# large fish suitable for planted 240



## lemcc (Dec 19, 2005)

just looking for some suggestions for large fish suitable for a planted tank 
tanks a 240 planted with swords well rooted
I am thinking about an arowana but open to anything that will not trash my plants i have heard peacock bass are semi plant friendly


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

How about a couple of discus? If I had a large tank like yours I would try my hand at a couple of vibrant colored discus.

-John N.


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## lemcc (Dec 19, 2005)

i like discus and live close to a breeder 
but in my recent experience supposedly peaceful fish have caused me some aggression problems 
before going planted i keep highly aggressive fish and had very little trouble in the community 
current inhabitants harass and nip each other i remove culprit and someone takes his place 
with past aggressive fish it was all out war (which was rare) or nothing


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## Catastrophi (May 23, 2006)

How about some angels?


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## lemcc (Dec 19, 2005)

altum's are nice but a little fancy for my taste

some fish iam considering and concerns

arowana silver (jumper)

piranha (i know little about these fish)

peacock bass (insane feeders i have yet to see one take food without splashing gallons of water out of a tank)

snakehead (same as piranha)

non-digging SA-CA cichlids (i dont know if such exist)

input on any of these would be appreciated
thanks for previous suggestions


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## mrbelvedere138 (Jan 18, 2006)

Your tank is beautiful.....I love the simplicity...

My suggestion: Bluegills

I do love a native tank....so I am a tad biased.


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## Chris S (Feb 27, 2006)

Festivum.


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## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

Is that a green severum in your tank?
They get quite large. Unfortunately they sometimes (in my current case) can tear up plants. Although this is not always the case and does not appear to be so in your case.


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

Ummm arowana would be too big at >1 ft when adult.

you be looking at something ~ 6"-8" for single/pair showfish. eg discus[get adults] or nice angelfish. You need a taller tank for altums though.

or a school of clown rasboras/puntius denisonii

regards

stan


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## lemcc (Dec 19, 2005)

standoyo
its 240 gallons not liters 
72"x31"x24"



> Is that a green severum in your tank?


yes 
doesnt bother plants yet but i had to move my highfin shark because of him

i tried some natives but they never made it out of the quarantine tank (locally caught)

thanks for the suggestions


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

lemcc said:


> standoyo
> its 240 gallons not liters
> 72"x31"x24"
> 
> ...


oops!

Arowanas are fine then! Seen it done.
It's just that they may make a meal of everything else in the tank.

regards

stan


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## RyanC (May 10, 2006)

lemcc said:


> piranha (i know little about these fish)
> 
> peacock bass (insane feeders i have yet to see one take food without splashing gallons of water out of a tank)
> 
> snakehead (same as piranha)


I find the Piranha are actually quite dull. They aren't very exciting in my opinion. They could also be illegal in your area.

Peacock Bass are the exact opposite, extremely aggressive! They are very pretty as well, my favorite are the Tunacare Azuls. I'm currently thinking about possibly setting up my next tank for Peacocks.

Snakeheads are incredible feeders as well, I'd love to have one. You don't have your location stated, but if you are in the US, they are illegal now.

Other fish I'd recommend:
Pike Cichlids, they come in a variety of sizes and colors, some of them are stunning! If I dont' go woth Peacocks Bass in my next tank, it'll probably be a Pike Cichlid.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

I would definitely rule out the Snakehead. As stated, they're illegal in the US, and would make a mess out of the rest of your fish.

As for native fish, most states have pretty strict laws about keeping them too, and in many cases you need a special permit if you want to do it legally, which all responsible fishkeepers should do. I would check with your local DNR or department of fisheries to see what laws are in place in your particular area.

With a tank your size, I would personally recommend some Frontosa Cichlids. They are beautiful large fish, and would probably be fine with plants, although I have no personal experience with them so I'm not entirely sure of that. I've always wanted some, though.... 

With wanting large aggressive fish, it may not be an easy task to find some that would mix perfectly in a planted tank. I guess it's all about what your main priority is.

Do you have plans to move some of the smaller fish that are in the tank out before adding whichever large fish you decide on? If not, I see a lot of live snacks for most of the fish mentioned above.


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

Hi jans,

Don't frontosas need hard water?

stan


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

standoyo said:


> Hi jans,
> 
> Don't frontosas need hard water?
> 
> stan


Hi Stan.

Yes, they probably prefer it, but most fish are very adaptable, so unless you want to breed them, they'd probably do fine.


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

Hi Jans,

That's interesting.

PS. Sorry to hijack thread!

Regards

Stan


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## Gumby (Aug 1, 2005)

With Swords, Piranhas should work just fine in there. As RyanC said, they're pretty boring fish unless it's feeding time. I used to have 7 of them in my 125. They do NOT work with softer tissue plants, they love to destroy them. With swords, anubias, etc, you'll have no problems.

