mini predtors for a 30 gallon

[DeanTheFish]

hello all
I have 2 cycled 30 gallons and for one I kinda want a small predator that is easy to find at lfs I will also gladly accept ones that get much bigger because I have a friend with 1000s of gallons of water and he would gladly take a big predator but it would be prefered to stay a bit smaller so I can keep the fish
I do know about exodons/bucktooth tetra but I can't find them at my lfs and I do like the African Butterfly Fish so if anyone keeps them please share your experiences

 

[tanker]

What would you consider a predator? All fish will eat a smaller fish.

 

[DeanTheFish]

A fish that will eat meat and in the wild has a diet of fish and posible plants and it would be nice if it has a persnalty

 

[Renegade Aquatics]

Personally I feel Exodons would be your best bet. However if you want more readily available Ctenopomas might be worth a look too, but I'm terribly sure they're all too personable.

 

[OrionGirl]

Halfbeaks. They are a livebearer, highly predatory, and the wrestling halfbeaks will stay small enough for a colony in a 30. Plant heavily to increase survival of fry.

Another option would be leaffish. South American or African, they look different, but behave similarly. I'm a big fan of the South Americans.

 

[FreshyFresh]

A fish that will eat meat and in the wild has a diet of fish and posible plants and it would be nice if it has a persnalty

You mentioned readily available fish,

Tiger barbs
A sorority of female bettas
lots of tetra choices

Just to name a few that normally are high protein foods eaters.

 

[DeanTheFish]

I do like Ctenopomas but they I googled their price and they look a bit pricey besides that I like them I still might get them tho. Halfbeaks they look like a good option because they stay small and are not so pricey but the males may be too aggressive and until I learn how to tell their gender they won't work. I have heard of leaffish before but don't they get too big? I have kept tiger barbs before and I didn't like them they were constantly trying to kill each other and never succeeding. I already have 4 female bettas in my kitchen and I quite enjoy watching them but I don't want 2 tanks for bettas. I will be looking at the bigger/ more aggressive tetras I would like a vampire tetra but they get just a bit too big. I am also ok with going with a big shrimp or something like a mantis shrimp (no crayfish please)

 

[DeanTheFish]

it would also be nice if a pair of African butterfly fish would work

 

[OrionGirl]

African butterfly are neat, but must have a well covered tank. They jump.

Leaf fish max out around 4 inches, which is fine in a 30 gallon tank.

Mantis shrimp are neat, but SW....if you are willing to go SW, there are a huge variety of very cool small predators. Frogfish are AMAZING, but pricy.

 

[DeanTheFish]

I'm not willing to go to saltwater but for a lid could I just get a big piece of wood and a 5-10-20
pound weight if that doesn't work I can build my own lid and I saw a freshwater frogfish and those are way too pricey to fit my budget and I still am not sure if I can do a pair or a trio of African butterfly fish I do like leaf fish but my mom doesn't approve of them yet.
or I might just go with a different predator if she doesn't approve
and I would really like a stocking of
2x African butterfly fish
1x bristle nose pleco or clown pleco