What these fish act like...

[Coler]

wow, arn't you likely to end up with loads of people replying to posts saying stuff like "well my angels never ate my neons" or "I have had plenty of success keeping Oscars and crocodiles" (well...maybe not crocodiles lol)

Echoing other concers, as a know-nothing I think there's a danger in acting primarily on another person's personal experience. Species profiles from a respected source (web, literature, experienced fishkeepers) are great - but there is a reason why they sometimes seem a little qualified, general, or maybe bland (lacking that personal touch). That's because they are profiles, drawn on what is considered to be the most widely observed traits, characteristics, needs etc. which is the responsible way, IMO, to present information on a species.

Information in this format is also pretty widely available IME

So it seems to me that profiles based on personal experience primarily will just be nice fishy stories or tank histories (hey, I'm all in favour of those ) but they're pretty anecdotal. Profiles drawn up by experts which are intended to be comprehensive and as accurate as possible kind of inherently are as described above. And how do you vet the quality of information on a thread like this ?

More helpful for newbies (read me) to read lots and ask specific questions, evaluating their source continually, and for experts to share their knowledge and experience in response. I've never not had a question answered here where I gave correct information

...mind you've I've only been around a wet-weekend...I presume some of you tireless volunteers to the cause of fish welfare eventually run out of patience...speaking of which I'm thinking of putting a crocodile in with my Oscar...I've heard crocodiles are brackish...nevermind...

 

[Coler]

What I'm talking about - the good stuff

e.g. this new thread :

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103170

 

[charlie baker]

assuming that by constant attention to the salinity of the water you eventually breed the oscar with her croc friend....you'll have something that is hell on goldfish.....

 

[AfroCichlid]

My experience with Jack Dempseys was terrible. I had 3 in a 20 gallon long and eventually they all died. Two of them killed the other one and then the other two got sick. I added one Clown Loach, but it seemed upset and died shortly after the Jack Dempsey. So I added one Tiger Barb and several Mollies. I would not keep Tiger Barbs because they are too aggressive and nip at other fish constantly.
I would not keep JDs because they are too frail and fight with eachother. Same with the Clown Loaches.

You can easily pick out the problems with posting this way... these tanks ( made up, btw ), were doomed from the start and a little research on general care for these fish could have avoided problems and deaths.

People will and do post stories like this, and often times will recall their friend who never did water changes and kept all manner of inappriate stock in their tank, and all seemed well. While this happens, it is not the most accepted manner in which to keep your tank. If you're looking for specific info on a fish or stocklist, etc... research first and then ask about any other questions you may have.
BTW, there are fish profiles, as well as general stocking guidelines posted here. There are threads pertaining to particular fish in which members post their own experiences. This thread is going to lead to arguments, as everyone's expereince is different and cannot be taken as fact. If you decide to do a profile on a fish, your experience with them should date years, and include references. Unless of course, you've observed this fish in it's natural habitat and spent adequate time housing them.

 

[Crazygar]

Hemmigrammus rodwayi, or the Gold Tetra. My first ever attempt at a Species only tank.

My main attraction of these little sparkling fish was their cohesive schooling behaviour and how "they cruised" the display tank. Not always the situation in smaller groups though.

I initially purchased 6 for my 75GAL, densely planted, highly unpopulated FW Aquarium. For at least a week after purchase it seemed they were unbreakable. They swam single file across the 4' stretch of the tank to the other side and formed a "ball". They repeated this for hours.

It seemed everywhere they went, it was as a group.

Now, this week -- The school (6) has split up into small groups of 3. Each staking a part of the Aquarium for their shoal. My initial thoughts was something has happened, but it might just be them getting used to their surroundings.

I believe they are still cohesive schoolers, but in larger groups. I plan to increase the school size to 21.

My disappointment now is that the original 6 just hide a lot and make their eventual forays into the open area only for a few brief seconds before returning to their respective territory.

I'll add to this when I introduce the next 6 to see if the behaviour changes.

Overall, non-offensive, hardy, active but not over active, colourful and most importantly, peaceful. I'm happy and would recommend these to anyone looking for something different than your run of the mill tetras.

>>As for the raging debate, I'll chip in my 2cents (and quite possibly get change)...

While you can find profiles for just about anything Aquarium on the Internet now, I still value personal experiences. In fact, its the personal experiences that I base my own opinion on. Yes, I've fell into some traps (Discus and Angels, bad combo) but I've also found some good things as well. I guess experience in the hobby in general also plays a large role.

