Are These Suitable Tank Mates For Bgk

[cavy]

At the min my BGK is about 4 1/2 inches long, living in a 200litre tank with a pair of dwarf gourami(sp?) and 3 swordtails, who are going to be moving out soon, possible the gouramis aswell, so I was thinking would the following be ok to go with the BGK, pair of angles, maybe 5 barbs, possibly tiger and an elephant fish(which Im guessing will be a no?)

 

[stang1]

Tiger Barbs may end up nipping your BGK and Angels, so would be a bit risky. If you like the look of the Tigers, why not try Pentazona Barbs? Very similar looking but incredibly peaceful.
Elephant fish prefer a sand substrate when searching for food and they can also be very sensitive.
You also have to take into account that the BGK will grow to around 50cm, so you will have to upgrade the tank at some point.

 

[nmonks]

Just some random thoughts:

Gnathonemus petersi is not a good community fish. It's difficult to feed and sensitive to medications that contain copper. Among other things, it needs a sandy substrate and regular feedings of worm-type foods. Electric fish tend not to get along with each other and shouldn't be mixed.

Tiger barbs would be a poor choice for use with dwarf gouramis, let alone knifefish, because of their potential nippiness.

When keeping fish like Apteronotus, it's best to work around their very specific needs and habitat. Wild fish inhabit deep, fast-flowing rivers where they forage over sandy substrates and hide in rocky crevices or under sunken wood. Create a habitat like that, and then choose fish that would come from the same (or equivalent) environments. Hatchetfish and many tetras would be good companions, and in terms of catfish, Corydoras or Ancistrus would be ideal. Don't choose anything that feeds in roughly the same way, like carnivorous catfish, loaches or eels, as there's likely to be competition.

Cheers, Neale

At the min my BGK is about 4 1/2 inches long, living in a 200litre tank with a pair of dwarf gourami(sp?) and 3 swordtails, who are going to be moving out soon, possible the gouramis aswell, so I was thinking would the following be ok to go with the BGK, pair of angles, maybe 5 barbs, possibly tiger and an elephant fish(which Im guessing will be a no?)

 

[cavy]

been looking at a few 100galon tanks(I believ 100g is suitable?) just saving up at the min

thanks re the tigers, will keep a look out for the pentazone barbs instead, also is a pair of angles ideal?
also is there any other colourfull fish that are compatable for a BGK, what about rainbow fish? Ive always liked them.

elephant fish I though was a no so will just wait till I can set up another tank lol

I am taking the gouramis and swords are going into a comunity tank with my guppies, as I got the BGK without much info had it about a month now(had tropical about 5 years now) and everythings been moved around and Ive done the wood to create a sort of "cave" and it looks like the tree root system in the Amazon a little and looking at getting some sort of tunneling for him/her to hinde in aswell, and now I just want to make sure Im getting the right tank mates.

he/she is currenly been fed on bloodworm(frozen and live) as well as chopped up prawns

also my old user name was cckirsty but couldnt log in one day (internet went all funny) and this is the name the forum has given me

thanks Neale for the info, did wunder about cory but thought they would be too small

 

[stang1]

Just some random thoughts:

Gnathonemus petersi is not a good community fish. It's difficult to feed and sensitive to medications that contain copper. Among other things, it needs a sandy substrate and regular feedings of worm-type foods. Electric fish tend not to get along with each other and shouldn't be mixed.

Tiger barbs would be a poor choice for use with dwarf gouramis, let alone knifefish, because of their potential nippiness.

When keeping fish like Apteronotus, it's best to work around their very specific needs and habitat. Wild fish inhabit deep, fast-flowing rivers where they forage over sandy substrates and hide in rocky crevices or under sunken wood. Create a habitat like that, and then choose fish that would come from the same (or equivalent) environments. Hatchetfish and many tetras would be good companions, and in terms of catfish, Corydoras or Ancistrus would be ideal. Don't choose anything that feeds in roughly the same way, like carnivorous catfish, loaches or eels, as there's likely to be competition.

Cheers, Neale

Hi Neale, hope you are well?

Just wanted to say thanks also for the info on the BGK, I've been looking for tankmates for them myself to create a biotope around them.

