Jump to content


Questions on flagfish stocking


4 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Joshaeus_*

Guest_Joshaeus_*
  • Guests

Posted 17 June 2013 - 08:38 AM

'ello all! Currently I am considering owning flagfish in a 30 gallon. I have some questions about how to house and stock them:

1: How many flagfish could comfortably fit in the tank? What would the gender ration be?

2: How much of a threat are they to plants? I don't mind them snacking on the hornwort and duckweed that will be in the tank, but what about other plants?

3: I am also thinking of keeping a paradise gourami (which are usually just as belligerent as flagfish) in the same tank. Would this work or would it be a recipe for disaster? (If this helps I'll have a tank divider on hand just in case)

#2 Guest_EricaWieser_*

Guest_EricaWieser_*
  • Guests

Posted 17 June 2013 - 03:24 PM

1: How many flagfish could comfortably fit in the tank? What would the gender ration be?


I found an article by Mary E. Sweeney that recommends the following:

This well-aged 20-gallon tank has a reasonable amount of Java Moss, one male Flagfish, three female Flagfish, a sponge filter, heater, dark gravel bottom, and a few snails (not many for such a snail-friendly tank, which leads me to suspect that the Flagfish like a little escargot or maybe just escargot caviar). The lights are kept on 14 hours a day; the temperature is 72ºF; and the water chemistry is generally hard and alkaline with a pH in the 7.2 to 6.9 range. Aquarium water is used to water houseplants and this ensures small, frequent water changes. There is some brown algae on the back and sides of the tank and there is a bit of mulm on the gravel. Filtration is provided by a large sponge filter that is rarely squeezed and which the female uses as a barrier and source of snacks.

Source:
Secrets of the American Flagfish by Mary E. Sweeney. Microcosm Aquarium Explorer. ©2008.
Link: http://en.microcosma...erican_Flagfish

For a 30 gallon it's logical to have the same setup, maybe add another female. If it were me I wouldn't keep the paradise gourami in the same tank. The flagfish is a great opportunity to add a spawning species and some fry to your fish room. I would personally value the opportunity for fry more than I would the beauty of having the paradise gourami in the same tank.

As for your concerns about the flagfish eating plants, based on how I have seen half a dozen tanks set up with flagfish in copious plant cover, I don't think that's a big issue. In fact, having dense plant cover might help protect the plants. Mary Sweeney theorizes that flagfish are more likely to destroy soft tissued plants as a reaction to there being too much open space in the tank. Feed them spirulina pellets and par boiled zucchini and that might satisfy their herbivorous desire to munch on plant leaves.

Edited by EricaWieser, 17 June 2013 - 03:38 PM.


#3 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guest_Skipjack_*
  • Guests

Posted 17 June 2013 - 03:46 PM

I would put 15 in there without a concern, as long as filtration was good.

#4 Guest_Joshaeus_*

Guest_Joshaeus_*
  • Guests

Posted 17 June 2013 - 04:19 PM

Aren't flagfish rather territorial, though? Surely there must be a reason behind their being compared to cichlids...

#5 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guest_Skipjack_*
  • Guests

Posted 18 June 2013 - 01:15 PM

Yep, so provide lots of structure. Heavy stocking often helps prevent one fish being singled out and bullied, spreads out the aggression.



Reply to this topic



  


0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users