Denison-centric restock?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Andyroo

Andyroo

Redtail Catfish
MFK Member
Apr 17, 2011
1,203
509
150
MoBay, Jamaica
www.seascapecarib.com
Sages,
A little input, please:
My importer has come through "swimmingly" with Denison barb on the list, plus bloodfin tetra & my long-awaited cardinals.
Qs:
Denison with plants? - filaments are somewhat related & come from same rivers, & are notorious plant-killers. Denisons not so?
Denison with angles? - fin-nipping, or just "boisterous"? These angels are not timid wilting flowers, but proper thumpers.
Denison with bloodfin? - are they prone to consuming smaller fish, or just one-bite tidbits?
Denison with RTS/RBS? - I assume there will be road-rage, as disbursed amongst school + clowns passable/Ok?

My 'till-today stocking plan for the 240 was centred around clown loaches, angels & plants, though appreciating incompatibilities as I like my clowns in a current. Now thinking of adding Denison & Bloodfin + locally-bred Columbian tetra to round-out the colour scheme, maybe to up the flow & nix the angles. It's a 36" tall system essentially made for angles/discus, so... unfortunate.

Notes:
I pre-purchased the cards last year so am sort'a stuck with them - not unhappy about that at all, I quite dig blackwater.
Denisons are eye-wateringly costly and will likely be bred locally from this import, to return to the shops at 1/2price next year... debating the wait & risk. Minimum school is 5~6, yes? Having said that, the bloodfins are also uncomfortably costly but F2+s in the shop are still same or more $, suggesting our breeders/shops/collectors are catching up with the world. Good for all, though bad for me :)

I'm reading this again & realizing this is all a bad idea: just get my cards & a coupl'more clowns, a cross-fingers-male baby silver-aro & be done. That'll blow the budget regardless ;)
 
I've had dennison barbs in virtually every tank i've ever had. In my experience they are one of those fish that are there but never give you cause for complaint or worry, you just sit back and enjoy their beauty. Never aggressive to any fish, and i've got a rescue angel in my tank as well. They've never as much as even looked at any greenery, let alone chomp on it. Yes they can be ridiculously expensive, considering you need a group too, but they make up for that because they are quite long lived, i've had specimens for around 10 years. All in all i've found them to be a brilliant community fish.

One thing I will say though is that the common consensus with these fish is that although they are quite small, maxing out at about 6", they will always be happier in a long tank because of their constant swimming and turn of speed. I've always had them in 6ft tanks.

Hope my experience puts your mind at rest. Enjoy your dennisons!
 
  • Like
Reactions: A201, FINWIN, Jexnell and 1 other person
I had my roselines in a tank full of soft plants (water Sprite) and they didnt even bother them along with vals.
 
I'm running out of excuses to sidestep this buy... you guys are not being helpful :)

Q: tell me about what they look like from above, IE in a pond - I expect the red will be visible, but does it luminesce in sunlight? Same re. the green head?
My filaments utterly explode in sunbeams through the office window (side-view tank, not pond), and I've got a planted-pond to do in August - filaments seem a no-go with plants.
 
I am curious as to why you expect denisons to be bred locally and be made cheaper soon? I see you are in Jamaica and there are certainly people farming fish there, but denisons have proven difficult to produce. As far as I know the imports are coming out of Asia where people have been successful, but the price hasn't come down dramatically nor has size improved as if they are overrun with production. Albinos are still very expensive. That is usually a sign that production is happening, but not in massive numbers. We also haven't seen a shift of them coming out of South America where other farmed fish come from.
 
Roseline sharks are probably one of the best community fish out there. Don't bother other fish, don't bother plants.
They will keep your tanks extra clean as well. Had some with an Oscar, they would line up to eat the waste as she produced it. The mess Oscar's make when they eat is gone in seconds 20171224_002721.jpg
I will cation against slow eaters, Roselines are ravenous eaters. Also if any hopes of fry production are nonexistent with these guys. Over a year and a half three Roselines ate thirteen HRP spawns, only three fry made it to adulthood out of all those spawns.
20180719_165256.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom