Bichir/Barb and more compatibility question.

[CrazyKoiCracker]

I’m at work so I’m going to keep this brief but I’ll return with more details and questions tonight.
I have a 50 gallon lowboy set up, heavily planted and way over filtered with a 75 gallon eshops sump packed to the waterline with ceramic rings. Pictures can be posted later this evening. The main inhabitants are two Delhezi Bichir and a Senegal Bichir. I put some guppies in there because I have hundreds and wanted some color but I know it’s only a matter of time until the polys (still juveniles with external gills, approx 3-4”) gulp them up.
So my question is, I have a group of ten Odessa barbs and Congo Tetra in there, added yesterday. Along with a spotted Raphael catfish and an albino Veiltail bn pleco.
What problems do you all foresee?
Barbs and tetra are fast, feisty, and since sens and dels are the smaller species, and Congo tetra and Odessa get about 3” long, I thought they may be able to fend for themselves...will they end up food anyway? What about water parameters? Not only compared to the species, but if I’ve set myself up for failure with contradicting requirements? I can provide a stable tank, which is the big thing..but I’d like ideal conditions for them as well, or to at least zero in on the ideal middle ground. I’m on well water that comes out the tap at like 7.8, and I don’t know the current hardness because my plumbing has had a leak that was fixed and now seems to have reappeared...so it’s likely picking up trace amounts of minerals through the ground between the pump house and the faucet. I’ll test it when I get home along with the tanks ph and everything. Half the tank is planted with fluval stratum so there’s a chance the ph has dropped some, which seems it would be fine for the polys and tetra at least.
But I’m really just asking what I need to watch out for, what you all would recommend, other stocking options or changes...etc. Please fast ball all of your ideas at my face. Thank ya!!

 

[kno4te]

Could always end up a meal but I doubt it. Maybe with all the plants and being well fed they’ll survive. That’s the prob. Since you’ve added the barbs anyway I would just suggest watching. Wouldnt add anymore barbs to the tank. Plus Barb’s will eat plants since these are behaving then I’d wait and see.

 

[CrazyKoiCracker]

Could always end up a meal but I doubt it. Maybe with all the plants and being well fed they’ll survive. That’s the prob. Since you’ve added the barbs anyway I would just suggest watching. Wouldnt add anymore barbs to the tank. Plus Barb’s will eat plants since these are behaving then I’d wait and see.

realized that after the fact. Barbs and microsword, susswasertang, cobamba, they may have to go if they end up pulling up my sword. Any other species you recommend that would be poly-resistant, active, and plant safe?

 

[kno4te]

Barb wise...maybe gold and red ruby barbs.

 

[CrazyKoiCracker]

Ugh. So I could have done a little more research. Odessa prefer cooler hard water. Tetra and polys warmer soft water. Odessa are the gentler barbs But they still fin nip, and the tetras tail filaments when they grow will be irresistible. One has also picked at one of my dels external Gills and one of his finlets. Never mind they tend to pick at plants as well. Major bummer because they are gorgeous fish. If they’re still causing trouble by Sunday I’ll take em back and get some more Congo tetra or another poly.

 

[twentyleagues]

You added the tetras at a good time. But its quite possible they will still end up a meal once the dels get big.

 

[jaws7777]

Since you added them already enjoy it while it lasts lol. Sens typically stay on the smaller size of whats advertised. The del likely a cb will end up with an eating disorder (joking) they do gorge themselves though.

 

[EntoStentor]

In the daytime everything gets along fine, but at night polys (polies?, pollies? this spelling never really made since) really go to town on small fish. As far as water goes think you're fine but the only smaller fish that are gonna last in there long-term are the SRC, the pleco, and maybe congo tetras (they get to like 6 inches and are pretty fast). I'd actually be a bit cautious with the SRC, for the poly;s sake. A 13 inch senegalus tried to eat my 2 inch SRC, and it died a couple days after I took them both out of the water and removed the cat from its throat. How big is it? Once it's about 5 inches (they're pretty girthy) no poly would even try to eat it.

 

[twentyleagues]

In the daytime everything gets along fine, but at night polys (polies?, pollies? this spelling never really made since) really go to town on small fish. As far as water goes think you're fine but the only smaller fish that are gonna last in there long-term are the SRC, the pleco, and maybe congo tetras (they get to like 6 inches and are pretty fast). I'd actually be a bit cautious with the SRC, for the poly;s sake. A 13 inch senegalus tried to eat my 2 inch SRC, and it died a couple days after I took them both out of the water and removed the cat from its throat. How big is it? Once it's about 5 inches (they're pretty girthy) no poly would even try to eat it.

Man I wish congos got to 6". You'll be lucky if the males hit 4" and females 3". I tried to add 14 to my tank I had to remove the remaining 11 an hour later. Lol mostly my dels and teugs. I shoulda known better. But my albino kept grabbing them too so I had about 5 more with bite marks and some missing finage . The 11 that I pulled out are still alive and healed up in a different tank. I have a single black skirt tetra in the tank that no one bothers started with 6 to start the tank. I never found a body of the 5 that disappeared. But this one just does whatever it wants where ever so I thought maybe...
I have heard of fish and other animals including humans giving off a fear pheromone. Maybe it's that that drove the feeding frenzy on the congos as the 4 males where full grown and the females where every bit 3". But still have single black skirt no fear not a care in the world. So maybe if the fish you added survive a couple weeks they will be "part of the tank" and not get eaten latter on....?
I did raise my dels and sens with giant danios those got eaten so maybe not?
I got one of the dels I have from magpie she was 12" when I got her and was raised with congos no issues.
Ive had bristle nose in with mine no issues.

 

[CrazyKoiCracker]

Since you added them already enjoy it while it lasts lol. Sens typically stay on the smaller size of whats advertised. The del likely a cb will end up with an eating disorder (joking) they do gorge themselves though.

Oh absolutely. It’s like I look away for five minutes and next time I look, one will look like it swallowed a marble. The sen isn’t so bad the but dels are pigs.