_Drago_
Aquarium Advice Activist
Hello all! I don't tend to frequent the forums too often, but I'm a fishkeeper of 7+ years now and I'm ready for a real challenge. I want to keep a species of fish that's going to give me a real run for my money! I need some help deciding on a species though. I want a species whose needs are tough to meet, and not just in terms of water quality etc. I mean an all around tough species to keep captive. I have a general outline that I'd like to keep in mind, and I'll list this below, but please note that I'm flexible on many of these aspects. I'm also willing to disregard quite a few of these points if there's a really interesting specimen I can look into. Besides me keeping for pleasure, I also hope to perform more research on this species so a lesser known one is of preference to me.
-Freshwater only please (I really am not looking into salt at all. I may be flexible on brackish though)
-can comfortably live in a tank under 100 gallons
-is reasonably priced. I'm looking to keep price under $50 (before shipping) however $100 would be my absolute max for a single fish [note that this refers to the price of the fish itself- not the sum total of its supplies]
-an extremely challenging, but not impossible species to keep. I don't want a fish who is very likely to die on me despite me spending hundreds of dollars on equipment and extras
-Avoid African or South American cichlids please
-no arowanas or pirhanas please
Again, please add "Unless you have a very interesting specimen" to the end of each point (with the exception of arowanas and saltwater, I'm not toying with either!) because I'm completely flexible. ALL ideas are welcomed and extremely appreciated by me. I want as many ideas as I can possibly get, even if you think I might not like your suggestion, please suggest it anyways because you may be surprised by what peaks my interest! Thanks all again, so excited to be embarking on this
-Freshwater only please (I really am not looking into salt at all. I may be flexible on brackish though)
-can comfortably live in a tank under 100 gallons
-is reasonably priced. I'm looking to keep price under $50 (before shipping) however $100 would be my absolute max for a single fish [note that this refers to the price of the fish itself- not the sum total of its supplies]
-an extremely challenging, but not impossible species to keep. I don't want a fish who is very likely to die on me despite me spending hundreds of dollars on equipment and extras
-Avoid African or South American cichlids please
-no arowanas or pirhanas please
Again, please add "Unless you have a very interesting specimen" to the end of each point (with the exception of arowanas and saltwater, I'm not toying with either!) because I'm completely flexible. ALL ideas are welcomed and extremely appreciated by me. I want as many ideas as I can possibly get, even if you think I might not like your suggestion, please suggest it anyways because you may be surprised by what peaks my interest! Thanks all again, so excited to be embarking on this
