48x18x18- Unique And Interesting

[OohFeeshy]

Hopefully once the mess/betta tanks are sorted, I can look into getting a larger tank. I've been spending the past week or so looking at dimensions.... Not the most fun job I wanted a tank 4 or 5ft long, a width of about 18" and a size less than 75g so I know the floor can support it. This seemed like the best choice... So, fishwise. I was thinking, mebbe, 3 mid/top dwellers and a bottom(ish) dweller. I also wanted something fairly unique and interesting, something to make people say 'Hmm, feeshy, she's the one with the x'. Although I'd imagine to a lesser extent I like bichirs, I was thinking maybe an armoured? I'm pretty open to suggestions.... Oh yeah, filtration too. I'd imagine I'd have to go fairly heavy duty. Whats the best compromise between cost and efficiency?

 

[spAcE mOnkEy]

You could do a large school of exodon tetras, you could do a bunch of different smaller bichirs like ornate bichirs and senegal. If it were my tank i think id get a school of exodon tetras and then some smaller senegal bichirs. Not sure if the senegal would eat them as snacks though.
Geophagus (Eartheaters) are very pretty cichlids. I have two in my 55 gal tank and they are very nice looking. The fish that attracts the most attention from other people is the senegal bichir, the purple spotted gudgeon, and the african knife fish (When its out, which is like... never)
You could try a brown ghost knife (Not a black ghost knife) Brown ghost knifes stay smaller, around 8 inches. Do you want one big aggressive fish or a tank where you can mix a bunch of different species together?

 

[OohFeeshy]

Meh, just a few fish that won't kill each other and won't need to be upgraded... Eartheaters are cool though

 

[CFC]

you could do a bunch of different smaller bichirs like ornate bichirs and senegal.

Ornates are one of the biggest bichirs easily reaching 20 inches in captivity, while you could keep an ornate bichir in a 48x18x18 because they are fairly inactive (think of a log with a mouth) they would be a risk to any other conventional fish that could fit the tank.

Exodons are great but are extreemly nasty, i had been keeping a pair of purple spotted gudgeons in their tank as the gudgeons were nipping fins in the tank they were in and all was fine for months until a few nights ago the exodons reduced one of the gudgeons to a skeleton in a few minutes.

There pleanty of fish that could fit that size tank, just have a look around and see what you fancy.

 

[penguinpimp1990]

hmmmm if its a 75 gallon tank do ropefish! theyre awesome and people flip out cause they look excatly like snakes! or something a little different would be a mudskipper tank. Or a piranha like S.compressus, S. geryi, or S. Elongatus. All of these piranahs wont outgrow your tank but as you probally already know there must be no tank mates...... but I have seen some cases where Geryis can be kept in a small group in a large tank (but this tank is far too small for that)

 

[willtang3000]

was thinking african knife fish??? I think they grow to 8inches

 

[OohFeeshy]

I've currently got my name on a Polypterus Sp 'Congo'... I was wondering whether I'd be able to have one of them and a Delhezi, or one of them and a smaller species (senegal?), or just one bichir.... And, tbh, I have no idea on stocking levels 20g community I can deal with, big tank... Nope. Anyone lend a hand?

 

[pica_nuttalli]

see if you can't acquire a larger gudgeon or two. i think all of the morgurndas are just and the dormitars (jade gobies) are equally sexy. however, they might be brackish...? (sorry, i can never seem to remember it properly)

 

[Ben]

why not a female betta soroity?



Definitly get gudgeons though, as Pica said, Morgunda are awesome

DD

 

[OohFeeshy]

Hmm, maybe, but I still need a bit more clarification on the bichirs... From the (sparse) info I've found, they don't like other bichirs, but...

