PDA

View Full Version : the aquarium swaparoo - kinda long



Traci
10-03-2003, 12:46 PM
Okay, haven't posted in a while but here is what's up.

I originally got loads of help from OrionGirl for the office tank. This is an 18 gallon high Eclipse, and now houses 1 gold gourami that I just measured at 5", CAE that's right at 3.5", 4 Serpae tetras and 3 head and taillight tetras all at 1.5", and 2 White Skirt tetras that are a bit over 2". I've been cleaning every other Friday, topping off every Monday for any evaporation, and my levels have all been good (0 Nitrites, 0-10 Nitrates, 0 ammonia). There have been no new additions for a few months.

At home, I have 2 10 gallons. One houses a 3 inch papershell crayfish, 2 paradise fish (a male and a female) and 1 australian rainbow. The other is home to 1 2 inch florida blue crayfish, 1 blind cave tetra (a poor survivor as the cray savaged his fellows), and a small mixed school of 6 hi-fin and golden white clouds. These tanks have no heaters. Available to me (as in it's my dad's but I can easily acess it) is a 55 gallon community African cichlid tank. Obviously, this does have a heater.

And onward!

I am buying an aquarium set-up (stand, lights, top, filter, heater, et al) from a woman who is moving and cannot take it. She believes it to be a 30 gallon, but her measurments seem way off for that (29.5 X 8 X 18). Either this is a 29 gallon and she misread her measurements, or this is a custom of some sort. I am going tonight to see it before I buy and will post the measurements to give everyone a better idea.

The inhabitants come along for the ride. She's not exacly sure of what all she has and I'm not exactly sure how to integrate what she can id. She has one "HUGE" angel, 1 "LARGE" and 1 small pleco and 6 other fancy tailed somethings (my guess platies or tetras). The plecos aren't such a concern. I can trade those in pretty easily at the LFS. Whatever her other fancy tailed fish are platys or what not, I can set up in one of the 10 gallons using her heater. This is because I'm buying the bigger tank to set it up for my florida blue and the new companions he is getting next week. They can't have a heater, since their tanks needs to be from 70-75. My biggest concern is the Angel. I'd kind of like to keep it in some fashion. So my options there would be:
1) set up the other 10 gallon with a heater and keep it alone if it's small enough (although this seems like way not enough room)
2) introduce it into the 55 gallon community African tank if it's large enough
3) move it to my 18g high office tank and move a few of the tetras over to one my home tanks.

So, I am taking whatever advice or suggestions you care to make!

PumaWard
10-03-2003, 1:47 PM
It's good to hear everything is going well:).

The only suggestions I have for you are concerning the angelfish. A 10gal is only really big enough for angel the size of a quarter and under, and these guys grow fast. Some angels can get like 9 inches tall, obvisouly they won't work in a 10, even if they were only 5 inches tall I wouldn't put them in a 10.
As far as puting him in with africans, I think you would be dooming him to death or an unhappy existance. Angels are relatively peaceful, while most africans are semi-agressive or worse. They also have the common south american mentality, he'll push anything around in the tank if he's the biggest thing in there, but if something fights back, he'll hide and cower from it. I would leave him in the tank he's in, or trade him in for his own good. I don't think you'll regret keeping him; most have great personality if they are happy.

Traci
10-03-2003, 1:58 PM
That's kind of what I was thinking, the only thing is that I don't think that the Angel would be very happy with my plans for his tank. Since I'm putting in the crayfish, I'm not planning to heat it and I think that the Angel would need it to be much higher than the 73 F or so I plan on keeping it. Do you think the 18 gallon high would house it, depending on the actual size of the fish of course (since I haven't seen it yet and really don't know what the owner means by "HUGE"). Otherwise I will have to trade him in. An angel would be neat, but then again so would a horse and it's not like I'm cruel enough to try to stuff one onto my patio!

Thanks for the input PumaWard!

PumaWard
10-03-2003, 2:09 PM
It depends on the tank and what you have in it. Angels like the peace and calm (sometimes). So if it's really active and he's not used to it, then it probably won't suit him well.

Have you thought about investing in another tank? Angel, IMHO are gorgous fish once adult (depending on the color varient) and quite gracefull in their movements.

If it's a quite tank, I think he would be okay...unless he really is huge ;).

demon_surfer
10-03-2003, 5:27 PM
in your current situation I would suggest trading in the angelfish to your LFS, they are tropicals and want warm water and a 10 or 20 gallon is really not suitable for one. the one the lady has is probably stunted if she has had it for any length of time.

Its not that they get long, its that they get very very tall. some varients can get to nearly a foot from fin tip to fin tip though that is very rare.

it would be fine in the 55 EXCEPT that there are africans in there. add it and I guarantee it will have no fins within a day if its not dead by then.

good luck with the aquisitions.