Great Predatory Fish For 20 Gallon Tank

[hotdogoramer]

instead of a "predatory" fish i would recommend something much more intresting, puffers! There are a few you can keep in that tank, dwarf puffers, red-eye red tail puffers, fig8(brackish). they are intelligent and will be like a pet.

I want some action because I have never kept predatory fish and want to experience something new. But gladly i might try puffers in the ner future when i get more tank space.

 

[808barracuda]

instead of a "predatory" fish i would recommend something much more intresting, puffers! There are a few you can keep in that tank, dwarf puffers, red-eye red tail puffers, fig8(brackish). they are intelligent and will be like a pet.

I want some action because I have never kept predatory fish and want to experience something new. But gladly i might try puffers in the ner future when i get more tank space.

I have a Green Spotted Puffer in a 12 gallon Marineland Eclipse Tank (saltwater) along with some Limias and a black Lyretail Molly. I can't put any expensive fish in there because the puffer will eat them if he can catch them. He chased the other fish the first time I put them in but he gave up after about 5 minutes.

 

[hotdogoramer]

instead of a "predatory" fish i would recommend something much more intresting, puffers! There are a few you can keep in that tank, dwarf puffers, red-eye red tail puffers, fig8(brackish). they are intelligent and will be like a pet.

I want some action because I have never kept predatory fish and want to experience something new. But gladly i might try puffers in the ner future when i get more tank space.

I have a Green Spotted Puffer in a 12 gallon Marineland Eclipse Tank (saltwater) along with some Limias and a black Lyretail Molly. I can't put any expensive fish in there because the puffer will eat them if he can catch them. He chased the other fish the first time I put them in but he gave up after about 5 minutes.

Is it hard to maintain saltwater tank, because i started one 2 times and gave up beacuse the fish always died

 

[MBOU]

Avoid Green Spotten Puffers, going to grow much too big for your tank and they are one of the more aggressive species. Dwarf puffers if you want a small army of them, Figure of 8s if you want one or two bigger fish. The puffers have great markings and personality, for what you want as an oddball, they would be your best bet!

 

[hotdogoramer]

Avoid Green Spotten Puffers, going to grow much too big for your tank and they are one of the more aggressive species. Dwarf puffers if you want a small army of them, Figure of 8s if you want one or two bigger fish. The puffers have great markings and personality, for what you want as an oddball, they would be your best bet!

How big do Figure of 8 puffers get, and are they fresh water or saltwater?? Can't keep saltwater. Will they eat live fish?

 

[MBOU]

Fig 8s are naturally found in freshwater in the wild but keping them in brackish they will be healthier and live longer, it also means you might possibly get to keep something like bumblebee gobies with them. Other than the brackish bumblebee gobies, i wouldnt keep any other fish with them, they take chunks out of anything they can catch, including the tough bristlenose catfish.

You do need salt for brackish tough but not much, only a tiny bit, not like marine.

 

[AdAndrews]

If you want to see action then a predatory fish is not really the way to go, although you may think otherwise, preds, are slow moving fish, as in the wild they wood sneak up on their prey, so when exactly will you see action? when you feed? well, thats another thing, many people are against feeder fish in aquariums becuase it is unnecesary and cruel, im not sure what you think to this idea but i think it will be much more fun for you if you had either, dwarf puffers or fig8(one) your tank isnt big enough for 2 fig8s and not nearly enough for green spotted puffers, which grow to 6", they require tanks of at least 30 gallons per specimin.

fig8's are brackish water, but by nature will come in and out of different salinity levels(saltyness) all the time, they tend to do well in low brackish set ups, the kind where you can still grow plants, so will be able to create a complex atmosphere for the puffer to discover, they need lots of things to do, a bored puffer will swim up and down the glass in boredom. figure 8's should be kept at 1.005 sg, so use marine salt and a hydrometer to gain that level, they grow to 8cm andd will eat small inverts, snails, shrimps etc.

thanks

Adam

 

[hotdogoramer]

Thanks guys for your great suggestions, so i have to set up my tank as a brackish but with not enough salt to kill plants, right? And should i keep one figure 8 or if dwarf puffers, how many should i get? If i get figure 8s then how many gobies can i get, also if i get dwarf puffers, how many gobies can i get?Can they both be kept together? sorry for all the questions, just want the right setup.

