Help chose a fish for the 120 Gal Dutch something or another

[Tom Barr]

There's a few criteria:

1. Fish cannot be an active jumper, = fish chips, I do not mind if one or two jump out over say a few months........

2. Cannot eat shrimp, Fires and Amanos

3. Does not tear up plants, dig, shred fine needled plants

4. Will stand out and be able to be seen in the 120 with dense plants.

Post some pics or links of the fish you think would do well and why.

thank you

 

[dutchy]

It's a dense planted tank, so a small fish in the lower water layers will be invisible. So you need an eyecatcher, a (school of) bigger fish that preferably stays in the higher water layers. Options enough, but not sure it's easy to find something you like, I think you already had most of them. I wouldn't put to much (different) fish in the tank, as this will make it crowded and the effect of an eyecatcher is gone.

Personally I'd think about a school of around 20 Boesemanii's, Yellow congo tetra's (Hemigrammopetersius caudalis), or 30 Emperor tetra's. You could also go the way of gourami's, some of them have nice colours and are bigger fish that also stay in the upper water layers.

 

[nicpapa]

Hi there if you like small fish you can try hemigrammus bleheri , i think is one of the best schooling fish , i have them in a 40 galon aquarium ,look a video in 720 lt aquarium http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO2KBDcUZfI&feature=player_embedded, and in tank 10 feet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWj71L7khPE.

 

[Tom Barr]

Rummies and emperors are good.

 

[dutchy]

Rummies .. are good.

But SO common...

 

[NewFishTank]

Hi Tom,

I wonder if you can get spotted blue eyes in USA?
We can get them through Dave Wilson here in Aus. A big school of these are always spectacular!

http://www.aquagreen.com.au/plant_data/Pseudomugil_gertrudae.html

 

[2wheelsx2]

It's a dense planted tank, so a small fish in the lower water layers will be invisible. So you need an eyecatcher, a (school of) bigger fish that preferably stays in the higher water layers. Options enough, but not sure it's easy to find something you like, I think you already had most of them. I wouldn't put to much (different) fish in the tank, as this will make it crowded and the effect of an eyecatcher is gone.

Personally I'd think about a school of around 20 Boesemanii's, Yellow congo tetra's (Hemigrammopetersius caudalis), or 30 Emperor tetra's.

All of these are active shrimp hunters. My emperors actively hunted down every last one of my shrimp in a 30x30 cube, but then it wasn't densely planted. You will likely have some survive in a densely planted bigger tank, but they will surely eat your shrimp. So will rummy nose. Amanos should make it, but not the fire reds.

 

[Tom Barr]

Hi Tom,

I wonder if you can get spotted blue eyes in USA?
We can get them through Dave Wilson here in Aus. A big school of these are always spectacular!

http://www.aquagreen.com.au/plant_data/Pseudomugil_gertrudae.html

Blue eyes might do well.
I can get them here.

I'm sort of leaning towards an African theme, but a 80 Rummies would look decent and they school nicely.

 

[Gerryd]

Tom,

My recent experience in my 220 with >100 rummies is they really like the bottom third layer.....will hit the surface and ANYWHERE at feeding time, but for general shoaling and hanging out, it is the bottom third...

I find they will also break up into several large groups a lot..so they end up merging together again at various points..

What about the lamp eyes? Many many species to choose from here....

Keep with your african theme and they come in various sizes and shapes. Quite attractive and hardy/peaceful.

 

[Green Thumb Aquatics]

I am currently waiting on galaxy rasboras to be on the list at my LFS so I can put 30 or so in a 75 gallon, I dont know much about behaivour, but they are one good looking fish!

 

[MADMAX]

Brass tetra? good schooler peaceful, med sized, or go with glow lights, small sized (same sized as common neon, just as hardy and will leave your shrimp alone from what ive seen).

 

[JJP2]

I am currently waiting on galaxy rasboras to be on the list at my LFS so I can put 30 or so in a 75 gallon, I dont know much about behaivour, but they are one good looking fish!

these are great looking fish, but in my opinion they are too small to really show the details of their colors and patterns. If they got to 1 - 1.5 inches they would be awesome.

 

[Tom Barr]

Brass tetras are great, but I'm leanign towards the Red Phantom tetra or Boraras brigette + Botia sidthimunki.

Galaxy's are nice but I'd NEVER see them in this tank.

 

[Tug]

This will be a great list for invert lovers who keep fish.

Nannostomus morthenthaleri - coral red pencilfish, from Peru. Small, and it's said to prefer low light but a handsome fish.

edit- I forgot about criteria #1. Pencilfish jump.

 

[Green Thumb Aquatics]

these are great looking fish, but in my opinion they are too small to really show the details of their colors and patterns. If they got to 1 - 1.5 inches they would be awesome.

I have not actually seen them in person, I thought they reached at least 2" is 1-1.5" correct? I may want more of them then...

 

[Tom Barr]

This will be a great list for invert lovers who keep fish.

Nannostomus morthenthaleri - coral red pencilfish, from Peru. Small, and it's said to prefer low light but a handsome fish.

edit- I forgot about criteria #1. Pencilfish jump.

Yes, I've had them in my 60 Gal cube recently and then the old 37 Gal. Nice fish, they are not too bad about jumping, not like my fav pencil, N espei, I love this fish, but they always jumped out and wholesale they run 5-7$ each.
40-50 will run 250-300$ to watch jump out of the tank.

 

[yme]

if you are considering Boraras brigittae... (small fish), then I would propose barbus hulstaerti.
super cool fish!

greets,

yme

 

[JJP2]

I have not actually seen them in person, I thought they reached at least 2" is 1-1.5" correct? I may want more of them then...

I haven't seen too many CPD's at an inch. Checking some sites show's I've may have overstated as they are indicating a max size of 3/4 inch.

 

[Tom Barr]

if you are considering Boraras brigittae... (small fish), then I would propose barbus hulstaerti.
super cool fish!

greets,

yme

Yes, I'd considered them, they act sort of strange at the wholesalers, they had similar traits I was after(African).

Their behavior was not quite what I was after.

I have to keep my bird beak elelphant noses, but keeping the dwarf loaches again would be nice.
Trying to keep everything from the same general region.

 

[samh]

There are some great PNG rainbows in the states Tom. Gary Lange has some really nice ones or could let you kinow where to get some. I like Rainbows as they use the whole aquarium they tend to use the whole tank.