Fish Shopping

[lashilia]

I just set up a thirty long brackish and am looking to stock it. I got 3 small eels, 3 puffers, and one archer. I'm running my gravity varying, now about 1.01. Does anyone have any suggestions about good fish to put in there? It looks so naked...

[tkos]

Whatever fish you end up looking for make sure they can take care of themselves as those puffers can be very aggressive.

Have you also added plants? That will help fill up the look of the tank. There are lots of plants that do well in brackish tanks.

[ConanTheLibraia]

The colombian cat shark is a cool brakish fish, maybie too big though. Check out the brackish section at live aquaria and that should give you some ideas. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/s...=21&pCatId=954

[fishstixs05]

What type of eels do you have?

[fishstixs05]

What type of eels do you have?

[lashilia]

I have spiny eels. I like them very much, but they dig and hide a lot. I keep peacocks, tiretracks, and zigzags. Because of my location, I don't have access to morays or anything cool.

My puffers are very mean, but they are also very small. They are very personable, but bite hard. The archer likes to spit water on the top of the tank when he shold be sleeping at night like the rest of the fish. No wonder he is a nervous wreck. I named him Toxotes, which isn't very creative, but it stuck. I usually don't name my fish.

I can't afford to feed my fish live plants anymore. I use silk. I do use shells in my tank from a real estuary, and driftwood and live sand, but there just isn't anough movement.

I think I will try shark cats. They can start out small in my little tank, and as they grow, I can move them if the occassion calls for it. I know livebearers could be converted to brackish, but I'm looking for something a little bigger and a little meaner. Not much selection with brackish, neh?


Thank you,
lashilia

[fishstixs05]

Originally Posted by lashilia

I know livebearers could be converted to brackish, but I'm looking for something a little bigger and a little meaner

Here are some bigger brackish fish:
Scats (ruby, silver, and green)
Mono (argentius and sebae)
Simese Tigerfish
Four eyed fish
Cromides (well not that big)

So actually you do have some choice.
Also, how are the eels handling the brackish water?

[d9hp]

I like the columbian shark

[lashilia]

I got some sharks, a scat, another archer, some sailfin mollies (which I'm a little nervous about) and a dragon fish. They are all doing very well so far.

As for the eels, one instantly went into hiding, but the others I have had for several weeks and they come out to eat. They hide in shells and definately hold their own against the puffers. I went on vacation and returned to find them just fine. They have not blistered or anything yet, in fact, the look better than when I bought them. Their fins are in mint conditions and their colors are very nice. I only hope it will last...

I broke down and bought some plants. I am also using a large hunk or driftwood I found offshore of a wild estuary. The fish like to nibble on it, it hasn't turned the water yucky yet, and it is quite attractive.

Finally, does anyone know what types of gobies I can have? I live far away from any major cities with decent pet stores and might have to order them online. Those four-eyed fish sound nice. What about flatfish? Any recomendtions on what will do well? And Conches. Can I have them? Any good mail-order sites?

Thanks, all!
lashilia

[i3k]

yea buy columbian sharks! "white tip catfish" I have four and they are pretty big now...they eat like pigs but they also clean the bottom of your tank pretty well...when they are about 4" they will start "digging" in the gravel after you done feeding them to get every last bit of the food...Two of my white tips are now 8" and the other two are about 7"....after I feed them tetra min flakes I drop a few brine shrimps and a few catfish pellets...they then "cruize" the bottomw for another 20 or so minutes and eat up the last of the flakes....these fish grow large and powerful!!!...however, they do best in a goup of 4 or more...so you can keep them small in the 30 [acronym:a952ddb63f="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:a952ddb63f]. aquarium and in a few years transfer them into a tank at least 75 gallons.