What Fish To Get?

[sryan0609]

You could get 3 or 4 depending on filtration and dims. What are the dimensions of the tank?

I think they are usually seasonal fish, wait around a bit and they should come up. Maybe ask your lfs to get some smaller ones when they're available.

dimensions==== these may be off by a little be i just used a ruler. 20" high 18" long and 48" wide

my LF said they can only order RBPs. im looking for more stores but i am not haing much luck..

the caribes on aquascapeonline are 75$ for a 3", is that what they usually are? u know where i could get a cheaper one online?

and also i heard that if you take the water out of your tank and leae it out for a while, the glass wil; become weak, is this true? if so ive got an issue.....

 

[Mr._Fishy]

Nope, glass won't be weak if you leave it out of water for a while. If you seals dry out that would be a problem. But it shouldn't be an issue unless you just dumped it in your backyard.

I really have no idea on prices of caribas.

That tank sounds like a 75g. I think that might be a bit tight for caribas but idk for sure. Generally the rule is around 25g per fish but imo 3 12" fairly active fish don't belong in a 4' x 18" box. If you do be sure you really have good filtration. What filtration do you have right now?

 

[sryan0609]

Nope, glass won't be weak if you leave it out of water for a while. If you seals dry out that would be a problem. But it shouldn't be an issue unless you just dumped it in your backyard.

I really have no idea on prices of caribas.

That tank sounds like a 75g. I think that might be a bit tight for caribas but idk for sure. Generally the rule is around 25g per fish but imo 3 12" fairly active fish don't belong in a 4' x 18" box. If you do be sure you really have good filtration. What filtration do you have right now?

alright good.

idk what size it is for sure, im almost positie its in the 80s though...

all i hae for filtration is a penguin filter that is for, i wanna say 100gal. it has worked fine for me for as long as i can remember, as far as i know. i think i am gonna buy another filter, possibly the same one, because it would neer hurt to hae more filtration

also, if i can get my hands on a snakehead i am assuming that my tank is waayyy too small, right?

 

[Mr._Fishy]

Well snakeheads are illegal on the federal level so chances are you won't. Even if you can, don't. Iirc, the penalties are pretty severe. But to answer the question there are many smaller species that do fit in an a tank that side.

Unless your measurements are off, that size right there is the std 75g.

I'd definitely up the filtration. Piranhas are very messy fish.

 

[sryan0609]

Well snakeheads are illegal on the federal level so chances are you won't. Even if you can, don't. Iirc, the penalties are pretty severe. But to answer the question there are many smaller species that do fit in an a tank that side.

Unless your measurements are off, that size right there is the std 75g.

I'd definitely up the filtration. Piranhas are very messy fish.

ya i thought so.

im gonna up the filtration, but it was odd because with my rbps it seemed to do the job quite well. i changed the water fairly often, and my water tests were usually around normal.

i actually just found a pet store in cincy, Aquatics and Exotics. the website isnt ery good there are only pictures of some of their fish. but they had pics of some piranhas and of a snkaehead, thats why i was wondering.

im thinking that i am going to just get some more rbps, because:
1) i cant get a caribe bc its alotta $, and bc the website doesnt hae them
2)and bc i want to hae more than just one fish in the tank
so unless i find some cheap caribe, or other piranhas that r cheap and can school together, im leaning toward rbps again...

 

[Mr._Fishy]

I think I found the picture you were talking about. It looks like a channa but I really don't know why they would post something like that on their webpage. I really don't know what to say but that is REALLY not good if that is really a snakehead.

You can keep 3 caribas in a tank like that, and many people do. I just don't really think it sounds right but I've never actually kept them so I have no first hand experience. I guess ymmv.

8 small rbp's is a different story than a shoal of full grown ones. When your 8 were full grown I can almost guarantee you would have had filtration issues.

 

[sryan0609]

I think I found the picture you were talking about. It looks like a channa but I really don't know why they would post something like that on their webpage. I really don't know what to say but that is REALLY not good if that is really a snakehead.

You can keep 3 caribas in a tank like that, and many people do. I just don't really think it sounds right but I've never actually kept them so I have no first hand experience. I guess ymmv.

8 small rbp's is a different story than a shoal of full grown ones. When your 8 were full grown I can almost guarantee you would have had filtration issues.

ya i agree that posting that pic would be asking for trouble, but i guess ill see when i go there.

and my rbps were about 5" or 5 1/2" and i never had any HUGE issues, i mean some minor things here and there, but, again, thats just as far as i know, i mean there coul hae ben issues that i was unaware of.

now, although i think i am set on either caribe or rbps, can u think of any other predatory fish that are similar to these, or better? i cant find any that are like them other than big fish i cant have, cichlids, and other piranhas. i just want to be sure i hae looked at all possible options.

