Need a Killer

[t_h_e_s_a_c_k]

I've started a new tank, and I have everything set up but i don't have a fish. I'm looking for something that eats meat, but money and size is an issue. The tank is a bit more than 5 gallons.
I don't want to spend any more than 20 bucks.

Could you guys give me some suggestions?
thnx.

[lucille]

A nice pair of guppies would fit the bill. From what I remember they eat daphnia and brine shrimp, so if you don't want a vegetarian fish, a guppy would be perfect.

[ChilDawg]

You're not going to find anything that eats "meat" in the terms in which we think about meat, but FW Dwarf Puffers may fit the bill for you...they eat snails.

[mickey]

Sorry to say sack but your not going to get many killers in a 5 gallon .
CHEERS.

[Mantis_22]

lol that was cruel...

anyways go for a oscar if your looking for containment and punishment...

ta-ta...

[ChilDawg]

Punishment for which fish?

[optix]

ummmmm an oscar in a 5 gallon, I think I should just pretend I never even read that.

[ChilDawg]

I think that we all are...I'm going to venture a guess and say that Mantis_22 was kidding.

[Mantis_22]

yes guys... a joke... ha.... ha...?


(cmon be a little sarcastic now)

[ChilDawg]

We try, but it doesn't show so well on the 'Net. I'd rather not have people considering the Oscar in a 5g tank thing, so I drew attention to the humour intended by you, Mantis_22, but I figured that you had to have been kidding! :)

[TomFromStLouis]

I thought it was funny Mantis, but remember this is the newbie side and ya gotta be clear.

5g is pretty darn small. You might try the Cichlid forum and see if they have any dwarf cichlid ideas.

[Mantis_22]

okay being respectful here, he could MAYBE go with 1 or 2 very small dwarf cichlids as mentioned above. Or go with channel catfish or rapheal catfish which both eat remains of meat/organics on the bottoms of substrates. That just my opinion, other than that it is very hard to select fish which he has specified for a 5g..

[ChilDawg]

There's only one type of dwarf cichlid that would work in that tank, and we're talking about Tanganyikan shell-dwellers. Apologies to those who have seen these links innumerable times recently, but here they are again:

http://www.cichlidrecipe.com/shellweb/

http://www.cichlidae.com/tanks/t016.html

http://www.aquariacentral.com/artic...ldwellers.shtml

http://www.nature.com/nsu/000803/000803-1.html
(That one is actually just interesting, but it gives you an idea of the dynamics of social interaction between the shellies.)

http://www.tanganyikan-cichlids.co.uk/Articles.htm
(This is just an all-around good site with regard to Tanganyikan Cichlids...it's worth a read!)

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articl...ller_corner.php
(Again, a site with many good articles within it about your shellies.)

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/n_brevis.php
(A species-specific one written by our own Jayhawk.)

HTH,

Matthew

[mickey]

Well worth posting those links again childawg someone will benefit from them.
Cheers.

[t_h_e_s_a_c_k]

It's a 10 gallon.......a 10 gallon.

[mogurnda]

Actually, there are some possibilities. Pike topminnows (Belonesox, I think) are small and nasty. May be hard to find, though.

[ChilDawg]

Originally posted by t_h_e_s_a_c_k
It's a 10 gallon.......a 10 gallon.

Hope that's not directed at us for what we said above and that it's just a correction of your above post...

Belonesox belizanus is a pretty nasty little fish, but unless you have slow moving feeders available, you can't really feed these ambush predators all that easily.

They're pretty easy to find...in farmers' ditches in Florida. Never seen them in pet shops north of the Mason-Dixon Line, though.

[t_h_e_s_a_c_k]

It's definatly a 10 gallon. I said a bit more than 5 because I wasn't sure, but then I measured it. Sorry bout' that.

[Skittyfish]

There's only one type of dwarf cichlid that would work in that tank, and we're talking about Tanganyikan shell-dwellers. Apologies to those who have seen these links innumerable times recently, but here they are again


Matthew, you need to get some shellies!

[ChilDawg]

hehehe, are you seeing shellie frustration from my end!!! I definitely do...if only I had the ability to care for them back and forth between here and school...I may just try it next year, anyway, with some hardy species! :) (Do you think that they will handle being moved back and forth?)

[Skittyfish]

I don't know. I am placing an order on monday from Alloddballaquatics. My tank is up and cycled, ph steady at 8.2.

I am soooooo excited.My hubby is ready to tie me up and put me in the closet:p . He is so tired of hearing about shellies.


By the way, sorry for the hijack!

[scott]

Since no one else said anything there is no way you could put a channel cat or a raphael in a ten gallon. My channel cat has grown about five inches in three months and they top out at around two feet. Longer than a ten gallon.

[ChilDawg]

Good catch. Didn't see that above, but I completely agree with their unsuitability when it comes to mini-aquaria.

[Rocketman]

PERFECT SOLUTION (Read below)

Get an African Clawed Frog. Sure, they aren't fish, but they're truly entertaining.

They won't eat your plants. They'll eat Cichlid Pellets and Feeders, (hey, they don't even have to be feeders - any fish will work,) and they fit perfectly in a 10 Gallon.

Consider.

[Firsttanks]

You might try something from the Killifish family, they are a small fish that would work for a 10 gal, and I've read that the "Gold Wonder Killi" (Aplocheilus lineatus) is known for eating fish that are 3/4 their own size. Try Killifish of Western Africa (http://www.killifish.force9.co.uk/Killifish/Killifish%20Website/Index.htm) to see some of the varieties that are out there.

[ChilDawg]

The more I read, the more that I see that the Mosquito Fish (Gambusia affinis spp.) is a killer.