That Gulper catfish is one ugly fish. Reminds me of when I was a little kid and watched Oscar the Grouch, the trash can dweller from Sesame Street….
Looking for Little Killers...lol.
- Thread starter r3dbullxxx
- Start date
They are pretty dang ugly but I think that makes them cooler and more predatory looking
pea puffer, microctenopoma ansorgii, hairy puffer, telmatochromis temporalis shell, hemichromis moanda/exsul, betta antuta
Polycentropsis Abbreviata
Only about three inches, extensible mouth, opportunist predator. And from Africa.
A 55 and a 75 have the same length, so if you can fit a 55 you can probably fit a 75.
I think an african leaf-fish, african butterfly fish, and a senegal bichir would be a great mix in that size tank. This trio offers 3 very different hunting methods+ 3 very different looks. They are also flexible when it comes to tank mates if you want to add something different later on, generally leaving fish they can't swallow alone. I previously had a 75 gallon with this trio, a group of congo tetras, and a red jewel cichlid that was fun as well as pleasant to look at outside of feeding time.
If you must stick to a 30 then your options are more limited. One of the already mentioned lurker puffers(like the congo) would have the most "wow" factor when feeding although might not be visually interesting when food is not present.
I think an african leaf-fish, african butterfly fish, and a senegal bichir would be a great mix in that size tank. This trio offers 3 very different hunting methods+ 3 very different looks. They are also flexible when it comes to tank mates if you want to add something different later on, generally leaving fish they can't swallow alone. I previously had a 75 gallon with this trio, a group of congo tetras, and a red jewel cichlid that was fun as well as pleasant to look at outside of feeding time.
If you must stick to a 30 then your options are more limited. One of the already mentioned lurker puffers(like the congo) would have the most "wow" factor when feeding although might not be visually interesting when food is not present.
I might add to this that it's less of a "kill on sight" thing more of an "every now and then the guppies disappear' kinda thing. They'll eat bugs, just not from the surface, and not very aggressively.
Puffers can be finicky, often coming with worms, and exodons are expensive. My suggestion is a green sunfish. Usually free to get, mean looking, extremely aggressive. Unfortunately they don't color up without a colony of conspecifics or of course, the sun, but still something cool nonetheless. If you're able to get them, warmouth make a cool alternative to these as well. Given both species get 10" to a foot, you may be asking, in a 55? I say yes, because more than likely you're not getting a generic freak that's gonna get that big.
Now if you get a 30, I would suggest (again, if you can catch them,) the largest species of killifish you can find in your area. Fast, active, and voracious predators. Will eat anything that can fit in their mouths.
Pumpkinseeds get bigger than bluegill, and redbreasts, while they are more active and open water predators from what I've seen in catching them over the years, aren't very voracious in captivity, again in my experience.
Green sunfish are pretty cool and are very pretty the one I have is somewhat shy but always goes crazy during feeding time
I have a pumpkinseed green sunfish hybrid and he goes crazy for food he has like an Oscar or flower horn personality he chases you around and if anything touches the water he will bite and and if anything is on the lid of the tank (glass canopy) he tries to jump and get it lol
He’s also very pretty
Pic is of green sunfish I don’t have pic of hybrid
Maybe in your area...ive never seen pumpkinseed bigger than 6" and personally caught many bluegill over 10" and very chunky.
