biancaj
03-27-2007, 10:42 PM
a couple of weeks ago or so i asked you guys for advise on what i could add to my pair of kribs and my pleco in my 46g.
i posted quite a list of incompatable fish and was warned against almost all of them. here is what i went with:
1 firemouth
1 jack dempsey
a couple of poeple thought a firemouth might/should work. someone listed the jd as too aggressive. i know i said i would listen to the advise of you experts on here and i do very much appreciate everyone's input! i did some more looking around and all the sites (including this one) suggest a 45 to 50g for the jd and like a 30g for the firemouth. the jd was really my top choice so i couldn't stop obsessing about him (sorry).
i have to admit that i also ordered a black convict but it was doa :(. i was so disappointed! the pics in the species profiles don't do that fish justice! much prettier in real life!
but here's how it's going:
i added a 20lbs holey rock along with my original flower pots, driftwood and rocks as caves. the tank had no fish in it (moved them the morning my new ones were arriving) and i added the jd and the firemouth first. after a min they started exploring the tank and i was getting worried they would stake out their territory and harrass the kribs once i move them back in so i went ahead and moved the kribs (just the pair) and the pleco back in a couple of min later. i originally wanted to wait until the next day to give my new fish time to settle in and relax from getting shipped. i think i should have because the kribs made it very clear who was boss. they decided they like the holey rock and went after the other two as a pair to keep them away. i was getting rather worried! i didn't expect this since the jd and firemouth are supposed to be more aggressive. but the kribs being a strong pair is what made me believe they might be able to stand up to cichlids that are a bit more aggressive than them in the first place. that was on thursday.
now they pretty much leave each other alone. the kribs do occasionally still chase the other two away but are more relaxed. the jd has even found him/herself a nice little hole in the top half of the holey rock while the kribs are in the lower half. the firemouth mostly stays in the front of the tank but he's honestly a bit skittish when i first come close to the tank and will hide behind the driftwood or in the bigger flowerpot and will only slowly come out.
the cutest thing:
my jd (which is quite a bit smaller than the firemouth) LOVES his friend the firemouth (his name is Phil :) ). he will follow him around and often looks like he's hiding behind phil. he does it sometimes when the kribs try to chase them and also when i had this veggie clip attached to the glass. i think it freaked both of them out. it's this bright orange clownfish clip cause that's all they had. they were both just staring at it (jd behind phil) and noone - not even the pleco - even nibbled on the lettuce OR the cucumber.
they are always seen together. i think i really got lucky with them two. they are so beautiful!!!! the left side of the tank is kinda abandoned - everyone likes the right side with the big rock.
right now everything is going quite nicely. i love my tank set-up but wanted more fish because it looked empty with just the kribs and the pleco. i would still like more because the kribs never were much of the swimming around in the front of the tank type and of course the pleco is usually attached to something. the other two are often up front but they're still so little. anyhow, i'm leaving it at that since i know i'm already pushing it with the size the jd will reach as well as having a breeding pair in there. i'm just really happy and hope everything stays well! (knock on wood)
had a couple of questions if anyone on here actually read this booklike thread i wrote :p :
1. why won't they eat my lettuce or cucumber? i really want to give them a very healthy diet with fresh veggies.
2. could i possibly add like 5 or 6 guppies which would bring some movement to the top, possibly make the others a little more comfortable and less skittish when i move in front of the tank and supply the with the occasional live food?
any comments appreciated. mostly wanted to share. hopefully i can show my tank off sometime (have to have the hubby upload the pics and then figure out how to post them). really pround of my first tank that i started all on my own! (20g was already cycled and decorated by my hubby)
:) :) :)
i posted quite a list of incompatable fish and was warned against almost all of them. here is what i went with:
1 firemouth
1 jack dempsey
a couple of poeple thought a firemouth might/should work. someone listed the jd as too aggressive. i know i said i would listen to the advise of you experts on here and i do very much appreciate everyone's input! i did some more looking around and all the sites (including this one) suggest a 45 to 50g for the jd and like a 30g for the firemouth. the jd was really my top choice so i couldn't stop obsessing about him (sorry).
i have to admit that i also ordered a black convict but it was doa :(. i was so disappointed! the pics in the species profiles don't do that fish justice! much prettier in real life!
but here's how it's going:
i added a 20lbs holey rock along with my original flower pots, driftwood and rocks as caves. the tank had no fish in it (moved them the morning my new ones were arriving) and i added the jd and the firemouth first. after a min they started exploring the tank and i was getting worried they would stake out their territory and harrass the kribs once i move them back in so i went ahead and moved the kribs (just the pair) and the pleco back in a couple of min later. i originally wanted to wait until the next day to give my new fish time to settle in and relax from getting shipped. i think i should have because the kribs made it very clear who was boss. they decided they like the holey rock and went after the other two as a pair to keep them away. i was getting rather worried! i didn't expect this since the jd and firemouth are supposed to be more aggressive. but the kribs being a strong pair is what made me believe they might be able to stand up to cichlids that are a bit more aggressive than them in the first place. that was on thursday.
now they pretty much leave each other alone. the kribs do occasionally still chase the other two away but are more relaxed. the jd has even found him/herself a nice little hole in the top half of the holey rock while the kribs are in the lower half. the firemouth mostly stays in the front of the tank but he's honestly a bit skittish when i first come close to the tank and will hide behind the driftwood or in the bigger flowerpot and will only slowly come out.
the cutest thing:
my jd (which is quite a bit smaller than the firemouth) LOVES his friend the firemouth (his name is Phil :) ). he will follow him around and often looks like he's hiding behind phil. he does it sometimes when the kribs try to chase them and also when i had this veggie clip attached to the glass. i think it freaked both of them out. it's this bright orange clownfish clip cause that's all they had. they were both just staring at it (jd behind phil) and noone - not even the pleco - even nibbled on the lettuce OR the cucumber.
they are always seen together. i think i really got lucky with them two. they are so beautiful!!!! the left side of the tank is kinda abandoned - everyone likes the right side with the big rock.
right now everything is going quite nicely. i love my tank set-up but wanted more fish because it looked empty with just the kribs and the pleco. i would still like more because the kribs never were much of the swimming around in the front of the tank type and of course the pleco is usually attached to something. the other two are often up front but they're still so little. anyhow, i'm leaving it at that since i know i'm already pushing it with the size the jd will reach as well as having a breeding pair in there. i'm just really happy and hope everything stays well! (knock on wood)
had a couple of questions if anyone on here actually read this booklike thread i wrote :p :
1. why won't they eat my lettuce or cucumber? i really want to give them a very healthy diet with fresh veggies.
2. could i possibly add like 5 or 6 guppies which would bring some movement to the top, possibly make the others a little more comfortable and less skittish when i move in front of the tank and supply the with the occasional live food?
any comments appreciated. mostly wanted to share. hopefully i can show my tank off sometime (have to have the hubby upload the pics and then figure out how to post them). really pround of my first tank that i started all on my own! (20g was already cycled and decorated by my hubby)
:) :) :)