Ornate Bichir in 60g tank + tank mates?

[AG458]

I know I've been told that I shouldn't add any more fish to my current stock (a juvenile peacock bass, small Clown knifefish, small pleco, smallish black ear pangasius) but I would like a bichir as well. This won't be my first time; I had a dinosaur bichir in my old tank who had quite a personality. They're awesome fish, and I would like to have one. My current fish, despite their large growth size, don't use much of my tank (pleco and CK stay in a cave all day, black ear pangasius and peacock bass use much more of my tank). I'm not sure how active my fish are at night, or how aggressive they are. Would my current stock be too aggressive towards the new bichir? Also, it's been a while since I've had a bichir; what should I feed him and what's the best water temp for one?

 

[thefredpit]

what type of pleco? Some plecos will eat the slime coat off of bichirs but not all I have 3 different types with my bichirs that are fine with them. Also what are the sizes of each fish?

 

[AG458]

what type of pleco? Some plecos will eat the slime coat off of bichirs but not all I have 3 different types with my bichirs that are fine with them. Also what are the sizes of each fish?

My pleco is a common pleco, who's about 3 1/2 inches. My ck is around 4-4.5 inches long, my peacock bass is around 2-2.5 inches, and my pangasius is around 4-4.5 inches.

 

[thefredpit]

the common pleco is the worst offender when it comes to slime coat sucking the last one I had started sucking on my banded knifefish's slime coat as soon as the knifefish would let him get close(took over a month for the knifefish to stop chasing the pleco away)

Also you do plan on upgrading to a larger tank right? The pangasius will actually get bigger than your tank

 

[jaws7777]

Imo your overstocked as is and wont be able to keep what you have long term. Black ear and pbass probably wont be a long term fit.

https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...h-1-in-4500-gal-lone-survivor-1-for-5.679548/

 

[AG458]

the common pleco is the worst offender when it comes to slime coat sucking the last one I had started sucking on my banded knifefish's slime coat as soon as the knifefish would let him get close(took over a month for the knifefish to stop chasing the pleco away)

Also you do plan on upgrading to a larger tank right? The pangasius will actually get bigger than your tank

Yes, I do plan on upgrading my tank; double my current size or more (which is probably the optimum choice). Also, thanks for the info; would've been dreadful if that happened to my new fish. And what's the max size of the black ear pangasius?

Imo your overstocked as is and wont be able to keep what you have long term. Black ear and pbass probably wont be a long term fit.
Yeah, don't worry; you're not the first person to tell me something along those lines. What do you suggest I do in this case?
https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...h-1-in-4500-gal-lone-survivor-1-for-5.679548/

 

[AG458]

Imo your overstocked as is and wont be able to keep what you have long term. Black ear and pbass probably wont be a long term fit.

https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...h-1-in-4500-gal-lone-survivor-1-for-5.679548/

Sorry that I'm re-quoting; I accidentally did it wrong the first time. If I'm totally screwed at this point, what do you suggest I do?

 

[thefredpit]

Yes, I do plan on upgrading my tank; double my current size or more (which is probably the optimum choice). Also, thanks for the info; would've been dreadful if that happened to my new fish. And what's the max size of the black ear pangasius?

according to planet catfish the max size is 51"

https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=1352

 

[jaws7777]

Sorry that I'm re-quoting; I accidentally did it wrong the first time. If I'm totally screwed at this point, what do you suggest I do?

Lmao your not screwed lol. If it were me i would rehome the pbass, clown knife and the cat. The cat gets huge and would probably need a bigger tank than what most of us can provide. I wouldnt even touch a cat that grows over 2ft lol.

I wouldnt want to tell you what to do but more of what i would do. Those 3 would be gone unless i was able to provide a truly monsterish sized tank. Being realistic too not just saying i want to but actually having the space and funds to do so.
Then i'd convert the 60 gal into a poly tank with 3 or 4 smaller growing upper jaws. The ornate would eventually need bigger tank but "bigger" being a more realistic upgrade say 125 gal.

Unfortunately most of the coolest fish are only meant to be kept by the few hobbyists that can provide true monster tanks.

 

[AG458]

Lmao your not screwed lol. If it were me i would rehome the pbass, clown knife and the cat. The cat gets huge and would probably need a bigger tank than what most of us can provide. I wouldnt even touch a cat that grows over 2ft lol.

I wouldnt want to tell you what to do but more of what i would do. Those 3 would be gone unless i was able to provide a truly monsterish sized tank. Being realistic too not just saying i want to but actually having the space and funds to do so.
Then i'd convert the 60 gal into a poly tank with 3 or 4 smaller growing upper jaws. The ornate would eventually need bigger tank but "bigger" being a more realistic upgrade say 125 gal.

Unfortunately most of the coolest fish are only meant to be kept by the few hobbyists that can provide true monster tanks.

That last statement is very true; I guess I just like dreaming big. The pond-like tank is not a bad idea; I'll see what I can do. Thanks for the advice! Also, what do you mean by "poly tank"? I've never used one or heard of one before. I looked it up and found many images of blue polyethylene tubs. Is that right?