caymansarah

Hi all, I am new here but wanted to solicit your help. I was running a saltwater tank but sadly lost the inmates - I suspect it was because they became stressed and then diseased because I cannot maintain a low enough temp. I live in the Cayman islands which is constantly in the upper 80s to 90s all year round and I had to really crank up the AC to get the water down to 82 F which made my electricity bill rocket.

SO

Now I am starting again - this time with a freshwater set up in a 25Gall tank. My criteria for fish is:

1) have to be OK at 84-86 F
2) are easy to keep
3) need to play nicely together
and it would be a "nice to have" if I could breed them.

Any suggestions of what types of fish could compatibly share the space and fit within these criteria? Thanks everyone.

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore!! im sure living there is something you dont care for all the time but right now in the -30F id die to at least visit

as far as stocking, the temps are a bit warm for most fishies but can you freeze containers and float them in the tank to keep the temps to 82 the highest? soda bottles, water bottles, etc...those help alot...extra airation like bubble wands help also as warmer water has less oxygen....

do you have a preference on community fish or cichlids etc? livebearers like guppies, mollys, platies are great and very forgiven to alot of things...

Jess

That temp is good for Discus. But you could only have 2. Any more than that and you would be overstocked. Note they require very clean water so water changes 1-2 x a week are important.

caymansarah

Interesting thought Shawnie. I would be concerned about having such different temps in one tank (ie colder water around the bottle?) Would that eb stressful for the fish? I could maybe try to find a container small enough that I sit in the filter and therefore the colder water would be distributed more evenly? I wonder whether I could maintain the temps by doing 1 per day. As I am planning to set up the tank and let it run, fishless for a week or so I could experiment with that.

Thanks Jess - I had read that the Discus is not so easy to keep because of the conditions it requires. Also am I right in thinking there aren't too many fish compatible with it?

Great ideas....keep em coming!

Jess

Well my discus are in a community tank. You can check it out if you like. But you're right water quality has to be kept up. If you slow down. Problems begin.

Jess

I personally would love to have some German blue Rams. What do you think about those?

CoreyCat

they make water heaters for your tank so you can control the temp of your water...

Amanda

They only heat the water (which they have no problem doing )

tinah

mollies do well in warmer water,although they require specialized care.

caymansarah

my problem is that I would need a cooler - the ambiant temp with no heating would sit around 84F. I understand that water coolers are huge and very expensive - and hard to find.

Re German Blue Ram - what a beautiful fish - I found this link but it say max temp 79F...do you think that is right?
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...84&pcatid=1084

Jess I am going to look up all the fish in your 55gall tank because that is at 84 isn't it?

Red1313

hmmm... at there types of fish that you find locally there? Something more native to the region might be the best way to go, they'd be used to temps up in that range.
Also there are aquarium chillers that you can buy I don't have much experiance with them.
I'll start googling for you.
This sounds interesting

cerianthus

No, if has good circulation. One bottle of 2 liter soda bottle wont last that long not to mention drop will be minimal. Need constant replacement of Fz bottles to keep the temp down to desired temp which is hassle ( One missed exchange could result disaster). At natural 86F, Discus seems to be the best choice along with other SA Dwarf Cichlids.

Red1313

Ah I love Mongabay.com

http://fish.mongabay.com/data/Cayman_Islands.htm
You might want to look into some of these, they wouldn't be as exotic maybe but alot of them are related to killlifish so you might want to check that out. Also a number of them are small enough to have in a tank.

Hope this was helpful.

angelfish220

Although they cost WAY more than heaters, there are chillers that you can get if you want to get serious about fish keeping.

I would actually try and look around and see what 'native fish' are in your area. Of course they would have to stay small, and aren't as available in pet stores, but they would be able to withstand the heat.

caymansarah

Nothing native to Cayman - that's for sure - no rivers or ponds or anything fresh in fact! I wonder if there are any Mexican breeds...

I will have to ask at the fish shop where they import from. It seems like amazonian river fish like high temps but it looks like they are mostly difficult to keep which is not great for me - I need invinsible fish! Of course I am also restricted by what is available here but at least if I have a plan then I can challenge the shop to obtain them for me.

So it is sounding like discus and cardinals might work....Does anyone think that Glassfish would do the job?

jdhef

Welcome to Fishlore!

Boseman's Rainbows like a temp between 81 and 86 and are really nice fish. Sadly your tank may be a little small for them.

