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Hello Everyone,
My cousin would like to get a carnivorous fish and breed feeder guppies only to be fed to it. Can anyone please compile a list of carnivorous fish that would eat feeder guppies and a tank size needed. Thank You.

Chris

The possiblities are nearly endless, really...

Many cichlids are mainly carnivorus and will eat feeder guppies... yet the Cichlid family is the largest single Family classification known to taxonomy!

There's also many species of piranha that will eat them as well.

There are LOTS of mostly carnivorus fish out there, and I don't think it's quite possible to list them all in one post...

Mind you, the term 'carnivorus' is a difficult one to associate with a fish, as most fish have preferences, but there is always the exeption that will eat plant matter. For example, Betta splendens are supposedly carnivorus, but they can be weaned off of a meaty diet and they can LEARN to accept plant matter as food (I've personally done this with a number of bettas).

You may want to have a look around in the Profiles section of this site, and see if you can find a fish you like. Or maybe look around at your LFS for fish that they have, just to get some ideas. Maybe talk to your LFS's owner, and see what kinds of fish they can get in stock... that way, you won't have to order online and take that responsibility on yourself.
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On breeding guppies -

You may want to try using a decent sized plastic kiddie pool as a tank/pond for them, as it's a cheap/economical alternative to a tank.

Also, be sure to keep adding to the guppy gene pool by buying a few new guppies from different places every now and then. That way, they won't get quite as inbred

Good Luck

Hmmm, guppies, eh?

First thing that comes to mind is the South American Leaf Fish, a fish that loves to stay camouflaged and look like a little rotton leaf. Well-disguised, this fish is quite fit to sit and wait for fish to swim unknowingly near it for it to snap it up in a flash. Typical ambush predator, this fish only gets about 4" long and, because of their behavior not to move much, can be kept in a pretty small tank (20 gallons would be great). Do not confuse this fish with False Leaf Fish such as Nandus, which can reach about a foot long and thus require a much large tank!

Another fish along basically the same lines is the African Butterflyfish, the sole member of the genus Pantodon. These fish mimic dead brush floating on the surface and will take any guppies that come close enough. These fish can get about 6" long. Unlike the South American Leaf Fish, these fish are super jumpers; though of course you're gonna keep your tank covered, it's SUPER important in the case of the African Butterflyfish.

One fish that will accept other foods but will indeed take guppies is the Banjo Catfish; another ambush predator, these fish can hide under the sand or in woodwork and then come out when they please to swallow guppies. I believe these fish get about 6" long, but someone else can correct me if they do not.

Choices are not limited to those three; there are also many fish that are actually chasers rather than ambushers. I'm reluctant to advise any such fish that actually swim about rather than hide all the time because often their diets are wider than just fish alone. Also, all the chosen fish are relatively small because, well, the food is guppy. Many larger carnivores stop paying attention to guppies, especially those at feeder sizes, as they get larger it stops being worth it. Not that it's a bad thing; there's a general lack of interest in many feeders.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

I would use a cichlid, something like a Texas cichlid(would require a large tank). The guppies should be combined with a good staple flake or pellet.

African knives would be interesting in a planted tank.

A clawed frog would love the guppies, also.

Needle fish should work.

Or a Birchir. An axotle (spelling?).

Soo many options.

What size tank??

Any size tank it is not purchased yet...

Chris

A few years ago my lfs had a really cool ambush predator in one of their tanks but now I just can't think of what I identified it as. They were calling it a cowfish but a search will only give you saltwater fish. It was a thick ugly splotchy brown/grey fish with a gigantic mouth. It laid in the sand on the bottom and when goldfish or guppies were added it would suddenly pop up and engulf them. The whole tank would become a huge cloudy mess for awhile and then there were no fish. I wanted it for awhile but even though they had it cramped in a 10g at the time it looked like it would get too big for my tanks.

Kinda depends what you want. Something colorful? Something that's always out and you can show off? Something big or small with a surprising appetite/mouth size? Something odd that blends in to it's surroundings?

Any size tank it is not purchased yet...

Is money no problem here? Some carnivorous fish may need a huge tank, does your cousin have the money for say a 300g tank?

There are endless possiblities of fish. Without a max tank size, we can just keep on suggesting.

Maybe he should go browse through the LFS. Getting fish we suggest may be a problem if tank size isn't.

*Kristin*

Ah, sham speaks of the Water Cow. It's a hefty goby species that reaches over a foot long and, so I'm told, can be a mean bugger. An interesting fish to watch out for.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

I have an African Clawed Frog that would scarf down guppies like there's no tomorrow...and love every minute of it! I know that's not a fish, but one ACF can be comfortably housed in a 10 gallon tank and they are so cute and very funny to watch. Here's a pic of mine

Attached Image:

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~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

My cousin wont buy a 300g tank but what kind of fish were you thinking? Also He was thinking of something like an oscar not too big.

Chris

I would recommend a 75 gallon or larger for an oscar. They are massive fish when full grown.

Water cow did get some results. http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Oddbal486.jpg One big ugly fish. I think the scientific name is eleotris picta which another site says gets 17" long. It was interesting enough at around 8" so I think a 17" long monster waiting at the bottom of the tank to snatch up any fish would catch the eye of a few people. After they found it anyway. On a sand substrate it looks kinda like a big log sitting there.

If you're looking for a real oddball that is sedate enough not to need too much space, how about this species?

The Prehistoric Monster Fish, Thalassophryne amazonica, is a member of the Family Batrachoididae - a freshwater Toadfish. Be advised however that it is also venomous, so care in handling is also needed! Here is some more information on this unique oddball.

Among other less well known fishes you could opt for is Oxyeleotris marmoratus, a Goby species that leaves you in NO doubt whatosever about its predatory instincts - that face says "I am DANGEROUS and don't you forget it!" even to humans, let alone guppies ...

If you're thinking of Cichlids, well, just about everyone has kept an African or Central American/South American Cichlid in their time. How about something a little more unusual? The Cichlid fishes of Madagascar are unique, and you will have the added kudos of helping to keep and breed endangered species, possibly saving them from extinction ... more about Madagascan Cichlids here ...

You could also go for Mastacembelid Eels, though some of these can grow rather large. One VERY unusual one you could go for is a Tanganyikan Rift Lake species called Aethiomastacembelus ellipsifer - if you can find it!

On the subject of Piranha, how about aan oddball that is rarely seen in the hobby - Catoprion mento, the Wimple Piranha, that has extensions to the dorsal and anal fins that make it almost a freshwater version of the marine Wimplefish?

Some suggestions for you to be going on with ...



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I wasn't referring to a specific fish. I was just making a point that a maximum tank size would be nice, since there is a wide range of fish we can suggest. Knowing limits will help up suggest fish to you.

*Kristin*

My LFS has a freshwater barracuda. They say it can grow up to 40 inches, but this site says only 9.1 inches. Either way, I bet it would be awesome to watch them scarf down some guppies.

If tank size is no problum try a moray eel

I think a good suggestion would be a medium size chichlid, or even an angelfish would eat guppies. Another cool fish are pirahnas.

Inky

Okay if you want more specific suggestions we need some more information. How big of a tank is your cousin willing to get? Do you want an ambush or chase pred? We need some idea of what he wants.