The New "The End-All Mini Monster Thread"

[Plec123]

Originally posted by Diogenes:


Serrasalmus sanchezi

Common name: Red throat piranha, ruby red diamond piranha, (often sold under the misnomer Spilo CF although this fish is not part of the spilopleura group)

Care Level: easy to intermediate

Size:6-7" (17.8cm)

pH: acidic soft water (ph: 5.5-7.5)

Temperature range: 24-29 C (76-84 F)

Origin: Peru

Temperament: extremely aggressive

Compatible Tankmates: None (even other Sanchezi's will be cannibalized)

Diet: shrimp, thin slices of beef heart (no veins or fat) and cut frozen fish is recommended. Do not feed live goldfish as these are thiamine inhibitors and can actually cause your fish more harm than good. Tetras, cichlids, and ghost shrimp make good live feeders.

Tank Size for Adult: 40g Breeder

Narrative: This fish is probably the smallest of the Serrasalmus species of piranhas. It has been identified as part of the Rhombeus complex (black piranhas), and as such behavior and morphology are similar, only in a smaller package. The common names allude to the bright red markings extended past the gills on the throat of the fish. This fish is a parasitic fin nipper, and will attack and kill other tankmates. The sanchezi truly exemplifies the idea of a mini-monster.

References: www.OPEFE.com, www.piranha-fury.com, www.piranha-info.com.

 

[Plec123]

Originally posted by Death Pony:

Altolamprologus compressiceps

Common name: Compressiceps cichlid

Care Level: not that easy

Size: 5" (13cm) males, 3.3" (8.5cm) females

pH: 7.8-9.0 Likes hard water

Temperature range: 25-27 C (77-81 F)

Origin: Lake Tanganyika

Temperament: aggressive

Compatible Tankmates: other similar sized Tanganyika cichlids

Diet: live and frozen foods.

Tank Size for Adult: 20 gallons

Narrative: Large mouth and interesting shape. There are a lot of color variations ranging from yellow, to red, to black with an intense yellow head. Slow growers

References: liveaquaria.com and a book I have called What Fish?

 

[Plec123]

Originally posted by Death Pony:

Lamprologus ocellatus

Common name: Tanganyikan shell dweller

Care Level: easy

Size: rarely exceeds one inch

pH: 8.0+, hard water

Temperature range: 25-27 C (77-81 F)

Origin: Lake Tanganyika

Temperament: aggressive, but too small to do any damage

Compatible Tankmates: best kept in a species tank

Diet: live and frozen foods, small meat based pellets

Tank Size for Adult: 6 gallons

Narrative: Probably the smallest cichlid in the world. They will defend their young with their lives. Spiral shells are required decor for this species. 2" of a fine sand substrate is a must as well. They'll attack anything that moves when breeding, making for a very interesting pet. Males have a 6" radius territory.

References: a book I have called What Fish?

 

[Plec123]

Originally posted by Eoibio:

Scientific Name:Stigmatogobius sadanunidio

Common name: Knight Goby

Care Level: Easy enough

Size: 8 cm (3'')

pH and KH range: 7.5 to 8.5

Temperature range: 20-26°C72ºF to 81ºF (C72ºF to 81ºF)

Origin: Asia
Temperament: Peaceful may be agressive in breeding but only very slightly. No real damage ever done but it is territorial by nature

Compatible Tankmates: Generally all peaceful fish that wont eat it..Can live in a species only tank should be kept in pairs

Diet: Loves live food, will take the frozen equivelent

Tank Size for Adult: 20 Gals +

Narrative:

Striking in its own way the night goby is always pleasing to the eye. The base color is a pale gray. The body is speckled with a series of small black dots covering most of the body. The pectoral, anal and tail fin are fringed with a line of white. The Dorsal fin has a large black splash in the back.

1. Territorial by nature, the aquarium should have plenty of places to to hide such as caves, driftwood and plants. They will defend their space and if you are keeping more than one extra care will have to be given as the are aggressive toward their on species. The aquarium itself does not have to be extra large a twenty gallon long would be great, aside from the above the substrate should be a sand material rather than gravel. Being sensitive to poor water quality you must have good filtration and a strong maintenance schedule.. Lighting is best subdued as they are timid in bright situations. Considered a brackish fish according to fishbase they actually prefer freshwater, be sure to ask your supplier the conditions they have been kept in.

