interactive stock for 35g hex..

moonstream

moonstream

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Nov 5, 2007
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hopefully I'll be picking it up early this week; tank will be a low light walstad-sytle planted tank, filtration will (probably) be a fluval 305. tank will of course be a 35g hex (23 by 20 by 24")

I'm not really sure what I want in terms of stock; I'm having a hard time deciding. I want something "dog-like," that will be aware of me when I'm in the room, come to beg for food, etc.

I had a few ideas, already, but i'm wondering if there is anything else out there?
-sunfish (dollar sunfish peaked my interest, punkinseeds too are very cool looking)
-leopard bushfish (could I keep 2? in this case I was going to throw my guppies in with them for them to hunt)
-fancy goldfish (no more than 3, probably 1, maybe 2)

I'm pretty open to anything besides bettas (I already have 3 boys and 6 girls).
 
No goldfish, okay? Please, for the sake of the fish, no. If it's a low light tank then I think the porthole catfish would look cool swimming through the shadows :)

Sunfish are cool, but aggressive. You can only keep other sunfish with sunfish, especially pumpkinseeds. I used to have one, and it eventually killed off every other fish in the tank. Before I knew it was wrong, i released it back into the wild (AKA, Schuylkill river) but if I still had it I would house it with cichlids, that's how mean it was.

IDK about Dollar Sunfish though, they may be more peaceful.

You could have some glass catfish in that tank, they would also be neat swimming though the shadows.

Dog like fish? Well, almost any fish can become dog-like over time, my GBR follows me back and fourth along the tank's edge whenever I come near it, and he's always wanting food. The Bolivian Ram is a little more frightful, you have to stay still and move slowly, but still a cool fish to watch.

I've heard that angelfish are very interactive fish, but your tank may not be tall enough for them.

Also, though you may be surprised by this, my 3 adult female mollies are very curious critters, they always want to know what's happening outside the tank. They are worth the risk of getting them preggo. Males are.... well, males. Dumber and less interesting then females.
 
I think 2ft should be tall enough for angels, lol. I'm not sure is the tank is large enough for them, though. I may get a small one and grow it up- if it feels too cramped I could always return it or re-home it.

I had been considering glass cats, but I hear they are hard to wean onto flake/frozen? any truth to that?

if I do go the sunfish route, they would definitely be the only fish in the tank. I wouldnt be getting more than 2, probably, and more likely just 1.

and goldfish- you think the tank is too small? considering it has a larger footprint than a 20H (which is 24 by 12 vs 23 by 20) I would think at least 1, maybe 2, would be fine in here. 20H's seem to be a fairly common tank for use with fancies?

I'm not sure sure about mollies- I actually dont like the way they look too much; I prefer platies, endlers, guppies and swordtails over them.

also- I forgot about PUFFERS! I had considered making this a dwarf puffer tank, or maybe 2 of the larger freshwater species- I just dont know which are truely FW?
 
moonstream said:
I think 2ft should be tall enough for angels, lol. I'm not sure is the tank is large enough for them, though. I may get a small one and grow it up- if it feels too cramped I could always return it or re-home it.

I had been considering glass cats, but I hear they are hard to wean onto flake/frozen? any truth to that?

if I do go the sunfish route, they would definitely be the only fish in the tank. I wouldnt be getting more than 2, probably, and more likely just 1.

and goldfish- you think the tank is too small? considering it has a larger footprint than a 20H (which is 24 by 12 vs 23 by 20) I would think at least 1, maybe 2, would be fine in here. 20H's seem to be a fairly common tank for use with fancies?

I'm not sure sure about mollies- I actually dont like the way they look too much; I prefer platies, endlers, guppies and swordtails over them.

also- I forgot about PUFFERS! I had considered making this a dwarf puffer tank, or maybe 2 of the larger freshwater species- I just dont know which are truely FW?
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Well, I used to keep glass cats, and I never had any trouble getting them to eat flake food, just in getting the flake food to them.

