Question....

You can keep these fish in the size tank you mentioned while still young and small. They will need a much larger tank as they grow out to adult size. Those fish grow fairly large.

Monos are so beautiful...how big can they get?

Monos are capable of growing to over a foot. Although most don't get this large in aquariums. Usually any where from 6-9 inches.

don't archers stay smaller?

I don't know too much about archers, but I have learned that depending on the species of archer, they can grow to 16" long. Here is where I found this info: http://wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/Archerfishes.htm

Most species, individuals to a maximum length of about six inches,

Click to expand...

from the aforementioned website.

it also mentioned the two most common in the trade get the largest.

if you wan to make a 40 long brackish, i'd go with puffers and bumblebee gobies. or maybe a dragon goby (anybody have any input on these?)

are you talking about these: Gobioides broussonetti
dragon eel/violet goby?
they are monsters and get to be about 12 inches long, they aren't predators, just huge

I have a trio of archers in my tank and they are are about 9 months old and average 4.5"

Shikkapow - I was just curious about the age of your archers...are they captive bred? if not how did you find out how old they are?


Also I have been out collecting wild violet gobies and have found some as large as 16-18". They are pretty cool fish regardless of size, but are sometimes difficult for beginners to keep.

Check out www.fishbase.org for info on fish species their habitats, and diets. researching how the fish live in the wild the best way to learn how to keep them in an aquarium.