References: Badmans Tropical Fish

 

[Plec123]

Originally posted by Uting (i edited tank size because of other comments i saw in the original thread, edited the fish's max size, and i added a pic (pic came from tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk) because there wasnt one):

Scientific Name: Apteronotus albifrons

Common name: Black Ghost Knifefish or BGK

Care Level: Moderate

Size: up to 18".

pH and KH range: a pH from 6.0-8.0, a water hardness from 5-10

Temperature range: celsius (fahrenheit) dH75-84°F (24-29°C)

Origin: South America

Temperament: aggressive on other knifefish

Compatible Tankmates: Bichirs, Loaches and Large Peaceful Fish

Diet: Live foods such as Brine Shrimp , Cyclops , Daphnia , Bloodworms , mosquito larvae, some may accept pellets

Tank Size for Adult: 120gals.

Growth Rate: 0.5-1'' inch a month

 

[Plec123]

Originally posted by Bottomfeeder:


scientific name: Crenicihla compressiceps

common name: green dwarf pike cichlid

care level: easy-moderate

size: 6''

diet: insects, small fish, artificial foods

behavior: same as other Pikes in a small package

tank size: 30g

temp: upper 70's

 

[Plec123]

Originally posted by Fishes33(but i got a different image.):

Scientific Name: Pyxichromis orthostoma

Common name: N/A

Care Level: Easy to Moderate

Size: 8 inches

Sex: Male will have a slight tint of red behind the gill's area

pH and KH range: 7.2 to 8.6

Temperature range: 78F to 82F

Origin: Lake Kyoga, Lake Nawampasa, Victoria Nile

Temperament: peaceful

Compatible Tankmates: Anything that is smaller than its mouth

Diet: Carnivore

Tank Size for Adult: 50G for a pair

Narrative: essay/description: Its an ambush predator and it will swallow any fish that is smaller than its mouth which is 1/3 of its body length. It will become more aggressive during mating season.

This fish is listed in the Vulnerable section!

References: species profile, cichlid forum
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profile...es.php?id=1571

hill country cichlid club
http://www.hillcountrycichlidclub.co...orthostoma.pdf

 

[Plec123]

Originally posted by MN_rebel:

Scientific Name: Esox americanus americanus

Common name: Redfin Pickerel

Care Level: Easy to Moderate

Size: 12inch long but the average size is 7-8 inch long
Feeding: This fish likes to eat live fish but will take raw shrimp and pellets if trained.

Temperature range: 72 to 78F (dont need heater)
Origin: Eastern United States

Temperament: peaceful (for peaceful same size fish who cannot fit into pickerel's mouth)

Diet: Carnivore

Tank Size for Adult: 40gal breeder tank for a single pickerel
Narrative: ambush predator

 

[Plec123]

Originally posted by MN_rebel:

Scientific Name: Acantharchus pomotis

Common name: Mud sunfish
Care Level: Easy

Size: 8 inches (max size)


Temperature range: 72 to 82F but prefer lower 70's
Origin: Eastern Coast of United States

Temperament: semi-aggressive but can be fin nipper.


Diet: Not picky eaters
Tank Size for Adult: 30gal long for a single adult mud sunfish

 

[Plec123]

Originally posted by Likestofish (but i added an image of a male since there was no image before):

Neolamprologus brichardi
Brichard's Lyretail Cichlid

Neolamprologus brichardi was one of the earliest African Cichlids introduced to the hobby. It was first brought into the United States in 1971 by Pierre Brichard. It was collected off of Burundi and was originally called "The Princess of Burundi". It was one of a myriad of lyre-tailed fishes from Lake Tanganyika, N. pulcher, N. gracilis, N. falcicula and N. splendens, just to name a few. It takes a dedicated aquarist to be able to tell these fishes apart, although there are differences. They are small to medium sized cichlids with large males attaining a size of 5 inches. Females are somewhat smaller, about 3 inches.

Habitat:

N. brichardi is found on both the east and west coasts of Lake Tanganyika. It lives in caves along the rocky substrate. Its’ coloration (basically shades of tan) allow this small cichlid to camouflage itself among the rocks and caves and thrive among much larger fish in the lake.

Care:

N. brichardi require no special care. They, of course, love hard alkaline water with a temperature range of 70-82 degrees. Optimum temperature is in the 76-78 degree range. They do well in community tanks and are usually non-aggressive. It is imperative that they have caves to make themselves comfortable.

Feeding:

I feed these fish the same as everything else in my fish room with the exception of earthworms. I haven’t found a food that they won’t eat. Anything from frozen brine shrimp to bloodworms to pellets and assorted flake foods. I do make sure that they get a little more green matter, in the form of Spirulina, than some of my other fish.

Breeding:

N. brichardi is for the most part, monogamous, meaning that they pair off for life. They are cave spawners and will produce around 100 fry per spawn. They will tend to their young for months and will, in fact, take care of several successive spawns at the same time. A word of caution, if the tank starts getting overcrowded, they will eat their young to make room for the next spawn.

Retail Price:

Fry $ Under $10 to
Adults $10 to $30