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If you like unbelieveably agressive fish, then I'm gona let you in on something. Chichlids, piranhas, shovelnoses, they're NOT what you're looking for. Shovelnoses barely move, pirhanas are sky as heck, and chichlids, well, they just like space. If you really are looking for a perversion of nature that is so completely ferocious that any fish, big or small you put with it will wind up with a hole the size of a quarter bored through it, then look no further. The whale catfish is your fish. These things look like mini sharks and have the personality to boot. Since they are so agressive, you could only keep them with other whale catfish, and at about 10" each, you could probably have 3-6 in your tank. Activity is a funy thing with these fish. Some people claim them never move, other say that they are constantly circling arond the tank, even snapping at any human that gets too close to the tank. In nature they are parasites, feeding off of all fish live or dead. I strongly suggest you see the show Amazon Abyss to see what a pack of these can do to a carcase in a couple of seconds. They'll run you up about $40 and they're not easy to find, but trust me, if you want a ruthless killing machiene, they're your fish.

Disclaimer: Again, don't just feed them live fish, dead food items are, many times, a healthier alternative.

i plan on getting another 180 or larger tank and drilling it and running a sump/fuge in the future. then i will sell this tank so i can just swap everything over to the new tank and not worry about killing anything. i have tried to keep plants in the tank to keep the water nicer, but the fish keep shredding the plants. if they couldnt shred it, they would uproot it and it was a big PITA. this way i can put the plants in the fuge and scrub the water that way. it would be nice to get some huge algae colony going in the fuge also.

With a tank that size I would get a drilled tank and do a sump/refugium.

if it were my tank i would put a few large african cichlids in it.
exochromis
buccochromis
nimbochrmis
dimidiochromis
fossorochromis
rhamphochromis
trannochromis
\
i have a 180g tank now and some of these fish would bust out of. i have some nimbo. fuscotaeniatus that are very beautiful and willing to eat anything that moves and might or might not fit in their mouths. i got 3 nimbos and 9 albino peacocks all 2" and threw them in the tank at the same time. the nimbos grew so much faster than the peacocks that the peacocks were eaten within 3 months. i managed to save one peacock and she is only 2.5", the nimbo is 7" and growing like crazy. they are only 9 months old! the nimbos should top out at about 14". the colors are phenomenal. turn irridescent blue when courting and return to a sweet blue/green pattern when relaxed. very cool fish. never stops moving.
good luck with the tank. it should be a fun project. how are you filtering it? just curious. i am looking to change up my method on my 180g soon. i have three canisters on it and feel that it really isnt enough to handle it.


Last edited by acei at 19-Jan-2006 14:19

Last edited by acei at 19-Jan-2006 14:28

If your going with Pbass, then get atleast 6 and just stick with them. They are very touchy when young and need lots of care. Also please don't get a tiger shovelnose they will get way too big. Consider a jurenese cat.

Fill us in on the other equipment you are using in the setup.

As already stated, peacock bass are too big for most aquarium systems.

I don't think the original poster is adding the convicts as tankmates.

I know, I was simply sugessting to him they would be interesting considering there level of agression.

i got the raise and the tank. im getting 4 oscars 1 tigger shovle nose and 3 pecock bass for my tank it is in my living room.

Yeah go for the illegal snakehead... *thumps bad advice*

Just because snakeheads are banned in the United States doesn't they are banned everywhere else. The Big Al's in my city has numerous snakeheads to purchase. The original poster does not list what their country is.

A Convict or 2 would be an interesting addition even though they get to be less than a foot

. I don't think the original poster is adding the convicts as tankmates.

Last edited by openwater at 18-Jan-2006 17:16

"If you like unbelieveably agressive fish, then I'm gona let you in on something. Chichlids, piranhas, shovelnoses, they're NOT what you're looking for."

Thats your own opinion tha tcichlids are not aggressive, and honestly, that thing is hideous.

i want to get this tank but i dont know if im getting a raise so i can buy it and stock it. i was thinking more aggresive cichlid tank like always.


6 oscars 2 black and 2 tiger 2 albino tiger
3 sunset catfish
2 managuense cichlid
2 jardni Arowana
2 tiger shovlenose catfish mabey if i can.

I dont think peacock bass belong in the aquaria except for the largest of aquariums, probably those of public aquariums or ponds.

What type of filtration would you be running?

I'd drop the shovelnose cats and get a smaller type of catfish.

what about peacock bass.

Yeah go for the illegal snakehead...

*thumps bad advice*

I think that having THAT many agressive fish would result in at LEAST a few deaths. You could go for maybe 2 GT's, 2 Oscars, 1 Jardini Arowana, and some big mean bottom dweller.

A Convict or 2 would be an interesting addition even though they get to be less than a foot.

And if you do feed live fish, raise your own. That way you can feed the feeders nutritional food and you know the living conditions they have been in. It is less risky to feed home bred feeders (guppy's are easy) than to buy feeders from a disease ridden store tank. I do agree with the above post, don't make live fish a staple diet, throw in some nutritional commercial foods, frozen foods, etc...

Last edited by Tetra Fan at 17-Jan-2006 18:54

dont feed just live fish or your fish will die before their time due to alot of possable illnesses. they wouldnt eat just fish in the wild so you cant do that in a tank.

If you want something that will be mean, terrorizing and eat anything, forget cichlids and go with some snakeheads.

Though for big, mean cichlids I would definitely choose some Parachromis dovii. Truly awesome fish.

like i said i like large mean cichlids i dont want any thing under a foot. i want them to eat live fish to and i am breeding convicts for that reason.

Last edited by riri1 at 16-Jan-2006 23:15

Dolf, do you have a picture of that tank? It sounds really nice.


______________
Cake or death?

I have to agree with Openwater. I have a 300 gallon tank and it is big, but I can't picture that many large fish comfortably living in it. I would venture to say you could get away with one, maybe two of the groups you mentioned, depending on the tank's dimentions and decorations.
Here's what I went with:
Tank dimentions; 8ft X 2ft X 3ft tall
6 Severums
5 Blue Dolfins
5 Clown Loaches
4 small eartheaters
4 Lamprologus Cylindricus
2 Black Banded Leporinus
1 Spotted Bushfish