Predator Community Tank

[tophat665]

I have been given a 46 gallon bowfront, and Have purchased an Emperor 400 filter to filter it. I am planning on planting it, using gravel over potting soil over sand for a substrate. It will have a couple of large pieces of driftwood. I am planning on water hardness in the medium to soft range (possibly with peat filtration) and keeping the PH between 6.5 and 7.

So, I want to build a community around some smaller predatory fish that will eat livebearer fry and the occasional cricket, but will also eat frozen fish and some prepared foods.

So, please give me your comments on the following community:

2 African Butterfly Fish
- This is where I started - I'd like to keep these in even if I have to totally revamp everything else.

1 to 5 Leopard Ctenopoma - I have read conflicting things about whether these would become agressive among themselves as they age. If not, then I'd like to have as many as 5. If they have to be kept 1 per tank, though, I'd like to fill the major middle stratum slot out with...

...up to 3 Festivums - I'm planning another tank (75 gallon) around angelfish, but I like Festivums too.

2 Bristlenosed Plecos - No tank is complete without them.

1 Striped or 2 spotted Raphael Cats - for scavenging duties (not that I won't feed them something at lights out as well.)

1 Red Tailed Black Shark, or one or more loaches - Yoyos, probably - This is strictly optional.

A School of Dither Fish - I was thinking Rosy Barbs - about 6 of them

 

[vancouver]

I don't know much about african butterfly fish.. all I really know is that they will eat smaller fish.. but then again most fish will.

The ctenepomas.. I don't believe they get along too well with others. I have 1 other type of ctenepoma, and in the tank at the store they were fighting a lot. Hence just getting 1.

Festivum are great.. mine don't leave the top of the tank often.. rarely see them in the middle or the bottom. Could just be mine though.

Rosys are probably a good choice as long as you get decent sized ones.

/bump lol

 

[tophat665]

I was thinking about this, and it's overcrowded as I have it written. It works by the rule of thumb, 1" of fish per gallon, scaling to 2" per gallon after 6 months of stability if heavily planted, but, with predators, they'll want more space, so I am revising my thoughts thus:

2 ABFs, 3 Leopard Ctenos, 1 Senegal Bichir, 2 Bristlenoses, and 3 Swordtails for fry generation/dithering.

Better?