JUVES!! 3n Angels, 2 Rams, 1 *tiny* Firemouth, 4 Cardinal Tetras...

[B Phishin]

- 30 Gallon Tank
- !00 and 150 Penguin Bio-Wheel Filtration System
- pH Level - 7.6 -- 7.8
- Temperature - 78 - 80 Degrees (F)
- Fish - 2 GBR's, 1 Firemouth, 3 Angels, 4 Cardinal Tetras
- Tank Age - 3 Weeks
- Substrate - 50 pounds (lbs) of play sound (thoroughly rinsed/cleansed)

------ Any Advice?

 

[NYgiantsRP]

30 g is to small for 3 angels and a FM. You might want some bottom dwellers too. Watch the fire mouth closely. They can get aggressive when they get abou 3". Also the angel and the FM might eat the tetras when they gets bigger, but you have a while until then. What about amm, nitrite, nitrates?

 

[GuppyLover]

2 angels would be really pushing fully stocked imo.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

2 angels is all you can keep if you wanted them. Three would be a disaster. IMO get rid of the firemouth, two angels, and bump your cardinal tetra school. Cardinals could possibly get eaten by angels.

 

[siva]

I don't think the firemouth belongs with dwarf cichlids at all. IMO only 1 angel in a 30 gal.

 

[B Phishin]

Thanks for your alls opinions and advice. I dunno what my ammonia, nitrates and nitrites are. Why only 2 angels? All 3 angels seem to be getting along and follow eachother around in the tank. The firemouth actually keeps to himself and doesn't pick at the 2 rams or angels. All the fish are no bigger than an inch long. I know problems could occur once the firemouth gets bigger than the others, but right now he seems scared of the angels and lets them come in his cave that he's claimed, as if he's kind of intimidated. I'ved heard that if you start a community tank with young, juvenile, fish (cichlids)that they will grow together, tolerate eachother, and be less aggressive as they get older. That's kind of what I'm hoping for. So far, so good, I think. Anymore advice? What's the best way to clean a sand bottom? What is the best temperature setting and pH level for a south american community tank?

 

[siva]

Because angels get way too big to have 3 in a 30 gal.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

IMO cichlids are nice when they're young, and then when they get older show their true colors. Those three angels might get along now, but trust me, as soon as they hit maturity, a pair will form and kill off the leftover angel. There won't be enough territory for a full grown firemouth to occupy and become aggressive with the angels. And the cardinals will be the poor victims of the aggression, if they're not eaten by the angels yet.

 

[TheFishBoss97]

I would NEVER do 3 angels...........that is setup for 1 death.........it is ALWAYS a TRIO OR A SINGLE ANGEL........because otherwise the dominant one will bully the other one............

^ the firemouth will grow rapidly......and the myth thing u heard is true to a certain extent, basically, its true most of the time for appropriate sized tanks...........in a 30G, with an angel......ur 35% stocked to begin with..........

advice


1) for the sand bottom, use a siphon, but suck from like 2-3 inches above the sand to stir up any "crap"
2) remove at least 2 angels......angels need a temp. of 82F.....rams(what kind???), and ANY schooling fish needs to be in a group of 6 or more......otherwise they will stress and die...........especially neon tetras/cardinal tetras
3) remove firemouth(it will grow quickly and can get stunted, will also nip angels fins)
4)get a test kit u need 1 especially in the beginning
6) even if u had a larger tank and wanted to keep those fish together, the firemouth would start tearing up the angels as soon as it reached 3"+.....
and finally
7) fish get more aggressive as they get older, but in the myth/truth thing what actually happens is that the fish are used to the other fish and know that there is no threat/aggressiveness.......kind of like mutual

how experienced r u? cardinal tetras are quite delicate.........

otherwise.....it seems to be nice good luck hope that wasn't too much advice its just basically stocking.......but i listed each issue in the stocking individually

 

[B Phishin]

