Stocking The Tank/looking For A Fish That...

[Shovelman]

Well with my 65 gallon is way on its way in terms of cycling...in fact i might be on my way to the fish store this Friday to pick up the first inhabitants! But anyways..what Im asking/looking for is a fish that relates to my stocking of the 65 gallon tank.

This is what im thinking stocking wise right now...
A. toxotes microlepis (a freshwater archerfish) X5-6
B. boesemani rainbow X 5- 6 as well (whats a good ratio of males to females?)

And that's it stocking wise..or for what i would like to stock it with for right now...Does it seem like too much fish? Or is there room for some more? If its not at full stocking capability id like to look for something that spends most of its time towards the bottom as the archers and rainbow mostly take up the top and the mid water column.

So basically id like to find a cool bottom dweller that would be a good choice for tank mates with the Archers and the Rainbows(i might change the rainbows out as id like the main emphasis to be on the archers bold coloration). Also, if there are any bottom dwellers from the same region as the archers, Asia; the Mekong, Chao Phraya and Xe Bangfai Basins, and Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra (Info borrowed from http/www.wetwebmedia.com/brackishsubwebindex/Archerfishes.htm) id love to keep them in the somewhat same/general region!

 

[magpie]

I don't know anything about archerfish (are they all brackish?), but there are some cool gobies, some from Asia, & some like brackish water.

Ropefish? Don't know enough about it's water parameters and your guys.
An eel of some sort?

I like the eel/long-bodied fish you could say.

 

[Shovelman]

I don't know anything about archerfish (are they all brackish?), but there are some cool gobies, some from Asia, & some like brackish water.

Ropefish? Don't know enough about it's water parameters and your guys.
An eel of some sort?

I like the eel/long-bodied fish you could say.

as do I! And these are completely freshwater Archers and the smaller of the archers as well. I was looking into Tire track eels but afraid they get too large...

 

[creeker]

I like Tiretrack Eels too, but they get enormous. Plus they are escape artists. Probably not the best tankmates since you will undoubtedly have the top open and be dangling bugs over the surface for your Archers to shoot down.

 

[Shovelman]

I like Tiretrack Eels too, but they get enormous. Plus they are escape artists. Probably not the best tankmates since you will undoubtedly have the top open and be dangling bugs over the surface for your Archers to shoot down.

Screen top brotha'! And dont tire tracks stay around 2 feet? maybe 2 1/2 feet? basically smaller than fire eels?

 

[Hunterprey]

How big does these freshwater archerfish get? Im becoming more interested in these archers.

Its a shame ur not getting the Eel, I know u really wanted it. I was so close to getting a Fire Eel, too bad the ones @ the LFS are really in bad shape n wont eat.

 

[Shovelman]

How big does these freshwater archerfish get? Im becoming more interested in these archers.

Its a shame ur not getting the Eel, I know u really wanted it. I was so close to getting a Fire Eel, too bad the ones @ the LFS are really in bad shape n wont eat.

Hey Hunterprey! Im sure there's some sort of spiny eel that might work! I just have to keep looking for one that isn't too small that it will look like a worm...and yeah the fire eels at one of my lfs don't look so hot (pardon the pun lol) either...

by the way the archers usually max out at 5-6" or so. Not to big like their cousins who get to 12" or more about.

 

[Hunterprey]

Hey Shovelman, thanks for the info on size on the Archers. Might have to read up on them to see if theyre compatible with my fish, an alternative just in case my Oscar or Bichirs decide to eat my Clown barbs when they get bigger hopefully not.

You might find a Black Spotted eel eventually and see if you like it. Theyre the 3rd biggest Spiny Eels I know after Tire track and Fire Eel. I kinda regret not getting one of the healthy batch of tire tracks @ my LFS. I thought I wait for a Fire Eel cause it was my 1st choice. Whenever they get a Fire eel, its almost always half dead

Good Luck mate.

