, Apisto Agazi's, Yellow Labs, Syno Eupterous (Feather Fins), Rudiger the nasty Angel, 8 Bristlenoses, 1 Peckoltia Pleco, 2 African Butterfly fish, SAE’s, False SAE’s, Cory’s, a striped and a spotted Raphael, Upside down cats, Kuhli Loaches, Bala’s, Silver Dollars, 20 some Rummy nose Tetra’s, Glowlight Tetra’s, Cardinal Tetras, Amano Shrimp, Cherry Barbs, Crystal red shrimp and Kribs.

Next....


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## tsunami (Jan 24, 2004)

Cardinal tetras (P. axelrodi), Red phantom tetras (M. sweglesi), otos, Corydoras panda, pearl gouramis, a group of peruvian altum angelfish, german blue rams. 

Nothing too special or rare, but I really like them all nonetheless.

Carlos


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

Cardinal tetras, Discus, Otos, Corys, Blue Rams...


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

fish...hmm...lets see if i can even remember them all! 
discus, rams, mbunas, synodontis, dicrossus filamentosus, purple neons?, ottos, farlowellas, amano shrimp, corys, rummynose, yoyo loaches, columbian tetras, endlers livebearers, SAE....bettas....hmm...i think thats it.


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## cS (Jan 27, 2004)

JanS said:


> I've heard most of the plants everyone keeps, but it would be interesting to hear what kind of fish you have in your tanks.


"Fish"? How much light do they need? How often do they require prunning? :lol:

Seriously, I love love love nondescript small fish (Boraras brigittae & maculata, Rasbora dorsiocellata, Sundadanio axelrodi 'Red' & 'Blue'), elegant larger fish (Apistogramma cacatuoides 'Quadruple Red', Hemigrammus bleheri & rhodostomus, Pterophyllum altum (juveniles), Sphaerichthys osphromenoides), most invertebrates (Amano shrimp, bumblebee shrimp (my favorite), cherry shrimp, ramshorn snail), and cute little buggers (dwarf puffer, bumblebee goby). :mrgreen:

*WISH LIST:* Boraras merah & urophthalmoides, crystal red shrimp, Microrasbora spp., Paracheirodon simulans, Sundadanio axelrodi 'Green' & 'Turquoise', and a school of Corydorus sterbai when I upgrade to a larger tank.


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## Robert B (May 25, 2004)

Wow Cs I would say you and I have the exact same taste in fish. My 30 gallon houses rasboras and licorice garamias. These small more rare fish are my favorites. I used to keep Apistos but I chose to take a break from them for a while until I can get a bigger tank.

I have:

10 Danio erythromicron
4 Boraras maculata
6 Boraras urophthalmoides
3 licorice gouramis
and a bunch of cherry red shrimp and amanos + Amanos crossbreed with cherry reds.


Sundadanio axelrodi ”Blue Neon” and "Blue" Are the highest on my list of dream fish. I would love to have a big school of these.


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## amber2461 (Jun 15, 2004)

Hey Robert

Your shrimps crossbreed? Wow, that is news to me. Any pics to show these hybrids then?

Cheers


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## Robert B (May 25, 2004)

I don't have any pics but I will try to get some pics for you.

It is really weird, I guess when they crossbreed then the offspring don't need the brackish water like Amano offspring do. I don't do anything special either. Just feed flakes that is all. Some of the crossbreeds look pretty mean (Tan, black, and white colors) but they aren't. I will try to get pics.

Robert. (bobo31)


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## amber2461 (Jun 15, 2004)

It all sounds great, can't wait for the pictures.

My apologies, didn't mean to go off track on this thread.

Cheers


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Fish I have are... Endlers, Golden Ram, Albino Corys, Licorice Gourami, Golden Angel, Black Lyretail Molly, Rummynose tetras, Von rio Tetras, Dwarf Gourami (powder blue), Rainbows, Zebra Danio, Common Pleco, Otto's, SAE's.

Non fish... Amanos, Tiger, Red spotted shrimps and snails.


