Fish to avoid as a newbie

Archerfish - brackish water and special diet

South American Arowana - 1.2M at adulthood not many folks can provide a tank for them.

Bichir/Polypterus - Large, aggressive, predatory fish, known to bite owners and very good escape artists

Bucktooth Tetra - preys on smaller fish and attacks fish up to Oscar size. If not kept in large school they will kill each other as well

Butterfly fish - mostly only take live food

Bumblebee goby - brackish water fish

Chaca catfish - will consume most tank mates. Dorsal spine inflicts nasty wounds. May exude a slime that kills other fish

Chinese Algae Eater - 30cm when fully grown. Not very good and eating algae. Eats slime coating and scales off other fish - AVOID

Elephant noses / baby whales - Highly specialized needs with regards to feeding.

Pangasius Shark - sold at 10cm they grow to 90cm at adulthood. AVOID

Mono angels - Brackish/marine fish sold as freshwater fish

Mudskippers - brackish water fish. Needs special setup with mud bank.

Paco - 28KGs at adulthood.

Puffers - fin nippers and agro fish. Species tank only

Red tail catfish - MASIVE fish. Avoid at all costs

Rope fish / reed fish - 90cm fully grown. The best escape artists around.

Scats - brackish water / marine fish

Silver dollars - large, active schooling fish. Eats plants.


Feel free to add... as i think of more i will add more

 

Serpae Tetras - Agro little buggers & fin nippers...must be kept in a group of no less than 6
Silver Tip Tetras - Keep in high numbers, has agression
Blue Tetras - Must be kept in big numbers, has agression

Agreed 100% with Henk re the Polypterus....mine chomped all my silver tip tetras (I left them in there on purpose...I bought them specifically for him). Couple of weeks later, this boytjie managed to get out of my tank and 'walked' about 1.5m away from the tank....found him all dried up the following morning. He managed to squeeze himself (after endless attempts as I witnessed each day) through a very small hole and got out.

Elephant noses....well both my two adults are still alive and kicking...I've had very little problems with keeping them alive. Soft substrate needed for them...I'd like to think of them as my cleaning crew when the lights go out.

Dale

 

Clown Knife Fish... its gets HUGE fast! It eats anything that can fit into its mouth and wounds whatever it cant fit in there. Awesome fish i you have the space and big fish it wont mess with.

 

We found Geramies to be bad too. Bought two and one got aggressive. We lost 4 Angels, 9 Neon tetras, 1 Pretty tetra and 2 Black Gosts

 

I bought a cute little Tyre Track and this is what it turned into...



very cute at 45cm.
Fire eels get even bigger. I will look for the pics of mine.

So unless you have the space and the budget to feed these guys think twice, please.

 

What about Puffers - specialised diet of snails etc

 

yea good point

 

The puffers are SOOO cute - I was very keen on getting them until I did my research - thank goodness I did too! :bigsmile:

 

Totally disagree. Clown Knife Fish are hardy fish and not aggressive with the fish they are meant to be kept with ie. large fish of similar type.

There is a general rule applied across all fish types: if the smaller fish fits in its mouth, its a snack.

 

wow Love the picture where can I get one?

 

The eel, you can get them at most pet shops

 

What kind of eel is it

 

a tyre track eel

 

Thanks

 

Wingman, if I may make a sugesstion. Rather look for a fire eel, they are a bit more friendly.
They also look a lot better, but will loose the brilliant coloration on the sides over time. Much nicer than the tyre track and if it's size your'e after the fire eel also grows much bigger.
They are pricey and not that easy to find, but I am sure a LFS in your area can source one.

 

Cool Thanks,
That is the tempriment like?

 

Wingman you can find some info on this website
http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Oddball, Spiny Eel.htm

 

Cool theys look great?

 

Glad Silver Dollars are on that list.

Often punted as easy first timer fish, yet a nightmare to live with.

 

I used to keep a Clown Knife alone in a tank - they're beautiful. If you really want to have a knife fish, consider an "African Knife Fish". Though not a interestingly colored as the clown knife, it has a calmer temprament, is more shy and failry submissive. I keep my African knife with scissor tails, neon tetra, kribensis and gouramis.