i think i figured out most of my fish im going to put in

[krap101]

today i found a bluefin killifish. (i think) it was alone in a ghost shrimp tank with this black catfish (think ive seen them around here in some streams and stuff) and i was going to buy it, but they gave it to me for free. they look pretty aerodynamic (dont know the word for when its in water) and look really cool. so heres my list

3-5 bluefins
4 emerald eyed tetras
3-4 hong kong plecos (butterfly/hillstream loaches)
3-5 otos
and 3-5 khuli loaches.

im not worried on bioload since im going to cycle it first (of coarse) and im going to add one species every 1 or 2 weeks. im not worried about oxygen because ill 1-2 powerheads and a hob. im not "that" worried about agression. its "that" because ive heard golden killies are agressive, so the bluefins might be too. but the rest of the fish are peaceful enough.

any other ideas?

 

[rubysoho]

is this for your river tank you are planning?

 

[krap101]

yeah

 

[rubysoho]

well, the hillstream loaches require much cooler water than what at least the tetras would be okay with. This would be okay in a normal tank with normal filtration, but with the strong current I think the combination would really be hard on the tetras. The khuli loaches will be fine and I've read about otos being housed with goldfish (in coldwater tanks) and they were okay to. But I'd say they'd be more active and happier in a warmer tank. I don't think raising the temperature would be okay unless you got rid of the hillstream loaches because they require the cooler water and current for absorbtion of oxygen from the water (the warmer the water, the less dissolved oxygen).

 

[krap101]

i was thinking maybe 72-75... but maybe thats 2 warm

 

[Guest]

i have one hillstream loach and he does good at 75.. but when the tank gets warmer i can tell he doesn't like it becuase his colors faid and he doesn't move around as much.

 

[rubysoho]

yeh, really anything over 70, maybe 72, begins to stress them out which as we all know leads to a bunch of other problems.

 

[krap101]

hmmone of the sites i read is like 72-76

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile91.html

badmans is a pretty respectable site imo.

 

[rubysoho]

Yeh, that is a pretty good site. I just know the majority of what I had read (and from experiences I've read from other people) said they really do best and thrive in water 65-70 degrees and that when it starts to get warmer they do not live nearly as long and/or start to show signs of stress. However, you can do what you want and I wish you the best of luck

 

[krap101]

what would be a good compromise of the fish im going to put in there? or will it not work? (temperature)

 

[rubysoho]

73 would probably be fine, but the tetras will still act a little slower until it gets up to 77-78 degrees. Cories on the other hand would love the cooler temperature. No idea about the killis though.

 

[krap101]

hmm maybe i could make some sort of pool type thing with a really weak heater in it? so then that pool thing will be warmed up but the rest of the river will be like 70's

 

[rubysoho]

you can always try and see what happens. First I would try the tetras at a cooler temperature more suited for the hillstream loach, then slowly you could raise it and monitor their reaction day by day. Perhaps you can find a happy medium for them.

 

[krap101]

ill try once i get all the stuff ready

 

[rubysoho]

cool! And don't forget to come back here and tell us your results! I've always wanted hillstream loaches but restrained myself because aside from cories I never had any cooler water fish.

 

[czcz]

Everyone I've asked said killifish prefer slow or no current. Fwiw, white cloud mountain minnows handled ~20x turnover better than blue tetras in my tank, and I think you should consider them again. My hillstream lived in 74-76F in the winter, and is closer to 78F this summer. I wish the tank was kept at a constant ~70F. Note that Martin Thoene noted aggression between hilltreams in his loaches.com article.

 

[krap101]

hmm maybe ill try hatchets then?

 

[krap101]

hmm ive decided to mix some fluorite, pea gravel, and maybe some "river rocks" for the substrate. im thinking of using some sort of sword and giant hairgrass