20G High Predatory Options

[wrightt3]

Does anyone know of any small but aggressive predators that could fit in a 20g? The dimensions are 60x30x40.
Dwarf pikes, African butterfly fish, golden panchax, exodons... would any of these work? If not what will?
I don't really mind if I just have 1 fish or several, so long as it is bloodthirsty

Any advice is appreciated.
 

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

A single African Butterfly Fish could definitely work, alongside a singleton Leopard Bushfish or a trio hareem of Microctenopoma ansorgii. At a push, you could maybe add a small group of Synodontis nigriventris or Alestopetersius caudalis (not predatory, but biotope correct fish that work well with the predators).
 
Golden Panchax are more active than the above and need a longer tank IMO, I kept my ones in a Rio240.
 
I've not kept the Microctenopoma, but the others mentioned are ones I have/do and there is absolutely no need to feed them live food.

 

[haleem8777]

i would think of some small catfish

 

[wrightt3]

A single African Butterfly Fish could definitely work, alongside a singleton Leopard Bushfish or a trio hareem of Microctenopoma ansorgii. At a push, you could maybe add a small group of Synodontis nigriventris or Alestopetersius caudalis (not predatory, but biotope correct fish that work well with the predators).
 
Golden Panchax are more active than the above and need a longer tank IMO, I kept my ones in a Rio240.
 
I've not kept the Microctenopoma, but the others mentioned are ones I have/do and there is absolutely no need to feed them live food.

Okay, that sounds great to me!
I'll go with the microctenopoma if I can find them but if not, I'll go with the standard leopard bushfish. 
Just to clarify, are you saying I could have the ctenopoma AND the butterfly? Or did you mean one or the other?
 
I have no interest in feeding live food aside from the occasional baby if I have to many fry. General question: If fry is plural for baby fish, what is the singular version?
 
 

i would think of some small catfish

 
That doesn't exactly narrow it down

 

[haleem8777]

yeah sorry it does not narrow it down. i just wanted to know if you are interested in a small catfish than i could give you some suggestions.Also u said you "I have no interest in feeding live food aside from the occasional baby if I have to many fry"  so a catfish does not really need live food just food that contains traces of meat,fish etc

 

[wrightt3]

Live food is not the reason I want a predator. I just find them more interesting than the more common community fish.
What sort of catfish did you have in mind?

 

[stanleo]

fry is both singular and plural. The same way moose is singular and plural.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Microctenopoma link, http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271218263061?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 . Getting just one male is pretty important in a small tank that this, I believe the males are quite hard on each other, bully victims can turn jet black (seen it first hand in LFS 3 years ago). If Kesgrave cannot guarantee sexes, a singleton would be much safer unless you have another tank move victims to.
 
Yes, I'm saying you could do 1 ABF with a bushfish in this tank, bother are very sedate fish and part of the classic "African oddball" fish combo that suit each other well. In a 4-footer you could add a group of Congo Tetra.
 
http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/microctenopoma-ansorgii/ (just seen they suggest a 90cm tank)

 

[wrightt3]

http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/microctenopoma-ansorgii/ (just seen they suggest a 90cm tank)

So my tank isn't big enough for them then? Surely if they're too big then the other fish would be too? 

 

[Zante]

Consider a pair of ceylon snakeheads. They are very hardy, actually thrive in badly maintained aquariums.
 
If you use soil instead of sand or gravel (actual soil, dug up from the garden) and plant it heavily, you will make them VERY happy.
 
They also have very unusual breeding behaviours. They are mouthbrooders and the male carries the eggs. When the male releases the fry the female feeds them by expelling unfertilized eggs over them.
 
They are so aggressive that you can't keep anything else with them they will kill fish bigger than them.
If you go by the usual method of getting six juveniles and wait for a pair to form you won't have to worry about rehoming the other four.

 

[wrightt3]

Wow! I've been looking for a small snakehead for a while but couldn't find anything smaller than bleheri.
Thanks a lot!

 
So either:
-2 snakeheads
or
-3 microctenopoma
-1 ABF
-3 upside down cats
I'll just have to wait for N0body of the goat to get back to me before I decide because I think he got my tank dimensions confused?
Thanks both of you for the advice

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

 

http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/microctenopoma-ansorgii/ (just seen they suggest a 90cm tank)

So my tank isn't big enough for them then? Surely if they're too big then the other fish would be too? 
 

SF are usually pretty good as a starting point for fish profiles.
 
They suggest a 90cm tank for Pantodon buchholzi and I'm a little surprised at that. My 3-year old one lives in a 120x30x37cm tank currently and she barely moves about in a 30x30cm section of water surface all day long, unless it is food time (and she gets semi-spooked by my 4 Leopard Bushfish) or I'm doing a 50-75% water change.
 
I've yet to keep Microctenopoma, but when I saw them 3 years ago, they were very sedate. If you did a densely scaped tank (bogwood stacks and plants), I would have thought they would be fine (a singleton or a trio with just one male, along with ABF).

 

[wrightt3]

Sounds good to me, thanks very much!
One last question, what do you feed ABF? I've heard they only eat live crickets. Is this a myth?

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I've never had problems with my ABF, she has always taken floating dried prepared food like Hikari Cichlid Gold; Doromin; Cichlid XL; Tetra Prima (but this will sink in moving water). I used to be able to pipette defrosted bloodworm onto her upper mouth, but she is now bizarrely more skittish that she was 3 years ago.

 

[TooManyChoices]

I have an African Butterfly and it's really skittish. It eats dry foods but it's a pain getting pellets near it because it's so flighty!