Hoping To Have A Non-Betta Tank (Need Stocking Ideas)

[emeraldsky]

Not to say I don't like Bettas anymore of course, but I have 3 tanks dedicated to them and I'm looking to branch out :P

So yea, I have a 40g Breeder. Totally empty. Sitting there. Calling meeeeeeee.

But I have no idea what to put in it D:
I have an appropriate heater so I can go tropical or cold water. I would like to stay away from goldfish though, had 3 fancys for awhile, didnt end well :/

I wouldnt mind having just one massive mean fish in there, like a Jack Dempsey or a gar. Alternatively, I wouldnt mind throwing my cherry shrimp colony and have SHRIMP GALORE.

The only thing I ask for is something different. So no thank you to neon tetras or cories ;) I want something not commonly seen or something that can get really big and have the tank to him/herself.


So any help/ideas would be appreciated :D

[ManInBlack2010]

saddly jack dempsey and oscars need HUGE tanks, or i'd have one in my 30g right now, lol - i'm going to be starting up a 30g community tank with honey gourami, peppermint tetra, another variety of tetra, peppered corries, and khuli loaches

i had a hard time finding fish that would fit in my tank that i wanted (i wanted something besides tetra also, lol) i'm really excited to get the honey gourami. Another fish i was looking into was 'Bolivian Ram' - maybe look into those, keep us updated i'd love to see your tank when it's finished!

[Sakura8]

Try looking into convict cichlids or Malawi peacocks. Both beautiful fish and they would fit in a 40g breeder.

[diablo13]

Actually, you could have single Jack Dempsey in there. If its over filtered and it's the only inhabitant, then yes, only because of the footprint of a 40 Breeder. I consider myself a little bit of an expert on odd species, what are you looking for? And water conditions and decorations and plans and stuff would help, too.

[thekoimaiden]

Most of the gar that I know also get rather large. A 40B wouldn't be large enough. An interesting idea you could try is a native species tank. I know in the US there are many beautiful natives that are greatly overlooked.

Two tropicals that I think are neat and unique are the Tequila splitfin and blind cave tetra (they have no eyes!!). The splitfin is a unique type of livebearer. I've never seen it in stores or even common online stores like LiveAquaria.com. I've only seen them sold on Aquabid.

I'm not sure about the tank size, but you could get an axolotl. I think they can fit in a 40B.

You could also try a puffer tank. They're challenging but interesting.

[fishy friend2]

I would agree with the puffers, they would be a Great choice for the tank, and also have you thought about a group of boesami rainbow fish. And if I may ask, how are you going to cycle the tank, or what about some Celebes halfbeaks, or a small breeding colony of mosquito fish

[emeraldsky]

Originally Posted by ManInBlack2010

saddly jack dempsey and oscars need HUGE tanks, or i'd have one in my 30g right now, lol - i'm going to be starting up a 30g community tank with honey gourami, peppermint tetra, another variety of tetra, peppered corries, and khuli loaches

i had a hard time finding fish that would fit in my tank that i wanted (i wanted something besides tetra also, lol) i'm really excited to get the honey gourami. Another fish i was looking into was 'Bolivian Ram' - maybe look into those, keep us updated i'd love to see your tank when it's finished!

Ive looked into Jacks specifically, they can stay in 40gall breeders for life since they only grow to about 8 inches ^^ Oscars though need like, 75 each then 20 gallons for each one after. Id love to get one but thats crazy big x.x

Your stocking sounds good! I'll never have khulis again though, waaaay to fast for me to bother with XD

Originally Posted by Sakura8

Try looking into convict cichlids or Malawi peacocks. Both beautiful fish and they would fit in a 40g breeder.

Ive looked at convicts but the breed like crazy! They also get really mean when breeding so theyre something Id like to stay away from. The peacocks are super pretty though ^^

Originally Posted by diablo13

Actually, you could have single Jack Dempsey in there. If its over filtered and it's the only inhabitant, then yes, only because of the footprint of a 40 Breeder. I consider myself a little bit of an expert on odd species, what are you looking for? And water conditions and decorations and plans and stuff would help, too.

The jack would be the only one. Id over filter too, I know theyre pretty dirty XD

Honestly, Id love one to three giant fish. Probably a middle swimmer whose not too shy since it would be the only thing in there c: Course it wouldnt even have to be a fish, I've been looking over eels and bichirs and stuff but not too seriously.

My water is pretty hard over here and decor isnt really an issue, Id decorate to suit the inhabitant.

Originally Posted by thekoimaiden

Most of the gar that I know also get rather large. A 40B wouldn't be large enough. An interesting idea you could try is a native species tank. I know in the US there are many beautiful natives that are greatly overlooked.

Two tropicals that I think are neat and unique are the Tequila splitfin and blind cave tetra (they have no eyes!!). The splitfin is a unique type of livebearer. I've never seen it in stores or even common online stores like LiveAquaria.com. I've only seen them sold on Aquabid.

I'm not sure about the tank size, but you could get an axolotl. I think they can fit in a 40B.

You could also try a puffer tank. They're challenging but interesting.

The gar they had at the petstore here said he would fit, though I cant remember which kind he was. The person who told me though is someone who knows what theyre talking about, Ive consulted them on many of my fish questions ^^

The splitfin is pretty, but I think I want to stay away from more livebearers. I have a guppy tank and thats just enough for me ^^ The cave tetras are actually sold at the petstore with the gar as well so Ive seen them before, theyre a bit too creepy for me :P

Axolotls are illegal in California, bane of my existence. Theyre my favorite animal EVER.

What kind of Puffers would be good? Dont i need snails for them to feed on? o3o
Ive always thought they were neat.

Originally Posted by fishy friend2

I would agree with the puffers, they would be a Great choice for the tank, and also have you thought about a group of boesami rainbow fish. And if I may ask, how are you going to cycle the tank, or what about some Celebes halfbeaks, or a small breeding colony of mosquito fish

My tank would be cycled using media from my other tank, Ive had an extra filter just for this tank going in one of my other tanks for quite awhile now ^^

The rainbows I'm not too fond of, the ones they have at my petstore I dont find very attractive D:

Oh lawd, the mouths on those Celebes halfbeaks XD
I have no idea where I would buy those so I think I'll pass as well.

mosquito fish Look a bit too much like bettas to me so I'll veto them as well ;)

[Philnominal]

i can't think of a single Gar species that would fit in a 40B.Maybe a BROWN Ghost knife could work in a tank that size. Then you could have tankmates with it. Red devil is another cichlid that would probably work in a 40B. You could also do a firemouth focused tank (they tend to be shy though). You Might be able to get away with SAP tank with a 40B (ask invertplanet i know nothing about puffers). Theres also African Leaf fish. It would get 6 inches so you could probably have tank mates (assuming they dont fit in its mouth). Green terror could also work. Theres a lot of options if you want to go with 6-8 inch fish. Just gotta hunt them down. (Any decent sized cichlid will need a lot of filtration and maintence needs to be regular to avoid problems) A breeding pair of jewel cichlids would be beautiful too, but they are down right mean so you couldn't keep anything else with them and they would need lots of hides to get away from each other.

[fishy friend2]

What about some anglefish

[Philnominal]

Originally Posted by fishy friend2

What about some anglefish

I dont think a 40 B has the depth needed for a full grown 10 inch tall angelfish. They should be kept in a minimum of 18 inches of water tall. Not tank... But from substrate to the top of the water. Also it would be to small for a group so you would have to get a breeding pair. But then you could put dither fish in if you wanted.