Thanks for the advice guys. Definitly have more ?'s.. I honestly dont expect to have a full-grown firemouth in my tank with my coupled German Blue Rams (which I forgot to mention, spawned! within 4 days of adding them a week ago, 100 eggs I would estimate - 1/2 got eaten, other 1/2 looked as if they hatched, but wasn't even trying to breed to begin with haha), 3 nickled-sized angels (probably less than an inch in length), and 4 cardinal tetras. I'd say the firemouth is about an inch right now, full of color, but honestly, very docile, reluctantly. As they grow to maturity, I'm sure the angels could have problems with eachother, but what if I ended up with like 2 females and 1 male? or all 3 males or females? Obviously, 2 males and 1 female would be bad news.. Therefore, once the firemouth gets too aggressive and bigger, as well as the angels.. I'd have to separate them and figure out a different tank situation.. Probably just upgrade to a bigger tank (was thinkin 75 gallons) FishBoss.. as for experience, Im 26 and grew up with a tank of non-cichlid fish that my Dad always managed, and I observed. This is my first tank setup on my own, which I began about a month agoto start a new hobby, but researched everything I could for the best results for the present and future. In a week, I'm going to add some bottom dwellers to help clean up the tank a bit. I was thinkin a clown pleco and a juvenile, striped raphael catfish, if I can find one (favorite fish that my Dad always kept in his community tank).. And also approx 3 more cardinal tetras.. (they're lookin great btw) Whatcha think? All advice is much wanted.. including positive and negative criticism... I'm down for everything guys!

 

[GuppyLover]

Thanks for the advice guys. Definitly have more ?'s.. I honestly dont expect to have a full-grown firemouth in my tank with my coupled German Blue Rams (which I forgot to mention, spawned! within 4 days of adding them a week ago, 100 eggs I would estimate - 1/2 got eaten, other 1/2 looked as if they hatched, but wasn't even trying to breed to begin with haha), 3 nickled-sized angels (probably less than an inch in length), and 4 cardinal tetras. I'd say the firemouth is about an inch right now, full of color, but honestly, very docile, reluctantly. As they grow to maturity, I'm sure the angels could have problems with eachother, but what if I ended up with like 2 females and 1 male? or all 3 males or females? Obviously, 2 males and 1 female would be bad news.. Therefore, once the firemouth gets too aggressive and bigger, as well as the angels.. I'd have to separate them and figure out a different tank situation.. Probably just upgrade to a bigger tank (was thinkin 75 gallons) FishBoss.. as for experience, Im 26 and grew up with a tank of non-cichlid fish that my Dad always managed, and I observed. This is my first tank setup on my own, which I began about a month agoto start a new hobby, but researched everything I could for the best results for the present and future. In a week, I'm going to add some bottom dwellers to help clean up the tank a bit. I was thinkin a clown pleco and a juvenile, striped raphael catfish, if I can find one (favorite fish that my Dad always kept in his community tank).. And also approx 3 more cardinal etras.. (they're lookin great btw) Whatcha think? All advice is much wanted.. including positive and negative criticism... I'm down for everything guys!

Absolutley no more fish can fit in that tank. You are just ignoring our advice, They can be peachy right now but I assure you, once they mature they will fight and kill eachother. The firemouth will terrorize the angels and kill the GBRs and your angels will eat the cardinals. Dont ask for advice if you arent willing to accept it. Angels pair up, if you have a male and 2 females the pair will most likely kill the 3rd wheel.

 

[Desastre]

Absolutley no more fish can fit in that tank. You are just ignoring our advice, They can be peachy right now but I assure you, once they mature they will fight and kill eachother. The firemouth will terrorize the angels and kill the GBRs and your angels will eat the cardinals. Dont ask for advice if you arent willing to accept it. Angels pair up, if you have a male and 2 females the pair will most likely kill the 3rd wheel.

Agreed

 

[steez]

+1 on other information. It kinda seems like you're ignoring the advice given. They are all telling you the truth. Sometimes it sucks to hear the truth, but the best bet is to listen to the above and take some action before you have dead fish.

Also... TEEST KITTT!!! You need one man. The absolute first thing you need to know is your water levels! How do you know that the fish aren't living in completely toxic water without it? You don't!

So.. TEST KIT! Re-home some fish. You'll have an awesome, long lasting tank in no time.

 

[TheFishBoss97]

cool nice.......i think ur plan should be fine.......and u realize u can sex the angels now..........if u search up venting angels on google, u'll find at least 3 sure-fire ways of how to........

so u have solved the issues of cardinals and future.....i guess

all u need to do now is post PICS, get a test kit?, and sex the angels

for the bottom dwellers, if u want something that u see often, i would not get either the clown pleco or raphael catfish as both of those HIDE all the time DURING the day, and are only out at night(i only see my clown pleco about 1X a week, and my rpahael catfish around 1X a day.......