They are also fairly colorful, and you can keep a school of Pygocentrus piranhas. Serrasalmus piranhas tend to be more interesting than Pygos are, but they usually kill each other if kept more than 1 to a tank. 

If you do go the piranha route, you'd need some really good filtration. What's on there right now?


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## lemcc (Dec 19, 2005)

> Piranha are actually quite dull


i have heard this as well

i think p-bass and snakeheads will be more trouble than their worth

yes both piranhas and snakeheads are illegal here

frontosas are my favorite african (only african i like)
but won't i have to act all snooty if i own africans 
iam not sure if they will eat my clean up crew (plecos, otos, snails, blackmollies)

arows stay in upper half of tank so maybe the cleaning crew will be safe


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## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

Silver arowana's will definitely eat the black mollies and probably the otos.


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## T-Bone (Nov 23, 2005)

Allthough they aren't as big as you are thinking. A school of large congo tetra's would look pretty cool. That would be my first choice in getting a tank that big.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I'm absolutely with T-bone on this one. In fact, I'll be setting up a big tank just for congos soon. If you stick with mid to large sized community fish, a tank this size really gives you great options. They look and act quite differently when not cramped into a small tank.

Also, a rather large school of a nicely schooling fish like harlequin rasboras, rummynose tetras, or cories is quite a sight in a large tank. A well-'scaped scene with lots of smaller fish really draws your attention into the tank.

I've had piranhas. Pretty boring & secretive IMO, except at feeding time.


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## RyanC (May 10, 2006)

wiste said:


> Silver arowana's will definitely eat the black mollies and probably the otos.


While it's very likely the Aro would eat them, it isn't always the case. I've seen numerous pics of Silver Aros living with fish that would normally be food for them! It really isn't worth taking chances if you'd like to keep them though.

Something else I should have added to my last post, but your plants will end up tattered from Peacock Bass. With thier incredibly aggressive nature when feeding you have to expect them to be torn up.

Some other fish that came to mind since my last post:
Bosemani Rainbows. With a tank as large as yours, you could have a sizeable school of them. Coupled with thier amazing colors, it would be quite the sight.

I never had problems with plants and Clown Loaches, but I have read stories of people having them uproot and tear plants. In schools they are pretty entertaining to watch, they are constantly on the move.

I'll second the idea of Congo Tetras.

A couple Payara would be cool is well, if you'd like something aggressive. They go by many names, Dracula Vish, Vampire Tetra, Saber Tooth Tetra. As an ambush predator, they are very interesting to watch. They actively hunt their prey by sneaking up on it and when they strike, it's unbelievable fast.

Bichirs are pretty neat as well. They literally look like an aquatic dinosaur!

With a tank that size, you have a lot of options! Good luck trying to narrow it down!


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

Well i think congos are great and a friendly sort.
Boesmani's like shrimp when they reach 4"+
Bichirs will swallow out anything that fits it's mouth besides being a very good jumper.[friend's pair of 6" bichirs took out 50 neons in a night!]
Alas Frontosas IMO do look out of place because they belong in deep water rockscapes. [creative license needed!]
Discus need warmer water than most plants like.
Altums grow tall 14"
Denisonii's are ok if everything is rooted.
Kalochroma or Trilineata rasboras get to about 4" [leaves plants alone]

Suggest some Barilius of Devarium species which are really zippy and a good size. Great schooling fish like trilineatas and kalochromas.[fun to watch at feeding time]
not sure if they munch plants though.

It's hard to find bigger sized fish that won't eat the neighbours and mess up the neighbourhood! Considerations considerations!

regards

Stan


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## anthonysquire (Mar 15, 2006)

Frontosa's will eat anything they can get in their mouth other than plants, they are carnivores and need a meaty diet.
I like the green severums. My dad has one in his 75g aquarium and it gets along with everything, even neons which are about the size of its eyeball. I'm not sure if they will munch plants though since it is not planted.


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## raven_wilde (Nov 16, 2005)

RyanC said:


> Some other fish that came to mind since my last post:
> Bosemani Rainbows. With a tank as large as yours, you could have a sizeable school of them. Coupled with thier amazing colors, it would be quite the sight.
> 
> Bichirs are pretty neat as well. They literally look like an aquatic dinosaur!


This would be my choice combo in a tank like this... Rainbows and a big Ornate Bichir... I have two Grey Bichirs now in my 70 gal... they've topped out at about 11 inches... the Ornates, which are just as their name suggests, very ornately patterned... get to be up to twice that size but would look stunning in your tank... also they are quite interesting, and will learn to feed from your hand (I'm not kidding!)... each fish would require it's own cave though, somewhere to retreat to midday.

A Bichir, of any variety, would however, make a evening snack out of your cleaning crew.

And yes, they are great jumpers, you would need a full hood on your tank.


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