12" black ghost knife-75g tank
- Thread starter nick2206
- Start date
A 75 is probably fine. How big was the tank he was in before at your friends house? Maybe he's already stunted......
I posted this on another thread earlier today, but I'm going to cheat a bit and post it here too....for what it's worth....
Just a general word of advice....for anyone and everyone....acquire fish that will be able to grow to full size comfortably in the tank you have now. You may not ever get that "larger tank" down the road....if you do, buy the fish at THAT time. Fish don't "grow to the size of the tank", they are stunted by tanks that are too small, as they grow! Have I bought fish that would grow way too big for my tanks? You bet I have. And I have regreted it - and the fish have paid for it. In nearly 40 years of keeping fish, I have learned a few tricks for keeping fish in tanks a little smaller than they should be in, but not too much smaller. Dream about the fish you want, but be realistic about the fish you get given the tank you buy. There is a huge range of spectacular fish appropriate for all tank sizes. Respect the creatures you decide to keep, and do right by them. The most enjoyable tank is the one with the healthiest and "happiest" fish.
Just a general word of advice....for anyone and everyone....acquire fish that will be able to grow to full size comfortably in the tank you have now. You may not ever get that "larger tank" down the road....if you do, buy the fish at THAT time. Fish don't "grow to the size of the tank", they are stunted by tanks that are too small, as they grow! Have I bought fish that would grow way too big for my tanks? You bet I have. And I have regreted it - and the fish have paid for it. In nearly 40 years of keeping fish, I have learned a few tricks for keeping fish in tanks a little smaller than they should be in, but not too much smaller. Dream about the fish you want, but be realistic about the fish you get given the tank you buy. There is a huge range of spectacular fish appropriate for all tank sizes. Respect the creatures you decide to keep, and do right by them. The most enjoyable tank is the one with the healthiest and "happiest" fish.
What are those tricks you discovered? I'd like to know, if you don't mind.
First of all think area, not gallons. For most fish, depth is not important, but space to swim around and stake out a territory is. that's why I prefer tanks like a 20 long (same footprint as a 29 gallon) or a 75 gallon long (same footprint as a 125 gallon high), etc. Then, I over filter, turning over the water 10 to 20 times an hour, depending on the waste production of the species. I do weekly water changes of at least 50%, sometimes twice a week for fry tanks. Keeping the water filtering and changing will reduce the concentration of growth inhibiting hormones. Feed quality foods that are digested and utilized more efficiently by the fish.
Here is a way to sneak out a little more room for breeding. I usually breed in species only set ups. However, sometimes I will maximize a breeding tank by setting it up for 2 breeding colonies of species that are very dissimilar in appearance or even geography but relatively similar in food and water parameters, such as a smaller julidochromis species and an Aulonocara species. This will help reduce typical spawning aggression. Experience, careful observation, a "feel" for the behavior of the species and a ton of rock work help this set up and minimize the loss of fry.
So, nothing too scientific...simple. Still, the best bet is to keep stocking reasonable and appropriate to the size of the fish.
