# 8x4x3 tank what to put in it



## cam cap (Jun 22, 2007)

well ive had to get rid of my old tank and fish as i will be moving home in the near future when i do move to the new house i will be setting up a new tank as i miss my fish already the size of this new tank will be 8x4x3 and what to see what you lot think i should put in it it will be running a large sump filter so give us your ideas thanks :2thumb:


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

African predators! :no1::no1:

Upside down catfish, bichirs, reedfish, african butterfly fish, leopard ctenopoma, african knife fish, elephant noses, congo tetras, madagascar rainbowfish....... :mf_dribble::mf_dribble::mf_dribble::mf_dribble::mf_dribble:

heavily planted with lots of bogwood... would look AMAZING! :no1::no1::no1:


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

what the slag said () :mf_dribble::mf_dribble::mf_dribble: well, cept for the rainbow fish....


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## doherty-666 (Jan 31, 2009)

sel it 2 me:2thumb:


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## mariekni (Apr 8, 2009)

arrowana, birchir, giant gourami, shovel nose catfish, clarius catfish god i could go on i love big odd fish they are great.


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

guppys.


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## matt748 (Aug 10, 2008)

Mbu puffer


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

_jake_ said:


> guppys.


...oh yeah, definately - to feed the African bad boys


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

daftlassieEmma said:


> what the slag said () :mf_dribble::mf_dribble::mf_dribble: well, cept for the rainbow fish....


the rainbowfish are amazing! They'd go awesomely with the congos!



mariekni said:


> *arrowana*, birchir, giant gourami, *shovel nose catfish*, clarius catfish god i could go on i love big odd fish they are great.


the bold ones would get far too big for this tank IMO.
Clarius can be deadly, too!


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

ooh! I forgot to add... african filter shrimp! :flrt:


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## mariekni (Apr 8, 2009)

i keep a clarius with convicts, tetras, platys, and never an incident.
as for the arrowana and shovel nose that tank would be more than adequate for them.


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

mariekni said:


> i keep a clarius with convicts, tetras, platys, and never an incident.
> as for the arrowana and shovel nose that tank would be more than adequate for them.


It was obviously a baby then. Once older, they'd eat tetras without even noticing they have.

and dude, those fish grow bigger than the tank!!!


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## mariekni (Apr 8, 2009)

my clarius is 18" so no not a baby.
arrowanas only grow to 2ft in captivity so no not too large for the tank in mention.


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## cam cap (Jun 22, 2007)

wouldn't mind a arrowana but the cat fish would get to big and maybe the arrowana


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

mariekni said:


> arrowanas only grow to 2ft in captivity so no not too large for the tank in mention.


erm... where did you get that stonker from?!
Someone I know currently has a 4ft arowana.


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## cam cap (Jun 22, 2007)

Esfa said:


> Someone I know currently has a 4ft arowana.


 
get some pic`s sounds awesome


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## reptile_man_08 (Jan 14, 2008)

Mata mata turtle.
Or a community of freshwater rays-such as motoro and pearl rays, with a nice RTG arrowana, lima cats, megalodoras uranoscopus, some pearsei and other large cichlids.
Or a huge community of new world cichlids.


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## ashrob1993 (Feb 17, 2009)

a large shoal of neon tetras :2thumb: 

let us know what you decide upon!


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## Joe1507 (Aug 11, 2008)

pacu, alligator snapping turtes.


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

cam cap said:


> get some pic`s sounds awesome


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

Noooo.... you must get guppies and pwease dont feed them:gasp: it looks lovely in big tanks, my 6ft tank is full of them


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## cam cap (Jun 22, 2007)

Esfa said:


>


wow how big is that tank and im liking the pbass


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

cam cap said:


> wow how big is that tank and im liking the pbass


800 gallon.
There's a thread on another fish forum. : victory:


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## mariekni (Apr 8, 2009)

sorry but that arrowana is about 1 and a half ft look at it in contrast to the size of his hand under it. 
from thumb to little finger stretched out is roughly 9" for the average male.
that arrowana is NOT 4ft.


