G. altifrons with small tankmates

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PrecisionAquatics

PrecisionAquatics

Candiru
MFK Member
Sep 24, 2008
208
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SouthWest, CO
Has anyone kept G. altifrons with small schooling fish like tetras or hatchet fish? Just wondering how picivorous they were? Mine should be here today and even they are too small to cause problems right now there is no need to spend $ on fish that will just be a snack later.
 
usually the smaller fish will be safe, just avoid the really tiny stuff like cardinals.
however there was recently a thread here where a member's geo was killed when it choked on a barb, mostlikely the barb died and it was just being oppurtunistic but it's somthing to watch out for
 
ceeej31;4186944; said:
usually the smaller fish will be safe, just avoid the really tiny stuff like cardinals.
however there was recently a thread here where a member's geo was killed when it choked on a barb, mostlikely the barb died and it was just being oppurtunistic but it's somthing to watch out for
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That is a very good point. I almost lost my Ivanacara for the same reason. If I hadn't turned the tank on when i did he would have choked on a female apistogramas. The apisto was dead but stuck in his mouth and he was almost dead himself laying on the bottom. I bet another 5 minutes and he would have died too and I would have been very upset.
 
I can't imagine hatchetfish would present a problem - mine seldom if ever venture in the lower reaches of my tank which would be likely territory for your altifrons. Higher-bodied tetras would probably be fine - others would probably agree that torpedo-shaped tetras may inadvertently become a snack down the road when the altifrons get some size to them.
 
Sounds great, this is pretty much what I was thinking but it never hurts to ask
 
actually i was one of the people that had a geo with a nano stuck in its mouth. luckily, i caught it and i had to pull the geo out and some one hold him while i removed it. The geo did live, the nano was dead. Just be careful because losing a $45 geo would not be fun.
 
There was a couple of threads over the past month (one above) where G. altifrons were caught 'snacking' on smaller schooling Characins. Whether or not they were dead prior, or were picking at the sand after feeding and were inadvertently engulfed while the altifrons were sifting is unknown. From my experience, no genuine Eartheater ('G'. brasiliensis and A. heckelii being the main exceptions) even show the slightest hint of interest in smaller fish.

I agree with the the majority of the posters in the thread that high-bodied, larger Tetra shouldn't have any issue. Some species do stress when kept with larger fish, even if they aren't being preyed on, so there is an element of trial and error finding a comfortable setup.
 
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