Rare/Exotic Fish Suggestions....

[Chadley]

I've been debating with myself on wether or not to set up my 55 gallon tank again. I've decided to go ahead and do it.

I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions on any abnormal looking fish. I'am more into that than the basic molly's and such.

Thanks

[CHINABOY1021]

ever tried a SW tank?

[Anaxus]

Bloodparrot maby? I dont see how you can get more abnormal looking then that
http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0541&view_records=1

[Chadley]

Yea I did. I didn't have too much success with it. I thought about doing another one....but I'm a little nrevous after losing over $100 in fish.

[Chadley]

Im not a real big fan of Parrot fish....but those are some strange looking fish :)

[wetmanNY]

My own most exotic-looking fishes are a Farlowella and a Sturisoma. Exotic doesn't have to be rare.

A.Set up a tank with clusters of wood, twigs and fallen beech leaves. Breed Farlowella acus, not an impossible thing to do. Top-of-the-line freshwater fishkeeping.

B.Set up a tank with three completely unrelated rather large "oddball" fishes that may or may not mostly tolerate one another's company but are "rare" and expensive. Bottom-of-the-barrel fishkeeping.

You're searching for a more rewarding kind of fishkeeping. It's a good search.

You mentioned mollies. What about joining the dedicated groups that are keeping alive in aquarium populations some of the authentic Mexican Mollienisia species that are now extinct in nature, in the hope of eventually returning them to the isolated springs they once inhabited? You'd have to connect through the local university's biology department. Now that's sophisticated fishkeeping...

Any fish worth keeping is worth keeping alone, in a setup designed to put it at ease. If you can't find such a fish, maybe you should have a snake or a hedgehog...

[CHINABOY1021]

to me, exotic fish would have to be some rare specimen of discus, altum angels.

some fish are exotic and rare and expensive, but that's about it. they are like brown fish from the other side of the world that cost around 120 bucks.

how about zebra pleco? they look cool plus they're rare and hard to keep.

[Chadley]

I like the looks of the Farlowella, that may be an option.

And I've already owned two pythons. My first when I was a kid got away. Another about a year ago which has passed. My wife barely let me get that one, I doubt I'll be able to get anymore anytime soon.

[tricksterpup]

Hmmm.. well you could go to your local pond and find some exotics down there. ;)
Actually, i am finding more of the interesting exotic fish can be found in Your back yard.
here is a link for local florida fish..
http://floridafisheries.com/fishes/sci-name.html
and here is a thread we did, with some really incredible fish and pics.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=7091&highlight=Florida+Tank
Check it out, Florida has many fish that are fantastic that are really hard to find in the trade here in the US but seem to be found in Europe and other countries.
jim

[Chadley]

I like the zebra pleco....

[CHINABOY1021]

i saw a new species that im sure is pretty rare at my LFS the other day.

it looks like a zebra pleco, strips and all.

but they arent that bright, it wasnt a black/white contrast.

the white was a little yellowish, the black wasnt jet black, just black. hard to explain. COULDVE been a zebra, but it was labelled differently.

im loving the 2 local Big Als i got around my area, they carry the rarest stuff at the best price.

[wetmanNY]

mmm, I was liking chinaboy's Altum suggestion. They have all the nobility and grace that's been bred out of those tailless calico midgets with the missing gillcovers. They get to be a foot tall too!...

...but now I notice you're in Florida, Chadley. Limestone. Ex the Farlowellas and Altums! (excuse me, I have such a softwater bent).

Don't we all agree that the most sophisticated way to keep the exotic-looking small Loricariids is to pick one species, keep a bunch of them, and breed them for the market, in order to save the remaining wild ones from being collected out of existence?

(I hope your python is well and fat, living in the pineywoods, and still laughing about how he made his escape that time!...)

[O-man21]

Chinaboy, Royal Pleco maybe?

Chadly, how about some African Butterfly Fish? Those are cool lookin.

[Chadley]

Im not looking to fill my tank with 20 different species of the weirdest fish I can find. I would however, like to have more than one species. At the most three. Thats why Im asking for suggestions from everyone so I have a wide variety to choose from.

As for my snake....I hope he/she is healthy and alive somewhere hopefully filling it's tummy full of my old neighbor's midnight barkers!! :D

[Chadley]

African Butterfly's are also a possibility....

I appreciate everyone's suggestions.

[CHINABOY1021]

i've always thought the coolest aquatic creatures are sea horses. but then again, we're talking FW

[Chadley]

Just before my SW tank started haveing problems I was pretty close to buying two seahorses. I just wish I knew a little more of what I was doing and maybe I'd still have it!

[somefinnfishy]

please dont buy anything rare till your tank is at least one year cycled.
Some congo tetras and some mixed dwarf chiclids (rams) and a redtailed black shark allways make a nice active exotic looking tank.

[Chadley]

Of course Im going to let the tank cycle for some time before I start getting into the more expensive and rare fish.

