Got some N. beani on the way. This should be a trip!

[Belly-up]

I could not make up my mind. N. beani, FO festae and a pair of la Ceiba freddies or some ornatum. Same money more or less. Went for the beani because I have wanted them for just about as long as the ornatum and I have a need for FISH! I expect the beani to be a pain you know where. We`ll see. I`ll put up some pics when I get them.

[Regalblue]

Nice choice.  Out of the species listed,  I'd probably pick the same. (Although I already have a Freddy pair)

What size did you order?  You do know about the bloating problems in smaller Beani, right?  A veggie diet will keep them good.

[Belly-up]

The beani are 2.5-3". Ya I know about the bloat. Kind of a bummer because I like watching my fish eat and grow. Seems the veggie diet will slow that down a lot. Years ago I lost a batch of bartoni to bloat and I have been shy of trying anything else that is prone to it but I love this fish so have to try them out.

You mentioned the bloat in smaller beani. I guess I had not heard about it being relative to size. Have you dealt with it?

[Regalblue]

No, I haven't kept any Beani past 4" . I'm going by what I've read when researching them.
From what I understand, you can start pumping them up after 6-7" & they aren't prone to bloat. (Like Haitiensis)

I've been keeping a Bartoni pair since about March&  have been good So far.  Shitty to hear about your experience with them.

[Belly-up]

The bartoni were many years ago. Got the from Tommy DePiro in FL, around 1984 or so. I feed them spiralina flakes at about 1.25 inches and did the H2o changes but they still got it.

What happened to your beani? If you don`t mind saying. I have been told by two successful breeders that sticks are the way to go with the beani and to keep them hungry all day. In other words keep rations to a minimum when feeding, no more than twice a day.

[PaulineMi]

I read that their digestive systems aren't fully developed when they are young.

[Regalblue]

My Cuban killed my Beani

[Belly-up]

It took longer than I thought it would but the beani are in! I`ll try to get a picture posted later. They are smaller than the seller said they were the biggest being 1.5" and the smallest .75. I was originally going to place them in a 125 but due to the smaller size I dropped them in a 50 for now. At the first sign of trouble they go into the bigger tank.