Oddballs For A 30G

[kizno1]

Im having problems heating my 150G so for now im going to leave it empty for a while until i decide what to do with it and restock my 30G instead just for a bit of a change. I want something a little different for it and dont mind if its a Oddball and/or a Predator. I had thought about Monocirrhus polyacanthus but after talking to Neale i dont think i will be able to supply them with as much live fish as they need, I dont mind getting a fish that needs some live but i wouldnt be able to use it as a staple. Any ideas on what could work?

Cheers.

 

[simonas]

how about some dwarf channa/snakeheads. I would recomend Orientalis and Assam as I have kept them and they make fantastic tank inhabitants and make decent breeding projects

 

[kizno1]

I thought about Snakeheads but cant really find any round here that arent about £30 each and when i would need atleast 4 to get a pair thats £120 which is a bit more than i was looking to spend.

 

[simonas]

crikey thats steep

A couple of yrs ago I got assams for £8 each from BAS and Orientalis off a for sale site for fish for £4 each as they breed a lot

Not classed as oddballs but firemouths are on my mind at the moment and if I had a spare tank I;d get them again. Loveley fish I can;t recall whether they'd be suitable for a 30g

 

[kizno1]

Yeah thats whats putting me off them. They are still an option for the 150G though because they wont mind the cooler temps.

I do like Firemouths but after seeing a 8" male i wouldnt put one in a 30G. Im not really looking for cichlids i want something a little different but thanks .

 

[always4lora]

Channa Orientalis are cheap, normally around a fiver each from normal breeder. obviously shops would be more. Snakeheads are easy to post as well so do not have to be local.

Others things you could try is some rope fish - Erpetoichthys calabaricus , although they do get big they take a wile to get there and are like worms in the build of them so they'll be fine for quite a wile.
Senegal bichir would work if you got a small juvi as they take ages to grow

African butterfly fish is another good one however i found mine picky for feeding.

 

[kizno1]

Channa Orientalis are cheap, normally around a fiver each from normal breeder. obviously shops would be more. Snakeheads are easy to post as well so do not have to be local.

Others things you could try is some rope fish - Erpetoichthys calabaricus , although they do get big they take a wile to get there and are like worms in the build of them so they'll be fine for quite a wile.
Senegal bichir would work if you got a small juvi as they take ages to grow

African butterfly fish is another good one however i found mine picky for feeding.

Cheers. Ropefish look great but i wouldn want to put one in a 30G even if they are slow growing i think thats pushing my luck a little. Ive always wanted a Bichir so that could be an option, How big do you think it would be able to stay in there till? The once at my LFS are already 4" so probably nearly to big already. I like Butterfly fish aswell do you think they could work with a Bichir or are they likely to be food?

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Are you looking for an active or a calm tank?

From the fish I have and others I would like to have, I think the following are all possible in different 30g tank setups...

• 3 Golden Wonder Panchax
• 3 African Butterfly Fish
• 6-10 Upside Down Catfish
• 1-2 Chaetostoma
• 1 Panda Garra
• 5(?) Tiger Oto (Oxyropsis acutirostra, on Kesgrave Ebay store)
• 10 African Striped Catfish (P. buffei)
• Banjo Catfish
• 3 Lophiobagrus brevispinis
• Pair of Steatocranus casuarius/tinanti?

 

[nmonks]

I think a trio of ropefish would be fine in 30 gallons, assuming you had a decent filter. They don't grow terribly large, and while they do get to about 40-45 cm in length, they stay very thin.

As a bonus, they're inoffensive enough you could keep some midwater schooling fish with them, or perhaps something odd like a Dwarf Distichodus.

Cheers, Neale

Cheers. Ropefish look great but i wouldn want to put one in a 30G even if they are slow growing i think thats pushing my luck a little. Ive always wanted a Bichir so that could be an option, How big do you think it would be able to stay in there till? The once at my LFS are already 4" so probably nearly to big already. I like Butterfly fish aswell do you think they could work with a Bichir or are they likely to be food?

 

[kizno1]

I think a trio of ropefish would be fine in 30 gallons, assuming you had a decent filter. They don't grow terribly large, and while they do get to about 40-45 cm in length, they stay very thin.

As a bonus, they're inoffensive enough you could keep some midwater schooling fish with them, or perhaps something odd like a Dwarf Distichodus.

Cheers, Neale

Cheers. The filtration is a Fluval 405 which is supposed to do 1300lph but i dont know how much it actually does. Do the Ropefish need to be in groups of would just 1 be alright?
Could i go for something like 1 African butterfly fish, 1 Ctenopoma acutirostre and 1 Ropefish or would that be to much?

Thanks

 

[nmonks]

You don't keep ropefish singly. They're very social, so keep at least three.

Cheers, Neale

 

[kizno1]

You don't keep ropefish singly. They're very social, so keep at least three.

Cheers, Neale

Fair enough. Do you think 3 could work with 1 Ctenopoma acutirostre?

Cheers

 

[nmonks]

Yes.

Cheers, Neale

Fair enough. Do you think 3 could work with 1 Ctenopoma acutirostre?

 

[kizno1]

Yes.

Cheers, Neale

Fair enough. Do you think 3 could work with 1 Ctenopoma acutirostre?

Thanks, I think ill go for that then.

Cheers

 

[simonas]

and one bonus with them is they eat anything and look very pretty in a subtle way when older. I had 4 that were about 16-18 inch long, very active and eat pellets prawns flake and any frozen stuff that went in