Fish Choice For My Setup

[john starkey]

Hi all, have any of you guys/gals got any suggestions for some larger fish for my setup, its open topped so no jumpers please. also i dont want discus or angels , kind regards john

 

[George Farmer]

If you're sticking to an Amazonian theme then you're pretty limited to other SA cichlids. Apistogramma or rams would be nice but are still not "large".

Hatchets perhaps? Not sure if they jump.

Another option maybe Mesonauta festivus (flag cichlid or festivum), although I've no experience of these.

Any reason against angels? They're easy and pretty, especially the natural scalare strain (silver angel). Get them young enough so the cardinals don't fit into their mouth and you should be ok, in my experience.

Discus are much more demanding so I understand that one.

If you're willing to mix continents then obviously there's many more options.

 

[Castellop123]

...

 

[scouse_andy]

big school of congo tetras would look good. Minimum of 6 but go for 10 if your stocking can take it.

 

[SuperColey1]

plecs from S America would also help with the cleaning up.

I have LDA25 pitbulls which I bore everyone on here talking about.

They only get to 3 inches fully mature so in your tank you could get quite a few, and they are a fish that likes to stay in groups.

Picture of 2 of them with a cardinal above

The cardinals on their own

The pitbulls in a group

Andy

 

[rsands]

definately congo tetra's...amazing fish to watch! always a good shoal fish to swim around

 

[MoonstruckMuse]

Erm, my rainbowfish definitely jump, hahaha. Not often, but it's Murphy's Law that whenever I clean one of their tanks, they will try (unsuccessfully thus far ::sigh of relief: to jump out.

I vote for Congos as well. Great looking creatures. ^^

 

[john starkey]

If you're sticking to an Amazonian theme then you're pretty limited to other SA cichlids. Apistogramma or rams would be nice but are still not "large".

Hatchets perhaps? Not sure if they jump.

Another option maybe Mesonauta festivus (flag cichlid or festivum), although I've no experience of these.

Any reason against angels? They're easy and pretty, especially the natural scalare strain (silver angel). Get them young enough so the cardinals don't fit into their mouth and you should be ok, in my experience.

Discus are much more demanding so I understand that one.

If you're willing to mix continents then obviously there's many more options.

hi george, firstly i changed my mind about discus because of the temp they prefer,i think a nice shoal of altums would look good but everywhere i read says angels will eat small tetras ? regards john

 

[john starkey]

hi all thanks for the suggestions so far, i will definatley look at the congo tetra as you say it is a very colourful fish. the rainbow fish are also very nice but they can jump very well,regards john

 

[George Farmer]

If you buy regular angels (scalare not altum) small enough then they can't eat small tetras. The they will hopefully grow up with them not realising they're a food source. I kept a breeding pair of silver angels (5") in my Rio 125 for 12 months+ with no loss of cardinals or rummynose.

Altums require similar conditions to discus, if not they're even more fussy.

 

[john starkey]

If you buy regular angels (scalare not altum) small enough then they can't eat small tetras. The they will hopefully grow up with them not realising they're a food source. I kept a breeding pair of silver angels (5") in my Rio 125 for 12 months+ with no loss of cardinals or rummynose.

Altums require similar conditions to discus, if not they're even more fussy.

oh right george i didnt know altums were that fussy, regular scalare (young ones) it most probably will be then. regards john

 

[George Farmer]

A nice group of 6 to 10 will do nicely. Hopefully they'll be enough room for territorial disputes during spawning.

IMHO cardinals, rummynose and silver angels look awesome together. Have you seen the cover of Dennerle's "System for fascinating aquariums"?

 

[john starkey]

A nice group of 6 to 10 will do nicely. Hopefully they'll be enough room for territorial disputes during spawning.

IMHO cardinals, rummynose and silver angels look awesome together. Have you seen the cover of Dennerle's "System for fascinating aquariums"?

yeh i agree never noticed until you pointed it out, they do look very good together, regards john