# Beginner questions regarding species



## brk771 (Aug 16, 2005)

This might not be the best place to post this, but I could not find any information anywhere else. I am looking into setting up my first tank, and I have read
quite a bit about beginning tanks. I know about cycling and general setup, but
I need to find the right fish for me. I would like a semi to aggressive fish (like piranha), but I need to find a specicies that is much smaller. I would
only like to have a ten (maybe 15) gallon tank with a couple fish. Any information or direction to information is greatly appreciated.


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## deezdrama (Jul 9, 2005)

why so small of a tank??? Piranhas grow slow and some dont grow as big as others- I would at least get a 20 gallon, and get a relatively small growing P and he might last in there for a year but even then I would suggest putting him in a bigger tank


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## MR.FREEZ (Jan 26, 2004)

with only a ten or a fifteen gallon tank how about

a small school of bleeding heart tetras

they are really cool looking, i give mine some guppy fry

and flake foods, i think they resemble serra like piranhas in shape\

you could also mix in some other tetras


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## FormulatedFire (Jan 3, 2005)

i think a school of tiger barbs are pretty cool the ones i had in my tank after my cycle where pretty aggressive and active fish....


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## Scarface (Jan 25, 2005)

FormulatedFire said:


> i think a school of tiger barbs are pretty cool the ones i had in my tank after my cycle where pretty aggressive and active fish....
> [snapback]1157633[/snapback]​


Yeah, go with tiger barbs :nod:


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

I think Exodons would be a good choice (as they are predatory and quite voracious considering their size) - I just don't know if a 15g tank is large enough for these guys.
Small Cichlids (like Apistogramma species) are also an interesting (and beautiful) option.

For a piranha, a 10-15g tank is too small, so:
*_Moved to Non-Piranha General Discussion_*


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## jan (Apr 24, 2004)

Judazzz said:


> I think Exodons would be a good choice (as they are predatory and quite voracious considering their size) - I just don't know if a 15g tank is large enough for these guys.
> Small Cichlids (like Apistogramma species) are also an interesting (and beautiful) option.
> 
> For a piranha, a 10-15g tank is too small, so:
> ...


Exo's were my first thaught as well, but they are best kept in a shoal and can reach a size of 7'', so exo's are out of the question since it is a 15 gallon. 
Maybe you can try dwarfpuffers. They are (small) predators, active and fun to watch


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

jan said:


> Judazzz said:
> 
> 
> > I think Exodons would be a good choice (as they are predatory and quite voracious considering their size) - I just don't know if a 15g tank is large enough for these guys.
> ...


exos cannot get 7", out in the wild maybe, but in tanks one would be lucky to see a 4"er

a 20L is there minium tank size(IMO)

DP's arnt predators really

for a tank like that id suggest a arrowhead puffer, even though a full grown one is a lil to big(minium 20L) it will take a while to do so and doeznt really need the space as there fairly inactive. they are also very aggressive and viscious hunters


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

Tibs...get your facts straight...ever puffer is a predator...

have you kept dwarf puffers before??

i had a group of 5, and they only ate live food. they would hunt down snails hiding around the tank, and their favourite was when i dumped a bunch of convict fry into their tank, they hunt better than my Ps did.

dont come out and say somethign unless you're sure of it tibs.

brk,
dwarf puffers are cool, but i got bored with them quickly. they wont eat flake or pellet food (can sometimes be trained to over time), this means you have to feed them bloodworms, larvae, and snails and such...which got really tiresome for me after a while.

id say go with tiger barbs, they're really active, and really entertaining. i had a shoal with my red bellies for a while. ended up putting the survivors in their own tank,lol.


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## jan (Apr 24, 2004)

Tibs said:


> jan said:
> 
> 
> > Judazzz said:
> ...


Given the proper conditions, care and of course time/patience I'm confident that exo's can reach a bigger size than the 4'' you've mentioned. Sources on the internet all says the same thing about size: 7''

Where did you get the idea that dwarfpuffers aren't predators. They will eat small live fish, snails and even live shrimp. They even can be fin nippers when hold with bigger fish. Sounds pretty predatory to me


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## MR.FREEZ (Jan 26, 2004)

im tell ya man, a bunch of small tetras is cool man

i have my ten setup with a few different ones

and i give them live guppies to chase down, its cool to watch


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

Puff said:


> Tibs...get your facts straight...ever puffer is a predator...
> 
> have you kept dwarf puffers before??
> 
> ...


