New Here! And Want Some Stocking Advice

[Rafini]

Hello everyone, firstly nice to finally join this forum as I do look on here from time to time but just lurking.
Finally decided to become a member and with such good timing, I am just starting to come up with ideas for my Oddball tank. I got the tank for a really good deal and it is as measures 5'x3'x2' approx 225 US gallons. Quick search online showed me that other people have this odd tank size and I was interested to see what kinds of fish they kept. I have decided to go with an oddball tank.
right now the tank only has 3 fish in there.

x1 Prochilodus (fei feng flagtail) they eat algae and are extremely peaceful
x1 large plecostomus
x1 4" very peaceful oscar. (he's had a hard life and was born deformed)

tanks been up and running for around 2 months water quality is great. I got rid of some unsatisfactory tankmates in hopes of leaving the peaceful fish behind to cohabit with the new oddballs. Hopefully sometime this week I am hoping to get a small 2" gold tiger datnoid and 2x small ornate bichirs. what I want to know, is what kind of a stocking would get on well with my fish? I want to have some cool large oddballs. So far I am thinking, Datnoid (slow grower) some ornate and senegal bichirs + the fish I already have. they are all pretty slow growers (my oscar is pretty slow too) so if I do add some faster growing fish I will leave that til later down the line when the slow guys have put on a little size as the fast guys will catch right up.

any ideas? I thought Frontosa or severum cichlids are also peaceful slower growing cichlids that might work well. but I want to know about the oddballs!


and finally 2nd question, should I put the small bichirs and dat into a spare 20gallon and feed them up a little first to fatten them before putting the tiny 2" fish into such a huge tank?


many thanks , Rafini

 

[aether.ed]

Okay oddballs id suggest, bichirs and ropefish of course. Eels (like fire eels!), knife fish, mormyrids (elephant nose or baby whale style, dont mix with other electric fish like the ghost knives.) Intresting catfish like walking cats or talking cats (ive always wanted a gulper catfish but it will eat anything and everything so it'l be a species only deal.), a fakarah puffer (again one to a tank.), Id say a datnoid would be too big in the long run tho. Severums are great tho. If they are tempting you id like to suggest you go for a south american biotope, just sticking with fish and plants from the same region, plecos, oscars, severums, black ghost knife fish, glass knife fish and some south american equivalent of the fire eels (dont know of any off hand). Theres something nice about a biotope, gives a more authentic sense of nature.

im guessing 5x3ft is the footprint, good size if you ask me! Floor space gets seriously overlooked when it comes to peoples fish tanks! I think they call these wide but not so tall tanks breeder tanks.

Good luck with ur venture!

Ed

Edit: i have also been after suggestions for large oddball species (albeit specifically african) might want to check out some of the suggestions ive had... http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/398795-eds-oddball-tank/ do bear in mind that some of the species suggested are true monster sized fish which will be too big for ur tank but it might give you some ideas!

 

[Rafini]

Okay oddballs id suggest, bichirs and ropefish of course. Eels (like fire eels!), knife fish, mormyrids (elephant nose or baby whale style, dont mix with other electric fish like the ghost knives.) Intresting catfish like walking cats or talking cats (ive always wanted a gulper catfish but it will eat anything and everything so it'l be a species only deal.), a fakarah puffer (again one to a tank.), Id say a datnoid would be too big in the long run tho. Severums are great tho. If they are tempting you id like to suggest you go for a south american biotope, just sticking with fish and plants from the same region, plecos, oscars, severums, black ghost knife fish, glass knife fish and some south american equivalent of the fire eels (dont know of any off hand). Theres something nice about a biotope, gives a more authentic sense of nature.

im guessing 5x3ft is the footprint, good size if you ask me! Floor space gets seriously overlooked when it comes to peoples fish tanks! I think they call these wide but not so tall tanks breeder tanks.

Good luck with ur venture!

Ed

Edit: i have also been after suggestions for large oddball species (albeit specifically african) might want to check out some of the suggestions ive had... http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/398795-eds-oddball-tank/ do bear in mind that some of the species suggested are true monster sized fish which will be too big for ur tank but it might give you some ideas!

Thanks for the kind words and stocking advice Aether.ed, I don't wish to have a biotope set up because I've done the south american cichlids biotope before and the oddballs are my way of getting away into something more interesting. here are some cool fish that I have seen for sale in my area

Ornate and senegal bichirs
Ropefish
eels of all kinds
peters elephant nose
Dragon knifefish (I'm sure its a glass knifefish)
achara catfish
irwini catfish (i believe these are quite rare?)
I also saw a FREAKIN' AWESOME elephant nose knife fish for sale

Right now my tank is open and spacious with amedium sized piece of driftwood in the middle, some large flowing plastic plants and a small cave pressede upto the side glass so I can see in.
the stocking is small deformed oscar, flag tail prochilodus and a shoal of columbian tetras so lots of open space for the new fish.

I'm thinking even though the bichirs are small they will be okay in the tank because there is adequate hiding places and open space to explore.
if I'm wrong of course correct me so i can put them in a 20 long to grow larger. I am looking to get the fish tonight, so quick reply would be appreciated.

 

[thereverendturtle]

As long as they are to big for your Oscar to eat, they will be fine.

 

[tonyale]

i have my bowfin in my 300 but 225 mite work

 

[Rafini]

They are all growing out in a small tank except for 2 purchases. I am letting them all settle in a little before I take more pics so I'll just post the pics that I took when I got them home

unknown knifefish

knifes in the 225 with a pink tail chalceus I got who is too fast to photograph. everything is going extremely well in there. its a very peaceful tank.

growing out we have
Bichirs

Irwini cat

and a yet unidentified Datnoid who after this picture was taken turned stable in about 1 hour.