What should I consider before getting large fish?

[BeckyCats]

I would love to get a large fish around the size of an oscar or midas cichlid. What do I need to consider before deciding if this is right for me? Obviously I need a large tank. Are there any fish of this size that can be kept with live plants? Thank you.

 

[Colin_T]

Big fish need big tanks, big filters and regular water changes and gravel cleaning. Most big fish are predators and many are aggressive and will kill other fish in the tank. You need to research the species you want to keep and if you choose to keep agro fish then you will probably end up with one fish in the tank. Or you could look for large peaceful fish and keep a few fish in the tank.

If you want a pr of cichlids then buy a group of 8-10 young fish and grow them up together and let them pr off naturally. When you get a pr, move them into their own tank or get rid of the others.

Some big fish like Barramundi, Saratoga, Murray Cod, grunters are fine with plants but other fish like cichlids will dig up the substrate and the plants will float. In tanks with big cichlids you can keep floating plants like Water Sprite.

 

[BeckyCats]

Thank you Colin. I looked up the specific fish you mentioned as being good with plants and they are much too large. At least judging from the pictures on the internet. I really like the look of oscars. They have such cute faces. But there is a family (one male and 3 females) of midas fish at a lfs near me (not for sale) that I love to watch. The females pick up and relocate gravel, making little nests. The male comes and looks them and moves some gravel around himself. I believe they said he is a red devil midas hybrid and the females are red devils. They are much smaller than he is and have a bit of a different shape. He has the male nuchal hump on his head. They are all adorable and I could watch them for hours. They don't sell hybrids I don't believe. They took this one in as a surrender and they are keeping him.

At any rate, I just really find these larger fish to be so interesting and pleasurable to watch. I wouldn't have larger fish unless I could create a large environment for them, so that is something that I will research. I'm interested in sumps and auto-water change systems.

I've read that with many larger fish, I would need to hide much of the equipment because they tear it up. Also, I would need to anchor any larger decor so that they couldn't harm themselves when they decide to redecorate.

Floating plants is a good idea. Watersprite grows well. I've read that java fern can sometimes survive many of the usual plant destroyers and I've had good luck with that as well. I suppose I will have to research other types of environments without plants and decide if I can live with that aesthetic. I'm honestly not sure if I can, which of course will make me not a good fit for a larger fish, if I can't provide an environment that will make them happy.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

Colin gave very good suggestions.
You need large tank with efficient and powerful filters like the Sump filter or a few big canister filters.
You need bigger budget.

For selection of fish, I like especially the Geophagus(Eartheater) species especially the Geophagus Winemilleri, Altifrons and Red Head Tapajos(the smallest among these three). Altifrons can be aggressive when they get bigger.
They have long and beautiful fins and beatiful colours on their bodies.
You will definitely enjoy their big bodies and they swim very gracefully.
It's very therapeutic to watch them swimming.
They are less aggressive than Oscar and you can even put some big schooling fish with them.









For slower growing and slightly smaller species, I like Satanoperca Jurupari and Leucostica.
You will never get tired of watching them sifting through the sand...



https://youtu.be/YdKYx-ICkBQ

http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/...ght-eartheater-for-your-tank-full-article.htm

I like Colin's advice - buy a group of 8-10 young fish and see them grow...
All the best.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

This article is very informative and will help you to choose the right species(size) of Geophagus.

http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/...ght-eartheater-for-your-tank-full-article.htm

The website below will give you some ideas on the type of filters, tank size and maintenance required to keep the Geophagus.

https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/geophagus-altifrons/

https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/satanoperca-jurupari/
Btw, the Satanoperca Jurupari is a very peaceful fish. You can even keep them with smaller fish and the actual fish is more beautiful than the photos.

I think you might want to research more on the filters.
In my opinion, sump filter is the best but may have problems of overflow, etc.

https://mobile.petcoach.co/amp/article/filter-functions-and-types-how-to-choose-the-right-kind-of

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-01/gt/index.php

https://www.firsttankguide.net/aquarium-sump.php

 

[Lajos_Detari]

More information about filters:

https://aquariumadviser.com/best-canister-filters-reviews/

http://www.oscarfishlover.com/the-sump-filter

 

[BeckyCats]

Wow! What awesome links and advice! I will have fun reading these and researching more. Thank you so much!!!