The End-All Mini Monster Thread

[gobucks1]

Picture:

Scientific Name: Erythrinus erythrinus

Common name: Red/Rainbow Wolf fish

Care Level: Pretty easy, if once again, you get it off live

Size: 20 cm (8")

pH and KH range: Again, not picky, comes from soft acid water, will do well from 6 - 8 pH

Temperature range: 22 - 26 C (73 - 80 F)

Origin: Amazon Basin, specifically Peru

Temperament: Somewhat aggressive, but predatory

Compatible Tankmates: Not much. Maybe an armored catfish or pleco.

Diet: Quarantined feeders, raw shrimp. Carnivore.

Tank Size for Adult: 30 gallon for young or 40 Breeder good for adult

Narrative: The smallest, least aggressive, yet most active type of wolfish. Slow Grower

References: Fishbase, wetweb, tropical fish finder

 

[Bottomfeeder]

Gambusia affinis, TOP: Female BOTTOM: Male
Max size:
Female: 2.5''
Male 1''
Care Level: Easy as dirt, lives in water that can be polluted, stagnant, silty, and downright nasty
pH: not choosy...around 7.5
minimum tank size: 2.5g for one fish
agression level: will chase eachother and beat up smaller fish
tankmates: with caution
breeding: put a pair together and watch nature's magic
diet: small meaty or processed foods, cut pieces of ocean organisms, EG Prawn meat
range: west of the mississippi (Affinis) east of the mississippi (Holbrooki); other species found in the S/W US, and one in saltwater
G. affinis and holbrooki widely introduced elsewhere
Comments: a very tough and even personable fish. can be "trained" to take food from the hand. tollerates most water pollutants.

 

[dbcb314]

Scientific Name: Pantodon buchholzi

Common name: African Butterfly Fish

Care Level: Easy

Size: max 5 inches (13 cm)

pH and KH range: pH 6.5 to 7.0, 8-12° dGH. Neither number is really important, it is a hardy fish that will adjust to most pH and KH

Temperature range: 77-82° F (25-28° C)

Origin: Africa- Lake Chad, Congo Basin, Lower Niger, Cameroon, Ogooue, Upper Zambezi

Temperament: Peaceful, but will eat whatever will fit in their mouth

Compatible Tankmates: Anything they can't eat, won't pick on their long fins, and are not too aggressive (like aggressive cichlids).

Diet: Predators- insects (especially crickets), floating blood worms, floating pellets, floating flakes. The food must be on the surface for them to eat. They will not eat anything even 1 inch deep.

Tank Size for Adult: 30 gallon

Narrative: These are surface dwelling predators that will only leave the surface when stressed. They are usually pretty inactive, except when being fed. Floating plants and other floating cover will help this fish avoid stress. Otherwise they will stay in the back corner of the tank. They are also VERY good jumpers and will jump out of a tank when given the chance.

 

[gobucks1]

Picture:

Scientific Name: Crenicichla Compressiceps

Common name: None really

Care Level: Medium if you have the right water

Size: 8 - 13cm (3 - 5")

pH and KH range: Soft, <7.4 pH

Temperature range: 26 - 28C (78 to 82F)

Origin: Southern Amazon/Orinico (sp?) basin

Temperament: Generally peaceful, except for conspecifics if not paired up.

Compatible Tankmates: Peaceful, but non-conspecific fish, too large to be consumed.

Diet: Insectivore, will live well off prepared pellets if supplemented with some daphnia, quarantined ghost shrimp, etc.

Tank Size for Adult: 20L for single, 30 for well-matched pair

Narrative: Very fun, in your face little fish, but will waste away if kept in too hard, Basic water as mine did . Will look great in a planted tank. Don't underestimate what they can eat.

References: My experience, Cichlidforum, geocities

 

[Death Pony]

Scientific Name: Monocirrhus polyacanthus

Common name: South American Leaf Fish

Care Level: sensitive to water conditions

Size: 3"

pH and KH range: pH 5-6.8 KH very soft

Temperature range: 22-25C 72-77F

Origin: Amazon

Temperament: Will eat anything that will fit in its mouth

Compatible Tankmates: plecos, other catfish that don't get too big

Diet: smaller fish

Tank Size for Adult: 20L

Narrative: They don't move much, but they will snatch up food with lightning speeds! They change colors to match surrounding leaves too. Very interesting ambush predators.

