New fish

Hello merry Tff'ers!!

I have spent the week searching for fish and have managed to find


5Cherry Barbs.
5 Harlequin Rasboras
4 Oto's
2 Bristlenose Catfiish

There was 1 pearl Gourami, that I could have had but it looked a bit down. Not sure but do they have to be kept in pairs or would one be ok?

They are all in what is now a q tank, and I am thinking of keeping them in there for 3 weeks, is that ok? The BN's are only little, do they need a piece of bogwood in there with them now or can they wait till they go into the bigger tank?

Finally, will I be able to add them all into the big tank together or do it a few at a time - how many at a time if that is the way to go.

Thanks gang

Someone will come on soon and advise F.F.

PICS PLEASE

Gouramis like company of their own kind - especially the opposite sex - i was told they like to be in groups but my pair killed off the other two.

The BN's - well - as they are babies - I would advise too err on the side of caution and add a small piece of bogwood - or if you LFS stovcks sera products - get the pleccy wafers witht he lignin added (plecochip I think they are called but dont quote me on it) there are two types, red and green, you want the green for this (although mine scoff the red ones too ) - BN's like plecs (and BN ARE NOT PLECS) need lignin in the diet to help with digestion and Id think its especially important for baby BN's/

3weeks is enough time to show up the worst of the possible nasties (Ich) and I tend to treat all new fish as if they have Ich and dose them for it - some will say this is bad idea - but the point is that one should assume all fish at least harbour ich - loaches (and scaleless fish in general) and clown plecs are the worst offenders for transmission ime and tetras tend to be the first to catch it.

Some people QT for 4 - 6 weeks - but thatrs the decision you have to make for yourself - I have to admit I rarely QT new fish as I think its more stressfull in the long run (as well as the next move to he main tank being yet more stress and the chase etc)

Hope this helps

Gouramis are best kept in a trio of 1M:2F IME and that's what I have with my Pearl Gouramis. When I had a pair of male Dwarfs, I had to separate them as one bullied the other mercilessly. The same happened with a male-female pair of Honey Gouramis and they're now in separate tanks.

BN don't NEED wood like some plecs do but they always seem to do better when it is present - a lot depends on the diet you feed as they can get the nutrients from veg too. I always put wood in as regardless of need, they like it.

BN are omnivore - primary diet should be veg and algae wafers but if the eat some blood worm/carnivore stuff too it will not hurt.

For veg go for courgette rather than cucumber - better food value.

hi indi i feed mine cucumber,wafers, plus some flake and they take everything with vigar.




dekker

indigoj wrote:

BN don't NEED wood like some plecs do but they always seem to do better when it is present

Really? I thought that they needed to rasp at the wood in order to obtain lignin to aid digestion. That said, I never see my BN on the bogwood nowadays...

They need the lignin and bogwood is the easiest (most practical) way of getting it to them - thats why |I suggested the food that has it built in - as science and uinderstanding of requirements improves, the need for bogwood etc will lessen.

Mopani is unsuitabke for many plecs (clown plecs like it tho) as it is comparatively hard and if it is the exclusive wood in a tank, it can wear down the rasping teeth more rapidly than normal.

My BN's dont eat/use much of the bogwood but on the other hand - I dont stay up all night watching them so who knows

Rich wrote:

My BN's dont eat/use much of the bogwood but on the other hand - I dont stay up all night watching them so who knows

Well that is true. If I ever have an episode of insomnia, I'll know what to do...

"It is thought that elements in bogwood, particularly lignin, may form an essential part of Bristlenose diet. Certainly they have the immensely long guts common to vegetarians, and although they fall avidly on the occasional meal of live food or prawns, the bulk of their diet must be composed of vegetable matter. If a high protein diet is fed constantly, then they will become prone to stomach disorders. Vegetable roughage keeps the gut in working order, and bogwood is a valuable addition to this.
Fry will feed from free-swimming on the same diet as parents. It may help to blanch vegetables when feeding young fry, as it helps them rasp off the food stuff."

Quote from planet catfish, they can't say for sure - and I know many plec keepers breed bristlies without wood very successfully with a varied veg diet. My own opinion is that I would always have wood in a plec tank, just in case.

I read more recently that the lignin is one part - another is the algae that grows specifically on bogwood and thats the important part the BN's and others go for.

Even if the plecs didnt use it, Id still have it in a tank for aesthetic reasons

PS - Ive noticed some of the articles on PC are a little old/out of date

PPS when I recently bred BN's - after two weeks - the babies were genrally to be found on the bogwood - you can see them in the vid in my tanks

indigoj wrote:

My own opinion is that I would always have wood in a plec tank, just in case.

I agree. Better to be safe than sorry...plus it looks pretty with attached Java Fern.

I agree Rich, PC can be out of date. I like the asthetic of wood too - even my plec-less tanks have it.

indigoj wrote:

I agree Rich, PC can be out of date. I like the asthetic of wood too - even my plec-less tanks have it.

Mine too. Even the Q tank!