Red Fin Wolf Fish in 44 gal. Pentagon Tank?

[Ichthyophobic]

So, I have an empty 44 gallon pentagon corner tank and I have been itching to get a Red Fin Wolf Fish (erythrinus erythrinus). Dimensions are in the picture. I see that many people keep this species in a 40 breeder so I was wondering if my corner would be adequate for life, if not I can always pick up a 40 breeder at some point. I would love to keep another species with the wolf, which I know people have different results, but I have considered some of the more popular tank mates.I have thought about either a Senegal or Delhezi Bichir (which I suspect may be a bit big for the dimensions), otherwise thoughts were a few medium sized plecos (ex. BN, medusa, snowball, green phantom, rubber lip) or if not maybe a raphael cat. What are your folks opinions?

Oh also, I have searched a bit online for one with little result other than a pricey one on ebay and stores which have been out of stock for sometime. Any suggestions for online vendors selling these guys?

 

[kno4te]

44g is fine without tankmates. But u have to keep an eye on it water as after feeding it'll get dirty quick.
Small amount of water will concentrate if u miss tank care/changes. Youll need to keep feeding to a minimum and water changes atleast twice a week of 50% or greater depending on ur numbers. Need a bigger tank to keep the delhezi with it.

 

[Ichthyophobic]

44g is fine without tankmates. But u have to keep an eye on it water as after feeding it'll get dirty quick.
Small amount of water will concentrate if u miss tank care/changes. Youll need to keep feeding to a minimum and water changes atleast twice a week of 50% or greater depending on ur numbers. Need a bigger tank to keep the delhezi with it.

Hey kno4te, thanks for the info. I know a single specimen is best, but out of curiosity have you or anyone you know had success keeping this species with medium sized plecos?

 

[kno4te]

Hey kno4te, thanks for the info. I know a single specimen is best, but out of curiosity have you or anyone you know had success keeping this species with medium sized plecos?

Yes I have. Just keep the pleco fed and there will be issues related to slime coat loss. This is a concern as the fish will be sedentary for a while.

FYI, no pleco with ur 44g. Those poop machines will end up messing the water badly.

 

[Ichthyophobic]

Are the significant water changes due to just how messy this fish or are they just sensitive? I really was interested in a tank mate, but if you so strongly advise against, I will leave the wolf alone.

 

[kno4te]

Well the fish will make a decent amount of waste in a small tank. Also depends on how you feed the fish as well. Add a tank mate and continue feeding. Ur water parameters may rise and not have enough BB to convert over if ur tank can't handle the rise. Forget to do a water change and ur nitrate can be well over a 100 ppm.

The bigger the tank then itll be more forgiving. The smaller the tank then the more concentrated the values will be.

Twice a week water changes will ensure clean water. Water changes due to being messy and not more sensitive than a regular fish.

You can get a tankmate but will need a larger tank. 75g or up. What u can do is sometimes search Craigslist and swap with someone. Maybe someone is trying to downsize. There are ways.

Best of luck.