 

[Mr._Fishy]

Pike cichlids, some large-ish catfish, bichirs, knife fish (not really preds, but some really weird lookin ones out there), puffers? For puffers you could divide the tank and get maybe some Tetraodon suvattii, T. palembangens, or if you want fish that don't look like rocks, maybe a shoal of south american puffers. Probably not what you are looking for though.

5.5" aint full grown. Try 8-10"

 

[sryan0609]

Pike cichlids, some large-ish catfish, bichirs, knife fish (not really preds, but some really weird lookin ones out there), puffers? For puffers you could divide the tank and get maybe some Tetraodon suvattii, T. palembangens, or if you want fish that don't look like rocks, maybe a shoal of south american puffers. Probably not what you are looking for though.

5.5" aint full grown. Try 8-10"

ya, ur right, that isnt really what im looking for.

and ya i know thats not full, i was just lettin ya know how big they got. ill prolly get another 100gal filter, u think thatll do the trick?

 

[Mr._Fishy]

That would depend on the filter. I'd go with either a canister or an aquaclear

 

[sryan0609]

That would depend on the filter. I'd go with either a canister or an aquaclear

alright, ill have to check those out. what do u think the minimum size i should get should be? so i know what not to go below?

and also i was reading about RBPs and it is said that if u have a tank that is more dim, or has a canopy of some floating plants to make shadows, or if i use blackwater extract the will be less shy and more active, is this true? and is blackwater extract actually affective or should i get some?

 

[Mr._Fishy]

I wouldn't bother with extracts. If you want the look, just use bogwood. It doesn't make them much less skitish ime but floating plants and a good amount of cover in the tank will help with skittishness substantially.

How many p's are you going to get? This will determine how much filtration you will need. To give you an idea, I have a 5.5" sanchezi in a 29g that I usually have an eheim 2213 and an ac50 on there (ac50 recently died so I know have a little fluval internal in there until I get a replacement). It's probably an overkill but the ac50 was all I had besides a few small filters and some powerheads.

I really like the ac series for their media capacity and flow rate, its basically a hybrid of between an hob and a canister. However I don't like their reliability. I know most people have had very good experiences with them but I've had all the ones I tried crap out on me within I think about a year or 2 of purchase.

 

[sryan0609]

I wouldn't bother with extracts. If you want the look, just use bogwood. It doesn't make them much less skitish ime but floating plants and a good amount of cover in the tank will help with skittishness substantially.

How many p's are you going to get? This will determine how much filtration you will need. To give you an idea, I have a 5.5" sanchezi in a 29g that I usually have an eheim 2213 and an ac50 on there (ac50 recently died so I know have a little fluval internal in there until I get a replacement). It's probably an overkill but the ac50 was all I had besides a few small filters and some powerheads.

I really like the ac series for their media capacity and flow rate, its basically a hybrid of between an hob and a canister. However I don't like their reliability. I know most people have had very good experiences with them but I've had all the ones I tried crap out on me within I think about a year or 2 of purchase.

ya i am planning on making this take filled with "vegetation," my last one had alot in it, only problem was that they would bite the fake plants at the stems and there was just fake leaves alll over.

i am gonna get the 10 RBPs for 100$ on aquascapeonline. i know that they may be too many, but its such a good deal that u just cant pass it up, u know?

 

[Mr._Fishy]

True, but when they grow up what are you going to do with the extra piranhas?

 

[sryan0609]

True, but when they grow up what are you going to do with the extra piranhas?

ya that is a minor set back....

and back to the filter, what size should i get? like what gph and stuff?

andI am assuming that I can get a filter that isn’t equivilant to my tanks size too, like since I already have a filter I could get a filter, just for example, that only filters a 65 gal. even though my tanks bigger than that. Right?

once again price plays a role in what filter i will get...heres some that weren't too much, do they seem alright:

http/www.petco.com/product/8169/Lifegard-Aquatics-Mechanical-Filter.aspx?CoreCat=LN_Shopping_FishSupplies_Filters

http/www.petco.com/product/13594/Penn-Plax-Cascade-Canister-Filters.aspx?CoreCat=LN_Shopping_FishSupplies_Filters