I Don't Know What to Keep Anymore :(

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Sarcosuchus

Candiru
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Oct 28, 2006
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I'm at that stage I can't decide what I want to keep and settle with anymore.

I used to be into Snakeheads but when I struggled with moving and providing sufficient space, I had to come down to only keeping one of them.

Okay so that's settled. But I want to shift my interest into other fish species so I tried Cichlids like baby Oscars, Green Terrors and Electric Blue JD.

But an uncertainty is there, as if I'm not sure what I want exactly. I am planning to get a male Jaguar Cichlid and sell everything else but I decided to ask for advice here.

What will be fulfilling? I find Snakeheads to be fulfilling but the tanks I'm planning to set up I don't want to be worried about having a tight lid to prevent jumping.

So to cut it short.. what can I keep in a 4 feet tank? I want something fast, active feeder, medium sized and interactive.

I want to focus on one thing rather than creating a mess by mixing different species. Should I settle down with a male Jag?
 
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4 ft tank is to small for a male jag as a permanent home, maybe one of the cryptoheros spp if your after ca cichlids.
 
What’s the dimensions of the tank, if it’s wide enough you could keep an Oscar, if it’s a 120 gallon a fahaka puffer, red terror, Midas, flower horn, you have many options
 
Personally feel any fish that grows over 10 inch needs bigger than a 4 ft tank.
 
I agree within518, that tank is too small for a managuense or any cichlid 10" or larger.
I suspect what is not fulfilling is when a largish fish is put in a small tank, there is no room for it to do anything other than jus sit and sulk.
Kind of like a prison cell.
Most larger fish need environmental stimulation, and that comes with a large enough area, including dither fish, adequate space, type water flow and topography that species might experience in nature.
Whether it be the goby cichlids living in the surf/wave zone in the rift, to Tomocichla or Rheoheros that live in a high flow rifle/rapids zone, to JDs and uropthalmus that live in Cenotes surrounded by live bearers.
Azul imovie edit
 
I am assuming the 4ft tank is a standard 55. I like the cryptoheros suggestion a lot. I have really enjoyed mine. That tank also gives you your choice of apistos. You can do multiple species. Another option is Dwarf pikes with a school of livebearers. The tank should be large enough to keep the adults safe and the fry will be eaten by the pikes.

If you want something fast and predatory I think a small shoal of exodons would be fun in there. Belonesox are interesting if you like a predatory livebearer. If you want something really oddball I think it would be cool to try to breed South American leaf fish. There are lots of other options out there, but that is all that jumps out to me at this time.
 
Pike cichlid from the Crencichla genus. There are many saxatilis pikes and dwarf pikes that stay under 10". Many are active swimmers and look similar to snake heads.
 
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