 

[Shovelman]

Hey Shovelman, thanks for the info on size on the Archers. Might have to read up on them to see if theyre compatible with my fish, an alternative just in case my Oscar or Bichirs decide to eat my Clown barbs when they get bigger hopefully not.

You might find a Black Spotted eel eventually and see if you like it. Theyre the 3rd biggest Spiny Eels I know after Tire track and Fire Eel. I kinda regret not getting one of the healthy batch of tire tracks @ my LFS. I thought I wait for a Fire Eel cause it was my 1st choice. Whenever they get a Fire eel, its almost always half dead

Good Luck mate.

Thanks for the eel input! Never heard or seen a Black spotted spiny eel! I was doing some research on other oddballs as i think i might dedicate the tank too and i know they get rather large but would an African knife fish be a possibility? Possibly the archers and just the knife fish? From what Ive read so far they requir at least 55 gallons and ph up to 8, and the archer fish need between 7-8? might work?

 

[Hunterprey]

Yeah I think the African Knife might work. They only average @ 8" too and more outgoing than BGK. I would have kept my African knife if my Clown barbs n Black diamond Cichlid werent trying to kill him, he did get on fine with my other fish tho. I kept him for a bit in my Delhezi growout tank and they were perfect tankmates.

 

[Shovelman]

Yeah I think the African Knife might work. They only average @ 8" too and more outgoing than BGK. I would have kept my African knife if my Clown barbs n Black diamond Cichlid werent trying to kill him, he did get on fine with my other fish tho. I kept him for a bit in my Delhezi growout tank and they were perfect tankmates.

Nice! Yeah i love oddballs and dreamed of having a knife fish when i only had my 20g...but now im in the major leagues! Ps according to Neale Monks on WetWebMedia (wonderful website!) the Toxotes Microlepis are usually great community fish as long as their not kept with anything too small...lol

Do you think the archers with a African knife and a spiny eel of some sort would be pushing it too much?

 

[Hunterprey]

IMO it should be fine to add a Spiny Eel. Maybe a Black Spotted Eel or smaller, your planned stock arent aggressive. Plus the Knife Fish and Spiny Eel arent messy fish. I always overfilter tho regardless, just for water quality. 65gallon is a good size tank.

PS
I forgot you are still considering the Boesemanis rainbowfish. Maybe u'd be fine with some overfiltration.

 

[Shovelman]

IMO it should be fine to add a Spiny Eel. Maybe a Black Spotted Eel or smaller, your planned stock arent aggressive. Plus the Knife Fish and Spiny Eel arent messy fish. I always overfilter tho regardless, just for water quality. 65gallon is a good size tank.

Awesome! Well my tank is almost done cycling, and no worries as i need to do more research but which of the three do you think i should add first if am to do the triple oddball attemt (seriously will do way more research as always)? Spiny eel? Archers? or Knife fish?

Anyone else feel free to chime in their 2cents! Love to hear other stocking ideas as well!

 

[Hunterprey]

I think it wont matter much which one first between the Archer and Spiny Eel. But I suggest add the Knife Fish last, the knife fish has somewhat aggressive and territorial reputation. Maybe add the Spiny Eel first and get it to eat regularly. They will be the most picky on food. Plus it will be the most Docile in the tank.

By the way I had Boesemani Rainbows and Half banded Spiny Eel together before. They get on fine, the Rainbowfish gets out of the way of the Spiny Eel during feeding time.

 

[Shovelman]

I think it wont matter much which one first between the Archer and Spiny Eel. But I suggest add the Knife Fish last, the knife fish has somewhat aggressive and territorial reputation. Maybe add the Spiny Eel first and get it to eat regularly. They will be the most picky on food. Plus it will be the most Docile in the tank.

By the way I had Boesemani Rainbows and Half banded Spiny Eel together before. They get on fine, the Rainbowfish gets out of the way of the Spiny Eel during feeding time.

Thanks for the info on that! Thought for sure rainbows would out compete... Do you think 5 archers, 1 African knife fish, and 1 of the medium to smaller spiny eels would be max stock for a 65g?

Ps: Im glad i put sand in as substrate lol