# oddball/tankbuster suggestions?



## inkyjoe (Mar 31, 2008)

Ive got a 5x2x2 tank, and Im looking to put something big and horrible in it. Im thinking one of the bigger cichlids, a snakehead or a big catfish! uglier and lumpier and meaner, the better!
Ideally I want to be able to find this big something with comparable ease as well, and any suppliers links will be appreciated


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## ashmellor (Apr 5, 2008)

pengasius catfish - they grom fast and are pretty cool.

therwise an arowana would look good!


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## capester (Oct 18, 2007)

I'd have either a Fahaka (Nile) puffer, a Mbu puffer, Some gars, a wolf fish or an electric eel! Although it's suprising how quickly things can outgrow a 5 x 2!


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## inkyjoe (Mar 31, 2008)

nah, pangassius are a bit bread and butter for me. maybe an arrowana. I thought they got too big for a 5x2x2 though?


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## inkyjoe (Mar 31, 2008)

capester said:


> I'd have either a Fahaka (Nile) puffer, a Mbu puffer, Some gars, a wolf fish or an electric eel! Although it's suprising how quickly things can outgrow a 5 x 2!


Ive always had shit luck with puffers, so no. I like gars though, had a lovely gator gar til it though it could fly one day.
it needs to stay in a 5x2x2 tho, never gonna have room to upgrade


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## blazingtortoise (Feb 7, 2008)

unusual catfish, e.g. electric or a lungfish. I like electric eels too but don't know much about them. I'd stick with something big and fairly sedentary rather than some of the bigger fish that need more swimming room which could soon outgrow the tank.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

my personal all-time favorite...:2thumb:

i've had several over the years... never had a problem... never got tired od watching them cruise... a jurrassic fish for sure... and can they jump!


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## Berber King (Dec 29, 2007)

Arowana and pangasius would get too big.Personally id have Datnoides (Tiger Fish),Polypterus,some jumbo clown loach,and maybe a few others.


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## Berber King (Dec 29, 2007)

Not allowed to link other forums,but theres an american one for big "Monster" fish that would give you lots of inspiration......


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## Gutted2BLeaving (Jul 6, 2009)

Does it have to be tropical biased? What about a native UK freshwater tank, with a hand full of perch. Watching them grow I think would be rather entertaining and different. You could raise/feed them on earthworms, plant some native lillies and watch them swim in amongst the stalks ambushing the feed.
:2thumb:


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## Berber King (Dec 29, 2007)

Nice idea.Or how about a trout,popular choice on here.........:lol2:


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## Gutted2BLeaving (Jul 6, 2009)

Berber King said:


> Nice idea.Or how about a trout,popular choice on here.........:lol2:


Indeed, maybe even a fresh caught Salmon :mf_dribble:


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## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

Berber King said:


> Nice idea.Or how about a trout,popular choice on here.........:lol2:


 What a WC one :whistling2::lolsign::roll2:.


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## inkyjoe (Mar 31, 2008)

Im still defo thinkin more big cichlid/snakehead. which species of snakehead though, and where to find them?!


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## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

What about Clown knife fish.









Albino.









Typical size.


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## strictly_scales (Sep 10, 2008)

Great White Shark? Gotta be the ultimate tankbuster... Monteray Bay Aquarium had one...


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## TUBBS (Mar 16, 2009)

yea monteray bay had a great idea there didn't they, getting big predators used to getting food where people are then realeasing it, think i may have to do that myself lol

get a black nasty (cichlid) as it's name suggests it's virtually the 'ardest one going


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

you start raising a big one... and one day you'll go and get a bigger tank... it happens like that... i like it... it gives one an excuse to go super-sized on a tank... no one will deny you after they have becom attached to the big fish... it's one way to win the OH or whom ever over...:lol2:

... big fish are like dogs... you don't get a breed based on the dog house you have... you can get a bigger dog house as it grows...

... but that's just me... i have bought several big species as babies in the past and then sold them when they got too big... for a mint i don't mind telling you... those guys in the boardroom don't want no scrawny fish... they want e heifers!... big arowanas... they get pricey when big... at least here... at any rate... arowanas are nice though!


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## TUBBS (Mar 16, 2009)

see, selling big fish here is nigh on impossible


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## _simon_ (Nov 27, 2007)

Re the arowna, I was under the impression that a 5x2x2 wouldn't be large enough? In fact looking at an arowana site it says a minimum of 5x3x3.


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## inkyjoe (Mar 31, 2008)

TUBBS said:


> see, selling big fish here is nigh on impossible


dont want to sell them, I want to buy one


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## rum&coke (Apr 19, 2009)

get a Jaguar Cichlid:no1:


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

African Knife Fish (Xenomystus nigri)
Delhezi Bichir (P. Dehezi)
False siamese tiger fish (Coius microlepis_)
_New Guinea datnoid (Datnioides campbelli)
Ornate bichir (P. Ornatipinnis)
Palmas bichir (P. Palmas)
Silver Datnoid (Datnioides polot)
Needle-nose Gar (Xenentodon cancila_)
_Tire Track Eel (Mastacembelus armatus_)
_Fire Eel (Mastacembelus erythrotaenia_)
_Swamp Eel (Monopterus albus)

Just a small choice.... lol


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## connor 1213 (Apr 6, 2009)

tiger oscar


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## mariekni (Apr 8, 2009)

not sure if its been said already but giant gourami. if you get them small you can actually train them mine begs and jumps out the water for food. my personnal opinion anyways lol


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

Large knife that can hold its own (eg. gymnotus carapo)
Polypterus sp. x 4
Datnoides sp. x 2
30cm cichlid x 2
Maybe a couple of tinfoils as dithers
Some mid sized catfish? pimelodus ornatus ?

