40 gallon breeder stocking help

[The Masked Shadow]

If you do weekly water changes, and then bi-weekly water changes when they are all grown up. 12 Pea Puffers aren't too much. Schools of more than 8 are preferable to spread aggression. The Pea Puffer eating an Amano Shrimp a centimeter bigger than them is hard to believe.

 

[justincl]

Woops! But Raphaels are catfish lol. I would choose between these stocks:

#1

Captive-bred Senegal Bichir (x1)
African butterfly fish (x3)
Congo Tetras (x7)

#2

Pea Puffers (x12)
Full Grown Amano Shrimp (x5)

#3

Senegal Bichir (x2)
Leopard Ctenopama (x3)
Congo Tetras (x5)

Congo Tetras are a must; they are super vicious, can hold there ground and bully fish 2 times there size, and get super colorful. As I said before, mine killed 5/6 new additional Congo Tetras, so make sure to get them all at one time. Pea Puffers are so cute! They are small, fun to watch, but aggressive, so thats why a pea puffer only tank would be good. Large Amano Shrimp with Leaf Litter are super cool. Check out SerpaDesign’s Video on the pea puffers. African Butterfly fish are like Arowanas, or so I am told. They will jump out for food, They will eat anything, and they are a super unique fish. Good luck!

thanks a bunch! really dig numbers 1 and 3, exactly what i was going for. was sorta hoping to have the ctenopama and the butterfly but these look great. 3 ctenopama would be alright in 40 breeder though? that kinda seems like a lot

 

[justincl]

12 pea puffers is A LOT. and they would eat the shrimp. Remember the bichirs are aggresive, putting them with the congos may not end well. Personally I havent tried it but they may eat them or nip. the 3 leaf fish is also a lot.these fish I know he said he want aggresive but his may be to much along with the 2 bichirs. I think in maybe a 75 or minimun 55 these wouldnt be to bad. Its gonna be a fight for teritory

that is what i was worried about with those. any thoughts on whittling down the 1st or 3rd options to make them more reasonable?

 

[The Masked Shadow]

Maybe 5 tetras, and 2 African butterfly fish?

#2 could be 1 senegal bichir, and 2 Leopard Ctenopama?

 

[Kolton13]

that is what i was worried about with those. any thoughts on whittling down the 1st or 3rd options to make them more reasonable?

Could do 1 Senegal, 1 leaf fish and like 7 Congo tetras. Should be fine then. Should regulate the tank a lot

 

[justincl]

Could do 1 Senegal, 1 leaf fish and like 7 Congo tetras. Should be fine then. Should regulate the tank a lot

sounds good, i like the sound of that, some good middle dwellers and the senegal, the senegal being the one i was really hoping would fit in there

 

[Hendre]

Senegal bichirs are NOT a good fit for a 40 breeder, maybe as a grow out. They are active fish and long term get rather thick. Even a 55 gallon gets cramped for CB fish that hit 10". CB sens don't get huge but they are not tiny either.
I am seeing lots of risky advice given here. Senegals, ctenopoma and congo tetras are deep bodied, larger fish. Congos are the only fish I would keep in there long term. Bush fish hit a good 7" and are large fish with an appetite to match. 2 sens and 3 bushfish is something I would use to max out my 75.

If you are looking at oddballs for that tank, look at smaller spiny eel species that stick 6-8" as they are not as "big" as the above species.

If you want a full Africa tank I would go with a few African butterflies, Congo tetras and a spiny eel or two. Or a couple of Synodontis nigriventis if you can find them. Heavily planted so the synos and butterfly fish have cover.

I see you are 17, life gets busy so you don't want to overstock your tank. A lightly stocked tank is a lot of fun and can get away with less water changes when life gets crazy. This seems like a bit of harsh rebuking of all suggestions so far but we should really aim to give our fish as much space as possible.

 

[The Masked Shadow]

I was giving advice for 3 bush fish. I apologize for that; as I thought they didn't reach 7". I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that spiny eels would be a better fit: More flexible, Smaller, and rarer. Perhaps you could give some suggestions, hendre. I fear that the Congo Tetras will bully the Spiny Eel.

 

[justincl]

Senegal bichirs are NOT a good fit for a 40 breeder, maybe as a grow out. They are active fish and long term get rather thick. Even a 55 gallon gets cramped for CB fish that hit 10". CB sens don't get huge but they are not tiny either.
I am seeing lots of risky advice given here. Senegals, ctenopoma and congo tetras are deep bodied, larger fish. Congos are the only fish I would keep in there long term. Bush fish hit a good 7" and are large fish with an appetite to match. 2 sens and 3 bushfish is something I would use to max out my 75.

If you are looking at oddballs for that tank, look at smaller spiny eel species that stick 6-8" as they are not as "big" as the above species.

If you want a full Africa tank I would go with a few African butterflies, Congo tetras and a spiny eel or two. Or a couple of Synodontis nigriventis if you can find them. Heavily planted so the synos and butterfly fish have cover.

I see you are 17, life gets busy so you don't want to overstock your tank. A lightly stocked tank is a lot of fun and can get away with less water changes when life gets crazy. This seems like a bit of harsh rebuking of all suggestions so far but we should really aim to give our fish as much space as possible.

not at all. yours is the comment i was waiting and hoping for. 2-3 butterflies, congo tetras, and an eel or two it is. thank you very much, last thing i want to do is overstock a tank before leaving for college in a year and a half or less.

what specific kinds of spiny eel would work well here?

 

[Hendre]

I would be lying if I said I knew much about spiny eels. fishhead0103666 may know something as he loves the odd Africa stuff. I am not sure how bold or active they are, you would have to target feed with voracious congos.

I have pretty much emptied my tanks now that I am at Uni, keeping just a few fish per tank with a family member feeding a set amount. I come home to clean every 2-3 weeks as I don't live too far. Hence why I suggested keeping it in a low stock state