[somefinnfishy]

the fish I listed are nice hearty fish wount cycle your tank with them but will thrive in a newly established tank.

[Cloud-9]

Your tap water will partly narrow down the choices for you.

If you have hard water and you're not willing to go to the trouble of softening it:

1) Altolamprologus Compressiceps

2) Altolamprologus Calvus

They grow slow, but they sure are exotic and spectacular when they get to about 2". Most people just do not have the patience to wait for them to grow and blossom. Both are from Lake Tanganyika. They eat baby fish in their natural home. But they are not picky once you get them acclimated. Mine ate Tetra Bits.

If you have soft water:

1) Leaf Fish (Monocirrhus polyacanthus). Very cool. But they can be sensitive to water quality and would prefer "quiet" tank mates. I had my two in a densely planted tank all to themselves. These are "stealth" predators. They hardly move and really like to hide in floating plants. Wait until your tank is stable.

2) Ornate Bichir (polypteris ornatippinis). This is a very slow predator. I believe he hunts by scent. Very peaceful, but will eat other fish that would fit in their mouths. I used to feed him shrimp. But he hasn't tasted live food in over two years. He does very well on Jumbomin and f/d krill. He used to only come out of hiding at night when I first got him. He slowly decimated his tankmates of White Clouds, rainbows, and cory cats. This fish is hardy and not at all particular about his water. Just keep the conditions stable or he will refuse to eat.

3) Crenicichla Xingu. I believe you can have one specimen in your 55 gallon. This one is sort of sensitive to his water quality. This one might take a while to accept pellets. Mine would only eat feeder fish for a while, but I got it to eventually take jumbomin, dorored, and sinking carnivore. Do not buy one until your tank is mature and stable.

I would not recommend a fish to you that I have had no experience with. I'm like you. I go for the unusual. It's just coincidence that they all ended up being carnivores.

[Pufferpunk]

If you really want some oddballs & don't want to go the SW route, why don't you try brackishwater. Some of the weirdest fish I've ever seen are BW & theyre not much different than FW.

See: http://www.aquariacentral.com/fishinfo/brackish/

Starting A Brackish Aquarium: http://badmanstropicalfish.com/brackish/brackish.html

Then visit us at the brackish forum for all your questions!

[Sherah]

eel dragon gobies are awesome! difficult to keep, very docile, and extreamly interesting in every aspect, most offten are brackish but can be climactized to fresh.

[tanker]

Black tank, black gravel and "Blind Cave Tetras".

[Pufferpunk]

eel dragon gobies are awesome! difficult to keep, very docile, and extreamly interesting in every aspect, most offten are brackish but can be climactized to fresh.
Please do not force a fish to live in water not suitable for them. A BW fish belongs in BW, period! It will lower it's immune system, causing disease & early death, otherwise.

[allaboutfish]

electric blue crayfish and african butterfly fish. an awesome combination.

[rgonzales]

Your tap water will partly narrow down the choices for you.

If you have hard water and you're not willing to go to the trouble of softening it:

1) Altolamprologus Compressiceps

2) Altolamprologus Calvus

They grow slow, but they sure are exotic and spectacular when they get to about 2". Most people just do not have the patience to wait for them to grow and blossom. Both are from Lake Tanganyika. They eat baby fish in their natural home. But they are not picky once you get them acclimated. Mine ate Tetra Bits.

If you have soft water:

1) Leaf Fish (Monocirrhus polyacanthus). Very cool. But they can be sensitive to water quality and would prefer "quiet" tank mates. I had my two in a densely planted tank all to themselves. These are "stealth" predators. They hardly move and really like to hide in floating plants. Wait until your tank is stable.

2) Ornate Bichir (polypteris ornatippinis). This is a very slow predator. I believe he hunts by scent. Very peaceful, but will eat other fish that would fit in their mouths. I used to feed him shrimp. But he hasn't tasted live food in over two years. He does very well on Jumbomin and f/d krill. He used to only come out of hiding at night when I first got him. He slowly decimated his tankmates of White Clouds, rainbows, and cory cats. This fish is hardy and not at all particular about his water. Just keep the conditions stable or he will refuse to eat.

3) Crenicichla Xingu. I believe you can have one specimen in your 55 gallon. This one is sort of sensitive to his water quality. This one might take a while to accept pellets. Mine would only eat feeder fish for a while, but I got it to eventually take jumbomin, dorored, and sinking carnivore. Do not buy one until your tank is mature and stable.

I would not recommend a fish to you that I have had no experience with. I'm like you. I go for the unusual. It's just coincidence that they all ended up being carnivores.

An ornate is in no way an option for a 55 or any tank with a width under 24 inches for a few reasons. They are very active and can reach 20-24 inches

[Fozzybear]

african butterfly fish is my favorite...super cool looking.

[RNeiswander]

Thread is 9 years old. :)


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[tanker]

Thread is 9 years old. :)


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork (http://www.getmonsterapp.com/) app


Opps. Did not see. Thanx