How many polys in a 75 gallon?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
framcosco said:
Don't listen to sanguinefox. You seem to know more than Mr. fox.

I am not trying to be mean, but his advice is way off. and you are absolutely correct some species do better in groups.
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The reason she suggested that is because with 2 bichirs in the tank it is going to be really stocked for a 75. Once you add 2 -3 ropes and you can't have eels unless you wanna run extra filtration. At that point why not just get a bigger tank.

You should always build your set up around the fish, not the other way around.

IMO you should stick with 1 bichir, 3 ropes and call it a day on the bottom.
 
kevinfleming21 said:
My wife says "Looks Great Honey!" cause she thinks it has no fish and does not want me to buy more for it :ROFL:
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Even if you provide hiding spots, healthy bichirs, ropes and eels wont hide all day. They are actually quite active creatures.

Maybe your friends just scare them off :nilly: lol
 
1 upper jaw in a 75? now you've lost your mind
 
dani_starr said:
I thought the ropes were actually social by nature, much like the gregarious kuhli loaches who thrive with a companion? And same with the zig zag yellow tailed eels (which I LOVE), they like to have at least a friend or 2 as well. That's just what I read somewhere. Otherwise, I would be fine with only 1 rope or 1 eel, but I just want to keep them with a friend if that's how they are happiest :)

My main issue is, I LOVE the look of pretty much all "bottom" dwellers (catfish, bichirs, eels, raphaels, ropes, etc.) and I really don't care for a lot of the top dwellers, lol.

So basically, any combo of any 4 bottom dwellers (either bichirs, ropes, or eels) you think would be okay? Then I should look into some mid/top water swimmers instead of more bottom fish.

Hmmm that's gonna be hard to choose which ones now. Would 5 be okay, or would 4 be a LOT better? (I'm thinking of dropping the ropes, since they can reach 30" and my tank is pretty small for such a long fish imo, and go with 3 bichirs and 2 of yellow tailed zig zag eels, or 2 bichirs and 3 of the yellow tailed zig zag eels. Since the eels will only get 6-8" and from the sites I've read, are social little guys)

Then I'll find some sort of mid/top species that I like.

EDIT: Darn it, watched a vid of the ropes, they are awesome fish. Now I am back to being undecided. Are ropes okay in 75 gallons? And so for sure, ropes are social then by nature?
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I wasn't referring to the ropes. Bichirs in general are not social (again that doesn't mean they can't be but in general many of them are solitary hunters) but they can be conditioned to be willing to put up with and interact with others of their own species. Yes Ropes are social by nature but they are also not technically bichirs(not that it matters). The are related to the family. I'm mixed on the idea of putting a potentially 3 foot long fish(I'm getting mixed lengths when looking them up) in a tank that is only four foot long and roughly a bit over a foot wide. It can't move but a foot in any direction without hitting a wall when full grown. That bugs me. As much as you like the Ropes you have to think long term. Is it right to put a fish that long in a tank like that?

If the animal isn't very active I can see how it wouldn't matter but I do believe these are active fish(looking that up right now). So...in my own opinion I would caution against putting them in your tank. That said I am with you in that I love bottom dwellers too. I have bichirs, and loaches, and even a single really pretty cichlid. I'm very conscious of the fact that they all have different needs and some of them have territorial issues. This is why even though I have a 75 gallon I'm actually in process of re setting up a 50 gal that I have so that I can take all my non bichir bottom dwellers out and give the left over fish as much room to grow and be happy in. I am not for the idea of pushing the limits of just how many fish you can stock because the mentality down the road leads to a lot of dead or stressed out fish. Even if they don't die of illness or disease they may not ever reach their full potential color and size wise when they are under stress.

If you stick with bichirs that are under or don't get much bigger than a foot, go with 3 bichirs and maybe two eels. But pay close attention to how you scape the tank so they all have hide areas. Planting is a big key here. I know some sites and people caution against plants in a tank with these animals. My experience is that adult bichirs like healthy big plants. They like to hide amongst the root and shoot systems, and will use it to suspend themselves while chilling out in different areas of the water column. Plants alone also help create places to hide. With videos I see on youtube, often times bichirs of the smaller variety tend to seem really happy (they show healthy behavior) in well planted tanks.

EDIT: could you give me the specific scientific name for the "Ropefish" you seek to get? The common name sometimes gets used for multiple fish and I'd like to zero in on exactly what you are looking to get.
 
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