Suggestions please

[Baccus]

Now that it looks like summer is on its way and my rainbows in my 4ft tank are getting huge I am seriously planning on relocating them and the endlers down to my 1000L pond to live out their days. They will be joining endlers all ready in the pond along with notopala snails, cull cherry shrimp and from memory purple spot and empire gudgeons.That will leave just a couple of BN's a mob of sterbia corys and around 15 dwarf chain loaches in the 4ft. I was planning on putting my Pacific Blue Eyes into the tank from the 2ft black cherry tank, but that would leave just the 2 whiptails, nerites and black cherry's in the 2ft tank. So I am looking for a suitable safe fish to put back into the 2ft tank that wont bother the shrimp but will stop dragonfly nymphs being able to invade the tank, which has happened previously when no fish where with the shrimp. Hence the useful and pretty Pacific Blue Eyes.

I really like Blue Eye species and already have Spotted Blue Eyes  in my native shrimp tank, and could order either Delicate Blue Eyes or Neon Blue Eyes for the tank although I would really love some Honey Blue Eyes. I could put threadfin rainbows in but I already have some in one of my other 4ft tanks and if possible I would prefer to not double up on species between different tanks.

I did try Rasbora maculata at one time but they just failed to thrive.

So requirements....

1. Available in Central Queensland or from sources that will ship. eg Aquagreen, Livefish

2. Shrimp friendly, nonaggressive

3. Snail friendly (leave the nerites alone)

4. tolerant of heat, the shed and tanks get pretty hot in summer.

5. Wont breed to EXTERME

6. Prefer to not have a fish that will eat destroy the plants.

I know I could just leave a mob of male endlers in the tank, but I really want to have a school/ shoal of nice peaceful fish that wont harass the shrimp, snails or whiptails. I even considered cross banded danios but I'm not really sure how shrimp safe they would be. I will probably even be looking for a suitable fish for my 50-60L tank that currently only houses red cherry shrimp and nerite snails in the near future too.

So suggestions please......

[KillieOrCory]

Nice. I was just about to suggest Epiplatys annulatus - Clown Panchax/Killifish until I read your requirement 4. Not sure upto what temp they will be good in. I haven't ever kept them above 26C.

There is Pygmy Panchax - Aplocheilus blockii and they tolerate heat really well. Even though they are roughly the size of annulatus I have no experience with them together with shrimp.

Blue-eyes are a good choice.

There is also Norman's Lampeye - Poropanchax normanii that get imported semi regularly that would do great in your tank but that one is also upto 26C I believe.

 

[Baccus]

I would love killi fish, but alas they are almost never available in my area, aside from the golden wonderer Panchax something or other but I am fairly sure almost all killi fish and their relations are fairly predatory.

I know sparkling gouramis are out because I watched them previously happily tear apart full grown shrimp.

I would even love to get my hands on some Rhads, but again I think they would eat the shrimp and I am not really sure how big they get, but generally anything much over 10cm is going to be too big for the 2ft.

[jc12]

Similarly I have not been able to find clown killifish. Do you have any @KillieOrCory?

@Baccus would CPDs suit your criteria?

Edited August 29, 2017 by jc12

[KillieOrCory]

I currently don't have any clown killies but they get imported regularly @jc12

I just did a very quick search and Coburg Aquarium in VIC have them and they ship. They are $3.95 each

http://shop.coburgaquarium.com.au/live-fish/killifish.html

 

[jc12]

Thanks for the link @KillieOrCory. I have never ordered fish online. Is Coburg a reliable LFS? I note they have different prices for the same fish i.e. corydoras pygmaeus.

I'll have a look around. Hope I can source boraras brigittae, corydoras habrosus and the clown killies all from the same source to save on freight.

Sorry to go off topic. Back to you @Baccus. Have you decided on what to get?

Edited August 30, 2017 by jc12