FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Hey All,

Just got back from my LFS and i came back with odly very little...

Well i came back with 3 knight goby's and some muscles. They are all in a 20long right now and havin a grand old time. I want a pleco or bottomfeeder. I plan to add 2 bolovian rams or maybe 3. So factor the rams and gobys and then maybe you all can help me pick out my new pleco or catfish(s)...


Peter

20 GALLON LONG CURRENTLY EMPTY ~~~~ 10 GALLON W/ STRIPPED CONVICT

Nice choice with the Knight Gobies. They are awesome fish.

IME, Knight Gobies, though sold in freshwater, do not do their best in it. Many will soon get clouded eyes, a sign that the water quality is not right for them. Your tank could be perfectly fine for most freshwater fish, your Knight Gobies could just go down in a couple weeks. The Knight Goby does its best in brackish water, which is part salt and part fresh. However, perhaps the Knight Goby is like the Celebes Rainbowfish; the Celebes Rainbow is also a fish known to do well in brackish, but people claim that it does fine in freshwater as long as the water is relatively high in hardness and not too soft.

I haven't kept Celebes Rainbowfish, but I do know that Knight Gobies can perish in a matter of weeks in just freshwater. If anyone else has actually had success they can chip in, as I haven't kept Knight Gobies in a while (though rightly so, since I haven't ever had a real brackish tank that one could go in).

Now, the problem is that these conditions are in direct opposition to those of plecs and rams, both coming from South American waters that are generally soft and purely fresh. I'd keep the Knight Gobies because they're cool, but other softwater species may not be the best idea.

Are those freshwater mussels? Didn't know they sold those! However, they would also appreciate harder water, as soft water would just make growing a shell that much more difficult. I don't know much about mussels, but I do know that invertebrates don't generally do any form of osmoregulation, so they may actually run into problems if you add salt. I would definitely try making sure the hardness is appropriate for your inhabitants, though.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Thank you so much! I have decided to keep my rams, iam getting rid of the gobies because i dont want to have a brackish tank, and they are super agressive. I got 2 pictus cats, love em...and iam not sure what else i want......Other opinions accepted on what else i should add...

Peter

20 GALLON LONG CURRENTLY EMPTY ~~~~ 10 GALLON W/ STRIPPED CONVICT

I'm not sure if Pictus Cats will be good for your tank long term. They get to about 5" and can get a tad aggressive. If you upgrade your tank in about a year or so you should be okay.

Inky

Ink,

They are 4 inches now and they are at least year old...dont think thry are gettig any bigger....plus every profile i read says only 4.1 @ most...especially my LFS. And I have known that guy for years. He knows alot.


Peter

20 GALLON LONG CURRENTLY EMPTY ~~~~ 10 GALLON W/ STRIPPED CONVICT