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## Robert B (May 25, 2004)

I tried to take some pics but my camera sucks really bad.

I wasn't able to get a good pic but here is the best one I have.
Sorry it is so crappy but it gives you an idea of what they look like.
Most of them are more clear and some are totally clear.


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## nonamethefish (Feb 25, 2004)

I doubt the shrimps crossbreed-you sure you arent seeing the "bumblebee" trait popping back in perhaps? Maybe some taxonomist would be interested in them if they truly are hybrids.

My list is pretty short, but i love em all.  

Heterandria formosa(pygmy livebearer)

Enneacanthus gloriosus(bluespotted sunfish)

Noturus gyrinus(tadpole madtom)

Xiphophorus montezumae"Ivory Mottled"

Ancistrus sp.


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## Robert B (May 25, 2004)

What do you mean by the "bumblebee" trait popping back in?

I am not 100% sure they crossbred but that is the only explanation I have for where they came from. I started out with about 6 cherry reds and 6 Amanos and now I have dozens of these "different" shrimp in my tank. :? 


Robert. (bobo31)


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

In 3 tanks - Guppies, endler's (kept separate from guppies), Cardinal tetras, Harlequin rasboras, SAE's, Ottos, H. formosa (locally collected), amanos, cherry reds.


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## Norbert Sabat (Jun 26, 2004)

Well.....

In 180l:
10 Otocinclus
26 Paracheirodon axelrodi
3 Botia sidthimunki
3 SAE
2 Black molly
20 amano shrimp
2 "rocket" shrimp
2 "rainbow" shrimp

25l:
16 "tiger" shrimp 
3 "green" shrimp 
I'm looking for RedCrystal but they are wery expensive  

40l:
2 ONE...my pigs


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

I keep Dwarf Loaches (Botia Sidthimunki) - 9 of them; Clown loaches - 5 of them; cories (aeneus) - 3 of them; Ottos - 5 of them; and a 29 gallon tank full of Cherry and Crystal Red shrimp.


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## amber2461 (Jun 15, 2004)

Robert B said:


> What do you mean by the "bumblebee" trait popping back in?
> 
> I am not 100% sure they crossbred but that is the only explanation I have for where they came from. I started out with about 6 cherry reds and 6 Amanos and now I have dozens of these "different" shrimp in my tank. :?
> 
> Robert. (bobo31)


Whatever they are, you sure have nice looking shrimp (despite the fuzzy photo)


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## amber2461 (Jun 15, 2004)

I have 

108 gal
14 Nematobrycon palmeri
10 Hemigrammus bleheri
8 Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi
10 Paracheirodon axelrodi
13 Paracheirodon innesi
7 Thayeria obliqua
3 Otocinclus affinis

20 gal
2 Xiphophorus Maculatus
1 Beaufortia kweichowensis
9 Pristella maxillaris
1 Atyopsis moluccensis

33 gal
2 Otocinclus affinis
3 Botia histrionica
3 Melanotaenia praecox
5 Kryptopterus bicirrhis
1 Beaufortia kweichowensis

10 gal
10 Caridina japonica
2 Atyopsis gabonensis
15 Neocaridina denticulata sinensis (red) (juvenille)
2 Macrobrachium banjare

10 gal
2 Tetraodon travancoricus
2 Otocinclus affinis
6 Inpaichthys kerri
2 Paleomonotes sp.


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## cS (Jan 27, 2004)

amber2461 said:


> 2 Tetraodon travancoricus [...] 2 Paleomonotes sp.


Amber, your dwarf puffers don't bother the shrimps? :shock: Mine has absolutely NO tolerance for any invertebrates.



Robert B said:


> Wow Cs I would say you and I have the exact same taste in fish. My 30 gallon houses rasboras and licorice garamias. These small more rare fish are my favorites.


