75 Gallon Tank

[SiameseTiger2000]

Guys,

A friend just gave me a 75 gallon tank. I've had aquariums before, but usually kept angels, silver dollars, tetras and gouramis. This time, I want to go with aggressive fish. I was thinking of getting a 4-inch clown knifefish along with 2 tankmates. One of the tankmates I want to be a siamese tigerfish and the other either a green scat or golden severum.

Which will go with the clown knifefish and dat better, a scat or severum?

 

[Loony Fish]

hmm... i don't think so.

 

[SiameseTiger2000]

hmm... i don't think so.

I will upgrade to 150 gallons next summer, of course. Clownknives generally grow to about 20-24 inches in captivity (unless you have a 500 gallon or some other massive tank). A 150 gallon will be enough for him and two tankmates as it is not going to get larger than 24 inches. It probably will not be in an environment to get that large. I may change my mind one day and make room for a 300+. Don't know.

 

[nmonks]

Will depend on the salinity. Scats need at least moderately brackish water (upwards of SG 1.005) to do well once mature. Of the two brackish water species normally available, Datnioides polota is not especially aggressive and will work well with a school of scats of equivalent size. Datnioides campbelli tends to be substantially more aggressive than most other Datnioides spp., so keeping it with other fish is a bit less easy.

Datnioides microlepis is not particularly associated with brackish water, and would make more sense with Heros spp.

Cheers, Neale

 

[SiameseTiger2000]

Will depend on the salinity. Scats need at least moderately brackish water (upwards of SG 1.005) to do well once mature. Of the two brackish water species normally available, Datnioides polota is not especially aggressive and will work well with a school of scats of equivalent size. Datnioides campbelli tends to be substantially more aggressive than most other Datnioides spp., so keeping it with other fish is a bit less easy.

Datnioides microlepis is not particularly associated with brackish water, and would make more sense with Heros spp.

Cheers, Neale

Thanks for the response. Will the brackish water required for scats be harmful to a golden severum or clown knifefish? The clown knifefish is the fish I want the most. I am not going to get any water that will hurt it. If the brackish water will be detrimental to the CK's health, I'm going to go with a severum over a scat.

 

[nmonks]

Some Chitala species do occur in brackish water, but only infrequently. They aren't really viable for the sort of systems where scats would be kept. If you want to keep knifefish, I'd forego the scats in favour of some other large perciform, perhaps Pristolepis spp.

The commonly traded Heros species Heros severum does occur in brackish water and will be fine up to SG 1.003, perhaps slightly higher, but Heros are definitely much more soft water fish.

Cheers, Neale