suitable tankmates

darren · Post by **darren** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 9:27 pm

hi all for the last 8 mnths have had my 4 zebs(2 f,2m)in a 3 ft tank in spare room but have recently purchased a 4 ft tank for livng room and ideally would like to transfer them to this but as you all know theyre not seen much so was just wondering what tankmates i could put in with them just so there would be abit of activity thanks to jo have had two suggestions of corys and rummynoses anybody else got any suggestions also am hoping to build my number of zebs up to 8 over the next cpl of years with the intention of hoping they spawn has anybody had success when not using just species tank eg having zebs in with other species of fish,,any info greatly appreciated thanks dar

sam · Post by **sam** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:48 am

My first spawns occurred when they were kept with Discus.I had to separate the fry from the dad just in case the discus fancied a tasty snack.
I just keep the zeb's mainly on their own now but the tank look's a little bare now

vanillarum · Post by **vanillarum** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:52 pm

Hey there. I have sterbaii corys and cory hastatus in with my zebras. They help keep the tank clean and add a little to the decor. Good luck.

Post by **TwoTankAmin** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 6:38 pm

Stebais will for sure eat zebra fry. They loved the first batch of 201s I had.

Have kept zebras with discus, not a spawning situation. I assume Discus will also snack on zebra fry.

darren · Post by **darren** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 8:53 pm

thanks for answers appreciate it,do you all think id be ok with a shoal of neon tetras and rummy nose tetras would thease eat the fry if the zebs spawn??

Hitch · Post by **Hitch** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:36 pm

For a display tank, discus would work. I would stay away from the larger corys, not only do they eat the egg/fry, they also out compete the zebras with food. I have heard of success stories with the dwarf corys (pygmeus, hatatus, etc) since they dont eat as much.

Search tank mates in the search function and you would get some good previous threads about the topic. And I believe there has been issues with keep neon tetras (dont remember what exactly). Although if you are able to keep rummynoses, they would be pretty cool since their colouration is a good indicator of water quality.

darren · Post by **darren** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:42 pm

many thanks for reply have searched threads but getting really stressed over picking right fish that i can safely put in with them,read afew posts about people whove kept them with discus might look into this more as really want to move zebs to my display tank in living room but also want some activity in there anybody else think disus would be ok

gtp · Post by **gtp** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 9:54 pm

If you want to keep bottom dwelling tankmates with the zebs that may out compete them for fod, then I use a rather good, but simple method....put a load of flake or pellets in there first, wait till the active catfish are bursting, then put in the proper stuff for the zebs. Works a treat with my zebs and corys. Put a load of flake in there (you'll have to let it go under the water so it sinks, not just scatter on the surface), give the corys 20-30 mins to get full (you can see as their stomachs get quite bursting), then put in the food for the zebs, bloodworm for example. The corys may still nibble a bit but they'll be pretty sluggish and the most part will be available for the zebs to graze on as and when.

Hitch · Post by **Hitch** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 3:20 am

interesting idea gtp, i'll def try it.

As for the discus, from my readins they should be fine with zebras, on the plus side, they both love warm waters. But the discus should not be bothered by the zebra, and the frequent water change in the discus tank would be benefitial to the zebra.

darren · Post by **darren** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:03 pm

thanks all for the replies but still dnt know what to do but they are in the main tank so its a start

had hell of a job netting them to think somebody had superglued them to the sides of tank

Post by **TwoTankAmin** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:59 pm

I use a stainless steel icing spatula to help encourage the fish to let go of the glass and go int the net. It is an art one must master especially with zebra fry. The adults never need help but the younguns sure do stick.

Also, do not try to get zebra fry out of a tank using a syphon. That may work with bristlenose, but zebras go in and they don't come out. It only took one try to learn that bit of wisdom.

I have found that the only sure way to remove zebras from tanks is to remove everything else from the tank aside from the zebras and the water (you can leave the substrate if you have it) and then net them. Provide any cover and they will all use it. And when I say everything that includes heaters, filter intakes and/or returns, thermometers etc etc.

darren · Post by **darren** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:37 pm

thanks for all the info have got zebs in display tank now and have put in 10 x harlequin rosboras and 4 x cherry shrimps been setup up the last 2 days and to tell you the truth ive seen the zebs out and about more in the last 2 days than i have since ive had them,only thing is i think maintainence might be abit of a nightmare as it has sand substrate and loads of bogwood and decoration,got the 4 cherry shrimps but can anybody suggest anything else that can be used as a clean up crew ,,posted pic of tank in setups section thanks

mistern2005 · Post by **mistern2005** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 8:19 pm

I have LOADS of cherry shrimp in my tank to help clean - they do a fine job. I also have some assassin snails and 2 dwarf puffers (all to take care of the unwanted pest snails). I also have 17 runnynose tetras. All is well too - everyone leaves everyone else alone - although I hear I just got lucky as dwarf puffers can be a bit of a nightmare, but my are very well behaved and quite timid - I even see the zebras chase them away.