A strange population

[Ghostknife86]

Ok, I'm not a newbie, but I've been out of the hobby for awhile. Like my bio says, I've been elected to care for all the aquariums and terreriums in our science hall.

I'm just getting started with getting some of the tanks off the ground, and in the future -after I have the acids neutralized- I'd like to populate a tank -55g- with a natural community that you just wouldn't stumble across at the sprawl-mart. I'm not big into the idea schooling fishes, but if some of you folks have any good ideas I'm all ears.

I have two LFS's in the area that are very reputable, but with me being a typical college student and the drive being 40 or so miles to each one I'd very much like to be prepared before going. Any insights would be much appreciated.

 

[Hurley]

I’m a big fan of eels. In a 55 gallon you could keep a zig-zag eel, which gets to be about 7 inches long, or a peacock eel, which gets to be about 9 inches long. You can keep them with other fish but I don’t recommend keeping them with smaller fish as they might end up as an unsuspecting dinner!

 

[Ghostknife86]

I was thinking of something right along those lines. Amphiumas were recommended, but I hear that they eat EVERYTHING. I then thought of a lungfish of some sort. They too eat everything, so I hear. I decided I'd look into the various kinds of eels and bichers.

Does anyone know anything about Bichers?

 

[sumthin fishy]

Im a community setup, you can have a few centerpiece fish, and still keep a school of something to fill in the gaps. My 55 at current has a pair of rams, and a single apisto. they hide out in the rocks and plants, but are active enought to be seen, and colorful to grab the attention. A small school of catfish (mystus carcio, stays about 4") that only come out to feed, and are almost invisible untill then. The 8 red minor tetras in a school(which is nice, because there not as common as neons or whatever). Then a few hatchets at the top. Im not sugesting you do this exactly, but it gives you an idea.

To have a good display tank, you want to stay away from preditors and tank busters. Its a lot nicer to have a bunch of smaller fish. Not that I dont like the idea of preditors, but in a classroom it might be more effective to have a peaceful tank.

just my $.02

 

[Roan Art]

. . .I'm just getting started with getting some of the tanks off the ground, and in the future -after I have the acids neutralized-

Awww man, you took all the fun out of it!

IceH2O has bichirs, he'd be the guy to corral into a reply here.

Roan

 

[Roan Art]

. . . To have a good display tank, you want to stay away from preditors and tank busters. Its a lot nicer to have a bunch of smaller fish. Not that I dont like the idea of preditors, but in a classroom it might be more effective to have a peaceful tank.

Not disagreeing with you, I agree. However you gotta remember: these are college kids. Peaceful fish = boring. Predators = cool!

Hey, at least they're not going to stock gar or oscars, eh? I think a bichir would be cool and they are prehistoric fish, too. Would be worth studying as well imho.

Roan

 

[Lobo.]

although it may seem too normal.. i like natural Amazon setups- LOTS of driftwood, amazon sward plants,tetras and a few Amazonian Chichilds (sp?) (discus and angels), corse you could do the same with a few piranahs (minus the tetras) but they are messy eaters and require more water changes. Discus are also a cool adition, but are fairly common in amazon setups- for good reason, they look like they have flames painted on them!!

other interesting fish: mudpuppies, eels, archerfish, african shell fish (forgot their real name, the ones that dart into shels and claim territories...), butterfly fish, banjocats, any cichlids...

 

[beblondie]

in an Amazon set up you could do a Lepidosiren paradoxa - South American Lungfish
They tend to be more tolreant of tankmates then their African cousins.Although a polypterus would be good as they the sole survivors of the Order Polypteriformes whose distribution included Africa and South America and can be dated back at least 100 million years in the fossil record. They are among the most primitive of the ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) the dominant group of fishes today.

The elongate body of a Polypterid range from 10 inches to 3 ft long depending on the species and round in cross section becoming compressed near the tail.And are covered by multilayered scales,rhomboid in shape and have articulating peg and socket joints between them,With an outer layer of ganoine( (an inorganic bone salt) The dorsal fin of the Polypterids is split into a row of small, sail-like finlets that are erected individually when the animal is agitated or feels threatened and in mating displays

Polypterids are shallow water species often swimming in the weeds and plants near shores and banks of Central and West African lakes and rivers.They seem to vary between diurnal and nocturnal depending on species in the wild.

Newly hatched Polypterids have feathery gills, not unlike lungfishes, which may be retained for some time.Most individuals lose them by the time
they have reached 2-3 inches.Polypterids are suited to life in warm stagnant backwaters and swamps where oxygen levels are low. They have adapted to these habitats by the use of a primitive form of lungs which allow them to breathe atmospheric air as opposed to being solely dependent on dissolved oxygen in the water.Bichirs are bimodal in respiratory function--they have both gills and well vascularized lungs

Polypterids tend to be long lived 10-15 years in captivity is not uncommon-Anne

 

[Ghostknife86]

Wow!

I didn't expect this level of intelligence and thought in the responses I'd get -no offense- because some of the message boards I visited sort of turned me off to the experience. Thank you all for your insights, especially beblondie! Very helpful. Time to hit the books on those Polypterids. What one of our LFS's called a bicher wasn't nearly as impressive as some of the specimens I glanced at via google. Again, thank you.

 

[beblondie]

In aa 55 gallon you'll be limited to the smaller upper jaw species
Species and sizes
maximum known sizes often smaller in captivity

Upper Jaw Species-Upper jaw protrudes past lower jaw
P. palmas palmas ('palmas' bichir)- 13"
(subspecies)P. palmas polli ('marbled bichir)- 14"
(subspecies) P. palmas buettikoferi ('buettikoferi' bichir)- 13"
P. delhezi ('armoured' or 'delhez's' bichir)- 14"
P. senegalus senegalus ('Senegal' or 'Cuiver's' bichir)- 12"
(possible subspecies)P. senegalus meridionalis- 12"+
There is, Also the possibility of a third member of the Polypterus senegalus
group that is found in the Nile River
P. retropinnis retropinnis ('retropinnis' bichir)- 14"
(subspecies)P. retropinnis lowei ('Lowe's' bichir)- 12"