 

[AdAndrews]

Thanks guys for your great suggestions, so i have to set up my tank as a brackish but with not enough salt to kill plants, right? And should i keep one figure 8 or if dwarf puffers, how many should i get? If i get figure 8s then how many gobies can i get, also if i get dwarf puffers, how many gobies can i get?Can they both be kept together? sorry for all the questions, just want the right setup.

just to clarify, dwarf puffers are freshwater, and in that size tank, providing it was full of plants/other decor you could keep about 6 i rekon, plus you will be able to keep maybe otto catfish and tiger/amano shrimp as clean up crew.

fig8's should be kept in sg 1.005, as i stated, which should allow to grow many different plants, such as java fern, java moss, crypts, anubias and hardy stems such as hygro polisperma, and ergia densa.

bumblebee gobies are something i wouldnt keep with dwarf puffers, but they can be kept with fig8's, as they are a brackish species that will thrive in such enviroments fig8's will, just be careful there is no fin nipping, it should be fine, not sure about numbers though as pufferfishes are really messy eaters, meaning they will take up a bigger bioload than most other fishes their size, so the normal stocking rules dont apply..

good luck
Adam

 

[hotdogoramer]

So I will get 5 dwarf puffers, 2 ottos, and a bunch of shrimp. How big do the dwarf puffers get?

 

[bitteraspects]

you want a great predeator for a 20g tank, there is only one answer my fiend. EXODON PARADOXUS.

a small shoal of these guys, and you wont be sorry. extremely active, predatory, and just plain awesome to look at.
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST181vCD7C4

 

[AdAndrews]

So I will get 5 dwarf puffers, 2 ottos, and a bunch of shrimp. How big do the dwarf puffers get?

1 inch, if that..

bitteraspects, are these fish suitable for a 20gal? i was thinking about keeping some as they seem like a smaller type of pirahna, dont they grow to like 3"?

 

[bitteraspects]

you are correct on all counts sir.

yes, they are suitable for a 20g tank.
yes, they do grow to be an average of 3".
and yes, this amazing little monotypic characin is very much like a "mini piranha", except much more active.

if you can somehow get your hands on them, you will not be disappointed.

 

[hotdogoramer]

you are correct on all counts sir.

yes, they are suitable for a 20g tank.
yes, they do grow to be an average of 3".
and yes, this amazing little monotypic characin is very much like a "mini piranha", except much more active.

if you can somehow get your hands on them, you will not be disappointed.

Thanks for the great suggestion.
I gues i have to change my mind on puffers, instead will get a bunch of EXODON PARADOXUS. They are great i saw a bunch of videos of them. How many can i keep?? i saw a 20 gal tank like mine with about 35 of them.

 

[bitteraspects]

you are correct on all counts sir.

yes, they are suitable for a 20g tank.
yes, they do grow to be an average of 3".
and yes, this amazing little monotypic characin is very much like a "mini piranha", except much more active.

if you can somehow get your hands on them, you will not be disappointed.

Thanks for the great suggestion.
I gues i have to change my mind on puffers, instead will get a bunch of EXODON PARADOXUS. They are great i saw a bunch of videos of them. How many can i keep?? i saw a 20 gal tank like mine with about 35 of them.

the number you keep is really dependent on the amount of work you are going to put into it.

initially, i would only suggest a shoal of 10. no more no less.
however, with better filtration, and a steady WC schedule, it is possible to house more in that tank. it will require quite a bit more care to do it successfully, and generally is not suggested. especially if you are just getting into the species and dont have experience with them.

i have a few videos of my different exodon tanks on youtube.