Compatibility Help With Some Oddballs And Rainbowfish

[Richie Hell]

Wasn't sure whether to put this in here or the forum for Rainbowfish, but I figured here would be best.

I'm currently planning my big community tank. I do change my mind every week, but we're quite set that we want a Black Ghost Knife Fish and a Peacock Eel. Firstly, double check that they are ok together?

More importantly, I want some Boeseman's Rainbow Fish. Are these alright in the tank? Are they quick and big enough to end up being dinner for the eel and BGK?

Cheers.

 

[Pickles]

you do realise Ghost fish get to 20" long?

 

[Richie Hell]

Yes, yes I do. I am planning on getting a big tank. I just want to know if it's likely to swallow a 4 inch Boeseman's Rainbow Fish or if they're bigger enough to not end as dinner. I've done a lot of research, but I'm still not sure how small a fish has to be to end up as dinner.

 

[nmonks]

My gut feeling is a black ghost knifefish, assuming its well fed, will probably leave the rainbows alone. They can get to 50 cm in the wild, but aquarium specimens seem to remain much smaller. Specimens getting to 30 cm long or so seem to be typical. Baesnch quotes one specimen getting from 15 to 40 cm in 16 years, so they aren't especially fast growers, either.

According to Fishbase these are micropredators on insect larvae and small crusteaceans. I've heard of them eating small fish like neons, but then so do angelfish, and no-one considers them "deadly predators". Assuming you offer plenty of bloodworms, mosquito larvae, daphnia, and other suitable foods, adult rainbows should be fine.

http/filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Summary/speci...sname=albifrons

Rainbows are generally excellent companions for oddball fish. They aren't easily startled, and tend to be big enough and fast enough to avoid casual predation. I've seen them mixed well with bichirs, spiny eels, butterflyfish, small snakeheads, and so on. Obviously they won't survive with something that is a serious fish-eater like a red-tail catfish, but otherwise they're a good choice for the tank you have in mind.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Richie Hell]

Awesome, cheers. Everyone will be well fed on a good varied diet, so I wouldn't have thought they'd get the urge to eat the Rainbows. And no one is a serious fish eater, so sounds good to me