Aren't small fish the shiznitz, as the kids would say? Hehehe. :mrgreen:

I wish these fish aren't so rare. ](*,) I guess most folks prefer something larger so vendors can't find a sizable market. I mean, the planted tank hobby is small enough; and small fish enthusiasts occupy an even smaller niche within this already small sector. Speaking of which, the fellow whom I bug to no end to import small fish, is getting the _Microrasbora gatesi_. >_< AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! >_< ::drools::

...I mean: "Splendid governa!"


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## Robert B (May 25, 2004)

Microrasbora gatesi you lucky devil.  

Robert.


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## amber2461 (Jun 15, 2004)

cS said:


> amber2461 said:
> 
> 
> > 2 Tetraodon travancoricus [...] 2 Paleomonotes sp.
> ...


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## cS (Jan 27, 2004)

amber2461 said:


> Yours must be the bad boys of the group then.


Oh very much so!!! They live with a couple of bumble bee gobies. Sometimes they sneak up on the gobies and snip them, but the gobies turn around and chase them. It is the cutest thing you've ever seen!!! :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: Both these buggers are like underwater kittens, except not very friendly with anything else.


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## amber2461 (Jun 15, 2004)

That was my original plan as well, to house them with the bumble bee goby but then I couldn't find any, so that plan was scrapped!

They seem to do well with the current tank mates, so no need for changes there.


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## Maran (Sep 8, 2004)

OK, I'm new on this forum 
I have 100L plant thank with:
10 Limia nigrofasciata and 2 Otocinclus


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## nonamethefish (Feb 25, 2004)

Robert B said:


> What do you mean by the "bumblebee" trait popping back in?
> 
> I am not 100% sure they crossbred but that is the only explanation I have for where they came from. I started out with about 6 cherry reds and 6 Amanos and now I have dozens of these "different" shrimp in my tank. :?
> 
> Robert. (bobo31)


Actually, I'm wondering if bumblee or cherry reds are diff species or not...as I heard some stories of something called crystal red being selectively bred from bumblebees.

Also possible would be some other kind of shrimp snuck in with some plants.


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## travis (Oct 5, 2004)

This will probably sound a bit strange but:

*125G Planted ARLC Tank w/Pressurized CO2 and High Light*
- 7+ Pseudotropheus demasoni "Pombo Rocks" morph (some fry)
- 6+ Labidochromis caeruleus "Lions Cove" morph (some fry)
- 2 Pseudotropheus acei "Yellow Tail" morph
- 2 Wild-Caught Pseudotropheus sp. elongatus "Usisya" morph
- SAE's and Florida Flag Fish
- L-66 King Tiger Plecostomus
- Nerite and Malaysian Trumpet Snails

I know that most people will say that you can't keep mbuna and most plants in the same tank, but my experience shows otherwise. It could be that I introduced both the fish and the plants when the cichlids were young so they grew up with heavy plant cover and have become used to it. It could also be that I didn't know any better when I decided to do it and have had amazing luck, I really can't say. I just wish more people out there were trying it because I don't have much to draw from when it comes to finding people with similar tanks.

I do provide several open spots for breeding and pit digging activity, and my Africans tend to use these rather than digging up my plants. There is also extensive rock and cavework for cover. The plants do wonders for allowing fry to survive in a rather aggressive community environment, although with all of the plants it is impossible for me to tell how many fry there may be - I've just been catching glimpses of them from time to time.

Here are the plants I've had success with and am keeping now:

Hygrophila difformis and polysperma
Ludiwigia repens and 'Peruensis"
Ceratopteris thalictroides and siliquosa
Anubias barteri v barteri and v nana
Nesaea sp.
Cyperus helferi
Nuphar japonicum v Formosa
Heteranthera zosterifolia
Cryptocoryne wendtii (Red, Tropica, Green Gecko)
Cryptocoryne longicauda
Cryptocoryne affinis
Cryptocoryne nurii
Cryptocoryne blassii
Lillaeopsis brasiliensis
Marsilea quadrifolia
Ammania sp. 'Bonsai'
Ranalisma humile
Echinodorus tenellus
Glossostigma elatinoides and Riccia fluitans (I'm not joking )

Along with all of the luck I've had, I've also discovered several types of plants that my mbuna simply destroyed. Among them:

Vesicularia dubyana (They don't eat it but love ripping it off of things)
Valisneria sp. (They love the taste of it and eat it down to the ground)
Alternanthera reineckii (Fell apart after a few weeks)
Ludwigia sp. 'Pantanal' (It literally melted in my hard water)
Elocharis acicularis (Dwarf Hairgrass is very tasty to Africans)

Well sorry for the length, I didn't intend to post so much, but once I get started it's hard to stop. Thanks for the great forum!


