# The most scary LOOKING fish?



## gagaliya (Feb 9, 2006)

What's the most scary/badass LOOKING (note: aggressiveness does NOT matter, they can be algae eaters for all i care) freshwater fish that can be kept in a *normal 100-500G aquarium*.

To be honest piranhas dont look all that badass, snakeheads/wolf fish dont look very interesting either.

Without a doubt the sabortooth tetra (payara) has a killer look but they are very difficult to keep in an aquarium from my understanding. Arowanas especially the asian varities look stunning as well.

Are there any other fish, perhaps something less common that are very scary looking but suitable in an aquarium? Basically a fish that make people go "WTF IS THAT THING?"


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## the REASON (Jun 18, 2006)

post this in FW general discussion


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

_Hydrocynus goliath_

Oops: Did not see that you meant to keep it in a 100-500g aquarium. Please disregard that and go for one of the smallest of the Tigerfishes instead.


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## mikfleye (Jul 27, 2006)

i think gars look pretty badass


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## psrotten (Jan 27, 2004)

get some big ass dead carp---seal the tank up i guarantee it will freak out guests

on a serious note get an arapaima they are ugly as fugg


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## gagaliya (Feb 9, 2006)

mikfleye said:


> i think gars look pretty badass


err i think they get kinda big for a 500 gallon


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## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

There are plenty ugly fish out there. Good luck finding yours.









_*Topic Moved to General Freshwater Discussion*_


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## gagaliya (Feb 9, 2006)

psrotten said:


> on a serious note get an arapaima they are ugly as fugg


you mean this thing? man you guys are not getting it, i want a fish that can be kept in a 500g tank for their life time.


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## mikfleye (Jul 27, 2006)

i think a red tail catfishes mouth is pretty impressive


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

That's why I stopped myself as soon as I saw that...and, yeah, Arapaimas definitely get too large for a 500g.


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## psrotten (Jan 27, 2004)

oops didnt think of that

note to self arapaima in bathtub not a good plan


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

FW barricuda have a mean look to them with their mean looking chompers. much like a ATF only they don't get anywhere near as big. 500 gal would work well I think for a small shoal.


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

Paraya.


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## Guest (Oct 18, 2006)

Kissing Gouramis.


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## rchan11 (May 6, 2004)

DannyBoy17 said:


> Kissing Gouramis.


Oh yea!


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## JD7.62 (Apr 7, 2005)

Payara, ATF, acestros, large bichirs like endis, dragon gobies, Dovii, electric eels (actually to me they are scary as hell looking!), monsterfish, pike killis (I love those mini monsters anyone know where I can get some?), Amia Calva, a BIG rhom, lung fish, and well I guess that is all I can think of for now!


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

Pike Killies? Like the Pike Livebearer, _Belonesox belizanus_? If so, I know Ace and Tibs have both known where to get them in the past...


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## NegativeCamber (Nov 29, 2004)

I would say an Anglerfish. They will get to be about 6 feet max, but 3 feet is more common in captivity.


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## mikfleye (Jul 27, 2006)

i was about to say angler fish lol

umm...viper fish(Chauliodus sloani ) is crazy as hell looking, dont think they can be kept in captivity though , but just a badass fish










also a fang tooth ( Anoplogaster cornuta)


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## Doddridge (Aug 7, 2006)

mikfleye said:


> i was about to say angler fish lol
> 
> umm...viper fish(Chauliodus sloani ) is crazy as hell looking, dont think they can be kept in captivity though , but just a badass fish
> 
> ...


isn't this getting into saltwater fish? didn't he say freshwater


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## lastgreengarden (Sep 13, 2006)

he did!

get a shoal of Pacu...

------Steve


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## Doddridge (Aug 7, 2006)

lastgreengarden said:


> he did!
> 
> get a shoal of Pacu...
> 
> ------Steve


he said scary, not sh*t your pants ugly lol :laugh:


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## mikfleye (Jul 27, 2006)

i just posted some scary pics, but i already posted my choices for a freshwater fish above those


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## kigrind (Sep 28, 2006)

I just had this idea that I could build a huge aquarium, then build my house around it. Like have one room where your over the tank and can see down into it. That would be the sh*t.

But it would have ot be freshwater with live plants, they look better.

clown fish are very scary, I wont go back to the beach anymore.


