150 gal stocker

cpn_aaron

recovering fishaholic
Mar 3, 2004
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Melbourne, FL
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This is still about 2 months away (due to polyurethaning my stand and cycling my tank) but my head is still spinning. I've finally upgraded my tank from a 55gal starter to the 150 (5X2X2) gal beast I had wanted for my oddballs. However, I only have a few fish for it right now, a clown knife, ornate bichir and fire eel that have been livng in the 55 gal since they were all around 3 inches. I'm hoping to pick up some other nice new fish to add more life to the tank as soon as the fishless cycle is through. I was thinking maybe a lima shovelnose cat since it is smaller than a tiger and one or two wide bar datnoids. Any ideas. Right now I just feellike a kid in the candy store who doesn't get his allownace for another 2 months. I walk into my LFS and the owners salivate as much as I do. They have a big oddball section they stuffed to the gills (this poor pun is not intended) for me and a select few oddball lovers as they try to get our worldly wealth we so happily shell out. Thye are throwing some types of fish out at me and I'm giving some debate with them on others I might want. I'm looking for big oddballs or predators, sorry no massive 300 tetra school aquarium. Same for cichlids, been doing those for years and they would destroy my extensive amount of live plants. I'm in FL so unfortunatly rays and some other fish are out (wolf fish and snakeheads for example). I was hoping to open a string here about fish types you guys like, have done, etc, so give me your best shot
 
Hmmm...Wish I could help, but I've avoided most of the tnak buster fish for that exact reason--ne room to keep them. Have you checked Mo's site? He has a forum for tankbusters--lots of cichlids, but also a mix of other big fish.
 
Hmmm...Wish I could help, but I've avoided most of the tnak buster fish for that exact reason--ne room to keep them. Have you checked Mo's site? He has a forum for tankbusters--lots of cichlids, but also a mix of other big fish.
Yeah, thats true. You have to make sure you get fish that can live their whole life in a 150g.

Almost all species of bichirs will be fine (except maybe the endlicheri congicus). I'd say thats the minimum size for a clown knife, and the lima will do great in a 150g.
Gars will grow out of a 150g in probably a year or so. If you want a temporarily cool fish, gars would be good...
 
yeah, I've thought about gar before but 150 is as high as I plan to go. Any larger makes space in my living room tight. Bichirs are a must for me. A had a senegalus and ornate but the senegalus did a jumper on me at one point when the lid was up for a length of time and found after it was too late. I figure another senegalus and maybe a nice zaire green. Before Aquabid went down they had some nice ones on sale.
I've thought about arrowana's before becasue I've never had a good top fish before. However a silver is just too common for me. Are those jardini's I see for sale every once and a while those Asian monsters that get huge? Because they look pretty sweet for a arrowana.
Any other oddball suggestions?
 
Jardinis are one of several species of Australian arowanas. I personally favor (not that I currently have the facilities to keep any) silvers and Africans (see http://aquaticpredators.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5280 - scroll down about halfway down the page for images) over any of the Asian color morphs.

As it is, Asian arowanas (S. formosus) tend to stay comparatively smaller than the other species.
 
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If you live in the States asian aros are illegal, but they are available.. for a high price. They also stay around 2", so it would do alright in your tank.
VERY BEAUTIFUL FISH THOUGH

http://www.arofanatics.com/

Jardinis are more common, stay smaller in comparison to silvers (grows too big for a 150), but tend to be aggressive when older, you could give it a try though.
 
had no idea the asian were illegal here. Sometimes when you see these things online for sale in the US all the time you forget some may be here on the sly. Florida fish and game are pretty tough due to the Piranha scare they had back in the early 80's. People who breed certain controlled fish for sale elsewhere in the US are scrutinized hard and must turn in every dead fish alonog with sales to FFG so they can keep an exact count on adult and young each breeder posseses.

However, I looked at that link you sent veneer, I had no idea the african arros could get so gorgeous. So much to think about, thank goodness I have 2 months to let my head swim. But I think I am going to get one or two wide bar datnoids, always had a thing for those guys.
 
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