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## reptile_man_08 (Jan 14, 2008)

mariekni said:


> sorry but that arrowana is about 1 and a half ft look at it in contrast to the size of his hand under it.
> from thumb to little finger stretched out is roughly 9" for the average male.
> that arrowana is NOT 4ft.


Its actually just over 3ft I think I recall.Go look at some other pics of it.


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

mariekni said:


> sorry but that arrowana is about 1 and a half ft look at it in contrast to the size of his hand under it.
> from thumb to little finger stretched out is roughly 9" for the average male.
> that arrowana is NOT 4ft.


Under it? Dude, the guy is about 1ft behind it!
The aro was just under 4ft about a year ago, and was still growing!


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## ShaneLuvsMonitors (Sep 27, 2008)

Esfa said:


> Under it? Dude, the guy is about 1ft behind it!
> The aro was just under 4ft about a year ago, and was still growing!


just to add to your point if the average for a guy is about 9" then using your thumb you can get a rough measurement of course purely guesswork of at least 3' but that doesnt account for the curveture of the fish :whistling2:


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

silver arowana generally reach 4' in length,

an 8'x2'x2' would be the MINIMUM housing requirement, bigger is always better


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

mariekni said:


> i keep a clarius with convicts, tetras, platys, and never an incident.
> as for the arrowana and shovel nose that tank would be more than adequate for them.


why settle for adequate? But nevermind. An arowana would live in that size for quite some time but could do with bigger.

Would depend on the species of shovelnose but a Lima would be fine



mariekni said:


> my clarius is 18" so no not a baby.
> arrowanas only grow to 2ft in captivity so no not too large for the tank in mention.


2 foot? Not quite. 3 foot is a pretty common size but bigger is not to be unexpected. I've read of claims for 5 foot. Although I don't know how true that is. 4 foot though is definately possible for a well cared for fish in a good size tank.


Anyway back on point. It depends on what you want. A good mix of cichlids would work. Larger acaras, smaller Nandopsis sp etc. Nothing too monstrous. Then obviously with some catfish and stuff. Raise them up and get a good pair. Then again mix in some nice cichlids and cats.

Loads of oddballs to chose from. Maybe distichodus?


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## mariekni (Apr 8, 2009)

but its a 8 x 4 x 3


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## cam cap (Jun 22, 2007)

ok ok ok enough with the arrows what else is there and no little crappy fish but nothing to big


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

Bichirs!

















:no1:


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## cam cap (Jun 22, 2007)

nice but just got rid of one of them lol im thinking any of the following what your thoughts 

Jags
oscar
red devils
Dovii
Buttikoferi
Giant gourami
Clown knife
peacock bass


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## mariekni (Apr 8, 2009)

cam cap said:


> nice but just got rid of one of them lol im thinking any of the following what your thoughts
> 
> Jags
> oscar
> ...


definately giant gourami they have such personalitys. we had a red devil for a while but our juvinile giant gourami didnt like it at all so we had to rehome it.
also jags and oscars are beautiful.


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## reptile_man_08 (Jan 14, 2008)

cam cap said:


> nice but just got rid of one of them lol im thinking any of the following what your thoughts
> 
> Jags
> oscar
> ...


herichthys pearsei man, or bocourti are so much better than oscars.
Texas cichlids are awesome too.


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## mariekni (Apr 8, 2009)

reptile_man_08 said:


> herichthys pearsei man, or bocourti are so much better than oscars.
> Texas cichlids are awesome too.


yes i agree texas cichlids are awesome we have some ( with our clarius) and they are gorgeous.


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

I love texas cichlids


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## mariekni (Apr 8, 2009)

whats this esfa are we actually agreeing on something? lol


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## TUBBS (Mar 16, 2009)

i'd go with the same as Emma with the West african set-up minus the rainbows, and just get get more congo tetras, maybe some west dwarf cichlids like blockheads or sommat, get some nice african plants and loads and loads of bogwood so it gets a nice brown weak tea colour

planning a nice 6ft tank for mine to go into as they are in a metre tank atm so will enjoy the room

but that mix of cichlids wouldn't go together, the gourami would be battered like hell by the others, knife would be terrified.

