oddballs

[chili is hot]

hi
now have a 36 gal aquarium that is empty, and i wanted to keep some different fish. i was wondering if there are any eels, or piranas that i could keep in this tank happily, or any other oddballs. its 36" long and i think about 18" high.
thanks
sean

 

[SerLunchbox]

For oddballs, i would stay away from pirahnas and pacu sort of stuff. you MAY be able to keep an ornate bicher in that tank size but only one. They are pretty odd

 

[Fruitbat]

sean...

Your 36 gallon tank is too small to comfortably house the larger species of Spiny Eels (Mastacembelids) at adult sizes. The Peacock Eel (Macrognathus aculeatus), Striped Peacock Eel (Macrognathus siamensis) and Zebra Spiny Eel (Mastacembelus zebrinus) would work because their maximum size is generally under 18 inches. Bear in mind that these fish are substrate burrowers so a fine-grained gravel or sand is best to use on the bottom. Some sort of cave (or piece of PVC pipe) would also be acceptable as an alternate hiding place for them.

The Ornate Bichir (Polypterus ornatipinnis) will eventually grow too big for a 36 gallon tank. They get to about 24 inches or so but aren't as flexible as the Spiny Eels and need a tank that is wider than a standard 36 gallon. As an alternative, the Senegal Bichir (Polypterus senegalus) and the subspecies of Polypterus palmas would be acceptable for your tank.

If you want a shoaling type of fish that is on the carnivorous side you might consider Exodon paradoxus - sometimes called the 'Bucktooth Tetra'. They are pretty fish and very active but are best kept in groups of 10-15 so their aggression is spread out among individuals. They do not do well in a 'community' tank with other types of fish.

Among my personal favorites are the Bush Fish (Ctenopoma and Microctenopoma species) from Africa. These are generally ambush predators and some of them are quite beautiful in coloration and pattern. The majority of them are not safe to keep with any fish they can swallow (and the mouth on some of them is quite capacious).

-Joe

 

[chili is hot]

wow thanks alot Fruitbat. I like all of thoughs fish. i especialy like the bush fish, the exodon's, and the sengal bichir. i think i will have a hard time chosing bettween them . do you think it could posibly be posible to keep a bichir, with a bush fish or two, or will there be a problem there?

 

[Fruitbat]

I have various species of Bush Fish in all of my Bichir tanks. You just have to be sure that you tailor the size of the Bush Fish to the size of the Bichirs. I keep large Ctenopoma kingsleyae and Ctenopoma acutirostre in with my larger Bichirs (all 9 inches long or more). I've got Ctenopoma ocellatum, Ctenopoma weeksii and Microctenopoma fasciolatum in with my medium-sized Bichirs (all under 7 inches). Bush Fish and Bichirs are generally not aggressive fish (though the Bush Fish will establish a pecking order among their own type, sometimes to the detriment of the weaker fish) and usually won't harm anything that is too big for them to eat.

-Joe

 

[Toirtis]

Agreed....same situation here....many of my bichir tanks with senegalus, palmas ssp, and delhezi bichirs have Ctenopoma acutirostre or Ctenopoma multispinis as tankmates.

My C. kingsleyae and C. maculatum are in with some of my larger (20"+) bichirs, like the ornates and endlicheri.