Help ID a fish for me :(

S

stoopid

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May 15, 2003
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Hi! First post here, by all indications on the net this is the best bulletin board for fishy things.

I bought a 3-4 inch orange and orange striped (verticle) aggressive omnivorous fish from a local store. I contacted the store today to find out the species and he thought it was a buttikoferi, but I can't find any images on the internet of an orange variety (though it does look similar in body type).

Any ideas what I have?
 
Yep, Comprecisseps from Tanganyika do have a tendency to kill smaller fish...you'd be best-suited by keeping them in a species tank!
 
Originally posted by ChilDawg
Yep, Comprecisseps from Tanganyika do have a tendency to kill smaller fish...you'd be best-suited by keeping them in a species tank!
Click to expand...

Those smaller fish are supposed to be eaten, but he just klills them. I saw a suggestion to feed them 1/2" or smaller feeders (most of the ones he's killed were 1" or so). I also was told to keep the water at 82-85F, which I found out is WAAAY too warm (recommended 76-82F on the sites I've visited). I'll turn the heater down as soon as I get home this afternoon.
 
Gotcha...slowing down the metabolic rate is another reason to lower the tank temperature, but don't overdo it...the range at which you are planning on keeping the fish is probably great for it.
 
Originally posted by ChilDawg
Gotcha...slowing down the metabolic rate is another reason to lower the tank temperature, but don't overdo it...the range at which you are planning on keeping the fish is probably great for it.
Click to expand...

I checked with the store owner and was 'warned' that there is more than one way to maintain fish/acquariums and that they have a particular 'style' (keeping the waters warm). They basically said, once I started spouting all that I've learned browsing the net, to "look around, the proof is in our tanks." I will admit that their shop is VERY well kept and fish are frisky, and all tanks are 82+F. Some flags went up, however, when I was NOT encouraged to learn all I could. I wonder if they prefer their customers to be 'dumbed-down'. I know from my overclocking/PC interests that the more you know the more you know. I'm weary of anyone discouraging the pursuit of knowledge. They did clarify by saying that in this hobby there's several schools of thought, but I doubt that such basic things as water temperature would vary so greatly.
 
Wow--never heard of a LFS actively discouraging a customer from using different techniques!

There are lots of ways to maintain a tank, and even people using the same equipment with the same fish will have different routines. The thing to understand about temperature--and this is important--is that the metabolism of fish is controlled in large part by the temp of the water. The basic idea is simple, but complicated by the fact that it is not absolute for all fish. For example, a temp of 82 is fine for fish that come from warm waters, but will be very stressful for a fish whose native waters average only 65.

Also, LFS tanks are not the same as your tank at home. Most LFS have large systems--huge amounts of water plumbed together. This allows them to maintain higher stocking rates, faster metabolisms, and not suffer the same problems if you tried to use this system on a 55 gallon tank. The fish don't stay in these tanks forever--most are there for a very short time indeed. Most fish can tolerate extremes, for a short time, as long as the average conditions are not too far from their native water conditions. So, a a fish that is kept in a much higher temp for 2 weeks will be okay, but that same fish will suffer if kept that way for years.

I'm moving this thread over to Cichlids, since they will be able to provide specific experience with this fish species.
 
Thanks for the feedback everyone, I thought something 'was up' with that place...

I'm keeping the tank around 82-83F right now, I figure it's close to the high-end of the recommended temps and near their suggestion.
 
:eek: if you dont trust the lfs- GET OUTTA THERE! would you take advice from someone you dont trust in any other situation? find a new lfs, and in the meantime trust your instincts.on the temp. personally, i would use what i found a lot of info about(the lower temp) as opposed to one person you dont really trust.;)
 
the main reason that they keep the temps higher than normal is so that the fish move around more and so that you are more incluned to buy them!
 
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