 

[beblondie]

Have some general bichir/polypterid information
Species and sizes
maximum known sizes often smaller in captivity

Upper Jaw Species-Upper jaw protrudes past lower jaw
P. palmas palmas ('palmas' bichir)- 13"
(subspecies)P. palmas polli ('marbled bichir)- 14"(there seems to be evidence to promote this to its own species)
(subspecies) P. palmas buettikoferi ('buettikoferi' bichir)- 13"
P. ornatipinnis ('ornate' bichir)- 27"
P. delhezi ('armoured' or 'delhez's' bichir)- 14"
P. senegalus senegalus ('Senegal' or 'Cuiver's' bichir)- 12"
(possible subspecies)P. senegalus meridionalis- 12"+
There is, Also the possibility of a third member of the Polypterus senegalus
group that is found in the Nile River
P. retropinnis retropinnis ('retropinnis' bichir)- 14"
(subspecies)P. retropinnis lowei ('Lowe's' bichir)- 12"
P. weeksi ('week's' bichir)- 20"
P.teugelsi (found only in the Cross river)
E. calabaricus ('Ropefish')- 15"-30" (Closer to 15''-20'' in captivity)

Lower Jaw Species-Lower protrudes past upper jaw
P. endlicheri endlicheri ('saddled' or 'red' bichir)- 32", possibly more
(subspecies)P. endlicheri congicus ('giant' or 'congo' bichir)- 39"
P. Bichir lapradei ('Lapradei' bichir)- 24"
P. bichir bichir-30+ ''
P.ansorgii*

There are a couple of as-yet-undescribed (scientifically) Polypterids

Variations
There are variations of the above including
short bodied:
longfinned:
albinoism:Albino Polypterids have a pink/ white body with red eyes if they are a species with pronounced markings
these are often yellowish in color
leustic:Leustic (platinum) are silver/whitish bodies with black eyes.

.*There are only 3 known examples to exist and they are in museums its possible
this species is extinct.

GeneralActivity levels
From Most active to Least active:
These tend to be more active during ''lights on''periods and all are about the same activity level however
a list is a list and needs a starting point
P. senegalus
P. palmas polli
P. delhezi
P. palmas palmas
P. palmas buettikoferi
P. retropinnis
These tend to be more active during''lights off'' period
P. e. congicus
P. e. endlicheri
P. Zaire green
P. weeksii
P. lapradei
P. ornatipinnis
there are exceptions as each does tend to have their own''personality''

 

[beblondie]

''Hmm, maybe, but I still need a bit more clarification on the bichirs... From the (sparse) info I've found, they don't like other bichirs, but... ''

Theres a ton of info out there ya just gotta know where to look lol
Actually bichirs are usually tolerant of similar sized bichirs.But I wouldn't mix a P.e.congicus with anything smaller than a P.ornatipinnis of P.lapradei

 

[OohFeeshy]

Thanks for the ton of info, beblondie, I spent three quarters of an hour reading all the stuff you PM'd me with Do you have any info on the P. sp? From what I've found, its reffered to as either 'p. sp. 'congo' ' or 'p. zaire green'... Size is the most specific thing I'm after, although even thats not much of a problem... Assuming, then, I get a delhezi and sp. at roughly the same size (about 6"), there should be no compatability problems?

 

[OohFeeshy]

OK, stocking Q. Say I went with something along the line of an Ehiem 2215 cannister, and had perhaps a fluval internal for circulation (do I need it, or not really?), with a thin layer of sand, some bigish bits of wood with a hiding place for each bichir (pvc pipe? or something like that but more natural), the two aforementioned bichers (delhezi and sp. 'congo'), and a gold sev, how close to stocking limit would I be, and what else would be good if not? A bush fish, maybe? Umm....

 

[OohFeeshy]

No one appears to be listening to me, but nvm... According to the chat bods, with the bichirs, sev and bush fish, I'm about 1/3 stocked... I'm looking at snakeheads, but info is a little, uh, sparse. Ie, are they ok with tankmates the same size or bigger, with the current planned stock, and will they be bichir food (spaghetti?)?