monster fish for beginners?

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Thelatinofishlover said:
i agree most "monster fish" but i think we can all agree that rays shouldnt be sold to beginners
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x2 anything with big teeth or stingers, or venom just like with any other animal isn't even imo beginner friendly. You do an opps in handleing those fish and people can get seriousely hurt. most people don't keep monster fish because of space requirments and initial investment... not because they are "hard to keep". The bigger the animal the easier it is to get hurt, give that animal big teeth,spines, ect and even something docile become dangerous. ime rays can be dangerous anytime.. not just when trying to catch, anytime i have to mess in their tank you must always be aware of where they are, and be wary. Can they make great pets? sure. but its the difference between owning a domestic animal vs a wild. different set of rules.

Oscars imo are the original gateway monster fish.
 
In a way, no monster fish is suitable for the beginner if you are new at fishkeeping in general. The care and behavior of a monster fish (let's just settle that as anything that grows over 12" in length) is different from fish which are much smaller than that.

Start with something smaller which gets you in the routine of water changes, proper filter care, proper feeding and rules of cohabitation, etc, then you will have more of an understanding of what it takes to home a "monster".

Monster fish care is closer to having a dog, cat, or parrot than to what is typically considered fishkeeping.
 
In a way, no monster fish is suitable for the beginner if you are new at fishkeeping in general. The care and behavior of a monster fish (let's just settle that as anything that grows over 12" in length) is different from fish which are much smaller than that.

Start with something smaller which gets you in the routine of water changes, proper filter care, proper feeding and rules of cohabitation, etc, then you will have more of an understanding of what it takes to home a "monster".
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I think what people mean is that as long as you have an appropriately sized tank, good diet, water change routine and everything, most monster fish will be pretty tough and not just keel over and die. Sounds pretty correct to me. Supply them with everything they need and a healthy water system and I don't think you'd have a problem with MOST species.
 
LOL clown knives are NOT for beginners... I have NEVER met a "beginner" with a properly kept 200+ gallon (that is IMO the inimum tanksize for a CK...) mine is 26" and i only had him for a year...
 
There is no monster for beginners. Only really cool fish that lead up to the bad boys. I'm not too familiar but if you have a large enough tank maybe start with a male grammodes? They can hit that 12in pre monster size and can teach you good wc habits and really get you started towards more specialized fish. If I'm wrong about the size someone please correct me.

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Too Many Choices said:
I think what people mean is that as long as you have an appropriately sized tank, good diet, water change routine and everything, most monster fish will be pretty tough and not just keel over and die. Sounds pretty correct to me. Supply them with everything they need and a healthy water system and I don't think you'd have a problem with MOST species.
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x2 and a larger water volume is easier to maintain generally then a smaller one... it's the money and/or knowledge involved in setting it up right the first time thats the intimidateing/scary part.

my smallest tank is more fiddleing then my biggest... but it would cost me 30$ to replace my smallest filter.. and a few hundred to replace my biggest... thats if I got a great deal ect... the average 10-20gallon set-up done right will cost approx 100$..... the average 120-180 can cost you upwards of 3K$... if you bought everything new w/ little to no DIY parts. Why MOST people start with small tanks.. small investment.. get their feet wet ect. learn the ropes, and how to DIY.... if you look at most the tanks around here and in other places.. DIY is everywhere because most people don't or can't drop thousands of dollars into this hobby. Not because they can't properly care for the fish or they are "hard to keep"... some of the hardest species are the smallest ime.

- avoid species that are hard to convert from live to dead unless you are committed to the expense, and the challenge many pose ( spiney eels are notoriouse for this, as are some knife species ect)
- avoid species you can't readily find care and other basic husbandry info about. ( If it's rare... chances are its because it's not easy to keep. Not always, but usually)
- avoid specialized feeders unless you've done your homework.. and rechecked it. ( same with the first really... i'm sure there are others that fall into this catagory)

And in the end... get a fish that won't outgrow your tank unless you are 100% positive you are able to give it a larger tank in the future ( not expect your local lfs, or zoo to take it, most won't) Start with your tank size.. and go from there. There really are plenty of fish that imo/ime are "beginner" friendly its setting yourself up for success that really counts at the end of the day.
 
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