Exodon Paradoxus

[ExodonFan]

I had a post here and forgot all about it.

Let me reintroduce myself and my aquarium. My name is Ty and I love my Exodon. I have kept fish for over 20 years now and this is by far my favorite tank.

The filtration for the tank is 2 Aquaclear AC110's and a Hydor 350 canister filter. I run no carbon in the tank. I don't believe in using any carbon unless you are trying to remove a medication from the water. pH is 6.8 to 7.2, it's on the lower end of the range just before my weekly 75% water changes. Temp is 78 to 83. Summer is tough here. I also use a 2 small powerheads to increase water movement.

I'm using 4 Beamworks 6500k led light fixtures. I don't use glass under the lights as they are elevated enough so they don't get wet from evaporation. These lights work great for my tank. 4 strips for around $120. I think that's a good deal, and the tank is happy too. Plant growth has been pretty good already.

Now for the best part...the Exodon. I did a lot of investigating and after reading many articles I came to the conclusion that one Exodon per 2.5 to 3 gallons of tank size is ideal. I went with 35 Exodon thinking that would be the ideal number. They schooled up immediately. They may explore the tank by themselves, but they are always aware of the others and will form a tight school if something/someone startles them.

I added 5 clown loaches and 4 pictus cats to the tank. The clowns are aggressive feeders and have no problems getting their fair share of food. I love the orange and black pattern. I’ve never kept clowns before, glad that has changed. The cats are more secretive but come out during feedings. They are much more active at night. The long whiskers are my favorite thing about them.

I also added 5 baby albino Bushy Nosed Plecos. I thought once they were added to the tank I would rarely see them. Wrong, they are always out and about. I can always seem to find 3 of them when ever I go look for them. The pleco's are fantastic at cleaning the leaves of the plants.


Im hoping there are some Exodon fans here.

[CoreySheli]

Welcome once again, I'm new here myself
Your tank looks beautiful and so do the exodon, I've never even heard of those before so thanks for introducing me. Also forgive me if I just read over it but how big is your tank? Clown loaches get pretty large and are boisterous fish and once they are bigger will need lots of space and will probably wreck your plants :/

[idol1]

The exodon became popular in the 60s. one of my favorite fish.

It was considered an expensive fish back then.

Also known as the toothed tetra.

[ExodonFan]

Originally Posted by CoreySheli

Welcome once again, I'm new here myself

Your tank looks beautiful and so do the exodon, I've never even heard of those before so thanks for introducing me. Also forgive me if I just read over it but how big is your tank? Clown loaches get pretty large and are boisterous fish and once they are bigger will need lots of space and will probably wreck your plants :/

Thanks for the kind words. Exodon aren’t a common aquarium fish. They are scale eaters and very difficult to keep with other fish. I have seen a good size Exodon (3 inch) run a tank with a couple cichlids as tank mates. Scaleless fish are generally ok.

Thank is 90 gallons.

[ExodonFan]

Originally Posted by idol1

The exodon became popular in the 60s. one of my favorite fish.

It was considered an expensive fish back then.

Also known as the toothed tetra.

I’m lucky enough to have a lfs that will special order them. Usually pay about $7 each

Yep buck tooth tetra. Those 2 little teeth stick almost straight out, love em.

[CoreySheli]

Oh wow, you learn new things everyday That tank is going to look great with everything grown in.