A longfin ABN or regular ABN would fit the bill? it maxes out at 4"-5"......

and yeah, try to take the advice.......and just so u know.......firemouths grow super super super fast......and even in a 75G will kill and tear up the other fish

and don't add other fish b4 u fix the current issues(the only fish i'd add would be more cardinals)

 

[siva]

Good luck accurately sexing angels based on that.

 

[siva]

I would NEVER do 3 angels...........that is setup for 1 death.........it is ALWAYS a TRIO OR A SINGLE ANGEL........because otherwise the dominant one will bully the other one............

^ the firemouth will grow rapidly......and the myth thing u heard is true to a certain extent, basically, its true most of the time for appropriate sized tanks...........in a 30G, with an angel......ur 35% stocked to begin with..........

advice


1) for the sand bottom, use a siphon, but suck from like 2-3 inches above the sand to stir up any "crap"
2) remove at least 2 angels......angels need a temp. of 82F.....rams(what kind???), and ANY schooling fish needs to be in a group of 6 or more......otherwise they will stress and die...........especially neon tetras/cardinal tetras
3) remove firemouth(it will grow quickly and can get stunted, will also nip angels fins)
4)get a test kit u need 1 especially in the beginning
6) even if u had a larger tank and wanted to keep those fish together, the firemouth would start tearing up the angels as soon as it reached 3"+.....
and finally
7) fish get more aggressive as they get older, but in the myth/truth thing what actually happens is that the fish are used to the other fish and know that there is no threat/aggressiveness.......kind of like mutual

how experienced r u? cardinal tetras are quite delicate.........

otherwise.....it seems to be nice good luck hope that wasn't too much advice its just basically stocking.......but i listed each issue in the stocking individually

Always a trio or single just isn't true.

 

[B Phishin]

Thanks for the advice guys.. Especially steez and fishboss.. Much appreciated.. I got rid of my firemouth to my local fish store bc I want a healthy, long-lasting fish tank. And I cleaned my tank by the advice I was given.. and it worked out very well! Honestly, I bought a small, juvenile firemouth bc I was intrigued and wanted to try it out, which was cool because there was no aggression displayed and all the fish were getting along. Therefore, since the firemouth has been gone for 48 hours, the tank has been flourishing, even though i thought it was before.. My 4 caridinal tetras, 2 GBR's and 3 angels seem just fine and healthy.. IMO, part of that is due to my filter system (100 and 150 Penguin Bio-Wheel), which is circulating water, more than enough, in a 30 gallon tank. I don't think a clown pleco would be a good addition, but I think I'm definitely going to get a striped Rafael, even though it's nocturnal, and not seen too often during the day. I need a bottom-dweller! As for ms guppylover.. I haven't been ignoring advice.. I've been accepting it from everyone. And even though I've been on this forum for a whole week, doesn't mean I don't have experience. Negative criticism doesn't help very, many people. I mean, really, if you just started college or ending high school, as it says on your profile, than you must be going through one of those stages in life where you're just confused and selfish.. because in a couple years you're actually going to have to work in the real world..haha.. Do you even pay for your fish, the maintenance on your pond, or the equipment for any of your tank setups?! Doesn't sound like it. Sooo, maybe you should be a little more respectful in your comments and have a little more courtesy in your so-called "advice" to me.. Nobody likes a "debby-downer!" One of these days Mommy and Daddy's credit card is going to be taken away and you're going have to forfeit your beta fish-pint-glass-set-up, and sell your ponies, so you can afford the gas in your car (that I'm sure was given to you). HAHA BTW, I live in the horse capital of the world.. Anyways.. sorry about the "text messaging" dialogue, but just wanted to express my feelings.. your response just got under my skin.. and thought it kinda embarrassed me.. and one more thing.. your GBR doesn't look any different than mine or your local Joe's around the corner.. like you have some red, exuberant, rare GBR that no one can find (cough, cough haha) and even if it is the right species.. “IMO” I think you got scammed (stick to feeder guppies! They are the most dynamic and beautifule fish out there) haha!! buuuuuttttt, besides that, everybody... my fish tank is lookin' dope! I'm overly hyped about youralls’ awesome advice, which I've followed and am very thankful for every response.. PICS are comin soon as well… NIGHT phishheads!!

