50 Gallon Stocking Options

dojos are coldwater fish.
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Yeah, I had mentioned that in my original post on this thread.
Unfortunately the Dojo loach was one of my first fish, and I purchased him when I was much less knowledgeable. At the time I had read internet profiles which stated that the dojo could live in waters up to 76 degrees farenheit, and Petsmart employees told me that they keep their dojos in 78 degree water. I've known for awhile now that they thrive in water closer to 65 degrees, but I have not been able to find him a coldwater home, nor am I willing to convert an entire tank to coldwater when I need the space for other tropical fish. This is also the reason why I have not gotten more dojos (I know they prefer company). He is currently doing fine in my tank (73 degrees), but I hope to eventually find him a coldwater home. For now, the least I can do is move him into the 50 gal, before he outgrows the 28.

flagtail catfish are pretty social and like to be in groups, and get to 6 inches long, so adding three would be to many for your tank. porthole catfish are smaller- they only get to 4 inches-but that might be to small to have with the ctenopoma. if you skip the featherfin and take back the pictus you could have a group of four in your tank, but if you keep the pictus only get 2.
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Ok. I definitely can't fit the flagtails. I won't return the pictus -- he was a little beaten up when I purchased him (missing pieces of fin and whiskers) and has recovered nicely in my tank. He seems very happy, but oddly enough does not get along with others from his species. He is quite friendly with the other fish in my tank, and I like him far too much to get rid of him. He is certainly moving in to the 50 gal -- I think he will be much happier with more space and sand substrata.

I am not familiar with the porthole catfish, so I'll do some research and then decide whether I want the porthole cats or the featherfin.

Again, thank you for taking the time to make such informed recommendations, Jim.
I truly appreciate it.
 
H3D said:
Please take the dojo loach back. Dojo loaches are cold water fish, they should be kept in groups of 5 or more, and due to their special requirements they do best in a species only setup.
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Unfortunately, I cannot take him back. I have had him for quite some time now, and the petstore will not take him. As I've already mentioned, I was misinformed when I purchased this fish, although there are still plenty of counter-sources which claim that the Dojo Loach can live just fine in mid-70's temperatures:

http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/freshwater/loaches/dojoloach.html

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/loaches1/p/weatherloach.htm

http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/module...1422&forum=14&move=prev&topic_time=1115734525

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/loaches/DojoLoach.php

http://www.fishlore.com/profile-dojoloach.htm


I'm sure every new aquarist makes mistakes to some extent or another. I did my homework on this fish, but that is tough when there are so many conflicting opinions. I mean, how is the beginner supposed to know which sources are reliable and which are not? You live, you learn.
When I was starting out with my tank, I read many profiles and information on this fish (like those above), and only later was told by the folks at Loaches Online that they need temperatures closer to 65 to thrive. The fact remains that I have him, cannot return him, and must deal with the situation as best I can. If you know someone who lives in NE Ohio and can provide a better home for him, please let me know.

Anyways, thank you for the reply.
 
H3D said:
If you cannot take the dojo back then you should give it away. There is no good reason to keep a fish that you cannot provide a proper home for. Keeping a dojo in this manner is not good for it and will most likely shorten its life.
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I've noticed that you have a penchant for treating people on this board harshly, and if I am to be frank, with a certain amount of disrespect.
I realize how much you care for fish, but don't pretend that I don't because I was simply misinformed.

You act as if it is a simple matter to just give a fish away.

If I knew of anyone who would take him, don't you think I would have already done so?
 
I'd be very hesitant to add a crayfish to anything but a fairly aggressive tank. I've kept crayfish before, and they can and will eat small fish and will nip at any larger fish with "fancy fins", so to speak.
 
I'd be very hesitant to add a crayfish to anything but a fairly aggressive tank. I've kept crayfish before, and they can and will eat small fish and will nip at any larger fish with "fancy fins", so to speak.
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Thank you for your advice, TIO. I will certainly keep it in mind.
Your experience echoes precisely my hesitation to house a crayfish in my tank.

Perhaps a large shrimp or two would be preferable?
:cool:
 
Mr_Obsidian said:
I've noticed that you have a penchant for treating people on this board harshly, and if I am to be frank, with a certain amount of disrespect.
I realize how much you care for fish, but don't pretend that I don't because I was simply misinformed.
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I was not trying to be "harsh" or disrespectful, but sometimes the truth itself seems "harsh".

Mr_Obsidian said:
You act as if it is a simple matter to just give a fish away.

If I knew of anyone who would take him, don't you think I would have already done so?
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There are numerous websites you could post a description on and I'm sure you could easily find a good home for it.
 
I was not trying to be "harsh" or disrespectful, but sometimes the truth itself seems "harsh".
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It's not the truth that I find irritating, but the way in which you posit your version of it (again, I'm thinking of other threads too).

Regardless, this thread has turned away from original topic, and I'd like to get it back on track. If you can point me to some credible websites or wish to speak further on this subject, please feel free to PM me.

I thank you for your insight and concern.
 
So...

I like rbishop's suggestion of stocking in this thread.

The question now is how many Lemon tetras and hatchetfish, respectively, to stock as shoals?

Could I fit 8-10 tetras, 5 or so Hatchetfish, and still have room for the other fish? Or would that be tending towards an overstock?
 
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