Brackish fish options?

[Blu3Shyft]

I've got a 46 gallon bowfront tank I'm setting up as a freshwater community tank for my daughter's birthday. I've also recently aquired a 50 gallon long tank (12" x 48" x 20") that I was thinking of going more brackish with. My wife loves the look of the violet goby/dragon goby. What would go well with maybe a pair of them in that size tank? What are some other options out there? I can't find many on the online fish stores, and the LFSs don't do anything for brackish. I want something cool looking, or unusual. Not so much a generic 'fish shaped' fish. Something I can gladly show off as being different. Not like "That's a cichlid, that's a cichlid, aaaand that's a different cichlid, but they all look the same aside from color"

 

[azmodan]

How about a figure 8 puffer?

 

[krissssssy]

The brackish bumble bee gobys are cute. I have a couple of the freshwater bumble bees and they are great fish.

 

[duromega]

Monies and bumble bees
puffers are aggressive

 

[Laser]

I'll second a figure 8 puffer or even a green spotted puffer. The figure 8's are low end brackish while the green spotted puffers are high end to full marine. These fish are one of my favorite fish to watch and they are not seen as a typical fish to people not interested in the hobby.

 

[Blu3Shyft]

Is that really all there is out there? Puffers or Gobies or Monos? That's kinda...bland. Maybe I will go freshwater after all

 

[Legit Fish]

monos, archerfish, gobies(my favorite are blue neon gobies i think), puffers, scats, dragonfish, and there are mollies that like brackish water

 

[Blu3Shyft]

monos, archerfish, gobies(my favorite are blue neon gobies i think), puffers, scats, dragonfish, and there are mollies that like brackish water

How many of these would work in a fifty gallon tank with a dragon goby?

I thought about doing just a goby tank but I wonder how they would get along

 

[duromega]

just go saltwater and you will have millions of options

 

[Blu3Shyft]

Thanks for the input, folks. I think I've decided to go fresh with a Black Ghost Knife, a Ropefish or 2, and maybe a catfish of some sort.

 

[Oohitsae]

Thanks for the input, folks. I think I've decided to go fresh with a Black Ghost Knife, a Ropefish or 2, and maybe a catfish of some sort.

A BGK will get far too large for a 55

 

[Blu3Shyft]

There's a LFS nearby that has a BGK in a 50 gallon with a good sized leaf fish and 2 pretty big plecos and seems perfectly happy. He's probably a good 12-14 inches long. I also heart about a... Centipede Knife? or a Brown Knife that stay a little smaller.

 

[Oohitsae]

A BGK gets 18+" - you don't have to listen to me but They should have at minimum a 6' tank. In as 50g there isn't enough depth to let him turn around at adult siZe.
An African brown knife would be a much better option but still not ideal.

A BGK is my dream fish, but I wouldn't even attempt to put one in even my 75

 

[Bichir Bro]

I have a black ghost knife and I can assure you they get too big for a 55,75,100,125,150! The minimum is 180 for them. Ropefish are out of the picture too, they get huge, much much bigger than the black ghosts. And what do ya mean big pleco? Like royal pleco or "regular" pleco? The regulars get much much much too big for a 55. They need ponds or very large and excellently filtrated tanks.

 

[Blu3Shyft]

alright well scrap both of those ideas then. Any other oddballs that might work for a 50 gallon? I want something unusual. Not just some catfish or something.

 

[Bichir Bro]

Are you doing brackish or fresh?

 

[Blu3Shyft]

Are you doing brackish or fresh?

fresh now

 

[Bichir Bro]

Alright I'll be back lemme go think....

 

[Brad M]

Thanks for the input, folks. I think I've decided to go fresh with a Black Ghost Knife, a Ropefish or 2, and maybe a catfish of some sort.

Hey buddy I have a 55g brackish and let me tell ya there is no way a knife will fit that tank for long. Those guys can reach a couple feet long. I bred the dragon eels for a while or at least tried to and its a difficult fish. Poor eye sight means either to much food so they can find it or feeding becomes a daily chore making sure food is placed in front of them.

I ended up trading my dragon eels in for a "freshwater" snowflake eel and a "freshwater" lionfish. Both are awesome fish. If you want a cool setup only fill the tank 75% full and get some archers. They spit jets of water to knock bugs off leaves and into the water to eat. Ill attach a couple pics of my guys.

 

[xXboxxyXx]

55 gallon? I wouldn't go with a normal placo maybe Raphael but I would stick with small group fish. I know 55 sounds big but I ended up upgrading tanks 3 times for my knife who is now 13 inches!! My rope is 8 but I hear some can jump I've never had that prob though. I would go with danios they come in bunches of colors specially the dyed ones, catfish wise just about any cat could go brackish they are super harder but some cool brackish fish I got a butterfly in my brackish tank but KEEP WATER LOW and seal all cracks butterfly jump. . Really cool fish though I feed mine crickets and its awesome to watch him(her maybe) strike bugs on top of water