View Full Version : eels or discus or cichlids?
brycemc
10-30-2005, 8:32 AM
hey all.
i have a 40 gallon tank and was wondering what to put in it next. i was thinking maybe 2 freshwater eels and a few fish which they cant eat, or maybe 4 or 5 discus with some small fish, or a couple of medium sized cichlids?
whats your oppinions on what would work best?
cheers,
bryce
NatakuTseng
10-30-2005, 9:22 AM
If your gonna do discus, no tankmates and really think about going bare bottom as well as buying adult fish for your first go around with them. With that stocking your going to need to really think about a much more aggressive water change routine than what your used to 3 times a week at 50% is what I would suggest.
NoчnoyGostь
10-30-2005, 10:03 AM
I recently saw a couple of small freshwater eels at my LFS and those look really cool, its a shame I don't have space for them myself!!! :(
PumaWard
10-30-2005, 10:10 AM
Considering there are thousands of cichlid species, could you specify which ones you're interested in?
FreddytheFish
10-30-2005, 10:57 AM
There are no fw eels. All true eels are saltwater or brackish. The so-called "freshwater snowflake moray eel" is brackish, and the true snowflake moray eel is saltwater. Spiny Eels are freshwater, but they aren't really eels. (I still think theyre pretty cool though.)
I think that you should get 2 peacock eels (a type of common spiny eel that stays small) and some dwarf cichlids.
SquirrelOsO
10-30-2005, 11:37 AM
cichlids
the most fun you will ever have with a fish :p:
discus are harder to take care of than most fish. and eels, well their eals lol
just be careful in choosing cichids, some will live peacefully in a tank and some will kill everything in site. ive kept cichlids in a mixed community for several years
my list was...
1 oscar
1 severum
1 chocolate cichlid
1 firemouth
1 rainbow cichlid
1 female zebra convict
1 blood parrot
1 blue acara
1 pl*co
1cory catfish
8 black tetra's
now the kicker is i had them all in a 37 gallon tank. the filter was an aquaclear 500, ive never used a heater in my life (tank never got below 75) but i did 30 percent water changes weekly. ive had these fish for about 5 years before i moved and had to get rid of them. the tetras died of old age and i had one jack dempsey that was killed by the firemouth, they just didnt like each other. other than that no deaths.
the trick to mixing cichlids with other tropical fish is the get the tetra's and others before adding the cichlids, this way the tetras wont spook. add baby cichlids only and never feed them live food.
what works for me probably wont work for everyone, but ive heard others having success this way too
and ya cant bash me for cramming all those fish into a small tank cuz the tank is gone :dance:
now i have a 55 gallon with one oscar, a severum and a feather fin cat. i will be getting tetras this week which is going against my rule of adding them first, but the oscar is so tiny theres no way he could do damage. if it fails i will be sure to post about it, if it succeeds i will post pictures :D
NatakuTseng
10-30-2005, 12:12 PM
No but you are saying they would be just fine in there....trollish if you ask me.
FreddytheFish
10-30-2005, 12:56 PM
and eels, well their eals lol
Whats wrong with eels? :) :cool:
Peacock spiny eels and dwarf cichlids, I still think that'd be cool.
SquirrelOsO
10-30-2005, 1:01 PM
i gave an example of my tank. which was successful. i also stated that it may not work for everybody. i never said it was ok, but it is not impossible
i post my own oppinions and i post in an honest manner. i am intitled to do so
a troll is someone who makes untrue posts in a joking manner, i am neither of these
JinxXx0085
10-30-2005, 1:08 PM
It sounds like not too many people have eels... why not try it? I would have some eels if I can... just work the tankmates around the eels.
FreddytheFish
10-30-2005, 1:12 PM
1 oscar
1 severum
1 chocolate cichlid
1 firemouth
1 rainbow cichlid
1 female zebra convict
1 blood parrot
1 blue acara
1 pl*co
1cory catfish
8 black tetra's
That's a lot of fish!! But hey, if it worked, good for you. I wouldn't reccomend it though, but....
If it worked, it worked. Let me ask you something though- Did the Fish seem happy? Just Curious.
I've heard of overstocked success stories (my parents had a pacu in a 55, it lived a long time)
SquirrelOsO
10-30-2005, 2:44 PM
lol i know it was way over stocked and i wouldnt do it again. i was young and cought up in the moment of the fish frenzy lol
im still going to try the tetra method though and hopefully it will be ok again. they give the tank more "life" against the slow moving larger fish :D
and yep your right, everyone has overstocked at some point in there life. we always get suckered in like a puppy in the window "just one more fish wont hurt" but hey i admit to it and im not ashamed :dive:
i just hope i have control this time. do they have some kind of fish AA meetings for people like us? :)
TorturedSOUL
10-30-2005, 4:54 PM
It sounds like not too many people have eels... why not try it? I would have some eels if I can... just work the tankmates around the eels.
A 40 gallon isn't big enough for a "some eels"
JinxXx0085
10-30-2005, 7:03 PM
Ah, got to do some research on certain kind of fish before you buy them. I'm not well aware with eels or some other kinds of fish. Looking things up always help to avoid problems.
Good luck with your "homework" lol.
brycemc
10-30-2005, 8:16 PM
yeh i would like eels because they're different. how small do the Peacock spiny eels stay? are they freshwater or brackish?
thanks
FreddytheFish
10-31-2005, 4:14 PM
yeh i would like eels because they're different. how small do the Peacock spiny eels stay? are they freshwater or brackish?
thanks
Peacock Eels- in the wild, they can get up to a foot in length, but in an aquarium they usually stay under 8 or 9 inches
Zebra Eels- another cool species that stay small. They can get up to 18 inches in the wild, but usually stay under 9 inches in an aquarium.
Spiny Eels are Freshwater, but many species can tolerate Brackish Water for a little bit.
The Difference between spiny eels and true eels is that true eels lack bones in their fins, which spiny eels have.
I think you definitley should get some.
I hope this helps, and I hope you get some. :dive2:
Hrafnkel
10-31-2005, 8:45 PM
A 40 gallon isn't big enough for a "some eels"
A 40 is more than big enough for two, or maybe even three peacock eels.
brycemc
10-31-2005, 8:51 PM
ok kool, thanks heaps 4 that. ill definately get some pics up when i get them