110usg African Predator Oddball Community

[tophat665]

I finally levelled and am leak testing the 110 USG (410 l) I got last summer. I have had the idea of setting it up with African Predatory Oddballs, and sticking some swordtails in there so they can feed off American fry. It's an Irony thing. (I considered putting a rum bottle in the tank for about 10 seconds before I realized that was just being stupid.)

In any case, the tank is 48x18x30" (120x45x76 cm). I have an Eheim 2229 Wet/Dry filter currently hooked up to it, annd I am planning on adding another large cannister: an eheim 2217 or a rena XP3 or 4 (Going to an aquarium auction this weekend). Substrate will be 75 lbs+/- Organic Potting Soi mixed with Laterite, Topped with 50 lbs play sand. Hardscape will ba a large driftwood (comes w/in 2" of the surface), assorted bits of granite and slate, and several pieces of 2" PVC tubing in rockpiles and under the substrate (I have a 5' length to cut down.) Planting with Vallisnera americana, Vallisnera gigantea, Crypt Wendtii, Red Tiger Lotus, possibly some Sword Plants, and Java Fern, Bolbitis, and possibly java moss and/or anubias on the rocks and driftwood.

Heating with 2x200 watt heaters. Lighting with 260 watts compact fluorescent. Glass versatops with cut outs for filter hardware only (<1/2" gaps)

Livestock:
I've posted this here, because the core of this community will be 7 medium sized oddballs:
3 x Ctenopoma acutirostre (Leopard Bushfish)
2 x Polypterus senaglus senaglus (one albino) (Senegal Bichir)
2 x Pantodon buchholzi (ABF)

Also for live food production:
1 male, 3-4 female Xiphophorus hellerii (Swordtail)

Possibly in addition:
7-12 Phenacogrammus interruptus (Congo Tetra)
1 Syndontis eupterus (African Featherfin Cat) or 3 to 5 Synodontis nigroventis (Upside Down Catfish)
1-3 Ancistrus Sp. 3 (Bristlenosed Pleco)

OK, Poke holes in this. What needs to be fixed if anything. Is the wet dry filter going to make it too turbulent for the ABFs? Would it make any difference if I put the spray bar about 16" down in the tank or merely pointed it downward? Should I leave more than the usual inch or so of open air between the surface and the lid? Given the certain livestock, do I have room for any of the optional? Would any of them definitely not work with the critters I am set on? I am getting the bichirs as juveniles (I hope) so will I need to grow them out in a separate tank first? Are there any pitfalls of this mix I should be aware of? Should I stick a strategically placed powerhead or two near the substrate to keep detritus suspended where the filters can get at it? Is that mix of filters up to it?

Thanks in advance for any advice or criticism.

 

[bordercollie05]

My roomate has a rum bottle in her ten gallon with a ship ornament...Looks okay, kinda tacky, but hasn't seemed to hurt the fish....she's kinda goofy . Just thought it was funny that you mentioned the idea. I think you made a good decision. Good luck with your tank, can't wait to see it! Thats a good idea with the swordails too, nice way to keep livebearers without the hundreds of babies.

Laura

 

[Mr._Fishy]

The senegal bichir will likely have a go at your congo tetras and swordtails. A member here has had that happen. Other than that, sounds good.

Oh, and you definitely want the spray bar in the water with the abf. You should be fine as long as it is a decent length below the surface.

Ryan

 

[tophat665]

Laura, meaning no offense to your friend. What I was considering kind of stupid was to break up a fairly natural near biotope for the sake of over-extending a really shaky ironic statement about the triangular trade on the Atlantic in the 17th & 18th centuries, not simply the mere fact of putting a rum bottle in there. (Though now that I think about it, a stoneware jug might make a good hiding place, or, on the other hand, a dangerous fish trap).

The senegal bichir will likely have a go at your congo tetras and swordtails. A member here has had that happen. Other than that, sounds good.

Well, that being the case, Congo Tetras are WAY too expensive to be a menu item. Not so concerned about the swords. I'll keep a breeding community in a 25 and replace them as needed. Is there room for an active midwater (preferably African, particularly west African) fish in there? Striped Barbs maybe? Madagascar Rainbows?

Oh, and you definitely want the spray bar in the water with the abf. You should be fine as long as it is a decent length below the surface.

Ryan

Thanks, Ryan. I hoped that would be the case.

 

[invader]

I was looking at your stocking and I was wondering why you are putting SA fish (swordtails and bristlenose) in your African Biotope.

Anyway, I like the idea, but if you have a wetdry setup (is it drilled?), I really don't think the ABF is going to be happy, as the waters surface moves a lot with these systems. They are designed to take water from the top and drain down to the bottom and that creates quite a current at the top and not to mention the pump power bringing the water back. Just not a good idea with these delicate fish.

Should I leave more than the usual inch or so of open air between the surface and the lid?

I don't know how you would do this when you have a wet/dry system... you have to have the water at the top for it to drain to the sump....

I think that you should update your stocking to where your main "schooling" fish are the Ctenopoma and have a larger group of bichirs. You could have quite a lot of them, especially since you have a pretty nice footprint. Look into other bichir species, such as delhezi, that are the same size and mix 'em together. The end result can be stunning.

And for your catfish, you could go with the Synos, depending on how strict of a biotope you want it to be.

Good luck! I've always wanted to set up an African oddball setup for some of the smaller species (as I have many larger bichirs in my pred community) for some time now.