 

[nmonks]

Hello,

Yes, I'm well! Thanks for asking. As for habitats and tankmates, it's always worth a quick peruse of Fishbase. Often they describe the habitat of the fish in question, and from there it's easy to come up with some suitable tankmates. In this case, you're after things that feed from the top or midwater, so that the Apteronotus has the bottom all to himself. Slow feeders like Ancistrus probably wouldn't be much competition, and I wouldn't expect Corydoras to be too big of a deal either.

For schooling fish, besides hatchets, I'd think things like lemon tetras or bleeding heart tetras would be great, bringing some colour to a dimly lit aquarium otherwise populated with black things skulking about at the bottom! Australian rainbows would also work well. If you're up for a challenge, halfbeaks would work nicely, given they feed almost entirely from the top, so wouldn't pose any threat at all to bottom feeders like knives (or for that matter spiny eels or elephantnoses).

Cheers, Neale

Hi Neale, hope you are well?
Just wanted to say thanks also for the info on the BGK, I've been looking for tankmates for them myself to create a biotope around them.

 

[stang1]

Thanks again and apologies to Kirsty for hijacking the thread!

I intend to keep my Para Pleco in there as he will outgrow my Plecs in his current tank.
I had a look on fishbase (love that site!) as it was great when it came to setting up my Keyhole Cichlid biotope. I was looking at fish from Guyana and settled for Pristella Tetras and Corydoras Melanistius.
I am now hoping to set up a similar type tank based around the BGK.
Is there any way that I can limit my search on fishbase to find what is most compatible? I am struggling to find a search for what particular area they are from.

Thanks again.

 

[nmonks]

Ah, this approach is probably pointless. Fishbase will tell you things that live together -- regardless of whether they're predators and prey! So while piranhas and angelfish come from the same place, it's probably not a good idea to mix them...

I'd instead recommend using Fishbase to determine the type of habitat (swamp, stream, flowing water, sandy substrate, leaf litter, etc.) and then using your knowledge of aquarium fish to come up with species from those types of places. There's no reason to stick to just South America. Rather, note that the need for flowing water would go against the sort of habitats that gouramis and bettas favour, but would match what rainbowfish fish and Congo tetras like.

Cheers, Neale

Is there any way that I can limit my search on fishbase to find what is most compatible? I am struggling to find a search for what particular area they are from.

 

[stang1]

Much prefer your idea!
I love Rainbows so it would be a great excuse to buy some. I have Congo Tetras in my Pleco tank and they love the fast current in that!
One problem I am having, and that is finding a suitable Cichlid that doesn't mind the current. I've searched for quite a while but not really found anything.
As Cichlids are one of my favourite fish, I will pledge my undying gratitude to you if you could suggest one?

 

[nmonks]

As you correctly note, cichlids tend to be fish from backwater habitats away from strong currents. But there are plenty of exceptions!

The cichlids that live in the still/slow flowing areas are the ones with tall, laterally compressed shapes: angels, severums, discus, etc. The cichlids from faster water habitats tend to be cylindrical: Steatocranus and Nanochromis spp are the classic fastwater cichlids, though virtually all the Rift Valley cichlids we keep are more-or-less adapted to quite strong currents in the wild. Mbuna for example have quite a compact, cylindrical shape. Fish with a body shape in between these extremes are generally fairly adaptable, things like acaras, jewel cichlids and many of the Central Americans.

Eartheaters would be ideal, though I fear they'd compete for food, so you'd have to be careful at dinner time. Eartheaters need excellent water quality (low nitrates) and a sandy substrate, so on those counts they're just like Apteronotus. They do like goodly water currents and would thrive in a deep, dark tank with an open sandy area and lots of rocks/bogwood around the edges. Biotodoma cupido is quite widely traded at the moment, and stays fairly small. It's a bit feisty, but nothing Apteronotus and a school of midwater tetras couldn't handle. I have a great fondness for the "demon" Satanoperca jurupari, a rather peaceful species despite its name, but big. A look around at other Satanoperca, Geophagus and Gymnogeophagus species should reveal some other fun fish.

Cheers, Neale

One problem I am having, and that is finding a suitable Cichlid that doesn't mind the current. I've searched for quite a while but not really found anything.
As Cichlids are one of my favourite fish, I will pledge my undying gratitude to you if you could suggest one?

 

[stang1]

I now pledge to you my undying gratitude!
I'm "babysitting" a pair of Satanoperca jurupari for a friend and they are stunning fish. I may have to convince him to let me keep them!
I shall have a look into all the fish you mention and then face the tough decison of which one?!
Many thanks again Neale and apologies once more to Kirsty.