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## flaredevil4 (Sep 9, 2006)

I would say that the saber tooth tetra looks like one ugly /scaryfish!

edit: how can you hate on the clownfish, they are by far THE coolest sw fish (IMO)


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## gagaliya (Feb 9, 2006)

thanks guys! some great fish. To be realistic, i think the freshwater barracuda is the best choice both in term of keeping it in an aquarium and the 'badass look'! Plus more than 1 can be kept in the same tank!

aquascapeonline has both types, in your opinion which looks better? For me i really like the hujeta look more, but from searching the forums the general view is falcatus are much more interesting to have?

Acestrorhynchus falcatus









Ctenolucius Hujeta









Lets assume a 250-300 gallon long tank, which stocking?
1) 4 falcatus
2) 4 hujeta
3) 2 falcatus 2 hujeta


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## kove32 (Oct 26, 2004)

Nothing is more BA looking than that thing!!


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## Guest (Oct 18, 2006)

Chaca chaca


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## Dawgz (Aug 18, 2005)

Bullsnake said:


> Chaca chaca


those things are whackk as hell, they hardly move, its better to buy a rock than that fish lol..


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## gagaliya (Feb 9, 2006)

kove32 said:


> Nothing is more BA looking than that thing!!


i agree payara is the king no doubt, but they are too diffcult for an aquarium no?! for me part of the fun of fish keeping is buying a baby and raise it all the way to maturity/old age. I am not fond of just keeping a fish for a few years until it gets too big then dump it, what fun is that?

unless someone find a reliable way to raise payara in an aquarium without premature deaths, this is not an option.


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## Dawgz (Aug 18, 2005)

kove32 said:


> Nothing is more BA looking than that thing!!


U beat me to it, a large Payara would be the best thing for u for a tank that big.

they are crazy ! even at feeding time!


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## eiji (Sep 16, 2006)

Frankenfish... both scary and ugly... (WTF)


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## lastgreengarden (Sep 13, 2006)

isnt there some kind of catfish like a Devil Catfish? those things are ugly as hell

found it...

i think you can get them on off pedro...

Peace

-----steve

i like the hujeta more


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## gar~spaz (Jul 21, 2006)

gagaliya said:


> thanks guys! some great fish. To be realistic, i think the freshwater barracuda is the best choice both in term of keeping it in an aquarium and the 'badass look'! Plus more than 1 can be kept in the same tank!
> 
> aquascapeonline has both types, in your opinion which looks better? For me i really like the hujeta look more, but from searching the forums the general view is falcatus are much more interesting to have?
> 
> ...


that picture is a male hujeta btw. females look sturdier and have a caudle fin that comes almost to a right angle, while a males is frayed. females also are larger and are less skitish.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

I was actually thinking a few altus


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## gar~spaz (Jul 21, 2006)

those look pretty cool. honestly, i bought my hujetas on impulse and they've become some of my favorite fish. ive never owned an acestro, so i cant give my opinion on those. i think a hujeta looks more like a marine barracuda than acestros, but i would love to have one. how large do they get?


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## gagaliya (Feb 9, 2006)

i guess a good question now is can you have the best of both worlds and keep the falcatus and hujeta in the same tank? maybe with a medium sized pleco (8") as well.

that be an interesting group of show fish.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

most actros only get around 12-14" or so in the home aquarium.


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## acestro (Jul 7, 2003)

gagaliya said:


> most actros only get around 12-14" or so in the home aquarium.


And that's if you're lucky, those would be HUGE acestros....

For a 300 gallon (8 feet long I hope), I'd have 6-8 falcatus (get them young) and a couple hujetas.

Feeding time is too fun with both fish, but especially the falcatus. You'll NEVER regret having a school of falcatus/altus, unless your tank is too small (often the case).

btw, the falcatus are like lighting and the hujetas seem to 'think' more. Very interesting mix.


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## gagaliya (Feb 9, 2006)

acestro said:


> Well.... those falcatus were kept with two hujetas :laugh: I miss those guys but love how they're the best falcatus pics on the net.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


wow those are your fish?!?!? LOL, my hats off, they look stunning! but you said you miss those guys, what happened to them, did they die?









What are the tank settings that's needed to house both species together? strong current like for the payara? secure cover are they good jumpers? is it ok to feed them nothing but guppies (gut loaded with stable food)?

i searched the net for the tiger fish, but all i found is the below that can be kept realistically in an aquarium. They dont look all that "badass", hmm is there some other type of tiger fish you guys are talking about.

thanks!


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

Ace donated his falcati to the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans.

That Tigerfish isn't exactly what we're talking about...I'm talking about some of the smaller species of _Hydrocynus_ (definitely not _H. goliath_ or _H. vittatus_!)


