help me to choose my loricarids dream

[Morgul]

hello , im Miguel from spain
This is my dreamed forum , because im a catfish lover , my dream is to have a group of merodontus tigrinus in a very big tank
but i have no hope to make this dream true.....
come back to real world
I want to buy a 300 or 400 litres tank (we dont use gallons in spain ,sorry me).....
now i have a mental conflict
1º i would say my favorites....
Baryancistrus l81 or l18 or demantoides ...... no mix , only one species ....how many of them?
speudoacanthicus l114 and again , how many of them?
panaque nigrolineatus and blue eyed panaque? same question.... one , a pair , a group to make a pair?
i must choose one specie but i cant.... i love all.

we can think that i will have a perfect filtration and all necesary.....

2º can I combine my group or my pair (or group) of loricarids (the favorites of the list above) with one apteronotus albifroms or another fish like mediumsize chiclids (only a sexed pair)? or the stream of the water make this imposible?
maybe one clarias or sorubim to share space? or sorubims are too long for this?

3º must i forget all and have ONLY the loricarids? maybe sounds ridicullous but i want to try breed them.......

4º must forget breed medium-big loricarids and try with 2 groups of litle loricarids like hypancistrus and A . dolichopterus ??¿?¿


thanks for your time , and congratulations for this fantastic web.

[apistomaster]

Perhaps you should first try breeding some smaller species to gain valuable experience, even if it was Ancistrus sp 3 or Hypancistrus spp in an 80 liter tank. Then consider how often a species has been bred in captivity. If you choose some that haver never been bred then be sure you like them whether they ever breed for you or not. From your list, I personally would choose B. demantoides. They really are beautiful, are a nice size fish as adults and are sociable enough to live in a group for your size of aquarium. The Gold Nugget types are very territorial and that might be a problem in a group. I haven't kept the other species so I can't really say anything about them.
I have had many Albino Clarias when I had a fish store and long before they became illegal to possess in the US.
I would never buy a Clarias. They are mean and greedy fish.
Sorubim lima are the largest Pimelodid Catfish I would ever recommend.
Apteronotus albifrons will want to use the same types of hiding places as any plecos so if you keep one provide many caves.
They are fascinating fish and would provide plenty of interesting interactions with a group of good sized Plecos. They also can become quite time and act intelligent for a fish.

[Morgul]

thanks¡
in fact , i breed in the past , ancistrus triradiatus an corydoras (and a lot of other fish)
but they are easy compared with the others i say.....
demantoides are really really a beauty , the have "anything" that spell you.....
the dorsal fin its really impressive ......
how many of them with an apteronotus?
any other fish to add?

anybody keep pseudacanthicus too?
thanks for reply ¡¡¡¡
(sorry my english please)

[apistomaster]

How about some wild angelfish? Everything else is a bottom dweller and it might be nice to add some life to the middle to upper zones.

[Morgul]

angelfish (p.scalare i guess)
they need calm waters , demantoides need quick waters (i guess)
you think that they are ok together?
thanks apistomaster.

the very big problem , must will be , find B . demantoides in spain.......

PD: i think ..... if i will put pumps in botton , scalares dont have problems.....mmmm sounds good.

[Haavard Stoere]

I think you should get whatever you like. B. demantoides are very nice indeed, and in my experience easy to feed and keep. Make sure you get several specimens of each sex. The only way to do this is to buy several specimens. I would say at least 6 to be sure. Preferably more.The fish available are juveniles. You will probably have to wait 2-3 years for them to mature.

B. L18 and other golen nuggets are "real" baryancistrus (B. demantoides is maybee not a Baryancistrus acording to Seidel)and are far more demanding when it comes to feeding.

[Morgul]

hello Haavard
I saw your 750 liter acuarium with green phantoms........
you are a master , the boss.....
incredible work....
bye forum.