Tank Buster

[kool_sk8a]

I was thinking of having a go with some real predators before turning my 65g into a discus tank.

Which fish would be good for my tank without changing much? I have sand substrate with bogwood and clay pots.

I would like to have one or two big fish in there that would be ok with my setup.

I would really like to get a tiger shovelnose catfish, would this be ok? would i be able to keep anything else with it?

 

[TIGER9]

a tiger sn cat will outgrow that tank by way to much. are u wanting a to go with anything else in particular? u could always go with 3 red belly piranha.

 

[wayne]

I don't want to seem harsh, but ignoring size problems , these fish tend to live 10 to 20 years - won't that be a long time to wait for discus?
Or are you just going to keep them till you're bored and take them back to the lfs and hope they can rehouse them?

 

[Avalon]

You have to keep those fish (tank busters) for quite some time before they live up to that name. While they do grow rapidly, there's a distinct difference between a "big cichlid" and a true "tank buster."

In my experience with keeping many large cichlids, they need a large aquarium. I'm not sure a 65 is large enough for predatorial cichlids. This would be fine for a GT, Jack, Nic, etc., but cichlids like Jaguars and Wolfs are totally different. They need huge tanks to keep the clean water they need to grow rapidly and healthily. They love meat, so the diet will cost quite a bit more, along with some heavy duty filtration, more than a simple power filter or 2 can provide. But in all reality, tank busters become just that after years of living a healthy life! There's just no way to simply create one in a year or two.

I certainly don't want to discourage you, as these fish are very cool in their own right, but I don't want you to think that you could keep one for a year and have a "tank buster," because it just won't happen. Take some time to think about what it is you really want to put your desires into, then make the decision, as it's not one to be taken lightly! Discus or predatorial cichlids will be there when you are ready for them.

 

[MrBoB]

You don't want a tank buster.

Short answer,
NO

You can't fit any real tank-busters in a 65 gallon tank. It is way way too small. My tiger shovelnose cat outgrew my 85 gallon tank in a couple of months, and had to be moved to a 260 gallon tank. It is now living in a 270 gallon tank. If you want tank busters, go price a 250-500 gallon tank and then go back to guppies.

Also, an often forgotten cost is filtration and electricity. Real tank busters, pacu, red tailed and tiger cats, larger cichlids, arowanas etc, require clean water, and produce lots of waste. Even if you could get a tiger shovelnose to live in your 65 gallon, (which you can't) you would have to spend enormous ammounts of money on a new filtration system that is up to the task. Then there is the cost of running pumps and lights, uv sterilizers etc. I spend probably around $50-70/mo on electricty on one tank alone, and the monthly bill is over $150.

Trust me, you don't want "tank busters"
-MrBoB

 

[Purple]

I saw a MBU Puffer recently - the little guy was only 2 inches long. Shame they get up to 30 inches, but growth rate for one year is 12 inches. love to have him, but ultimately it means either a 125 gal tank, or taking the guy back in a year (and I hate doing that).

My philosophy is "if you can't keep it - don't get it"