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Another fish suggestion thread

ScareCrow

Member
Joined
28 Jan 2019
Messages
628
Location
South west
Hi all,

As a fully paid up member of the interesting brown fish club, I've predominantly kept species only tanks.
I'm starting to succumb to the ridicule so having to look at more colourful fish :nailbiting:
I think I've exhausted most commonly available options and I'm now annoying myself by going back and forth on options.
The tank is 60x40x40cm, heavily planted and currently houses a pair of pelvicachromis taeniatus. They're less aggressive than than standard kribs and I've kept them with CPDs in the past without problems.
I'm intending on getting a group of kuhlis but other than that I'm open to suggestions. Ideally I'd like something that I can get a group of and has the potential to breed in the tank as I like to try to breed all the fish I keep. I did see some rosy loaches in my lfs, which look lovely but not sure how they'd do with the kribs and I've not been able to find much.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions
 
I keep kuhlis with apistos who I think might be similar to the pelvicachromis and they've always been fine, the female apisto will occasionally swim aggressively towards a kuhli when she has fry, but the kuhlis are so sensitive to movement and quick that there are zero problems. Kuhlis are very dramatic and funny! They don't seem to eat fry at all either, they seem to prefer dead stuff to eat. I recommend getting young small kuhlis, I have both young and old (bought in 2 batches) and the young ones adapted to the tank MUCH quicker and are significantly less shy, coming out during the day, always curiously investigating their surroundings and always coming out to eat. The big ones (got them first) I might see once every 3 days if I'm lucky, though they're much less shy when the light is lower (currently at 40% with botanicals and they're out daily), and now that they have their smaller friends. DEFINITELY recommend getting at least 8 if not 10, it does seem to make a big difference in their behaviour.

I also LOVE pygmy corydoras, who also are fine with the apistos. I think rosy loaches might be similar? If I were you I'd get the rosy loaches with the kuhlis to see if they interact and play! Nice to try out a new fish, I think Tom's bucket of mud journal had them and they looked really charming.

If you need a dither fish, my new favourite fish is the chili rasboras, for me they are very bold, always in the front hoping for food and darting about the plants. Cute and fun, and you can get a good number because they're so tiny. They just need some good floating plant cover and then are great.

Or maybe some nice pencilfish would work great in that setup too as a dither, their colours are nice and the stripes would go with the kuhlis. Coral pencilfish would be amazing, but also Beckford's too.

Or possibly some dramatic threadfin rainbows, or colorful pseudomugils? Could also be very nice and they have great colours and more unusual movement!
 
I dont know what your fish are, but if you like CPDs check out emerald dwarf rasbora.I like my phantom tetra too!
 
Have you looked at killifish? Some species might even be biotope correct. I keep Fundulopanchax gardneri which is reasonably easy to find and the males are stunning. You should be able to keep at least a few males, and they are easily bred, not sure how they would treat any cichlid fry though...
 
I keep kuhlis with apistos who I think might be similar to the pelvicachromis and they've always been fine, the female apisto will occasionally swim aggressively towards a kuhli when she has fry, but the kuhlis are so sensitive to movement and quick that there are zero problems. Kuhlis are very dramatic and funny! They don't seem to eat fry at all either, they seem to prefer dead stuff to eat. I recommend getting young small kuhlis, I have both young and old (bought in 2 batches) and the young ones adapted to the tank MUCH quicker and are significantly less shy, coming out during the day, always curiously investigating their surroundings and always coming out to eat. The big ones (got them first) I might see once every 3 days if I'm lucky, though they're much less shy when the light is lower (currently at 40% with botanicals and they're out daily), and now that they have their smaller friends. DEFINITELY recommend getting at least 8 if not 10, it does seem to make a big difference in their behaviour.

I also LOVE pygmy corydoras, who also are fine with the apistos. I think rosy loaches might be similar? If I were you I'd get the rosy loaches with the kuhlis to see if they interact and play! Nice to try out a new fish, I think Tom's bucket of mud journal had them and they looked really charming.

If you need a dither fish, my new favourite fish is the chili rasboras, for me they are very bold, always in the front hoping for food and darting about the plants. Cute and fun, and you can get a good number because they're so tiny. They just need some good floating plant cover and then are great.

