Empty 15g, what would you do

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FishontheRock said:
St. John's, Newfoundland

Oh. Yea I can see how that can be annoying for dw. :banghead:

What you could do is cheat....... Use rocks instead.....
 
Oh. Yea I can see how that can be annoying for dw. :banghead:

What you could do is cheat....... Use rocks instead.....

Ya lots of lakes but a serious lack of hardwood trees to die in them. So most of the driftwood is either saltwater drift (don't want to with broke lobster traps thanks) or softwood that rots as fast as the can collect it. Most of the time I love living here but for fish stuff its an absolute nightmare at times!

Now rocks....those I can obtain in the buckloads!
 
Anyone think that threadfin rainbow fish might work? I've seen them rated for 15g before and I can provide current from a power head for them to swim in.
 
Here is a more concrete idea.


Amazon biotope with a pair of apistogramma cacatuoides and some kind of dither fish (tetra sp. of on type or other, suggestions?). Vallisneria sp. along left side with current from filter on that edge. Tall echinodorus sp. along back wall of tank with chain sword foreground. Any suggestions for a mid ground plant?
 
Like that idea. Green neon tetras are cool fish. They school unlike the shoaling neon tetras. I would use swords instead of echidnodorus. Just my opinion. I would say crypts but I think those are from asia.
 
bettaowner said:
Like that idea. Green neon tetras are cool fish. They school unlike the shoaling neon tetras. I would use swords instead of echidnodorus. Just my opinion. I would say crypts but I think those are from asia.

Amazon sword=echinodorus amazonicus does it not? Might have my linnaean names messed up.

I was going to look for a less huge sword than the amazon though. In a 15 I might get away with out a mid ground. Hmmm...

I'm pretty sure crypts are asian. At least that's what my friend Wikipedia has told me.

I picked up two t8 light fixtures today meant for growing high light terrestrial plants. They were a kijiji steal. I'm going switch the bulbs out for flora-glos and build them into some sort of lighthood. So this tank will have a bit more light than stock set ups but not the high light of t5hos.
 
I don't know scientific plant names that well. You are probably right. Argentine sword are a nice plant. Easy to grow and propogate.
 
bettaowner said:
I don't know scientific plant names that well. You are probably right. Argentine sword are a nice plant. Easy to grow and propogate.

That's okay. I had to take paleobiology in undergrad and as such I used to dealing more with linnaean names. Try telling two brachiopods apart after they have been dead a few hundred million years! Needless to say it was pounded into my head!

Would I end up with aggression issues from the apistogramma towards the tetras if I end up with a breeding pair? I haven't ever had SA cichlids before only mbuna and west African riverine species.
 
I don't think you would have a problem since tetras are fast enough to avoid the cichlids. By the way fish used to distract a mated pair are called target fish.
 
bettaowner said:
I don't think you would have a problem since tetras are fast enough to avoid the cichlids. By the way fish used to distract a mated pair are called target fish.

Good to know. A cichlid breeder I knew always called them dither fish.
 
Dither fish are used to draw shy fish out into the open. The theory is the shy fish will see other fish out in the open and think no enemy is around.
 
bettaowner said:
Dither fish are used to draw shy fish out into the open. The theory is the shy fish will see other fish out in the open and think no enemy is around.

Thanks for the explanation!
 
I think I might have found my target fish! nannostomus mortenthaleri 'coral red pencilfish' they are beautiful and the websites I've read say they are good fish for dwarf cichlids. They are also uncommon and as such will add a degree of novelty.
 
bettaowner said:
Good idea. In my state they cost 21 dollars.

Not cheap I know. But It will be months setting up this tank. I have to DIY a hood and lights and there is fishless cycling. So I'll shop around and bug the characin people I know through Canadian forums to see if anyone is breeding these. FIY there is a supplier on aquabids selling for 11$ a fish but only ships in the US (sucks to be me).

If I do get some I'll be tempted to try breeding them. So lovely and from what I read mostly wild caught. So having more hobbiest tank breeding would be a good thing.
 
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