Hello. After loosing my Ellie over a year ago, I've been thinking of a new poly. I fell in love with a very tiny Polypterus senegalus senegalus at my local, decided no and got home for my husband to say "well, he is to small now, but he's only an inch or so smaller then Gil (a weather loach I have) so could keep him company for a while, then go upstairs and keep the giant danios company - or eat them, whichever - then go into the big tank... so we can go get him tomorrow." heh, way to feed the habit, babe. (The GDs were meant to be friends to my oscar, but refuse to grow bigger then 2 inches despite having a 4 foot tank to themselves!) My big tank is a 6.5x2x2 footer that Ellie lived in until her death (we figure she was quite old, she was at least 18 inches when we buried the poor girl) and is the current home of a few plecs and an oscar. I know with the size he is now my oscar would not think twice about eating him, but I know Gil is fine with small bottom fish (his friends were previously 2 other weather loaches, but they passed on and my in-laws never replaced them, he's been back home with me for the last few months and I've not got around to moving him upstairs to a bigger tank to get him friends)
Sorry, probably to much information, but here is some more: Currently the tank Gil (who is about 5 inches or so long, he's a big lad for a weather loach) is in is heated to 77F, has about 2 inches of sand on the bottom, filtered, and tomorrow will be full of live plants. Will this be a good home for the new poly for a while until he is big enough that the Danios won't pick on him? How long will it take him to grow enough to live with PITA? (Pain In The A.. you get the picture, and he IS exactly that) I know PITA is poly friendly, he loved Ellie to the point that I thought when she had died that he would sulk to death. We split them once thinking they would hurt each other and they both went on a 2 month food strike and sulked, sitting on the far end of the tanks where they could see each other. Once back together? Both pigged out and crammed themselves into the same cave. He's not really been right since she died, but I don't think the tank in general has been right either.
The 6.5x2x2 is also kept at 77F, filtered by two FX5s (over kill, but I use to have rescued pacu in it until they moved to a massive indoor pond) and will have a sand bottom over the summer as the gravel is getting on my nervs.
Thoughts? Ideas? I've never had a baby poly, Ellie was already a good 16-17 inches when I got her. She ate pellets, shrimp, fresh tuna, blood worms, every algae disc she could get away from PITA and about everything on the Poly approved list and then some plants on top just for fun. I am hoping the baby will do the same, and bring as much life into my large tank as Ellie did.
(if living with Gil is a bad idea - though I can't really see why off hand - I do have.. oh.. 20 or so other tanks.. don't ask, I have a very understocked fish room this summer! The tank Gil is in is already escape proof though, so it was first choice and second choice for having a lazy similar looking tank mate)
Thank you all so much in advance!
ETA: not all of the plecs will be there by the time he gets to the big tank. I've been a victim of "Oh, you have a big tank, do you want this fish or should I flush it, it got bigger then *local trash fish shop* said it would and *local good fish shop* is full again." for the last few years, but I am hoping the man who has my pacu (and just did a massive 18x10x8 FOOT heated pond) has room for them. Will be keeping Big Boy, You There, and That White One. (one day I will work out what they are - one is an albino something, one is a common L, and one looks just like the common L but black)
Thanks again
Sorry, probably to much information, but here is some more: Currently the tank Gil (who is about 5 inches or so long, he's a big lad for a weather loach) is in is heated to 77F, has about 2 inches of sand on the bottom, filtered, and tomorrow will be full of live plants. Will this be a good home for the new poly for a while until he is big enough that the Danios won't pick on him? How long will it take him to grow enough to live with PITA? (Pain In The A.. you get the picture, and he IS exactly that) I know PITA is poly friendly, he loved Ellie to the point that I thought when she had died that he would sulk to death. We split them once thinking they would hurt each other and they both went on a 2 month food strike and sulked, sitting on the far end of the tanks where they could see each other. Once back together? Both pigged out and crammed themselves into the same cave. He's not really been right since she died, but I don't think the tank in general has been right either.
The 6.5x2x2 is also kept at 77F, filtered by two FX5s (over kill, but I use to have rescued pacu in it until they moved to a massive indoor pond) and will have a sand bottom over the summer as the gravel is getting on my nervs.
Thoughts? Ideas? I've never had a baby poly, Ellie was already a good 16-17 inches when I got her. She ate pellets, shrimp, fresh tuna, blood worms, every algae disc she could get away from PITA and about everything on the Poly approved list and then some plants on top just for fun. I am hoping the baby will do the same, and bring as much life into my large tank as Ellie did.
(if living with Gil is a bad idea - though I can't really see why off hand - I do have.. oh.. 20 or so other tanks.. don't ask, I have a very understocked fish room this summer! The tank Gil is in is already escape proof though, so it was first choice and second choice for having a lazy similar looking tank mate)
Thank you all so much in advance!
ETA: not all of the plecs will be there by the time he gets to the big tank. I've been a victim of "Oh, you have a big tank, do you want this fish or should I flush it, it got bigger then *local trash fish shop* said it would and *local good fish shop* is full again." for the last few years, but I am hoping the man who has my pacu (and just did a massive 18x10x8 FOOT heated pond) has room for them. Will be keeping Big Boy, You There, and That White One. (one day I will work out what they are - one is an albino something, one is a common L, and one looks just like the common L but black)
Thanks again
Thank you