Getting a 30g tall Eclipse tank tomorrow.. :)

[illuminum]

I'm going to get a enw Eclipse II 30 gallon tall tank tomorrow morning, but I'm still debating on what fish to put in it. I really want to buy two black moors, but don't know what else to put in it. I really want to put a reedfish in there as well. I'm thinking of moving my pleco and dojo loach into the 30 as well and getting smaller algae eaters into my 12 gallon eclipse. I would want to get some crabs or a small lobster in there but I know I'd run into some major problems mixing them with my bottomdwellers. I guess I'll just get a bamboo bamoo shrimp or two.

so right now I'm thinking:
1 pleco
1 dojo loach
2 black Moors
1 reed fish
1 or 2 bamboo shrimp
Any hazards with this combo?

Also, what are some cool fish that stay near the top of the tank?

What fish would you get if you were in my position? I'm interested in what sorts of fish you prefer...

 

[Electrobes]

Well I have an issue with a reed fish... they get quite large and I hear they are a bit agressive. The dojo will eventually get 12 inches, and is fine in a 30 (I love them so much, they are great fish), a pleco gets absolutely huge too, but in the mean time you can keepem just fine but they poop a lot when fed decently (which makes the tank look like garbage in the inside). You could consider other plecos like a dwarf or otos. I am not sure of the shrimps being in the tank... they should be fine and the black moors should be okay as well. Also my suggestion would be not to over stock the tank, especially with a pleco in there (you could add more fish without the pleco in there).

Fish wise I loved the Dojos in my 29 gallon tank. They are awesome, but they are fantastic escape artists! I am always interested in the odd pish, so I can't say anything about the top dwelling fish.. maybe some hatchet fish or something. HTH

 

[Tigerlily]

The moors all by themselves could max out that tank when full grown. Goldfish are totally messy and need a minimum of 10 gal. each. Most tropical fish like warmer water than the goldfish too, not to mention the goldfishes different dietary requirements. I don't know how big reed fish get, but the pleco can get huge. That just sounds like a lot of fish to me!

I love goldfish, and if I were in your shoes, I'd get 3 goldfish and maybe a couple of big snails to clean up the algae. I'd also get an additional inside the tank canister filter to provide the extra filtration that moors and other goldfish need. The tank might look a little empty at first, but with all that space the goldfish will grow happy and healthy and big!

 

[Electrobes]

On what lilly said.. I would definately not mix the goldfish and the dojos together. Dojos perfer colder temps while Goldfishes like the opposite... plus goldfishes are SUPER messy because of them being pooping machines. Hehe unlike lilly I do not like goldfish.. but you could go for lilly's set up of goldfishes (no reed fish nor loaches in this tank) or go for the opposite with loaches and other peaceful fish.

 

[stoneydee]

And if you decide to do the moors, I'd skip on the snails. My goldies really love them, particularly the turning them over to get to the soft spot part. Contrary to what a lot of people believe, goldfish don't really need clean-up crews. They spend a good part of their day doing just that very thing, which adds to the wasteload. . . I've got goldfish in an Eclipse, and have just added an internal canister to try and keep up.

 

[ferret]

Err... Since when did goldfish not prefer colder temps?

 

[Fruitbat]

You noticed that too, did you ferret?? There are a number of things wrong with this proposed list for the 30gal tank:

1) Goldfish prefer cooler water than most tropicals. You can keep the temps somewhere in between but then nobody will be particularly happy.

2) The reed fish, Erpetoichthys calabaricus is definitely a tropical species and prefers warmer water than the goldfish will like. In addition, E. calabaricus can get close to a meter long (39 inches) and will likely make a meal out of any smaller fish as it gets older.

3. The bamboo shrimp will probably not last more than a couple of nights with the reed fish in attendance. Reed fish LOVE crunchy invertebrates!! It probably couldn't catch them during the day but when the lights go out...bye-bye shrimp!

I'd re-think this list if I were you....pick cold-water species or warm-water species but don't try to combine them. Research your fish before you buy. I understand the temptation to get the 'cool' fish but they don't always behave according to your expectations.