 

[Tigroscr]

Well IME with fire mouth cichlids they are a more shy and timid of the many cichlids, unless their spawning or guarding their young but you only have one so you won't have to worry about that. I'm surprised so many people in this thread have said they will go after the angels because IME they won't, it would probably be the other way around ( I have fire mouths and angels) the angels are much more aggressive and territorial than the fire mouths. But after reading further it looks like you already took your fire mouth back to the LFS, so never mind then. IMO and experience you could have done this but you most definitely would want like a 55 gal or so, so that they had enough territory to claim their own space. Not really sure about having the three angels together though because I've only had angels in pairs. Well Goodluck with your fishes!!

 

[Tigroscr]

cool nice.......i think ur plan should be fine.......and u realize u can sex the angels now..........if u search up venting angels on google, u'll find at least 3 sure-fire ways of how to........

so u have solved the issues of cardinals and future.....i guess

all u need to do now is post PICS, get a test kit?, and sex the angels

for the bottom dwellers, if u want something that u see often, i would not get either the clown pleco or raphael catfish as both of those HIDE all the time DURING the day, and are only out at night(i only see my clown pleco about 1X a week, and my rpahael catfish around 1X a day.......

A longfin ABN or regular ABN would fit the bill? it maxes out at 4"-5"......

and yeah, try to take the advice.......and just so u know.......firemouths grow super super super fast......and even in a 75G will kill and tear up the other fish

and don't add other fish b4 u fix the current issues(the only fish i'd add would be more cardinals)

Wow! Fire mouths in a 75 gal will kill and tear up the other fish???? Do you currently own or have you ever had any fire mouths?? Just curious
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/firemouths.htm because I've had experience with them and have never seen this type of aggression especially in a large tank like a 55 gal or a 75 gal. Notice on the link I provided that they are very shy and retiring, just wanted to know where your getting your info from, experience or what?

 

[GuppyLover]

Thanks for the advice guys.. Especially steez and fishboss.. Much appreciated.. I got rid of my firemouth to my local fish store bc I want a healthy, long-lasting fish tank. And I cleaned my tank by the advice I was given.. and it worked out very well! Honestly, I bought a small, juvenile firemouth bc I was intrigued and wanted to try it out, which was cool because there was no aggression displayed and all the fish were getting along. Therefore, since the firemouth has been gone for 48 hours, the tank has been flourishing, even though i thought it was before.. My 4 caridinal tetras, 2 GBR's and 3 angels seem just fine and healthy.. IMO, part of that is due to my filter system (100 and 150 Penguin Bio-Wheel), which is circulating water, more than enough, in a 30 gallon tank. I don't think a clown pleco would be a good addition, but I think I'm definitely going to get a striped Rafael, even though it's nocturnal, and not seen too often during the day. I need a bottom-dweller! As for ms guppylover.. I haven't been ignoring advice.. I've been accepting it from everyone. And even though I've been on this forum for a whole week, doesn't mean I don't have experience. Negative criticism doesn't help very, many people. I mean, really, if you just started college or ending high school, as it says on your profile, than you must be going through one of those stages in life where you're just confused and selfish.. because in a couple years you're actually going to have to work in the real world..haha.. Do you even pay for your fish, the maintenance on your pond, or the equipment for any of your tank setups?! Doesn't sound like it. Sooo, maybe you should be a little more respectful in your comments and have a little more courtesy in your so-called "advice" to me.. Nobody likes a "debby-downer!" One of these days Mommy and Daddy's credit card is going to be taken away and you're going have to forfeit your beta fish-pint-glass-set-up, and sell your ponies, so you can afford the gas in your car (that I'm sure was given to you). HAHA BTW, I live in the horse capital of the world.. Anyways.. sorry about the "text messaging" dialogue, but just wanted to express my feelings.. your response just got under my skin.. and thought it kinda embarrassed me.. and one more thing.. your GBR doesn't look any different than mine or your local Joe's around the corner.. like you have some red, exuberant, rare GBR that no one can find (cough, cough haha) and even if it is the right species.. “IMO” I think you got scammed (stick to feeder guppies! They are the most dynamic and beautifule fish out there) haha!! buuuuuttttt, besides that, everybody... my fish tank is lookin' dope! I'm overly hyped about youralls’ awesome advice, which I've followed and am very thankful for every response.. PICS are comin soon as well… NIGHT phishheads!!

When did I say my GBR was better then anyone elses?!