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Yeah thats a wide bar Dat. aka Siamise tiger fish. And actually Dats would be good for your tank.

We were talking about the True tigerfish. hydrocunus Goliath/vitattus etc etc.. None of whom would be approperate for a tank as small as 300 gal. simply does not provide enough swimming room for even a half grown ATF. (african tigerfish) 
heres a pic. IMO badass FW fish in the world. 
This one is about half grown. Vitattus









As you can see. the goliath are WAY to big for 300 gal. 
Keep in mind they are open water swimmers and cover alot of distance FAST.


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## Citizen (Sep 29, 2006)

Order a Muskellunge for a 300-500 gallon tank, they prolly wouldnt get over 40" in captivitiy and are an amazing fish.

At the bottom of my post here you can see pics of Muskie:

Muskie, and various other stuff


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## Mikos (Sep 5, 2006)

Citizen said:


> Order a Muskellunge for a 300-500 gallon tank, they prolly wouldnt get over 40" in captivitiy and are an amazing fish.
> 
> At the bottom of my post here you can see pics of Muskie:
> 
> Muskie, and various other stuff


I think this fish is pretty much BAD ASS as you can get.... gets like 1.3 - 1.5 Meters and have the same killingtecnique as the ANACONDA.....though this looks more scary than the ANACONDA....gives me the chills
View attachment 123693


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## Guest (Oct 21, 2006)

Mikos said:


> Order a Muskellunge for a 300-500 gallon tank, they prolly wouldnt get over 40" in captivitiy and are an amazing fish.
> 
> At the bottom of my post here you can see pics of Muskie:
> 
> Muskie, and various other stuff


I think this fish is pretty much BAD ASS as you can get.... gets like 1.3 - 1.5 Meters and have the same killingtecnique as the ANACONDA.....though this looks more scary than the ANACONDA....gives me the chills
View attachment 123693

[/quote]

Is that a Dragon Moray? Im pretty sure they just eat thier prey like ever other eel...a quick snap.


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

Sorry, Mikos, but I think I would remember reading that in one of my myriad of SW books if that were true...do you have a source for this alleged fact?

Also, the OP wanted FW fishes, so the reply with the Dragon Moray would not satisfy his needs...


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

Okay, it seems that the method of eating is superficially similar...they do tend to crush the prey, but not to constrict it but to just squish it flat once it's been eaten...

http://www.sheddaquarium.org/sea/fact_sheets.cfm?id=84


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

lol. a dragon moray. how many thousand do they go for? like 4 or so?


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## acestro (Jul 7, 2003)

gagaliya said:


> Well.... those falcatus were kept with two hujetas :laugh: I miss those guys but love how they're the best falcatus pics on the net.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


wow those are your fish?!?!? LOL, my hats off, they look stunning! but you said you miss those guys, what happened to them, did they die?









What are the tank settings that's needed to house both species together? strong current like for the payara? secure cover are they good jumpers? is it ok to feed them nothing but guppies (gut loaded with stable food)?

[/quote]

Yup, I miss them. Most jumped out when in a temporary move (they can clear a good foot and a half I learned the hard way...







). The last one died of old age I think.

The tank HAS to be covered, but the flow can be just about whatever you want. The tricky thing is you need a LOT of space and not a lot of cover, they like open water. I always kept a little cover because it was neat having prey fish hang around for a while. Guppies will do for a while, gut loaded, but they'll need bigger stuff eventually.

The ones I brought to the aquarium were A. microlepis (maybe nasutus). I havent had falcatus for a good year or so. They are just awesome though, especially as a group.

One more for memory's sake...









...

...


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## flaredevil4 (Sep 9, 2006)

those fish look cool, not scary. *referring to aces post*


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## snakehead rock (Mar 26, 2006)

Well dont have time to look through 3 pages but Payaras look damn bad ass in a 500 gal if you put alot of money into it u should be able to keep one to about 13" but chances after that it would need a bigger tank or die. Besides that uh juging what happened to stev irwan people would probably be scared of some FW rays and an fw eel.


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2006)

BlackSunshine said:


> lol. a dragon moray. how many thousand do they go for? like 4 or so?


Easily :laugh:


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

i would be sweet for a 18 inch rhom (i know its a piranha) but therebadass looking when there that big


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## addictiontofish (Nov 1, 2006)

im thinking the "Wolfish" and not the dovii cichlid the real wolf fish!!


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

The wolffish?









Or the wolffish?


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