AboutBenty Expertise GOT A QUESTION ABOUT:
Basic needs for specific fish, illnesses, best tankmates, breeding, water chemistry, tricks to safely cut corners, and/or “stupid” questions? Maybe I can help! :)
I like to explain why you do things in aquariums (like why to use spring instead of distilled, or what pH numbers mean, ect.) so you understand why and not just taking someone’s word for it. I also like giving answers where you have two choices so you can choose which is best for the time and money you can commit to your fish. I understand how tight money can be and how expensive fish related things get.
I will NEVER leave you with an “I don’t know.” Ever. I hate that. That would waste your time and that's just mean. :)
Puedo contestar tus preguntas en español también.
Experience I have had tropical fish since 1999. I currently have: a 55gal, ten 10gal, 3 five gallons, three 2gal, and a bunch of jars and bowls. At the time I'm typing this, I have: 14 angels, 13 goldfish, 73 bettas, 12 barbs, 5 catfish, too many guppies, 4 gouramis, 2 plecos, 10 loaches, bunch of swordtails, and probably a few others, lol.
I love to rescue fish. I've had everything from mutant danios, to one eyed goldfish, to my newest adoptee, a 2 year old betta with a MASSIVE tumor problem. He was brought to a pet shop and left there because the lady didn't know what to do with him. He's pretty scary looking. One of the guys at the store there I know let me have him. :D YAY! Elephant Man lives in a gallon bowl with pretty stones in my bathroom.
Plus!!!
I sell: veil, delta, halfmoon, plakat, and crowntail bettas as well as halfblack and blonde tuxedo fancy guppies. Ask me about it sometime.
Question hey i've got a pretty broad question to ask. i've got a 30 gallon long aquarium with a penn-plax canister filter, with one little oscar, 1 bristle, and 2 upside-down catfish. i'm gonna move the oscar out when he gets bigger. i really like cichlids and i guess i know enough about them. i was thinking about getting firemouths or convicts. how many of these could i put in?
also i've been thinking of moving away from cichlids. i was thinking about maybe an african bushfish (i know about their diet) and/or a bichir. the problem would be that even though these fish look really cool, i'm not sure how active and interesting either of these guys are. if i wanted to get a decent sized fish that is really active what would you suggest?
Answer In a 30 gallon you could keep some of the smaller Tanganyikan rift lake cichlids. Some of the smaller lamprologus species would do well such as L.birchardi, brevis, caudopunctatus, multifasciatus. These would do well with a sand,very fine gravel,or crushed coral substrate with some shells and rock work. I would stick with dwarf cichlids in a 30 gallon though.You could have a few cockatoo,and a few rams as well. Africans would be fine, but you could only keep 3 or so,and 1 male to 2 or 3 females,would be your best option to keep aggression at a minimum.
Generally convicts form pairs, not harems. A matting pair will team up and beat the crud out of the other females. You could do the pair and keep them in the 30(bare minimum) But that's not that exciting and rabbits have nothing on these guys when it comes to breeding.
A 30 gallon tank is too small for African cichlids from Lake Malawi. many of the Lamprologus species from Lake Tanganyika on the other hand would do well, are harem spawners, and small enough for a thirty given the proper environment.
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