what do ya think about this

[napkinman]

alright i'll keep this short.
i want to ad a small school of neons!

here's what i have in my 55G
8 black skirt tetras
1 dwarf gourami
1 opoline gourami
1 spotted puffer (the pet store told me they were freshwater)
1 senegal birchir (the coolest fish)
1 red claw crab
2 pictus cats


i know the birchir is going to get big and mean and on my birthday (october) i'm going to get another 55G and stick him in it. will a school of neons work in this tank as is until october?

 

[OrionGirl]

I would wait until you've sorted out the current residents. The gouramies are fine, as are the tetras, but the puffer is going to either a) die in straight FW, no matter what the LFS said--the fish most commonly sold as a spotted puffer needs brackish at minimum and can go full marine--they are also mean as heck and will kill small fish and inverts, or b) remove some of the other inhabitants for you. The crabs must have an egress from the water, or they drowned, and the puffer will begin eyeballing them for appertifs soon. The pictus cats are nocturnal predators, and will eat small fish--both the existing tetras and any neons you get will likely disappear.

 

[Bigguppy]

Great advise OrionGirl!

Keep in mind when you finally do move to getting the neons. Get atleast 10. They are a shoaling fish and do best in groups.

The bigger the group the better.

 

[cdawson]

I agree completely with what Oriongirl said, I think you should read this.


http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm


Don't forget the birchir either! Remove him ASAP, they're only supposed to be in species only tanks. They're predatory I believe and will eat everything in that tank if given the chance.

 

[Seaman]

Originally posted by OrionGirl
The crabs must have an egress from the water, or they will drown.

Just had to correct one thing....that is not true with RCC i had one for over 2 years completely submerged, noteven a powerhead or heater to stand on to get out of the water...and she did great and got BIG!! Just wanted to correct that!

 

[napkinman]

thanks i appreciate all the input.
i know about the puffer being salty and all that (not until a month after i bought it though). i don't know what to do for it though. it hasn't been mean in the slightest though. neither has the birchir although i know that my cats and the birchir will eventually eat anything that will fit in their mouths.
i don't mind buying a new neon every now and again if the cats decide to go after more lively prey i kind of like having the predator/prey thing going in my tank. i was mainly concerned with the bio load that a school of neons would put out and if that would be a problem.
i gave the crab a plant to stand on but he doesn't seem to want to use it. maybe he has a death wish

 

[jamjarjames]

i would think you could add the neons if

a) you don't mind them being used as food

b) You are faithful with your water changes and the tank is stable before adding them

Hope this helps

 

[napkinman]

thanks for all the help

no i don't mind having to replace a few neons from time to time. like i said i kind of like the whole predator prey thing going on in my tank it makes it fun to watch.
about the water changes i was wondering if it might help if i got a second filter for my tank. i would be willing to do this if it would help out.

 

[jamjarjames]

The filters are ok if Ammonia or nitrite are high but useless at removing nitrate, the only way to remove nitrate is through water changes. If you can keep Ammonia and Nitrite low then you have enough filtration. As they say "nothing beats a water change"