I'd put it at 79* once you move the rainbowfish out. That should be good for everyone.
Zuckuss said:
Thanks for being so undertanding and helpfull about everything...
Not a problem.
I only have 4 dollars in my 77 gal (do you think thats to few?) Even with 10 rainbows and the four dollars along with others it didnt look over stalked at all... perhaps somehow I got the size mixed up? But id have to be preety stupid to accidently buy a bigger tank.
Whether something "looks" overstocked at all is pretty subjective.
Can you measure the tank? Length, width, height. I can tell you how big it is from that. 77 isn't a standard size at all, or is it a bowfront?
As for the dollars -- they're big schoolers so they really should be in a group of 6 or more, like the rainbows. How big are they right now? Mine, except for the rescued one, are around 4" each. We bought them silver dollar sized in August of last year, so they're almost a year old.
That was OUR newbie mistake, so don't feel bad. We had three dollars in a 20g tank with 3 tiger barbs. HUGE mistake.
I agree 40 is pushing it... do you think maby twenty and some marble Hatchets? Would they get along with my dollars?
If your tank is 48" long, as I suspect, 20 is more than fine. Hatchets, yes, they are schoolers and will get along with the dollars. They should act somewhat as dither fish for the dollars. Dithers are fish that make shy fish feel comfortable and less inclined to hide. Shy fish will hide if they feel there is danger about and if there are fish schooling above them, then they know there is no danger. Since the hatchets will hang at the top level, they'll be above the dollars.
One thing tho, hatchets are very sensitive to water conditions so you *must* keep on top of weekly 50% water changes with those guys.
My father has a 30 gallon he's just setting up and claims "I like fish with color" like we all havent heard that one... still rainbows may be his answer if I was to give some to him how many do you think a 30 gallon could hold? I have a spare 25 gallon also thats empty save a few bronze cory could I put whats left over in there?
Zero for both. Boesemani shouldn't go in anything less than a 45g and that's really pushing it. The less space you give rainbowfish, the more aggressive they will get. Especially with yours, as they are showing aggression.
Boesemani "adult" size is 3.5", but they don't stop growing. They only slow down. At 6-7 years of age they will top 5" in size. My biggest male isn't a year old yet and he's at least 3.5". I suspect he's going to be a big one.
I've got bows (
Melanotaenia parva and
Glossolepis pseudoincisus) whose full size is supposed to be 3" tops that I will never recommend again that they be put in anything less than a 45g. They are *very* aggressive when spawning. The dominant
pseudoincisus male has already killed one of the females. Now I'm down to a school of six. The dominant
parva male makes life hell for the other male when he is spawning. Compared to those two bows the Boesemani are pussycats.
What about a smaller type of rainbow such as the neon dwarf rainbow, could I add a few of them or are they just as bad?
They probably won't be aggressive, but they will be just as active. All rainbows are like that. My little 1" Blue-eyes (
Pseudomugil gertrudae) are like hummingbirds and they never stop moving.
I would stay away from rainbowfish altogether with those silver dollars. They just don't mix well. Stock up on other Amazon fish. There are tons of tetras and stuff that will mix really well with the dollars. Rummy nose are gorgeous, rasboras (not Amazon) are great, neons, glo lights, lemons. All schoolers but won't get in the way of the silver dollars.
Oh, one tip: As you probably know, when dollars startle they smack into the glass. One way to help keep them from doing that is to paint the sides of the tank black. My SD tank is painted with black acrylic back and sides and it *really* helps.
Roan
