African Oddball Tank

[shroob]

In a few weeks I will have a 40"x16"x20" (LxWxH) tank free. I was initially thinking about a snakehead tank, but going off the idea as time goes on.

I am now thinking of doing an african themed tank. The tank is planted, has sand and bogwood. I have a few questions about stocking though, and thought I would look here for an answer.

1) I am thinking of having the main attractions as Ctenopoma acutirostre, I plan on having 4. Is this a good number?

2) I would want something for the bottom of the tank, and am thinking either a reedfish or dwarf giraffe catfish as these both come from africa. Would it be possible to have both, or would I have to choose one or the other?

3) Finally, I have read a couple of people with congo tetras in their tanks, would a school of 6 be ok in this tank, or would that be pushing it?

Many thanks.

 

[GobyMaster]

First off, to the forum.
Well, I think the Climbing Perches are okay.
If you get reedfish, they enjoy being kept in groups, as they are gregarious. I'd say your tank is a little on the small side for reedfish. Maybe try a smaller species of bichir, such as the Senegal Bichir, or something like that. I'm unsure about the Dwarf Giraffe cat, got a scientific name?
Any of the larger species of tetras would fine with these fish, just make sure they are big enough to not get eaten by the perches or reedfish (or bichir, whichever you chose).
Sounds like that would be a nice oddball tank .
Cheers,
GobyMaster

 

[shroob]

Thank you for the warm welcome.

The dwarf giraffe catfish's scientific name is Anaspidoglanis macrostoma.
http/www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/cotm.php?article_id=150

Senegal birchir I thought of before reed fish (as I have 2 ornates) so the senegal could be nice. They are quite active right?

 

[DarkEntity]

In a few weeks I will have a 40"x16"x20" (LxWxH) tank free. I was initially thinking about a snakehead tank, but going off the idea as time goes on.

I am now thinking of doing an african themed tank. The tank is planted, has sand and bogwood. I have a few questions about stocking though, and thought I would look here for an answer.

1) I am thinking of having the main attractions as Ctenopoma acutirostre, I plan on having 4. Is this a good number?

2) I would want something for the bottom of the tank, and am thinking either a reedfish or dwarf giraffe catfish as these both come from africa. Would it be possible to have both, or would I have to choose one or the other?

3) Finally, I have read a couple of people with congo tetras in their tanks, would a school of 6 be ok in this tank, or would that be pushing it?

Many thanks.

Ive heard that if you get 5 or more Climbing Perch they will pack hunt and ambush prey...something to think about...

 

[GobyMaster]

Thank you for the warm welcome.

The dwarf giraffe catfish's scientific name is Anaspidoglanis macrostoma.
http/www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/cotm.php?article_id=150

Senegal birchir I thought of before reed fish (as I have 2 ornates) so the senegal could be nice. They are quite active right?

Your welcome for the welcome ( ).
Yeah, I'm sure the Dwarf Giraffe Cat would work. Might want to double check in the catfish forum, just in case.
Yes, Senegals are very active. I have one right now, and I love them. Very diurnal, unlike most bichirs that are nocturnal. One would be a fine addition to that tank.
Cheers,
GobyMaster

 

[shroob]

In a few weeks I will have a 40"x16"x20" (LxWxH) tank free. I was initially thinking about a snakehead tank, but going off the idea as time goes on.

I am now thinking of doing an african themed tank. The tank is planted, has sand and bogwood. I have a few questions about stocking though, and thought I would look here for an answer.

1) I am thinking of having the main attractions as Ctenopoma acutirostre, I plan on having 4. Is this a good number?

2) I would want something for the bottom of the tank, and am thinking either a reedfish or dwarf giraffe catfish as these both come from africa. Would it be possible to have both, or would I have to choose one or the other?

3) Finally, I have read a couple of people with congo tetras in their tanks, would a school of 6 be ok in this tank, or would that be pushing it?

Many thanks.

Ive heard that if you get 5 or more Climbing Perch they will pack hunt and ambush prey...something to think about...

I dont plan on feeding live fish (not 100% set on the idea, though I do see and understand why some people do this). I will mainly be feeding worms, prawns, muscle etc. and dry food if they accept it. Though I do have a cherry red shrimp tank, and if the population goes out of control, I may drop a few in. Won't 5 be pushing it in my tank, I'm all for the more the merrier but I would like to keep things nice for the fish.

 

[shroob]

Nice profile, like the picture of the reedfish sort of snaking towards the camera.

Don't think I'll be getting a bigger tank anytime soon, definately not while I'm at uni anyway.
Incidently, I posted on planet catfish, asking about dwarf giraffe catfish, and got absolutely shot down, saying my tank is way too small for any of the fish I wanted. This isnt true is it?

 

[GobyMaster]

Sorry, but I'm not sure about the catfish. Try posting here and ask about it.
I'm not the world's greatest catfish man.
Cheers,
GobyMaster

 

[shroob]

I meant for any of the fish, the Ctenopoma acutirostre and all. I did post in the catfish section, but no reply.

Thanks for quick reply though

 

[The-Wolf]

I don't mean to throw a spanner in the works but I have a suggestion for an alternative for the Senegal bichir

flathead eelcatfish Gymnallabes typus
3 or 4 would be great as bottom dwellers in a tank of C.acutirostre.
mine happily co-exist with my bushfish

any decent LFS should be able to order these in for you as they are readily available in the trade

 

[shroob]

I don't mean to throw a spanner in the works but I have a suggestion for an alternative for the Senegal bichir

flathead eelcatfish Gymnallabes typus
3 or 4 would be great as bottom dwellers in a tank of C.acutirostre.
mine happily co-exist with my bushfish

any decent LFS should be able to order these in for you as they are readily available in the trade

Thanks for suggestion, but them fish scare me XD. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder lol

 

[Esfa]

4x Ctenopoma acutirostre
6x Congo Tetras
4x Reedfish

would be a nice stocking.

 

[Rex740]

If you want something for the top of your tank, I think one of the most interesting african oddballs is the African Butterfly Fish.

NOTE: Also the reedfish grows up to 40 cm, so i dont think you can have 4 in there.

 

[Esfa]

Four reedfish would need a tank somewhere around the 200 litre size. While they get to 90 cm in the wild, they don't in captivity, and being rather slender animals you needn't be paranoid about water quality. A properly filtered 200 litre tank would be fine.

 

[The-Wolf]

Four reedfish would need a tank somewhere around the 200 litre size.

I have to disagree there
I have kept 4 reedfish quite happily in a 100G for over a year
the most important thing when keeping reedfish is the foot print of the tank.
At least 48 inches long and 15 inches wide would be the min,
however if you increase the width you can decrease the length slightly
so a 39 x 19 would be just as good (as I kept mine in such a tank before I got the 100G)
height doesn't matter as long as you don't exceed 32 inches