colourfull fish

[maddmatt]

Hi im looking for information from an expert on colourfull fish for my freshwater aquarium,,,I have a 97gallon tank with an ebo-jager ceramic heater temp s at 81 with a regent 500? dual filter cartridge wich is replaced twice a month,,my water changes consists of at least 20% every sunday. My tank is rock landscaped with an abundance of hiding spots. I have 3 large (3") clown loaches that are great. Also have 3 large tetras, and have just recently added 6 powder blue goramis,,i have purchased these gouramis because of there beautiful colours that seem to change to an almost red when they go up to they light to feed..My qustion is what other fish would add colour to my tank, lookin for something with brillant colour such as the Yellow Labidochromis,,but after doing research on this particular fish I was told it was a very timid Cichlidae,,,now looking through our infamous world wide web i believe this fish would not be a good tank mate for my other fish...Is this true and can you give me some other names of fish that are as or more beautiful in colour as this fish and the fish i presently have.
thanks.

[nolofinwe]

my professional advice? ask in the freshwater forum :D

but if you decide you'd like a marine tank, we'd be thrilled to help you out!

good luck

[MJC]

...but since you asked, I think some of the hybrid Parrotfish are on the colorful side. They come in Reds, oranges and Purples.

but ask in the FW section just the same. there's a number of cichlids that tend to be colorful, but not being too keen on FW, I'm not sure if you can mix them in your community tank.

[maddmatt]

Sorry about that i thought I was in the Freshwater forum,,stupid question how do i get there.

[vjvl51]

First, let me say welcome.

I'm not an expert, but I can comment on my experience. I am often asked if my African cichlid tank is a salt tank due to the bright coloured fish. Goramis like a peaceful tank. Cichlids are territorial - this does not make for a peaceful tank. That said, there are some cichlids that may co-exist with the goramis. The goramis like the be in the top third of the tank, so you will be looking for fish that like the bottom two thirds of the tank.

First you have to decide on a region. As a rule of thumb, most African cichlids require hard water with an average temp of 77 or 78. Most American (South or Central America) require soft water with an average temp of 80. The discus, angels and rams fall in the soft water category. Most of my African cichlids grow to 4 or 5 inches max. This allows me to keep a variety in one tank.

Since you mention Yellow Labs, I will assume that you have decided on African cichlids. African cichlids will be in and out of the caves on a continual basis. This is one aspect that I find so interesting to watch. You are watching a yellow one and then a few minutes later, the yellow has disappeared and you are watching a royal blue one. When choosing the cichlid, check on its aggressiveness. Your goramis won't like it if they are being picked on and they will be by some aggressive cichlids. The more aggressive cichlids will keep all your other fish in safe spots (read that hiding in caves). This you don't want. The aggressiveness (or territorial requirements) of the fish will determine how many you put in your tank. For instance, I find that the Kribensis are very peaceful fish. They are in and out of the rocks all day long. I've kept 8 in my 75 gal at a time. The Melanochromis Johannii is a different story. They like to cruise above the rocks and the bright blue of the male is very striking. I could only keep one male and one female in my 75 gal. I tried one male and two females and there wasn't enough space. All three stayed in their caves with just their noses sticking out most of the time. The electric blue hap (haplochromis moorii) is another bright blue fish that swims above the rocks. I had no territory problems with my male and female. The melanchromis auratus is very striking with the bright yellow and black colouring. When they get about 3 inches long, they become very territorial and will chase fish bigger than they are - basically every fish in the tank is fair game!

I've only commented on 4 cichlids. What you choose, will be limited by what fish are available where you live. The four that I commented on are widely available here as well as some oscars, Jack Dempsy. and other more aggressive and larger fish. I would suggest some fish, like the kerbensis that are in and out of the rock all day (live in the bottom third of the tank) and some fish, like the haps that swim just above the rocks (live in the middle third) most of the time. The rule of thumb with cichlids is 2 females to every male.

I would also suggest getting a good book on cichlids. The one that I use is Baensch Aquarium Atlas. There are 4 volumes, I believe. Aquarium Pros carries these books, if you're interested. Look for the comments under social Behaviour. This will give you a good idea whether the fish will fit in your tank or not. There is also a colour photo of the adult fish so you have some idea what it will look like grown up.

This is just a starting point. If you have more questions, don't hesitate to post them.

Vickie

[maddmatt]

thanks very much for your information but i think i wil stay away from cichilie's for the sake of my gouramies and my beloved clown loaches..But I do appreached your time and effort to re-ply to my post,,if by chance you do know of any f/w, comunaty fish that has brilliant colours please let me know....
tnks again for your time and experience.
M.B

[vjvl51]

Unfortunately, the more colourful freshwater fish are cichlids. You can get gold or red mollies. The dalmation mollies are striking as well. There are some colourful platies that would go well with your gouramies. Of course, the Siamese Fighting Fish, better known as Betta) is quite colourful. (Only one per tank.) I'm sure you're familiar with the tetras. A school of one of the larger tetras would work. Neons might get eaten when the gouramies are full grown.

You could have a species tank of gouramies. The honey gourami and dwarf gourami are very colourful. The add something like a flying fox or raphel catfish for interest in the bottom. Another idea would be to use plants to add interest to the tank.

Maybe this will give you some ideas to start with.

Vickie

[ChikenMan]

I too, am a big fan of the gouramis. I have a large powder blue (about 4") and a honey sunset(about 3"). I really like the dwarf blue gourami too, but I have had very bad luck with these. I think that they are a sensitive and fragile fish and in my early days of fish keeping, I went through a bunch of these. So I haven't bought one in a while. Plus the dwarf tends to cost a bit more. As far as other color goes I also have some red tiger barbs. I'm not sure if these are naturally occuring. I had never seen any before the day I bought mine. Tiger barbs can be a little agressive but I think if you keep 3 or 4 they pretty much keep each other under control. You might look into the neon or cardinal tetras. Yeah they're small and might get harrassed, but that's why you should buy a school of them (5-10). There is power in numbers. This is why fish school in the wild. It confuses the predators and acts as natural camoflage. I have had lots of luck with larger schools of neons. I once had two of the biggest red tailed sharks I have ever seen in with about 10 neons and they all did fine.

Except for those, I haven't really seen any other really colorful fw fish. That's the problem with FW. You need to see the beauty of the fish other than it's color. Silver dollars, bala sharks, guppies, buterfly catfish, are all really cool looking fish without pretty colors.