References: Mongabay.com
The Tropical Tank

 

[Stump]

Scientific Name: Polypterus senegalus

Common name(s): Senegal Bichir, Cuvier's Bichir, Dinosaur Eel

Care Level: Fairly easy

Size: Usually no more than 12". Over that is very rare (our member King El has a nice 14-15" specimen).

pH and KH range: Soft-Hard, 6.0-7.5

Temperature range: 76-86 farenheit.

Origin: Africa: Nile Basin, and West Africa, including Gambia, Niger, Senegal, Volta and Lake Chad basins



Temperament: Generally peaceful. Will mostly mind it's own business

Compatible Tankmates: Nothing small enough to be eaten. Nothing too aggressive. Other bichirs usually work great as tankmates in most cases.

Diet: Carnivore, will do best on good pellets as a staple. Will eat beefheart, shrimp, earthworms, nightcrawlers, bloodworms, and fish. Feeders are not recommended and should only be used as a treat.

Tank Size for Adult: 30g for a small single specimen. 40 Breeder could fit a pair or trio for life.

Comments: Amazing fish. Most will tell you it is the most active polypterus there is. Very fun to watch.

References: My experience, Polypterus.info, Badmanstropicalfish.com, thetropicaltank.co.uk,










edit: couldn't make up my mind which picture I wanted to show because one was of very young specimens.... So I put up two,
(Don't mind the picture, it's one of mine... I didn't want to have to worry about copyright issues. )

 

[big54bob]

Scientific Name:Pelvicachromis pulcher

Common name: Krib, Kribensis

Care Level: Easy

Size: 3-4 inches

pH and KH range:6.5 to 7.5

Temperature range: 27*

Origin: Africa

Temperament: Can get Nasty. I have 2 females with a breeding pair of Cons.

Compatible Tankmates: Larger tetras, smaller cichlids like cons, FMs, etc.

Diet: Bloodworms, Flakes, Brine

Tank Size for Adult: 10gal

Narrative: The Kribensis is a wonderful fish but it has a NASTY temperment. Keep it away from slow moving fish as it will shred them.

References: Cite your references if possible.

 

[BristolDibber]

View attachment apisto.bmp

Scientific Name: APISTOGRAMMA

Common name: DWARF CICHLIDS

Care Level: Moderate

Size: (in centimeter) 1-4.5" (2.5-11.5 cm)

pH and KH range: a pH from 5.5-6.8, a water hardness from 0-8

Temperature range: celsius (fahrenheit) dH75-84°F (24-29°C)

Origin: small streams and oxbow lakes throughout tropical South America

Temperament: peaceful to semi aggressive

Compatible Tankmates: can be combined with other small fish that can tolerate black water conditions. Small,schooling species of the upper swimming such as tetras, pencilfish, and hatchetfish are excellent companions.

Diet: Live foods such as Brine Shrimp , Cyclops , Daphnia , Bloodworms , mosquito larvae, Tubifex can be fed. Some species may accept flakes.

Tank Size for Adult: a tank measuring 24" (61 cm) with a capacity of 20 gallons (75 L)


References: http://fish.mongabay.com/apistogramma.htm

 

[Death Pony]

Scientific Name: Luciocephalus aura

Common name: Peppermint crocodile fish

Care Level: Difficult

Size: 5", 13 cm

pH and KH range: pH- 5.5-6.0 KH- 0-10

Temperature range: 72-79F

Origin: Far East

Temperament: Semi-aggrassive

Compatible Tankmates: Anything of the same temperament and big enough not to be eaten. Best kept with its own kind

Diet: smaller fish, meaty foods.

Tank Size for Adult: 30 gallons

Narrative: Ambush predators. They will remain motionless until a smaller fish is within striking distance. They will lunge at the food item and engulf it in their surprisingly large mouths. They're actually related to gouramis and are experts at the high jump (podium finishers). They don't like strong currents.

References: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+836+2779&pcatid=2779

 

[HarlanAshmore]

Scientific Name: pimelodus pictus

Common name: pictus cat

Care Level: moderate

Size: (in centimeter) 10cm

pH and KH range:soft acidic

Temperature range: celsius (fahrenheit) 25-30

Origin: countries amazon

Temperament: peacefull but swims heaps and eats like a pig so no small fish

Compatible Tankmates: anything medium sized

Diet: pellets frozen

Tank Size for Adult: 33 gal for a pair

Narrative: nice looking small catfish nice long whiskers awesome fish

References:my huge brain