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## nonamethefish (Feb 25, 2004)

Any shots of this tank? I know of someone who did a planted tank with shelldwellers...same concept of providing a little sandy field in front and planting in the back. However, the substrate in the back(flourite) and lack of caves prevented the shellies from setting up homes in the background.


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## travis (Oct 5, 2004)

Here are some pics from a couple of weeks ago, the bright patches in the center are grids of Riccia that have really filled in well since then and are pearling like mad. I've also got Glosso growing in on the left side where you just see dark substrate. It's coming along fairly well although I'm constantly having to replant sections that the mbuna dig up. The rate of attrition is slowing somewhat since the roots have started to take hold so I'm hoping it will stay down on its own here in a week or two. I've also rearranged a lot of the foreground, so the plants still have some growing in to do. But so far, so good 

The second pic is a close-up of the right side of my tank where most of the fry like to hide. The foreground area was replanted a few days before the shot was taken. It's growing in nicely now.

The last pic is a shot of my alpha-male Ps. demasoni hovering over a pearling bed of Riccia (from about a week ago). Fortunately for me, he protects the area where most of the Riccia is planted as part of his territory so the rest of the mbuna haven't had much of a chance to tear it up


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Beautiful photos! You did a great job of scaping for both plants and Cichlids.

You're not the first one I've heard of having great success with Mbuna's and plants, so it is doable with some planning.


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## nonamethefish (Feb 25, 2004)

Very nice! I love demasoni...if I ever get into mbuna those would be on my want list.

Wonder if anyone has used Aulonocara in a planted tank.

Also, due to a pleasant surprise I added 4 more "species" to my list as of now, but I doubt I will be keeping them all(eggs)

Nothobranchius kafuensis 'Chunga'

N. kafuensis 'Kayuni'

2 locations of N. orthonotus


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Hi Travis!


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## labeth (Sep 29, 2004)

I got 
35 Barbus tetrazona 
3 Crossocheilus siamensis
2 Corydoras of unknown type

in my 300L tank

Very nice with alot of the same types if u ask me ...


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## julie_kent (Nov 22, 2004)

in my 74L tank i got:

7 Neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi )
3 Botia macracanthus ( Clown botia)
2 SEA
1 Mollienesia
2 Bristlenose pleco (Ancistrus temminckii )

in my 17L tank i got:

4 guppys 
and 2 Sword Tail


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## skylsdale (Jun 2, 2004)

A school of 15 _Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae_ (red-eye tetra).


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## Black oranda (Dec 28, 2004)

I have 4 to 5 tanks now ... :roll: wish i had more...ill wait until i move hehe
No one could stop me, it's a addiction hehe.

fish and theren ames : 

2 neons= EleKtra, Hydro Quebec
betta= Poi poi
African dwarf frog= Alida
2 Black moor Goldfishs= Nagila and Accalia
1 Calico Fantail= Melanion
1 Shubunskin goldfish= Tashra
5 Comets= Fanne dollee, Rylight, Katina, Zorah and the other one is not named yet. 

(My goldies are my babys, i love them so much full of personality)

1 common pleco= Mr.Hookenfish the 11th 
Guppies = Rose marie, Rosalinda, Iris,Ruth, Gladice, Peter, John (and a bunch of them arn't named yet) 
I have a bunch of Trumpet snails
And I have 2 Khuli Loaches who are not named. 

I think thats all of them, also im getting 2 Newts soon aswell. 
Oh and this spring im building my 500 gallon pond for the goldies.


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