View Full Version : Tankmates in my 150
matty150
09-12-2003, 9:43 PM
I was looking to add some more activity in my 150 gallon. The current inhabitants are my 8 inch oscar, a 12 inch gar, a 5 inch red pacu, a pleco and a raph. cat,(i just recently gave away my jaguar cichlid, he was gettin a bit rough with the others). i was thinking something along the lines of a half a dozen or so of silver dollars. If the silver dollars arent a good idea then what do you suggest?
matty
OrionGirl
09-12-2003, 9:47 PM
I really wouldn't add anything. The current stock will not welcome any additions, and while they may not overload the tank right now, they certainly will as adults.
ChilDawg
09-13-2003, 1:26 AM
Well, let's see...
If the gar isn't a tropical one, it isn't suited to that tank.
If it is, it will get too large for that tank.
The Pacu will get too large for anything smaller than 300 gallons.
I think that the O, Raph, and Pleco would be all that I'd have in that tank, but that's just MO.
matty150
09-13-2003, 4:16 PM
so all you think i should have in my tank is an oscar, a pleco. and a raph??? hmmmm....
ChilDawg
09-13-2003, 4:40 PM
You might be able to add another Raph or two, but you are seriously near the edge of overcrowding, by behavioral standards of each of the fish involved.
breaker_1113
09-13-2003, 4:42 PM
i say go with whatever u wanna do cause i gotta admit i overstock my tanks a bit but if it doesnt cause a problem to you or your fish then why not. give it a try if it doesnt work, you can always take them back to the lfs or something
matty150
09-13-2003, 4:56 PM
i suppose eventually that ill have to find a home for my gar, hes a shortnose gar so he gets about 30 inches long. i guess my question is will silver dollars be able to fend for themselves with a fairly unaggressive oscar???
ChilDawg
09-13-2003, 5:00 PM
Yes, SDs will be able to fend for themselves with an O in the tank.
demon_surfer
09-14-2003, 12:13 AM
just so you know pacu get 3 feet long. I seriously recommend finding someone who is capable of housing him or start work on your pond.
The O could fill that tank by himself as an adult, they are very active fish when they have swimming room.
matty150
09-14-2003, 12:30 AM
I suppose i could get a 265 gallon eventually, perfecto makes it and i can get it wholesale. the only problem is ITS HUGE!!!, a foot longer than my 150 and 12 inches deeper, i should probably invest in some floor insurance...hehe
joey1
09-14-2003, 10:28 AM
IMHO I don't think they should sell Pacus to the general public. Most people have no idea how big they get. Mine out grew my 55 in no time and then out grew my 150 also. Had to find a home for him. Wal-mart still has on there information sign for there Pacus 6-10 inches. I have wrote them letters too.
ChilDawg
09-14-2003, 10:58 AM
Originally posted by matty150
i should probably invest in some floor insurance...hehe
It is kinda funny, but when you get into large tanks, you should probably have structural engineers survey the house before you place them anywhere but directly on the foundations. Just a thought! :)
ChilDawg
09-14-2003, 11:00 AM
Originally posted by joey1
IMHO I don't think they should sell Pacus to the general public. Most people have no idea how big they get. Mine out grew my 55 in no time and then out grew my 150 also. Had to find a home for him. Wal-mart still has on there information sign for there Pacus 6-10 inches. I have wrote them letters too.
I hesitate to say that taking fishes away from the general public is a good idea, as it may mean further restrictive legislation against our hobby, but I believe that it should be the responsibility of the seller to make sure that the buyers know what they're getting into.
Since sellers don't do that, the buyers need to take their own responsibility and learn for themselves. Too few of us do that, but I would still rather not have legislation and restrictions added to the already-growing list of statutes against our hobby.
CichlidBoy
09-22-2003, 7:36 PM
Originally posted by ChilDawg
Since sellers don't do that, the buyers need to take their own responsibility and learn for themselves. Too few of us do that, but I would still rather not have legislation and restrictions added to the already-growing list of statutes against our hobby.
hey i work at a pet store and so does matty we work together and we do tell customers what they are getting them selves into
they are just ignerant because they think they know everything.but i know what u mean i went to petco and they were selling a guy an oscar and a bunch of gouramis together. sorry for goin off on you but not all stores are the same :D :D :D :D
-monkey
ChilDawg
10-18-2003, 3:06 PM
Sorry, I made the mistake of painting all retailers with the same brush. I know better, and should have stated my case differently. Please accept my apologies.
You could trade in the gar and the pacu for a small group of the following:
silver dollars (5 - 6)
or
tinfoil barbs (3 - 5)
or
bala sharks (3 - 5)
or
clown loaches (6 - 8)
These fish should be all but ignored by the Oscar. They will add activity to the tank and do a good job of 'missed-food' cleanup.
matty150
10-18-2003, 9:49 PM
i recently traded in my gar and got 2 silver dollars and 2 tinfoils. they're doin great but the tinfoils are growing so fast!!!! unfortunately so is my pacu and i know ill eventually have to find a home for him. does anyone know the growth rate of a red pacu???? seems everytime i do a water change he grows an inch.
I believe the growth rate for Tinfoils with normal feeding is an 1" per month. Pacu's grow at least that fast, I would think.