 

[tophat665]

I was looking at your stocking and I was wondering why you are putting SA fish (swordtails and bristlenose) in your African Biotope.

It's an ironic statement. In the 17th, 18th, and the first part of the 19th century, there was a triangular trade across the Atlantic where slaves were taken from Africa to the Americas, Sugar was taken to New England or Europe, and Rum was taken to Africa. I was reversing the direction of that first leg, taking Central American fish to satisfy the appetites of African fish. Incidentally, X hellerii has been introduced into the Congo River Basin and thrives there, so technically, even setting aside the ironic statement, it's still biotypical.

Anyway, I like the idea, but if you have a wetdry setup (is it drilled?), I really don't think the ABF is going to be happy, as the waters surface moves a lot with these systems. They are designed to take water from the top and drain down to the bottom and that creates quite a current at the top and not to mention the pump power bringing the water back. Just not a good idea with these delicate fish.

It's not a wet/dry with an overflow. It's Eheim's wet/dry cannister filter, so the intake is a good 18" down in the tank. and the outlet is a spraybar. Now, it was designed to sit parallel to the top of the tank just a few inches under the waterline, but with a hacksaw, some zip-ties or hose clamps, and some vinyl tubing, I can set it anywhere in the tank.

Should I leave more than the usual inch or so of open air between the surface and the lid?

I don't know how you would do this when you have a wet/dry system... you have to have the water at the top for it to drain to the sump....

I think that you should update your stocking to where your main "schooling" fish are the Ctenopoma and have a larger group of bichirs. You could have quite a lot of them, especially since you have a pretty nice footprint. Look into other bichir species, such as delhezi, that are the same size and mix 'em together. The end result can be stunning.

And for your catfish, you could go with the Synos, depending on how strict of a biotope you want it to be.

Good luck! I've always wanted to set up an African oddball setup for some of the smaller species (as I have many larger bichirs in my pred community) for some time now.

Unfortunately, the Ctenopomae are ambush predators and don't move around a whole lot once they get their territories sorted out. Ditto the ABFs. With the three Ctenos, 2 Bichirs, 2 ABFs, and 4 or 5 Swords, I was looking to have something a bit more active in the midwater. I figure the Ctenos will sort themselves out with one of them in the driftwood, one in the stand of vals at the other end of the tank, and one in the lilies (off center to the left). There should be a fair amount of open water column in the middle of the tank that might could fit a school of one critter or another. If I could lay hands on African Longfin Tetras, they get about 5" long and may be more out of dinner range for the Bichirs than Congos would be. The alternate would probably be some sort of pelagic cichlid or upside down cats (Though Upside Down Cats don't get a whole lot bigger than Congo Tetras) or I could up the number of swords and start breeding them for size so that eventually I had some 4 3/4 inch females and at least a 3 1/2 inch male in there. (One wonders, if one throws an upside down catfish into the water from a distance, do they turn so that they always land on their backs? )

However, just for the sake of argument, if I were to up the count of Ctenos to 5 or 6 (I'd try to breed them at that point.... Different thread, that.) kept the 2 ABFs and 4 to 5 swords, and stuck with strictly Senegalus Bichirs, How many Bichirs could a woodchuck chuck could I get in there you figure?

 

[invader]

It's an ironic statement. In the 17th, 18th, and the first part of the 19th century, there was a triangular trade across the Atlantic where slaves were taken from Africa to the Americas, Sugar was taken to New England or Europe, and Rum was taken to Africa. I was reversing the direction of that first leg, taking Central American fish to satisfy the appetites of African fish. Incidentally, X hellerii has been introduced into the Congo River Basin and thrives there, so technically, even setting aside the ironic statement, it's still biotypical.

Ah, that's what you were going on about in the posts above. I was wondering why we were talking about the triangular trade.

It's not a wet/dry with an overflow. It's Eheim's wet/dry cannister filter, so the intake is a good 18" down in the tank. and the outlet is a spraybar. Now, it was designed to sit parallel to the top of the tank just a few inches under the waterline, but with a hacksaw, some zip-ties or hose clamps, and some vinyl tubing, I can set it anywhere in the tank.

Ah, missed the part where you mentioned it was an Eheim. You should be fine with the ABF, then. They are great fish and hope to house some in my tank again (my first decided to go for a walk... )

However, just for the sake of argument, if I were to up the count of Ctenos to 5 or 6 (I'd try to breed them at that point.... Different thread, that.) kept the 2 ABFs and 4 to 5 swords, and stuck with strictly Senegalus Bichirs, How many Bichirs could a woodchuck chuck could I get in there you figure?

I think it would be great if you had a bunch of Ctenopoma like that. I would assume that they would come out more often, since there was more and also if you stocked the tank with as many plants as you have listed, they should be comfortable enough to be out a lot.

I would say that you could keep around 4 or maybe 5 bichirs in there.

I can't wait to see how your tank looks in the end. Surely impressive!

 

[Esfa]

Apparently in groups of 6+, the Ctenopomas hunt in a pack. Really cool to see.

 

[invader]

Apparently in groups of 6+, the Ctenopomas hunt in a pack. Really cool to see.

Forgot about that! I would love to see that happen.

 

[tophat665]

Apparently in groups of 6+, the Ctenopomas hunt in a pack. Really cool to see.

Indeed it would. I think that may have clinched it there.

 

[shroob]

Has anyone seen ctenopoma hunting in a group? I mean it would be cool if they did but any video's of this?