That could work nicely. perhaps replace the cichlids with something more peaceful at similar size as the rest of the tank as quite calm

Or replace both cichlids with a single Red Tail Giant Gorami - they don't tend to grow as big as a normal GG and could work in a tank that size.


Also there are plenty of snakehead species that could work as a group - say Channa pleuropthalma, get to about 16" generally and are a shoaling species and stunning. Any of the big SHs will outgrow the tank in short order. Cichlid wise you could have most things really - avoid monsters like dovii and pbass. How about a pair of Festae? stunning colours... probably get on ok with some polypterus as well as they are so different.


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## seasider (Mar 18, 2008)

Gutted2BLeaving said:


> Does it have to be tropical biased? What about a native UK freshwater tank, with a hand full of perch. Watching them grow I think would be rather entertaining and different. You could raise/feed them on earthworms, plant some native lillies and watch them swim in amongst the stalks ambushing the feed.
> :2thumb:


 
that sounds really cool! might do that myself.. is it legal tho? sorry to hijack your thread..:blush:


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## TUBBS (Mar 16, 2009)

inkyjoe said:


> dont want to sell them, I want to buy one


 it was at HABU as he suggested growing tank busters on to sell, not a good idea here as theres no market unlike in the states where there is a market for big fish


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## The_Real_Moreliaman (Jan 24, 2009)

Go for something more interesting....How about nile tiger fish ??? hydrocynus spp !!

You can buy them in the UK, ive seen them for sale but they arent cheap !!

Google Image either...... hydrocynus vittatus (or) forskalii (or) goliath


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## Adam98150 (Jan 12, 2009)

Edited.


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## owlbassboy (Jun 26, 2008)

go for snake heads mate


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## inkyjoe (Mar 31, 2008)

owlbassboy said:


> go for snake heads mate


I think I will, heppy was kind enough to pm me some info on them, and i reckon I'll go for a golden cobra. I liked the look of the red snakeheads, but they'll outgrow my tank. aggression isnt an issue, as i only want one fish in the tank.
If I cant get a decent size golden cobra, I might look into getting another peacock bass cichlid(my last one was awesome), or a wolf cichlid


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## AZUK (Jul 9, 2007)

I would go for a giant Gourami (osphemeous) these grow huge and have a great personality, make a good community fish as well and don't seem bothered by much smaller fish. I had some huge ones a while ago in an 8 x 4 x 4 they would greet me when ever I entered the room and would take a whole iceberg lettuce out of my hand in one gulp. Fantastic species.


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

inkyjoe said:


> I think I will, heppy was kind enough to pm me some info on them, and i reckon I'll go for a golden cobra. I liked the look of the red snakeheads, but they'll outgrow my tank. aggression isnt an issue, as i only want one fish in the tank.
> If I cant get a decent size golden cobra, I might look into getting another peacock bass cichlid(my last one was awesome), or a wolf cichlid


Great idea - pbass should be great with it.

My golden cobra is in with: oscar, severums, clarias, vieja, bocorti. Gets on fine and is about 10" long at the moment. Eventually he will move to a tank with larger inhabitants (the pbass tank probably) but for now he gets on great.


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## ChloEllie (Jul 18, 2009)

xyra said:


> Large knife that can hold its own (eg. gymnotus carapo)
> Polypterus sp. x 4
> Datnoides sp. x 2
> 30cm cichlid x 2
> ...


please dont go for pengasius....they practically get to the size of that tank, or an aro.

i REALLY agree with xyra on this.
dont even contemplate a GG, it wont b able to turn around in that tank at nearly fully grown.

id personally make it a poly tank, that would look great with maye some hujetas floating round the top.
x


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

ChloEllie said:


> please dont go for pengasius....they practically get to the size of that tank, or an aro.
> 
> i REALLY agree with xyra on this.
> dont even contemplate a GG, it wont b able to turn around in that tank at nearly fully grown.
> ...



Hey chloe! welcome to the forum!


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## ChloEllie (Jul 18, 2009)

xyra said:


> Hey chloe! welcome to the forum!


lol cheers...

p.s

dont get a pacu lol


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## TUBBS (Mar 16, 2009)

buy a dinosaur for it


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## inkyjoe (Mar 31, 2008)

ChloEllie said:


> lol cheers...
> 
> p.s
> 
> dont get a pacu lol


cheers, i had no intention of getting a pacu.
I cant believe the response ive had to this thread, but unfortunately its gone way off the mark. as lovely as some of these community set ups sound, I just want a single big, ugly, bruiser as a fairly responsive fishy pet. I liked the look of the red snakeheads, but ive been warned against them, reckon I'll go for a golden cobra snakehead now 
cheers everyone


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