The tank at that size would be wasted on a few large cichlids

would be awesome as a tanganyikan biotope with a big shoal of cyprichromis (leptosoma or similar) few pairs of cave dwellers living in a rock pile toward one end and a colony of shellies living in a good sized shell patch and a group of Xenotilapia

maybe some plecs in the tank to eat algae and java moss in the sump acting like caulerpa

maybe some smaller synodontis?


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

I was thinking tangs too. Mainly shellies, would be awesome! Expensive, though with the amount you'd need.


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## TUBBS (Mar 16, 2009)

nah, i had a colony of 50 shellies, cost me like £20 for my first 8 juvies and then 12 months to get a massive colony in my tank  defo worth it


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## TUBBS (Mar 16, 2009)

oh and you could get a fish import license for nought and get all your stock in that way, either in one or box by box


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## Love_snakes (Aug 12, 2007)

Go Saltwater! The types of fish you could get would be great. A nice big fish only tank would be my suggestion.


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## owlbassboy (Jun 26, 2008)

Full reef setup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Love_snakes (Aug 12, 2007)

owlbassboy said:


> Full reef setup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Lol most people complain about the cost of a small marine setup although if you have a whole load of money sitting around... why not?


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## danoc2005 (May 3, 2009)

ARROWANA!

or snakeheads and gars etc etc?


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## garyc6663 (Mar 5, 2009)

*fish*

put some: 
rummy nose x50
cardenals x50
clown loarch x 10
silver shark x10
corys x10
angel fish x6
guppys x50
ect,ect,ect
all the fish will stick together in there own groups and will look great
and a load of plants for the real effect


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

garyc6663 said:


> put some:
> rummy nose x50
> cardenals x50
> clown loarch x 10
> ...


I'd be worried about the silver sharks, clowns and angels eating everything else when fully grown! I'd go for lager tetras/livebearers if I did this.


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

danoc2005 said:


> ARROWANA!
> 
> or snakeheads and gars etc etc?


Read the thread! :Na_Na_Na_Na:
Snakeheads could be cool!
gars... nope!


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## cam cap (Jun 22, 2007)

hmmmm snakeheads how big do the giant ones get


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## exotic reptile housing (Jul 12, 2007)

its not even worth a disscussion about, forget all those plastic fishys and go with marine, puffers,tangs,shoal of anthias,


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## mariekni (Apr 8, 2009)

snakeheads would be great in a tank the size of yours. channa Bleheri are beautiful!!


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## cam cap (Jun 22, 2007)

im thinking giant snakehead and peacock bass


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## mariekni (Apr 8, 2009)

and jags?:whistling2: they are great.


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

red form giant gourami's are stunning...:whistling2:


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## tokay (Mar 13, 2007)

firemouths plecs or oscars... my fave fishes of all time


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## Caz (May 24, 2007)

*8x4x3 tank what to put in i**t*

2793.53 litres of water!

:lol2:


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

cam cap said:


> well ive had to get rid of my old tank and fish as i will be moving home in the near future when i do move to the new house i will be setting up a new tank as i miss my fish already the size of this new tank will be 8x4x3 and what to see what you lot think i should put in it it will be running a large sump filter so give us your ideas thanks :2thumb:



Thats about the size i'm setting up soon. I'm going for:

3 - 4 peacock bass
3 stingrays
red tail giant gorami
giraffe catfish
oxydoras catfish
leirius marmoratus

The fish are already all growing out, and once they are close to outgrowing their tanks (a while yet, their tanks aren't small currently  I'll get the big one in.

I was also thinking of making a BIG rockpile at one end and having malawis or tangs in the rocks with plenty of hiding spaces for them to live away from the preds.


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

xyra said:


> Thats about the size i'm setting up soon. I'm going for:
> 
> 3 - 4 peacock bass
> 3 stingrays
> ...


Nice! 
Although I'd suggest against the malawis, purely to give the rays more room. : victory:
Plus you'd be surprised just how aggressive they can be!


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## fishboy (Aug 7, 2007)

Fancy goldfish? 

