Compatabilty Question

[ironbiker]

Hi I have a question reguarding these awsome looking Brakish water fish called Mono`s ( see pic)I saw in a doctors office tank...the doctor couldnt give me any info ,he said an outside company takes care of the tank but he never had any issues with the fish in general. I have a 60 gal. with a ton of rocks and hiding caves...its home to 2 Peacocks and 2 yellow labs..I really want to add a few Monos, and was wondering if anyone has had any experiance with this type of merger and their thoughts on the matter

[Carl]

I have kept many Monos over the years, especially the Mono argenteus you have pictured. The Mono Sebae is the other Mono that is kept, but it is more difficult to keep.

I have also added these Monos in larger Mbuna African Cichlid tanks for clients with few problems as they generally occupy a different strata of water and move quickly.

The water parameters both fish prefer are close enough that that is not an issue IMO (both the African Cichlids and the Monos do well in high pH, KH, GH water, as well although salt is not essential for your Peacocks and Yellow labs, I do find that Monos are more likely to thrive when at least some salt (1 tablespoon per 5 gallons is added). BTW for Mono Sebaes, the use of salt is critical from my experience.

See:
Aquarium Answers; Salt

Carl

[ironbiker]

thank you Carl .....for your imput and expertise...I`m using the Sea-chem Cichlid Lake Salt now...so I should be good to go,,, hopefully... Its so great to get hands on advice; the on line research suggested they might be compatable...but knowing you've had success in the past, is more reassuring to give it a try, Thanks Again !!!

[bikeguy33]

my only concern is not being able to add enough salt for even a semi-brackish environment but far too much for an african. it will have to be a delicate balance...

[Carl]

Nov 10, 2009 13:18:54 GMT -5 bikeguy33 said:

my only concern is not being able to add enough salt for even a semi-brackish environment but far too much for an african. it will have to be a delicate balance...

That is a good point.

However the Mono Argenteus does not require nearly the amount of salt that the Mone Sebae requires (which is why this particular mono is a poor choice in any tank other than a true brackish tank), which makes it more compatible with other fish such as Rift Lake Cichlids that have higher salt tolerances than many fish, but are still not brackish fish.

Carl

[ironbiker]

Update... after two weeks...all was well till I lost one of the Mono`s, this morning..a stupid question but does the salt I add to the tank dissapate...meaning do the levels of salt decline after a while..I have been adding the recomended amout of Seachems Cichlid lake salt at all water changes? The amount I have is 5.5 g`s per 10 gallons...maybe it isnt enough? All my water parameters are perfect , there was no reason for this; other than a salt promblem, I assume? I really like these fish and so do their tank mates,no compatability problems at all, I dont want to lose the other two...any one have any ideas

[Carl]

The salt in the SeaChem Cichlid salt does not dissipate, however the buffers and minerals do, sometimes these may need to be replenished separately with products such as Wonder Shells (excellent for a constant supply of positive mineral ions) or SeaChem Marine or Malawii Buffer which also provides some minerals, but is primarily for KH and pH stability.

What are your water parameters?

How do the others appear?

Although the Mono argenteus is the easier Mono to keep in a brackish FW tank, it still is not what I would call an easy fish and is also prone to disease.
Of the brackish fish, I have found the Scats almost indestructible (I had one customer that got pissed off at his Scat and threw it in his pond without any acclimation and it thrived until fall when the temperatures dropped too much)

Carl

[ironbiker]

Tank size- 60 gal
Tank -6 weeks, set up
Ammonia-0
Nitrate-22
Temp-82
Nitrite-0
GH-200
kh-220
ph-8.2

All the other fish appear fantastic, including the two other Monos.. I use the Seachem Malawi /Victoria Buffer in conjuction with the Salt...I also used a product called AragaMight by CaribSea www.caribsea.com/pages/products/add_buff.html I was told it was a similar product to Wonder Shells , which I cant find locally. I just re-read the whole thread and noticed you mentioned the salt ratio of 1 " Tablespoon" per 5 gal. .....my ratio is basically 1 "Teaspoon" for 10 gal which would mean I am at a lot less them your recomendations...3 teaspoons =1 Tablespoon...and my ratio is based opon 10 gal instead of 5... I am guessing my salt levels are way to low... I have spent many hours on this forum reading the many informative and very helpfull tips and articles posted by you , I have learned SO MUCH, since I found this place , I really cant thank you and everyone else enough for all your help and guidence....and A Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family

[Carl]

Hopefully this may have simply been a weak fish, as I see nothing from what you posted that is a "smoking gun" of any potential issues.

As well the Aragamight appears to be an excellent product, my only suggestion for the use of this is to find a way to prepare a solution to drip it into your aquarium so as to provide a more steady stream of mineral cations.

Thanks you for the Happy Thanksgiving, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours as well.

Car