Looking For An Oddball!

[GUB]

I have space for one (max 2) more fish for my community tank, and I would like something a little bit different (hence posting it in here).

My LFS has suggested a Black Ghost Knifefish in a recent visit, and when I asked he told me that I wouldn’t get any problems with it eating/attacking any of the other fish on the tank (list at bottom). He usually gives me pretty good advice, but I always like to check online to try and get a more informed view on fish before I buy them, and it appears to me from a few sources that the BGK could eventually start picking on some of the smaller members of the tank, what is peoples experience of this?

If the BGK is out of the question, could anyone recommend a fish that would have a similar impact (the wow factor!) without needing to eat the contents of the tank

Thanks for any advice.


Community Tank
1 x Angel
6 x Panda Corydoras
6 x Red Eye Tetra
4 x Silver Tip Tetra
4 x Zebra Danio
8 x Neon Tetra
2 x Black Widow Tetra
2 x Upside Down Catfish
6 x Dwarf Cichlid (Blue Rams)

 

[nmonks]

"One more fish" covers a lot of territory. What sort of size are you thinking about? What level of the tank: surface, midwater, or bottom? I'd suggest hatchetfish as being harmless and entertaining oddballs and would busy themselves at the top of the tank, but you'd need to keep at least three of them. Otherwise, a whiptail cat would be a nice catfish for the bottom of the tank, and they're very odd.

The problem with a lot of oddballs it their either nocturnal, large, or predatory.

Cheers, Neale

 

[GUB]

Yep sorry i suppose i was a little vague.

Well I guess I would look for a fish that would occupy the mid-top level of the tank - the cory's and the upside down catfish keep the bottom half pretty busy, but the others tend to favour the mid/lower mid areas when not feeding. I went for one fish as i was ideally looking for a larger fish that makes an immediate visual impact (certainly not a tankbuster, i have a 200l/44g tank so I won't be adding anything after this last fish). Hope that narrows it down a bit!

btw will take a look at Hatchets, have seen a couple in some LFS and the marbled ones do look interesting so perhaps thats somethign to consider.

 

[DiscusAngel]

Personally ithik ur just about pushing stocking. but i would get some panchax for the top of the tank. Also add aoher angel as angels should be in pairs often unhappy on their own.

 

[CFC]

Panchax will happily munch on smaller fish like tetras, they would not be a good addition to the fish already in the tank.

 

[rob newland]

Hatchets are nice (wouldn't have thought of them as oddballs) but be very careful about stopping them from carpet surfing when opening the tank hood (lost a few hatchets that way).
I would reccomend the marbled hatchet .
Rob

 

[nmonks]

Hatchets are more than just "nice"! My silver hatchets are little thugs amongst themselves and they try to eat things bigger than their heads given the chance. it's fun to watch the halfbeaks chase them around to steal the bits of prawn or whatever.

You're right though, keep the tank covered. Marble hatchets (and other Carnigiella spp.) are *said* to be the least hardy hatchets, and water quality is important. They love swimming space, too, being open water fish. Given the chance, they'll spend all day chasing one another around the tank. Perhaps not classic oddballs, but certainly odd.

Cheers, Neale

Hatchets are nice (wouldn't have thought of them as oddballs) but be very careful about stopping them from carpet surfing when opening the tank hood (lost a few hatchets that way).
I would reccomend the marbled hatchet .
Rob

 

[Fella]

I keep a few hatchets, and my advice would be if you do get some, be sure to quarantine them before adding them to the tank. Mine looked fine in the store, and were absolutely ridden with whitespot within 24 hours.

I keep Marbled and Spotted and they mix fine, and look great. As stated though, tight fitting lids are essential.

 

[nmonks]

Fella -- What are the spotted hatchets like? You don't see 'em all that often, but I'd like to try them sometime. One variety gets to 9 cm long, and I bet they're *very* impressive at that size.

Cheers, Neale

I keep Marbled and Spotted and they mix fine, and look great. As stated though, tight fitting lids are essential.

 

[smithrc]

Am I being Blind..? I cant spot a size for the tank...

OK - a quick search of all posts and found its a 190L Juwel Trigon

 

[Fella]

Fella -- What are the spotted hatchets like? You don't see 'em all that often, but I'd like to try them sometime. One variety gets to 9 cm long, and I bet they're *very* impressive at that size.

Cheers, Neale

I keep Marbled and Spotted and they mix fine, and look great. As stated though, tight fitting lids are essential.

I got them at a place that had them labelled up as silvers, but they've got the dots found in baensch vol1. I'll try and get some photos, but it's nearly impossible as you have to shoot the camera upwards at them, so you get a shot of the lights in the hood most of the time, along with bad reflection.

They're a bit bigger than the marbleds, and when i got them they were all the same size. In fact, the marbled can squeeze through the divider, where the silvers are relegated to just the left hand side of the tank they're in. They still mix together though.


- Just had a quick snap and this is the best I could come out with

 

[MoonstruckMuse]

Just to get some of the bad rep off the Knives... I've never had a problem with them. If anything, it was the other way around, with other fish picking on one of my knifes. He was about 14", and the gouramis, sharks, and even an audacious rosy barb (3-5in) would occasionally take a bite at him. He's too big for them to do real damage, but they did harry him quite a bit.
I'd guess that smaller fish, like cardinal and neon tetras, he'd possibly eat. I think he ate a guppy once. A halfgrown one, I'm not entirely sure why they were in the same tank. ^^" So I guess, yes, for your tank he might eat them. But never bother them, out of malice, no. Heh.

I'd agree with the above, hatchets are quite fun, and I think they'll fit right in. They're zippy and fun.
And angels! If you get an angel with more striking, bold markings, he'll definitely stand out quite a bit. Not an oddball, but quite the visual pleaser.

 

[caboose_122]

i have 2 african butterfly fish in my 25 gal they are awsome looking, and i think they are oddballs (not totally sure)

 

[Canis-Equus]

Well..... not a fish.... and youd need to make sure your water was a little more on the hard side than most of your fish normally get (i have to harden mine up a touch).....

But DEFINATELY wont eat anyone, and absolutely definately odd - bizarre and completley wierd in fact.....

http/www.petshrimp.com/africanfiltershrimp.html

Giant african Filter Shrimp.

These guys are harmless but look damn mean. They grow big for a shrimp and do require somewhere to hide or they will be stressed.

I have a pair of these guys, and whilst no, they arent out and about all the time and yes they give me heart attacks all the time shedding and pretending to have died (as much as you KNOW they shed and that empty skins look like a corpse but arent, it still scares you each time!).....

They are a cool thing to have, tell people 'can you find the big ole shrimp?' and people do catch sight and go WTF IS THAT.....

Not for everyone but i think these guys seriously top the list of weird things to have in a tank when you need something small and harmless.....

Failling that, whiptail cats are pretty, harmless and small - i have two of these as well. They do again have athe problem of being rather shy though.

One concern id have with your tank is the Rams - i have no experience of these but one thing shrimp cant survive is aggressive fish if they have no where safe to hide, especially when they have shed. Some fish WILL see a freshly moulted shrimp as a big ole snack.

 

[Tommo]

I agree, fan shrimps are very cool (and have the 'wow' factor u wanted!) But they mustnt be kept with anything nippy as if their fans are damaged they will die.