Adding Quarter sized Red Bellies to a already established Red Belly Shoal

Richard8oh8

Black Skirt Tetra
MFK Member
Oct 21, 2016
47
14
13
30
Honolulu, Hawaii
i had 18 in a 8x3x2 that was heavily planted with large drift woods,
with lights on timers & rotations. didn't do anything special... i wanted
a nice heavily planted tank and some predators for it so went with p's.
b/c of the large weekly wc i used ferts and tabs for plants. didnt use
black water treatment, like my tanks to be crystal clear and pristine/
pristine looking.

shoal
18x 4.5-6" (was this size when i sold em)

tank & stand
8x3x2 glass sitting on powder coated steel stand.

filtration
5x2x2 sump (bio only), 4 canisters (mech only) & in-line uv.
75% wc every sunday. fed twice daily since from day 1 at 1"

light cycle
12am-5am soft blue actinic lights on till 5 then shuts off.
5am-8am lights dimmed down to 30% on.
8am-7pm lights were on at 100%. (fed in between)
7pm-10pm lights were on at 55-60%.
10pm-12am lights were on at 30%. (fed in between)
X repeat.

Damm. thats pretty dope tbh. your light cycle is complex.. my timer is very basic lol.. it turns on at 7am and shuts off 7pm.. Also i have 1 light that that doesn't have a brightness adjuster, thats why i want to get the black water extract in ways to. I feel you on the crystal clearness! i really dig it as well. Im just gonna test the black water extract and if i don't like ill let it cycle out through WC's and not add it anymore. do you have any tips to improve my tank atm ??
 

B. Hizzle

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Oct 1, 2016
102
138
51
2up 2down
you want length and width for p's
to swim and shoal back and forth and around and what not. QUOTE]

Agreed. But also keep in mind there is a BIG difference between 18 fish and 6. 6 is not enough for a "shoal" so you will not see the same "shoaling" behaviors as you would with a group of 18.
 
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tomojsg

Redtail Catfish
MFK Member
Apr 21, 2011
2,536
752
150
大韓民國 (서울) Korea
5-6 is more than enough for a "shoal" and ive had 5 runts
in a 6x2x2 180g shoal before also...
 
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tomojsg

Redtail Catfish
MFK Member
Apr 21, 2011
2,536
752
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大韓民國 (서울) Korea
as they grow they'll start to fight and kill each other for space
so maybe a rhom is better suited for you. rhoms grow slow
but get larger so a single rhom should be good in that tank for
some time before needing a bigger tank assuming you get a
small specimen and grow it out. but cant say anything for sure
without the exact dimensions of the tank you currently have.
which ever you decide to do good luck.
 

Richard8oh8

Black Skirt Tetra
MFK Member
Oct 21, 2016
47
14
13
30
Honolulu, Hawaii
as they grow they'll start to fight and kill each other for space
so maybe a rhom is better suited for you. rhoms grow slow
but get larger so a single rhom should be good in that tank for
some time before needing a bigger tank assuming you get a
small specimen and grow it out. but cant say anything for sure
without the exact dimensions of the tank you currently have.
which ever you decide to do good luck.
Hopefully they won't LOL! i would be pretty bummed tbh.. i raised them since they were about the size of a nickel. I wish i could get a rhom that would be dope! they only sell the Red bellies here! Once i get a tape measurer i will get the specs up.
 

tomojsg

Redtail Catfish
MFK Member
Apr 21, 2011
2,536
752
150
大韓民國 (서울) Korea
Hopefully they won't LOL! i would be pretty bummed tbh.. i raised them since they were about the size of a nickel. I wish i could get a rhom that would be dope! they only sell the Red bellies here! Once i get a tape measurer i will get the specs up.
it's bound to happen down the road when keeping p's
even when well fed so its just a heads up.
 
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