I have a 180g fully cycled and waiting for stock. I am aiming for a slightly oddball/pred tank ? Have previously done Malawis , Central American cichlids before and enjoyed it but feel it's time for a change . Would like a catfish in there aswell . Any suggestions would be appreciated
Oddball/pred tank stock
- Thread starter Dt100
- Start date
Welcome to MFK! 
I suggest making a list of the oddball fish you would like to put in the 180 , and members will give their honest opinion on which species would be compatible, and if the fish will live in the 180 for life.
I suggest making a list of the oddball fish you would like to put in the 180 , and members will give their honest opinion on which species would be compatible, and if the fish will live in the 180 for life.
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A gulper cat is real cool and doesn't get overly big but it will try to eat anything..a driftwood cat is similar.. it's incredibly hard to find the right mix of fish with some types of predators.. my advice would be to stay away from any that get too territorial.. no one's situation is exactly the same with fish .. I had to get rid of my dat because he was too territorial
Gulpers are something I ve been reading a lot on recently . Saw a vid of one eating a good sized cichlid which surprised me . Red tailed payara is nt something I thought of but after doing some reading they look like a good option . I would like an eel but think the gulper would demolish it .
For catfish I say a medium sized pim or large driftwood cat or a bagrid, examples are sun cats, ornate pims, 4-line pims, Asian upside down cat, trachy trachy etc. as for an eel, only eel like fish you'll be able to keep with the rest of the stock your aiming for would be bichirs, other eel like fishes will be to thin and snacked on or to large for the tank. And as for predators, you can look into characins such as wolf fish, payara (excluding armatus), cudas, odoes, certain "pike" species, or you can maybe try some gobies such as what's typically sold as a watercow (eleotris picta) or a marble goby (Oxyeleotris marmorata, though this with good genetics may outgrow the tank or take it all to itself depending in the specimens attitude, same with some other fish mentioned). You can also try oddball catfish for an odd predator, if you can find a fowleri that'd be a nice one.
All of these different combinations will always have a risk, some more than others, but for the most part you can keep most of them together, when you find specific fish you are looking for, tell us and we can share our knowledge on how they do together. A lot of it will come down to the specimens you get, some may be to aggressive some may be to much of a push over.
A gulper you'll probably grow bored of as they are slow growers and aren't to active and you won't be able to keep much with it.
That's great info thanks , I don't want to overstock . My plan is to get a 225g at some point to add to the collection . I thought one of the small gars could be an option aswell , not sure how they would get on with the likes of wolf fish/red tail payara ?
I would be careful with gar in smaller tanks. If one snaps it is an expensive mistake. Have you considered a group of 5 pink tail chalceus with a catfish? I love my pink tail and a 180 is a good size for a group
That is a nice looking fish , ideally I want a small selection of different fish , could be an option to put in as a single fish