E.B.A. help

[Randy West]

I have a 4 year old EBA in a 29G with peppered cory, leopard pleco, 2 platys and a fiddler crab. My question is what is a good schooling fish that i can put 8-10 in. My EBA is very mild. The platys were small when i put them in and he/she left them alone. Id also like another cichlid of different color. All advice welcome.

 

[Gourami Swami]

I would advise against getting another cichlid. 29g is a small tank and your EBA already knows it is his territory, even though they are very mild, I doubt he wants to share. Other cichlids which can live in a 29 are few and far between.
As far as the schooling fish- avoid barbs, larger rainbowfish, and "nippy" tetras like Buenos aires. Most others will be fine. Glo-light, von rio, cardinal, emperor tetras would be fine. Danio species other than the giant danio, will also be fine. I would stick to 6-8, no need to overstock (your tank is approaching fully-stocked as is)

 

[Randy West]

I would advise against getting another cichlid. 29g is a small tank and your EBA already knows it is his territory, even though they are very mild, I doubt he wants to share. Other cichlids which can live in a 29 are few and far between.
As far as the schooling fish- avoid barbs, larger rainbowfish, and "nippy" tetras like Buenos aires. Most others will be fine. Glo-light, von rio, cardinal, emperor tetras would be fine. Danio species other than the giant danio, will also be fine. I would stick to 6-8, no need to overstock (your tank is approaching fully-stocked as is)

Thank you for the reply. Overstocking wise whats the formula? Ive heard 1"/G and 1 fish/G. Thats is why I'm reaserching now. Im designing a 55G and I'd like to build a scaled version of the tankmates I like. Of the fish you suggested which is the most active swimmer? Also is there any cichlid sized fish i could put with the EBA? I considered a mating partner but in my tank I fear theyd kill everything in a spawn.

 

[Gourami Swami]

There is no general formula, because all fish have different body types and behavioral patters, and thus create different amounts of bioload. For example, 12 neon tetras will make much less ammonia/waste than a 12" Oscar would.
Good on you for asking before doing. I would say in a 55g you have some cichlid options for tankmates, the 29 is just too small. I wouldn't add any other fish to the 29 other than the small schooling fish.
In a 55, you could try keyhole cichlids, biotodoma cupido, rainbow cichlids, kribensis, or bolivian rams. There are also plenty of non-cichlids you could do, one example being dwarf gouramis.

 

[Randy West]

There is no general formula, because all fish have different body types and behavioral patters, and thus create different amounts of bioload. For example, 12 neon tetras will make much less ammonia/waste than a 12" Oscar would.
Good on you for asking before doing. I would say in a 55g you have some cichlid options for tankmates, the 29 is just too small. I wouldn't add any other fish to the 29 other than the small schooling fish.
In a 55, you could try keyhole cichlids, biotodoma cupido, rainbow cichlids, kribensis, or bolivian rams. There are also plenty of non-cichlids you could do, one example being dwarf gouramis.

Thank you again. The tank was a gift and I had a uca when I was a teenager so I bought a fiddler crab and made his habitat out of a large mouth wine jug and i fell in love. I also used to build cellcast plexi displays so ive dabled in fish tanks before but now i feel like my pets lives are at stake LOL. Is there any reading material for freshwater tropical tanks? Like a Bible of fish tanks, if you will?

 

[Gourami Swami]

There have been plenty of good books published over the years, no real "bible" however- and unfortunately, as technology advances at such a rapid rate, I have found that a lot of the information contained in my older aquarium books is outdated. One recommendation I can make for a book that has great information on almost all the readily available freshwater species, is Dr. Axelrod's Atlas.
In my opinion the best resource is the internet- you have to be selective with who you listen to, but there are lots of people on this site and other sites who would gladly steer you in the right direction. I tend to think this site is the best forum, because generally you will receive good advice here, and if somebody chimes in with something incorrect or questionable, there are lots of members here who love to call them out on it.

 

[Randy West]

There have been plenty of good books published over the years, no real "bible" however- and unfortunately, as technology advances at such a rapid rate, I have found that a lot of the information contained in my older aquarium books is outdated. One recommendation I can make for a book that has great information on almost all the readily available freshwater species, is Dr. Axelrod's Atlas.
In my opinion the best resource is the internet- you have to be selective with who you listen to, but there are lots of people on this site and other sites who would gladly steer you in the right direction. I tend to think this site is the best forum, because generally you will receive good advice here, and if somebody chimes in with something incorrect or questionable, there are lots of members here who love to call them out on it.

Thank you. My wife wants to know...
"What can I put in the 55G in the way of crabs, shrimp etc that arent easily picked on?"
Thank you again.

 

[Gourami Swami]

Japonica shrimp are a boisterous shrimp that can live with most small-medium community fish. The smaller crystal red and various colored shrimp tend to get killed or eaten by anything larger than 2" or so- but the japonicas are larger, and would probably do fine in my opinion with your acara. Bamboo shrimp are another species that get quite large, and are filter-feeders, so they clean the water column up a bit. I have kept both of these species with ram cichlids, which are similar (though a bit smaller) to your acara.
I do not know much about crabs, sorry I can't help you there

 

[tlindsey]

I would advise against getting another cichlid. 29g is a small tank and your EBA already knows it is his territory, even though they are very mild, I doubt he wants to share. Other cichlids which can live in a 29 are few and far between.
As far as the schooling fish- avoid barbs, larger rainbowfish, and "nippy" tetras like Buenos aires. Most others will be fine. Glo-light, von rio, cardinal, emperor tetras would be fine. Danio species other than the giant danio, will also be fine. I would stick to 6-8, no need to overstock (your tank is approaching fully-stocked as is)

^
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[tlindsey]

I have a 4 year old EBA in a 29G with peppered cory, leopard pleco, 2 platys and a fiddler crab. My question is what is a good schooling fish that i can put 8-10 in. My EBA is very mild. The platys were small when i put them in and he/she left them alone. Id also like another cichlid of different color. All advice welcome.

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