Sunfish are good in small groups or alone, or as a pair. Good luck getting a pair though, they are hard to find. If you do go with a pumpkinseed, it should be the only fish in the tank, as they grow rather large (5+in).

Goldfish really do best in a pond. While it is possible to house them in a 35hex, it is not even close to optimal. I wouldn't put goldfish, any goldfish, in a tank smaller then 55 gallons. Preferably 75 or more.

Puffers are awesome! Indian Dwarf Puffers are full freshwater, as are the far more expensive Fahaka Puffers. Don't get Fahaka's though, they need massive tanks. Be careful with Dwarf Puffers, they are aggressive, males will fight each other if the tank isn't large enough. I'd say 1 male and maybe 2-3 females could manage in your tank, if you make sure it's got lots of plants 9real or fake) to break up the line of sight. No other fish can go with these puffers.
 
I've decided against to 35g hex, I think. it's just too limiting on what I can keep in it, although it does look pretty good. I'm going to get a 30g instead, because I think I want to get goldfish.
 
Get a trio (1 male, 2 females) of Betta Pugnax. They are a large (4 inch adult), wild type betta that is fairly aggressive. I have 1 in a 15 gallon and has every bit of the personality of an oscar or other large, interactive fish. I have a male in a 15 gallon (soon to get a female ^^) and is just as food aggressive as any large cichlid. He even takes whole mealworms out of my fingers, then somehow manages to fit them down. If you give them a big, hard pellet you can hear him crunch it.

Definitely look into them if you want some smaller, but very interactive, fish. Oh and get a smaller (and faster) schooling rasbora or tetra just to make the tank seem 'brighter and more full'.
 
I dont really want another of the betta complex- I have so many B. splendens already; all my other tanks are (will) be filled with them (10g 2 way divided, 2.5g, 29g sorority) so I was looking for something a bit different.

I found a 30g standard (36 by 12 by 16") for less than the 35 hex; I'm going to get the 30g and probably go with goldfish (thinking 2, maybe 3) instead of doing another tropical tank.
 
Goldfish need a larger tank because they grow to be 10in long, even the fancy ones. Common and Comet Goldifhs grow to be 12+ inches long. Either get a larger tank or don't get the goldfish, please. They WILL be stunted in a 30gal or any dimensions.
 
a 30g is going to stunt a goldfish? I just dont believe that; with frequent partial water changes (weekly of 25-50%, I'm planning), good food, and good filtration (planning a penguin 350B and probably a whisper 60 or similar-sized whisper filter) I think a 30g standard will be fine for 1-2 adult FANCIES, who dont swim very well or very fast, and for the most part aren't especially aggressive- I could understand stunting worries in a 35g hex, but not in a 3' long tank! I'm sure a larger tank would be far easier to maintain, and the goldies would enojoy the extra room, but I just dont think its too small for a fancy goldfish. I will likely run the tank BB, if I do go goldies, which will increase their swimming room (not by much, but by a bit), and wont have a great many decorations in the tank, either. probably just a few plants (real or fake) to give them some shelter, maybe a cave-like decoration or something like that.

I am however re-considering goldfish just because of the sheer bioload produced by them and the amount/volume of water changes I'd be doing to keep up with it, and I would really like to be able to do another planted tank, and goldfish just dont seem to mix too well with true planted tanks (might do a few plants in pots if I do the goldies, though, or tied to driftwood/ornaments). I am really attracted to their dumb-puppy-dog behavior, and they're just so darn cute! if I do goldies, I'll probably get lionheads, or pearlscales, or one of each.

if I dont do goldies, I'm considering doing a few angels (3-4), or maybe a red tailed shark and some barbs (which would probably be a less heavily planted tank, but still), or maybe the sunfish, or the puffers. we'll see- I dont even have the tank yet!
 
I just posted the same thing in another thread, but who cares. Serpaes all the way. They greet you and eat out of your hands and are really active and have huge personalities.
 
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