To a beginner, the amount of conflicting information is daunting. This is one reason why, the profiles, some excellent, others poor, are only a part of how I base my own opinion on.

I prefer to ask the people that actually own the fish how they are in their current Aquarium setting. It gives me a feel for their true nature. I also don't go just by one opinion, I seek others on different Forums including TFH Magazine Forum where I am the Administrator/Programmer.

Having a large pool of data and personal information makes the choice much easier.

Gary

 

[l3lhsl3]

wow, arn't you likely to end up with loads of people replying to posts saying stuff like "well my angels never ate my neons" or "I have had plenty of success keeping Oscars and crocodiles" (well...maybe not crocodiles lol)

Echoing other concers, as a know-nothing I think there's a danger in acting primarily on another person's personal experience. Species profiles from a respected source (web, literature, experienced fishkeepers) are great - but there is a reason why they sometimes seem a little qualified, general, or maybe bland (lacking that personal touch). That's because they are profiles, drawn on what is considered to be the most widely observed traits, characteristics, needs etc. which is the responsible way, IMO, to present information on a species.

Information in this format is also pretty widely available IME

So it seems to me that profiles based on personal experience primarily will just be nice fishy stories or tank histories (hey, I'm all in favour of those ) but they're pretty anecdotal. Profiles drawn up by experts which are intended to be comprehensive and as accurate as possible kind of inherently are as described above. And how do you vet the quality of information on a thread like this ?

More helpful for newbies (read me) to read lots and ask specific questions, evaluating their source continually, and for experts to share their knowledge and experience in response. I've never not had a question answered here where I gave correct information

...mind you've I've only been around a wet-weekend...I presume some of you tireless volunteers to the cause of fish welfare eventually run out of patience...speaking of which I'm thinking of putting a crocodile in with my Oscar...I've heard crocodiles are brackish...nevermind...

funniset thing ive read all day lmao

 

[fishguy001]

Kuhli Loaches- wont hurt a fly
Neon Tetras pretty peaceful but mine nip eachothers fin
Platys-wont hurt a fly but you would ne 1:2 M:F ratio
Angelfish- mine is still gorwing he peaceful

Thats it im only a beginner

 

[froglover007]

In my experience zebra danios are hardy and highly active fish with a penchant for fin-nipping. They are attractive fish and some will eat everything and become very fat, while others will not.

In my experience blind cave tetras are highly active, but dopey fish that do surprisingly well for fish without eyes. These fish should be kept with robust tank mates as they like to nip at the fins and bodies of other fish. Do not keep them with aggressive tank mates, however, as the blind cave tetra has little in the way of protecting itself. They will predate fish that are small enough, so do not mix with zebra danios, neon tetras, or other minute species.

 

[froglover007]

I think personal experience plays a very good role in the hobby. Most books do not account for all behavior in species. For example, my blind cave tetras ate two of my zebra danios. I did not find one book which said that blind cave tetras are predatory, but I have seen on the internet, people commenting on articles that said that their blind cave tetras were.

 

[jpappy789]

wow, arn't you likely to end up with loads of people replying to posts saying stuff like "well my angels never ate my neons" or "I have had plenty of success keeping Oscars and crocodiles" (well...maybe not crocodiles lol)

Echoing other concers, as a know-nothing I think there's a danger in acting primarily on another person's personal experience. Species profiles from a respected source (web, literature, experienced fishkeepers) are great - but there is a reason why they sometimes seem a little qualified, general, or maybe bland (lacking that personal touch). That's because they are profiles, drawn on what is considered to be the most widely observed traits, characteristics, needs etc. which is the responsible way, IMO, to present information on a species.

Information in this format is also pretty widely available IME

So it seems to me that profiles based on personal experience primarily will just be nice fishy stories or tank histories (hey, I'm all in favour of those ) but they're pretty anecdotal. Profiles drawn up by experts which are intended to be comprehensive and as accurate as possible kind of inherently are as described above. And how do you vet the quality of information on a thread like this ?

More helpful for newbies (read me) to read lots and ask specific questions, evaluating their source continually, and for experts to share their knowledge and experience in response. I've never not had a question answered here where I gave correct information

...mind you've I've only been around a wet-weekend...I presume some of you tireless volunteers to the cause of fish welfare eventually run out of patience...speaking of which I'm thinking of putting a crocodile in with my Oscar...I've heard crocodiles are brackish...nevermind...

Here we see that Coler was just as much of a joker when he first joined...:laugh: