# can these fish be kept together?



## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

purple spotted gudgeon
red torpedo/denisons barb
golden ram
clown loach
blue lobster
fire eel
german blue ram
some sort of puffer
blue and yellow rainbow fish i dont know what they are called but not dwarf rainbows.
cory dora catfish
will all of these be ok kept together?

thanks.


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## andy007 (May 13, 2008)

Quite a variety

Fire Eels can attain around 3ft in length and as adults can feed on anything it can fit in its mouth. So the Corys and rams would be at risk, paticularly as the eel is mainly nocturnal. Depending on the Rainbow species, even they could be eel food. Eels are easily damaged so anything likely to nip them isn't a good idea.

Rams, particularly the Gold Rams, tend to prefer higher than normal water temps than most other trops, especially higher than Corys prefer.

Mixing Rams would require lots of space due to the aggression issues, but then a stocking list like this would require a rather large aquaria anyway.

With the Puffer, it all depends which ones? A lot of the puffers that aren't Brackish are smaller and therefore possible food for the eel. 

The Purple Spotted Gudgeon are nice peaceful fish, but if two paired up and bred the male can be very aggressive to anything else in the tank.

IMO, there are too many variables in the habitats and requirements of each of the fish listed, and if the tank isn't massive (60-80 gallons min) there is alomost certainly going to be issues.


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## Cleopatra the Royal (Nov 29, 2008)

I think Andy's summed everything up perfectly for you there.

Harry


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## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

Hi i think im getting a about 125-200 litres tank but not sure what that is in gallons. 

out of that list please could you tell me what you would get that would go together(anyone). THANKS


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## andy007 (May 13, 2008)

Hi
125lts = 27.5 gallons
200lts = 44.1 gallons

If you get the 125lt tank then I'd go with the Denison barbs, Blue Lobster, one type of Ram and the Corys:2thumb: You would still have a bit of room for something else too, maybe a few Rainbows and a small Plec.

The 200lt tank you could have Gudgeon, Lobster, Rainbows, but not sure about the Fire Eel?? 

Other alternatives on the same lines as yours would be adding Peacock Gobies to the 125lt. They look like the Purple Gudgeon but are smaller and more peaceful. I have 2 and they are great.
In the 200lt if the Rainbows were of a larger size, you could have Dwarf rainbow Snakeheads. As long as theres nothing too small they should be fine

Its whether or not you want the Fire Eel that will dictate the stocking.


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## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

i dont know much about fire eel should i just forget it?


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## andy007 (May 13, 2008)

I wouldn't say forget the Eels, but try and find out as much about them as you can. Better to read too much on the net rather than take a shops word though


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## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

ok. i might not get corys if they wont get along.


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## andy007 (May 13, 2008)

Beacuse i was bored I had a look around at Fire Eel care stuff lol Most say that the tank size should be 50+gallons, and to keep with similar sized fish. 
I presume "similar" sized fish is refering to the Eels girth rather than length. So whatever you put with them needs to be quite large.
Any tankmates should be able to hold their own. i.e. no fish that are easily intimidated.
I think if I was to ever want to keep Eels, I would have a single species tank, or if the tank was big enough have some Purple Spotted Gudgeon with them.


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

I wouldn't go with the blue lobster with any fish at all.

Most will rip apart any fish they can get their claws on. : victory:


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

As above. Also, Clown Loaches are a shoaling species and should be kept in groups of 5/6 individuals in a tank of 400L+ as they grow very large. A group of Zebra Loaches would be more suitable for the tank size you're suggesting. : victory:


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## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

Hmm this is confusing.
i really like purple spotted gudgeons so im going to get them. the rest i might just get as i go along.


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## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

bump.


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## Animalmadness (Dec 8, 2009)

hi i'd also be careful about the puffers because depending on the species they sometimes need brackish water. Also, they tend to be quite aggressive and nippy.


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## gwinni (Oct 8, 2007)

I keep my blue lobster/red clawed crayfish in a tank with, 1 kissing gourami, 1 gold spot plec, 1 red finned shark and some glowlight tetras, so far sebastian hasn't bothered with the fish. I make sure he's well fed with algae wafers, fish food and hikari crustacean pellets, and frozen bloodworms. I also buy a prawn occasionally for them, half cooked carrot and cucumber. I'm not naive enough to think he would never have a go at the fish but so far so good lol. The stuff i read about tank mates for red clawed crayfish said they should be fish that swim at the top of the tank.


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## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

i saw a gourami that was about 6"-7" long and that took my fancy. it was only £15 but im not sure its name because it as right at the top and i coulnt quite see it.


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## gwinni (Oct 8, 2007)

Why don't you google image search gourami's? Think the kind i've got grows to between 4-6inches.


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## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

gwinni said:


> Why don't you google image search gourami's? Think the kind i've got grows to between 4-6inches.


what are thay called?


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## gwinni (Oct 8, 2007)

The one i have is a kissing gourami. If you google image gourami's you could maybe find the one you saw in the shop?


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## drag (Oct 31, 2009)

andy007 said:


> Fire Eels can attain around 3ft in length and as adults can feed on anything it can fit in its mouth. So the Corys and rams would be at risk, paticularly as the eel is mainly nocturnal. Depending on the Rainbow species, even they could be eel food. Eels are easily damaged so anything likely to nip them isn't a good idea.
> 
> 
> andy007 said:
> ...


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## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

im thinking about just getting 3-4 big fish and maybe a shoal of smaller ones.


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## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

bump./


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## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

bumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbump


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## clairethorn (May 2, 2008)

Here's my opinion, for what it's worth!
I have a fire eel in my 260l tank, he is about 8 inches currently, and is sharing a tank with various loaches, corys, platies, hatchets, elephant nose, leopard bushfish, reed fish and danios. The fire eel only has a small mouth and i feed him grated frozen heart, bloodworm and brine shrimp. I've had no problems so far with agression or losing small fish (even withe the reed fish!), but have a HUGE tank in storage just in case!:2thumb:
I've never heard of the purple ones you mention, i best not google them as i will only have to hunt some down if i like the look...and no room left in the house!!!:blush:

Good luck!:2thumb:


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## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

i think i might get a red tail giant gourami. i quite like gouramis


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## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

bumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpbumpb


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## little jo (Jul 17, 2008)

lobsters will eat anything they can catch from my experience, we have alot of probs with them in the shop i work in. ive never personally kept fire eel but have kept several types of polypterous in with my fish with no problems so far, google pictures of them as they look pretty cool :whistling2:


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## Reptile-newb (Jul 13, 2009)

andy007 said:


> If you get the 125lt tank then I'd go with the Denison barbs, Blue Lobster, one type of Ram and the Corys:2thumb: You would still have a bit of room for something else too, maybe a few Rainbows and a small Plec.


Denison's barbs are quite big (15cm at adult size) - I wouldn't recommend them for a 125L...


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## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

iv dicided on:
golden severum----------->
red fin giant gourami------>all quite young
fire eel------------------->

and may be;
congo tetras
pleco

sound good?


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## Reptile-newb (Jul 13, 2009)

Giant gourami? I'd definitely avoid those. They can grow to monstrous sizes. Go to any large public aquarium if you don't believe me.


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## Adam98150 (Jan 12, 2009)

hedgehog738 said:


> iv dicided on:
> golden severum----------->
> red fin giant gourami------>all quite young
> fire eel------------------->
> ...


Obviously not the Giant Gourami, have you tried putting any of these fish in Google? You know! The search engine!?!

I'm pretty sure someone has told you how big the Fire Eel will eventually attain, 2'+ - Looks like you've chosen to ignore the advice given. An adult will need a 75g+ aquarium. You do realise it's not a "true" eel don't you? Anyway, a Peacock Spiny Eel will be a more suitable choice providing you go with the 200L tank. This will only reach 14". Alternatively, you could go with a Zebra Spiny Eel - 7".

Again, a common Plec will grow too large. Zebra, Pitbull, Bulldog, Gold Nugget, Bristlenose and so forth would be better.

And Severums are pretty aggressive, It'll definitely limit your options in the future.

Edit: Do some research. :/


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## Reptile-newb (Jul 13, 2009)

To be honest, I'd say that severums aren't really that aggressive for cichlids, and no where near as aggressive as the central american cichlids (like salvini, jaguars, JDs and red devils.) Mine do well in a semi-aggressive 400L blackwater community tank with other amazonian fish (plenty of black widow, white skirt and serpae tetras and a large shoal of brochis splendens and pepper corydoras).

As with most south american cichlids (with a few notable exceptions such as the aptly named 'green terror') they can work in the community tank, you just have to get the combinations right. Severums are great tankmates for fish like angelfish, and have been collected with angelfish in the wild, so they have also been found to live in the same bodies of water. My severum doesn't show any aggression whatsoever, I even had a shoal of Geophagus cichlids in there for a while, and he was fine with them.

Generally severums are quite laid back for cichlids.


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## hedgehog738 (Oct 6, 2009)

hedgehog738 said:


> Hi i think im getting a about 125-200 litres tank but not sure what that is in gallons.
> 
> out of that list please could you tell me what you would get that would go together(anyone). THANKS


its a 240 litres now.


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