yes i have kept DPs before, and IMO there not really a predator(if you read above i said "dps predators really", meaning that even though they may be, there really not a predator in a true sence to me. there just a lil small to be a pred :laugh: , i think what he was looking for(by looking at piranhas) would be something that would attack and devour goldfish and whatever other feeders he decides, then again DPs will eat guppies and stuff, so i take that back,but yes, that would be a great idea for his tank



jan said:


> Tibs said:
> 
> 
> > jan said:
> ...


from what ive been told by other members on this site and from other people accross the net is that exos will reach 7" in the wild, and in tanks barely up to 4". ive personally had 2 members here tell me that, and another on another forum.

kinda like wherever you read on the net they say reds get 12", when really we know that they only reach 8-10" in tanks

i never knew such a lil post like that would cause a disturbence


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2005)

Ideally, you will be able to purchase a larger tank. Small aquariums are okay for growing out babies or quarantining fish, but the tight confines of a 10 gallon aquarium prevents the fish from fully displaying natural behavior and sometimes causes fish to harrass one another to death.

After the tank has been cycled, some Amazon puffers or Dwarf Puffers may do alright in a 10-15 gallon.


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

Tibs, either way you look at it, you're still wrong :rasp:


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## jan (Apr 24, 2004)

Tibs said:


> Puff said:
> 
> 
> > Tibs...get your facts straight...ever puffer is a predator...
> ...


It isn't a disturbance, it is just a discussion about fish with other members. As long as it is polite this can only be positive, in my opinion. After all that is what these forums are for


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

I just remembered: South American Leaf Fish would also be intersting for a 10-15g tank: they don't grow big, aren't active (ambush predators), are predatory (many only accept live food), and have a very intersting hunting strategy.
No idea how many could fit in a 10-15g, though: I think if planted and decorated properly, 2 would be fine in a 15g tank.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

It'd probably depend on the type of leaf fish.

What we do at my store and what I would recommend doing is getting a few big fat female feeder guppies to keep in the tank. They'll pump out babies like no tomorrow and the leaf fish will constantly have a good food source. Works out great.


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## brk771 (Aug 16, 2005)

Alright, thanks for all the replies. I have decided that I can go up on tank size, maybe 20-30g. I have researched Convict Cichlids, and those look pretty interesting. I would like an aggressive bunch of fish that are predators, and hopefully pretty hardy. Would the convicts be the best bet for me, or would some other fish like the ones suggested above be better in your opinion? Tiger barbs look interesting, how many could I keep in a 20g tank? What about a 30?

Thanks.


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

Judazzz said:


> I just remembered: South American Leaf Fish would also be intersting for a 10-15g tank: they don't grow big, aren't active (ambush predators), are predatory (many only accept live food), and have a very intersting hunting strategy.
> No idea how many could fit in a 10-15g, though: I think if planted and decorated properly, 2 would be fine in a 15g tank.
> [snapback]1161422[/snapback]​


i believe they recomend having 1 per every 5g's, therefore 3 can be put in a 15 quite nicely, although they can be quite touchy



brk771 said:


> Alright, thanks for all the replies. I have decided that I can go up on tank size, maybe 20-30g. I have researched Convict Cichlids, and those look pretty interesting. I would like an aggressive bunch of fish that are predators, and hopefully pretty hardy. Would the convicts be the best bet for me, or would some other fish like the ones suggested above be better in your opinion? Tiger barbs look interesting, how many could I keep in a 20g tank? What about a 30?
> 
> Thanks.
> [snapback]1161703[/snapback]​


convicts would be ok, you could keep a pair in the 20-30, and tiger barbs could be kept in a lage skool in one of those


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

brk771 said:


> I have decided that I can go up on tank size, maybe 20-30g. I have researched Convict Cichlids, and those look pretty interesting. I would like an aggressive bunch of fish that are predators, and hopefully pretty hardy.[snapback]1161703[/snapback]​


Keep in mind that Convicts are territorially agressive rather than full-blown predators. So if you want true fish-eating fish, they would not be your best option (although they may eat small live fish from time to time).
Exodons would be better: they are truely predatory (you can feed them live fish or insects, some even fed them pinkie mice), and a 30g tank would be a good home for a number of these fish.


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

Judazzz said:


> brk771 said:
> 
> 
> > I have decided that I can go up on tank size, maybe 20-30g. I have researched Convict Cichlids, and those look pretty interesting. I would like an aggressive bunch of fish that are predators, and hopefully pretty hardy.[snapback]1161703[/snapback]​
> ...


yes, a 30g with like 12-18 exos would be a great setup!!!


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