Top Dweller Suggestions

[oscar]

Guys,

Looking for some suggestions for some mid-upper & upper level dwellers for my discus community tank.

I've currently got discus, dennison barbs (6), cardinals (12), rummynose (6), golden gourami's (2), Appisto Cacutoides Tripple-Red's (3), glass cats (4), corry's (4), peppermint BN's (5), L168's (2).

As you can see my tank stock is heavily geared towards the bottom regions.

Going to do some re-modelling and stocking of the tank this weekend. I'm palnning to add something along the lines of:
More discus
Tiger Barbs :shock: (Hah joking, i hate them)
Pearl Gourami's
More rummynose
Emperor Tetras (Blue or Rainbow)
Serpae Tetras

I'm umming & aahhing about:
Praecox rainbows
Headstanders?

The tank is moderately planted, and will be moreso by the end of the weekend.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Oscar.

[marg]

Hey Oscar,

before anyone can advise you on stocking your tank howabouts you put up your tank size and Filtration method - that will help those more learned.

Marg.

[oscar]

Marg,

I know what my tank stocking levels are, i'm just looking for some suggestions on fish.

Anyway, for what it's worth...

Tank is 8x2x2.

Filtration is 1xFluval FX5, 1xAquaOne Aquis 2400

2x24W Internal UV Sterilisers

2x400W Hydor Heaters

4x4ft fluoro tubes. Quad phos, 10,000K, 6,500K.

Pressurised CO2 Injection

Fertilise twice a week.

Water Change between 25-50% /wk depending on when i'm around. I run a light bio load at the moment, obviously i'll ramp up WC with more fish.

Oscar.

[Ben]

I like hatchet fish, cant get much more of a top swimmer than them! and 1/2 a dozen of them will fit in nicely with your tank.

Cheers
Ben

[oscar]

I like hatchets too.

I'm just concerned about the impact of boisterous discus.

Are hatchets an active feeder. They always come across as fairly subdued species to me.

[wickedglass]

We have a pair of golden panchax, you can have more than one, but I'd suggest only 1 male and several females. Also there's a variety of blue-eye from Papua New Guinea which is ok in soft water and is absolutely beautiful, but again, more than one male and you have a battle on your hands, as we found out.

[kevkoi]

Hatchets and discus are fine.. Great tankmates actually. Just keep tight fitting lids.

For a bit more colour, maybe Clown killies?

http://www.killi.dk/bmk/Image/Pseud_annulatus_64EW9008.jpg

[marg]

Oscar,

I hope I didn't offend you - if I did it was accidental :oops: :oops: - all I meant was if you put your tank size & Filtration method up etc. then people could give you some ideas (as I see they have :D ).

Please accept my sincere apologies - I was truly trying to help.

Marg.

[oscar]

In order of appearance:

Wickedglass - I'll look into the panchax. I used to keep blue eyes...and yes, i too had more than one male in a tank. Spectaculr display though! My blue eyes seemed to develop a snake-shaped spine (TB i think) which put me off them. I may give them another go though.

Kev - I don't keep lids on my tanks. I find the build-up of clacium etc inhibits the transmission of light. That clown killi is awesome. I have been considering killies.

Marg - Certainly no offense taken here.


Thanks for the input guys. Keep it comming.

[Red Dragons]

Hi Oscar. :lol:
I have had golden panchax in the past and they can be very aggressive and take out small fish. (May have just been the ones I had)
I have blue panchax know and they are fine.
As long as you follow Chris’s rule of thumb one male to several females.

[Phlipper]

I have several Golden Panchaxes and these fish are one of my all time favorites, they may eat small fish like Neons, but apart from that are very peaceful and entertaining especially in a school of about 5 or so. Mine are very tame and will swim between my finger readily if I put my hand into the tank, their colours are striking and like the surface and mid water areas.

I dont actually have these in with my Discus, but in my other community tanks, my only reservation to having them in with Dscus is that they prefer cooler water around 24oC to 26oC, which is contrary to what Discus need. That isn't saying they are not suitable, I haven't tried it yet, but I have several younger Panchaxes that I may try out with my Discus.

[KillieOrCory]

Hi all,

Actually of Gold Panchax (Aplocheilus lineatus); or Golden Wonder Killifish as it is known in US, is very tolerant of high temperatures. I used to have mine breed like mad in a 3 foot tank outside in full sun in summer months. The water temp frequently zoomed past 30 and they were loving it.

I would say you'll have no problems in keeping them in "Discus" temperatures. Also if your school is about 5+ individualls it doesn't really matter how many males you have as the aggression/displaying would be dispersed around the individuals.

These fish just hang on the surface :wink:

[Cuong]

Serkan, can the P. annulatus handle temps around 27-29C?

[KillieOrCory]

Serkan, can the P. annulatus handle temps around 27-29C?

I keep mine around 25-26 degrees myself but it has been written that

"Geschlechterverhältnis abhängig von der Hälterungstemperatur, bei 20 - 22 °C werden fast nur Männchen erzielt, bei Temperaturen von 25 - 28 °C ist das Geschlechterverhältnis besser." from http://epiplatys.de/epiplatys/epiannulatus.htm

Translates as:

"Sex relationship dependently on the Haelterungstemperatur, with 20 - 22 °C is obtained nearly only males, at temperatures of 25 - 28 °C is better the sex relationship." translated using babelfish

Pretty much meaning they not only "handle" temps upto 28 °C they find it comfortable enough to breed!

Hope this answers your question.

[Cuong]

Cheers for that, exactly what I needed to hear. Hopefully my LFS can get a few in for me.

[bushie]

where did you get your babelfish from??????
I been looking for one for years.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Phlipper]

Babel fish, they're pretty elusive, but if you use the right bait you'll get one, and that bait is ..........ear wax!

[bushie]

last time I saw one of those, was with my friend Arthur, at some far away restaurant,
can`t remember where it was, seems like we travelled to the end of the universe.

[Phlipper]

Or on the other hand, you could say.................."so long, and thanks for all the fish" :lol:

[KillieOrCory]

:lol: :lol: :lol:
You guys are funny! Similar sense of humour to mine! :wink:

I actually use this translator which I find very handy for making sense of all the german and dutch fish sites I visit! Maybe subconsciously I prefer it because it sounds fishy :roll:

http://babelfish.altavista.com/

[DiscusMad]

I like hatchet fish, cant get much more of a top swimmer than them! and 1/2 a dozen of them will fit in nicely with your tank.

Cheers
Ben

too right!
I love marble hatchet fish but have to order them

[oscar]

Hatchets and discus are fine.. Great tankmates actually. Just keep tight fitting lids.

For a bit more colour, maybe Clown killies?

http://www.killi.dk/bmk/Image/Pseud_annulatus_64EW9008.jpg

I bought half a dozen of these Clown Killies...

DISCUS DINNER.

[mcloughlin2]

Sorry to hear that mate! :(

[oscar]

It happens...