Which knifefish do yal suggest?

[Hendre]

Sounds like a good mix. i love the idea of an aro in a tank with more oddballs

 

[fisjjjj]

You probably already picked out your knife, but how about a school of african browns or a herd of glass knives?

 

[predatorkeeper87]

You probably already picked out your knife, but how about a school of african browns or a herd of glass knives?

I'm trying to veer away from African selections, that's what the tank is currently and I want to swtich to south american

 

[TheEelKing]

Hey all,

So I'm in the process of figuring out what to do with my 310 gallon NA native inhabitants, and once they are properly moved somewhere else, I will be converting this tank into an Asian/South American tank. So far my list is going to be:

CL's-I have 7 currently, probably get another 6 or 7 to add to the school.

Fire eel-looking to grow one out so it will be a smaller one I purchase.


Now, onto the "up in the air" decisions on the South American fish:

A lima shovelnose-I think they are pretty awesome looking and should fit in the tank for life if 18" is all the bigger they get roughly. the tank is 3 feet wide

A knifefish-now heres the question of the post...are CK's far too aggressive for this semi peaceful setup? Would my CL's take a beating from this guy if I where to put him in? (EDIT I know technically the CK is from Asia as well...) OR would a BGK be a much better option?

Thanks folks

The lima shovelnose may try and eat your loaches when it gets bigger. I'd worry more about him going after the loaches than a CK targeting them. I have always kept CKs with large loaches and have never had a problem. Also, if you choose to go with the lima shovelnose and pair it with a BGK, the shovelnose will probably eat the knife when it gets larger. Personally, I'd probably skip the shovelnose catfish and choose between a BGK and CK. Either should be fine provided the loaches are at least 4 inches each should you go with a CK (they can be smaller than that if you opt for the BGK) and you get the CK small enough (3-5 inch range) so that it grows up with the loaches. Be sure to get the CK on pellets rather than live fish and then you should not have any problems whatsoever. Don't worry, if you get a 3-5 inch CK and feed it pellets, it will grow very fast in your tank. It will get to 12"-14" within its first year in your tank on a pellet diet.