I had a Raphael for a few years, i saw him once every few months. They are not active and are not showy. If you want friends for your goldfish consider dojo loaches, levebearers etc that won't bother it.
How do you think of this tank stock?
- Thread starter TheTerminutter
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- stock ideas stocking
Hello! Novice fish keeper here, only had 10-20 gallon community tanks previously but now I have a 55 gallon 4ft tank just getting established. I'd like to keep a pretty active predator so I can do live food from time to time, my young sons would love to watch and help out. But I'm hoping for something fairly active so my sons can watch, not something that will hide out all day and only come out to eat. That's why some of the top dwellers like Pinktail Chalceus, hujetas, or other pike/barracuda-like characins look like a lot of fun. But I can't go much bigger than the 4 ft, and I see you're recommending against smaller than 6ft for a PTC. I'm totally fine with a keeping just 2-3 fish or even a single fish in there if it's gonna be active and healthy, but I know some of those top-dweller types do better in numbers too. Just wondering if you have any advice for a similar active predatory fish that might fit what I'm looking for?
I've also considered a red wolf. Sounds awesome, just concerned it may not be the most active/fun to watch for my kids when it's not feeding time. But otherwise, seems like it would work well in a 55 gallon and is a ferocious predator so definitely fits what I'm looking for.
To be completely honest I like the pike/barracuda or the ancient predator wolf fish type of look, so I haven't dug too deep into the cichlid game. But I'm definitely open to suggestions if anyone thinks something in that mold would fit what I'm after! The pike cichlids look pretty cool. I just have this 55 gallon 4ft limitation, no space to go bigger than that.
Looked into exodons too, I know they're little savages and great to watch. I guess they'd be a fall back if I can't find a slightly bigger predator I like.
Thankful to have this community of experienced MFKers to help me make sure I find what I'm looking for but still do right by the fish!
Red wolf will go on patrol outside of feedings, but definitely isn’t the most active when not eating (or begging). Mine is always out front, but I can’t say what he’s doing when I’m not watching.
You won’t really find many big predators for a 55 that are also active. If you are looking for something that will be more fun for young kids, consider a pair of medium sized cichlids + dithers.
Ok we should backtrack a bit here, because sometimes what we want can't be supported by our water supply.
Case in point, when I got back in the hobby I wanted and got myself and Oscar. Come to find out that my water supply is basically a death sentence for Oscar's. I eventually gave the Oscar to a fellow MFKer and last I heard she has pushed out to 14in and lives in a 250gal with just a Featherfin catfish.
What I am getting at is we need to know the basic water peramaters you will be using to do your water changes. Be it from the tap, city water supply or a well. We need just basic peramaters such as if high or low PH or hard or soft water. With this info we can better suggest fish that will thrive in your water peramaters .
Case in point, when I got back in the hobby I wanted and got myself and Oscar. Come to find out that my water supply is basically a death sentence for Oscar's. I eventually gave the Oscar to a fellow MFKer and last I heard she has pushed out to 14in and lives in a 250gal with just a Featherfin catfish.
What I am getting at is we need to know the basic water peramaters you will be using to do your water changes. Be it from the tap, city water supply or a well. We need just basic peramaters such as if high or low PH or hard or soft water. With this info we can better suggest fish that will thrive in your water peramaters .
If you're only interested in occasional live feedings then most mid size cichlids will still eat tiny fish, shrimp, worms etc. But most will outgrow a 55 gallon tank.