On a side note, I spent a week in Grand Cayman about 15 years ago on my honeymoon. You sure do live in paradise! One of my most memorable experiences was going snorkeling with the Sting Rays at Sting Ray City (I think that's what they called it.) We got really lucky when we went because they had overbooked, and called us about a half hour before our assigned time and asked if we would mind going out a couple hours later. We said sure, and it turned out to be just us and one other couple, so we had the place pretty much to ourselves. Plus since there was only the 4 of us, the Captain and first mate broke out there private stash of rum drinks for all of us.

It was amazing being in 15 feet of water and being able to see a quarter on the bottom. At the New Jersey shore, you walk in water up to your ankles and you can't see your feet!

caymansarah

Yes it is gorgeous here - we have been here 5 years and have no plans to go back to UK. Stingray city is a great experience - you were very lucky to have it so quiet!

So I went to the store to look at the fish - a lot of the tanks there were running at 84-86 including the tank with dwarf gouramis and the plays. The guy I spoke to said that my tank was probably too small for cichlids and I have to confess to being a little nervous of the discus and care they require - plus I was thinking of something a bit more lively for my tank.

So should I just go for dwarf gouramis and platys? I was thinking maybe just 2 of the gouramis - they only sell males and then a bit of a school of platys of varying colour...wht do you all think? I have got the water going and put my substrate in and will go get some plants today so I have a week of so while the nitrogen cycle does its thing to decide.

caymansarah

So I am starting to get excited. I have the tanks set up with plants (and by default snails). I am getting some reading on ammonia and nitrate - which I hope the snails will help with. I have been putting one or 2 fish flakes in each day to help the process along and my tank is sitting at around 84-85 consistently.

So I am thinking dwarf gouramis and either mollies or platies. But rather than go nuts I might get a couple and see how they cope before introducing loads...I want to be sure they are happy rather than torture a whole tank of fish.

Fishlover423

you could get a chichlid, they are not so hard to take care of and they are tons of fun!

caymansarah

oh and a picture of the tank:

Attached Images

073.jpg (482.6 KB, 5 views)

Jess

Beautiful tank. Nice job with the plants.
I could see a school of cardinals or a school of rummynose.
I'm sure you'll find something that will work.

caymansarah

Fishlover - I asked the fish store about cichlids but they said my tank wa stoo small (25gall) what do you think?

Jess - I was thinking the same about the cardinals but again the guy at the fishstore said that they are very sensitive......

Mind you - it wasn't the guy I like and trust. Maybe I will try again with him and see what he suggests.

caymansarah

Ah.....I just spotted on someone's post that driftwood is a no-no for certain types of fish....anyone know about this? Given that I have stuck driftwood in my tank, does anyone know which fish don't like it?

Jess

Drift wood will soften your water. Discus, neons, rummynose, cardinals all these guys like that a lot! So just decide what fish you want and then see what water requirements and go from there. Or better yet see what your water is and then decide what fish would be happiest. (I think that's what you started doing with temp requirements for fish)

caymansarah

Cool - Jess you're a star....you've been following my progress and I appreciate that. I have been studying your aquarium info...very handy!

Butterfly

Angelfish would be perfect in that tank the higher tanks would stimulate their immune system and when mature would keep them in breeding mode
Carol

caymansarah

ooooo really Butterfly? I like the sound of that. I will do some more Angel fish research

Mike19

don't they sell aquarium chillers which cool your water down once they get to hot.

Butterfly

I had some outside in tubs one summer and all they wanted to do was color up and breed
Of course you will have to provide good filtration and large water changes. Warmer water contains less oxygen so you would have to keep the tank in good condition.
Two angels would be max though
carol

caymansarah

So I was loitering in the fish store today studying the angels and a woman walked in who clearly knew nothing about fish - she said she wanted "lots" of bright coloured fish that wouldn't attack each other - she went from tank to tanks saying "3 of those, 3 of those, 3 of those and a few of these." She didn't bother to even look at what the fish were called or anything and even tried to throw in a few saltwater fish but the guy pointed out they wouldn't go in the tank. But what really shocked me was that he didn't ask the size of her tank, or whether it was cycled or anything. The only thing he vetoed was the saltwater and said no to her having angels. She was looking like she would leave the store with about 30 fish. I fear for them....but I thought it was pretty irresponsible of the shop guy to not ask any question or offer any advice to someone who clearly has no clue.

now regarding my fish - I think I will go for 2 angels but the guy said they are hard to sex and even if you do get a pair they may not like each other - so we agreed that as the fish are immature and small now, I would take a few - maybe 5 or 6 and identify a couple who are pairing and then return the others....do you think that sounds likea good plan or is it unfair to put fish through the transport stress. If not then how else can I be sure to have a compatible pair?