Or maybe some nice pencilfish would work great in that setup too as a dither, their colours are nice and the stripes would go with the kuhlis. Coral pencilfish would be amazing, but also Beckford's too.

Or possibly some dramatic threadfin rainbows, or colorful pseudomugils? Could also be very nice and they have great colours and more unusual movement!
I had kuhlis once before and they're one of those fish that all though they're not always out and about I miss not having them. I'm planning on getting 15 so hopefully they'll be comfortable. I also added more sand so that they can burrow and now that autumn is here I'm starting to restock on leaves.
I think chilli rasboras are small enough for my kribs to eat. I've wanted them for a while though, so maybe when the kribs aren't in that tank I'll get a nice big group. I expect they'd eat banana worms so providing plenty of live food wouldn't be a problem.
I stumbled across Tom's breeding report of rosy loaches and I've saved it, just in case I end up getting them.
While I was in my lfs I did spot some threadfins with the longest fin extensions I've seen.
I really like Nannostomus eques, they look like little pipe fish but they can be both delicate and aggressive, so I've talked myself out of them.
I dont know what your fish are, but if you like CPDs check out emerald dwarf rasbora.I like my phantom tetra too!
I actually had emerald rasboras in with the CPDs. They're beautiful fish and massively underated. I'd really like to try Asian rummy nose, which are also from lake Inle.
I'm also a fan black phantom tetras. They look like a fresh water version of bangaii cardinals.
Have you looked at killifish? Some species might even be biotope correct. I keep Fundulopanchax gardneri which is reasonably easy to find and the males are stunning. You should be able to keep at least a few males, and they are easily bred, not sure how they would treat any cichlid fry though...
I am considering killis maybe A.striatum P.normani or E.annulatus. I kept F.gardneri 'jos plateau' and as you say the males are stunning. A.striatum would probably be my preference just because of the colour but I don't really have the time to raise them from eggs like I did the gardneri so would need to find some adults but don't fancy getting them from eBay, which is the only place I've seen them recently.
 
Can I chip in and ask where did you get your CPD and emerald rasboras?
And also do you have covers on your tanks with kuhlis? Would love some but running open top
 
Can I chip in and ask where did you get your CPD and emerald rasboras?
And also do you have covers on your tanks with kuhlis? Would love some but running open top
I had them 10 or 12 years ago but got them from Maidenhead Aquatics. I saw emerald rasboras in my local one last week but no CPDs.
I had a hood on the tank with kuhlis in. I know they can jump pretty high and can also use objects like wires to climb so probably best to have some sort of cover if you can. Someone with an open top tank might be able to provide their experiences though.
 
Thanks for the reply and info.
In the Midlands so will have to keep an eye out for emeralds.
Will just have to admit the kuhlis from afar
 
My kuhlis are in an open top, I've had 2 jump out over a year and a half - both large, one in this tank, one in the last smaller tank I kept them in). Both times it was within a week of them being added to each tank, and I kept the water level less than 1 inch from the top filled up, which I shouldn't have. I now make sure my corners/edges are covered with clingfilm for the first 2 weeks after I add any fish as that seems to be when they're most likely to jump, and keep the water level at an inch. Don't keep any other jumpy fish atm, the tank is 50cm deep they don't come to the top much at all.

Personally I would have the tank waterline lower than an inch all the time but it means I have to topoff daily so I generally keep it quite high, the lily pipe I have is really high and makes a very loud gurgling noise after a day of it being low.
 
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I had them 10 or 12 years ago but got them from Maidenhead Aquatics. I saw emerald rasboras in my local one last week but no CPDs.
I had a hood on the tank with kuhlis in. I know they can jump pretty high and can also use objects like wires to climb so probably best to have some sort of cover if you can. Someone with an open top tank might be able to provide their experiences though.
Ive had 6 kuhlis in an open top over the past 4 years with no jumpers, but this tank has lots of plants and hiding spots for them. Had them in a smaller tank too with glass cover but plenty of options to get past the glass but none did. I've heard stories of them being adventurous and leaving tanks but have never had it happen to me.
 
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