*runs...*


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## fishboy (Aug 7, 2007)

Tench, roach, perch, rudd, carp, crucian carp

make a british waterway tank :no1:

no bream, they're gay and slimey


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

Esfa said:


> Nice!
> Although I'd suggest against the malawis, purely to give the rays more room. : victory:
> Plus you'd be surprised just how aggressive they can be!


Yeh, the malawis are just a passing idea that I probably won't do, the stack of rocks wouldn't need to be to high, just enough to give room for the fish to have tons of hides. I was thinking aulnocara not pseudotrophous - little bit less aggreesive!


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

reptile_man_08 said:


> herichthys pearsei man, or bocourti are so much better than oscars.
> Texas cichlids are awesome too.



Definately on the the Pearsi. Awesome fish. Not as pretty as Bocourti though.



What about Cichla (peacock bass). A shoal of young ones would be fine but thin them out as they grow. Quite a few people raise them on to eat at a later date. Not everyones cup of tea to raise your own food but peacock bass is really, really tasty lol


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## reptile_man_08 (Jan 14, 2008)

Yeah, my bocourti are really colouring up now.I think they grow a bit smaller than pearsei though.


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## TUBBS (Mar 16, 2009)

xyra said:


> Thats about the size i'm setting up soon. I'm going for:
> 
> 3 - 4 peacock bass
> 3 stingrays
> ...


 is everyone missing the pH difference of the tangs/malawi vs rays? that'd be my thing against them as you dont wanna stress the rays out


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## Stan193 (May 27, 2009)

*what to keep in you're tank*

How about some mettynis species like mylossoma, duriventre, they get quite big like 9 or 10 " diameter, my brother had one in his 6' x 2' x3', other metynnis like myleus shomburkhi, red hooks, spotted metynnis,
a shoal of flag tail hoplos, a shoal of brochis,
synodontis angelicus, synodontis decorus, synodiontis flavitaneuatus.
silver sharks, butterfly fish, reed fish or fire eels.
clown loaches, pakistanni loaches. I could go on but all of those would live together pretty well i think but they would scoff you're plants though so you'd have trouble keeping the nitrate down but you could use purigen & denitrate to keep it under control. Otherwise you could just avoid the worst of the plant eaters (metynnis) but the others might still nibble them anyway.


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## Darbz (Mar 22, 2009)

Custard.


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## reptile_man_08 (Jan 14, 2008)

TUBBS said:


> is everyone missing the pH difference of the tangs/malawi vs rays? that'd be my thing against them as you dont wanna stress the rays out


pH here is 8.4, and believe it or not I've kept discus in it, although I wouldn't advise it.My point is pH is overrated a lot.
Once I set my 270 gallon up I'll be keeping rays, or maybe a mata mata turtle, nto sure yet lol.


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

TUBBS said:


> is everyone missing the pH difference of the tangs/malawi vs rays? that'd be my thing against them as you dont wanna stress the rays out


Naw, the water around here is fine for captive bred rays, and also fine for malawis. I've kept both without modifying water (seperate tanks).

Plenty of people keep rays in hard water. Maybe not more delicate wilds


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

fishboy said:


> no bream, they're gay and slimey


reminds me of someone.


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## sam432 (Mar 8, 2009)

What would all you fish lovers do if i said that the local rep shop has a 2ft ish arrowana in a 3'x2'x1'(w,h,d. this is just a guess but it isnt much bigger) I didnt know what these fish were or there requirements for tank size until reading this thread. If this tank is far far too small i will go complain tomoro

Is that size tank too small?


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

sam432 said:


> What would all you fish lovers do if i said that the local rep shop has a 2ft ish arrowana in a 3'x2'x1'(w,h,d. this is just a guess but it isnt much bigger) I didnt know what these fish were or there requirements for tank size until reading this thread. If this tank is far far too small i will go complain tomoro
> 
> Is that size tank too small?


it is too small, though you have to remember that the fish isn't being kept there permanently

although you could also argue about stress caused to the fish etc

EDIT: re-read post, is this fish the shop's pet?!


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## sam432 (Mar 8, 2009)

No it has a price tag (I think it did last time i checked anyway) on it and i see what you say about not being permanent but its been there i would say at least a year.


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