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I thought it would be enlightening to introduce a little parlour game type topic here. Because this one will test your knowledge.

Imagine that there is a brand new 24" x 12" x 12" aquarium waiting to be set up before you. And, that once it is set up and cycled, it is to contain one fish. Just the one fish. Now, what is the largest single fish that everyone here thinks could fit into this aquarium, and live long term? Assume for the sake of argument that the aquarium is to be set up in accordance with any specialised requirements that your chosen species may have.

I've set up this little exercise because I know for a fact that an Oscar won't fit - even a single Oscar is a candidate for a minimum size of 48" x 18" x 18", and preferably bigger. I'd give an Oscar a 6ft aquarium all to itself to make sure it had decent living space and growing room. But, there are in all probability quite a few fishes that could fit the parameters of this puzzle. Fishes that can't be kept with others for reasons of aggression, for example, or because they have weird water chemistry requirements. I'd like to see what sort of suggestions everyone comes up with.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Jack Dempsey

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Absolute largest? Some species of particularly immobile frogfish, I suppose. I have to say that one of my main reasons for preferring larger tanks is to allow for movement; with a fish that moves barely at all, and at long intervals, this matters little or not at all. Assuming the owner can keep the tank clean and an otherwise excellent environment, that'd be my pick - but someone else will have to come up with the precise species.
Or, for cichlids, N. brevis would come out the largest of any choice I'd make, at 3" for some males and still a GREAT small tank choice - again, because they're quite static - but OTOH, that;s mostly the case with pairs, a lone male often likes a bit of space to move. Still okay, but not the best. A Julie could work but they're a bit more mobile, espcially when kept alone; I wouldn't necessarily recommend one of them highly. A lone livebearer, perhaps 3" but not much larger.
Doubt I quite hit the exact point of the exercise but I tried!

Last edited by LittleMousling at 21-Feb-2005 20:21

-Molly
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my buddy got an oscar when it was just a weee baby and had it in a 5 gallon (it was like 2 inches) and moved it up to a 10 and eventually a 20 as it grew over time. he left it in the 20 for quite a while and it stayed fine. even had a few tinfoils in there with it. fed it goldfish. it seemed to do alright. not saying i'd do that myself, but it seemed to be able to live just fine.

Hmm, fifteen gallons. You sure like to make 'em hard, don't you Cali?

Well, for this size of a tank, and not including any schooling/shoaling fish, I would say a male pike killifish, Belonesox belizanus.

Joe Potato

I would say you can have a single blue gourami in a tank that size, with nothing else.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

the amazon puffer although only 3 in, they are aggressive, and are messy eaters, so the bigger the tank with more filtration the better (i would get one)

I'd personally skip the fish and put some species of invasive seaweed or something in it

But if it had to have one fish It'd probably be a dead carp

Or a Convict

One female guppybefore the year is over you would need more tanks

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Stonefish, Rhinopias, Toadfish. You know, the immobile types. Chaca chaca would be gamble, as it's stomach acids acidify the water; if one is going to slack off on water changes every now and then the pH is gonna plummet in such a small tank.:%)

Last edited by Shinigami at 21-Feb-2005 22:36

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

Rhinopias ... hmm, budgetting for one of those would be fun, given that they cost as much as I'd pay here in the UK for a second hand BMW But, interesting choice Shini.

As for Chaca chaca, I wouldn't put that in anything less than a 4ft tank anyway

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

blockhead






rabbit:88)

Thalassophryne amazonica
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/show_article.php?article_id=189

Last edited by doedogg at 22-Feb-2005 09:07

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I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
~ Mae West

Steph, I'm sorry but that is one ugly fish!!!

Still goes with 1 female guppy

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Ugly and venomous.