Your favorite tankbuster miniatures

[Deadeye]

Maybe you could set up another tank for the loaches or move them into an existing one? Not only would that solve your aggression problem, they wouldn't have to compete for trumpet snails when you get some of those, so it kills 2 birds with 1 stone.

Actually aggression has been at an all time low as of now. The sun loaches basically never come out, and the skunk is surprisingly peaceful. And there is no way I’ll ever be able to catch those things lol

 

[Umbra]

Payara - Charax/Roeboides
Wolf fish - Lebiasina
Wallagonia - Ompok
Boulengerella - Luciocephalus
Dorado/Brycon - Hollandichthys/Pseudochalceus/Moenkhausia
Brachyplatystoma - Rhamdia
Dats - Polycentrus/Polycentropsis

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Wallagonia - Ompok

A similar substitution could be glass catfish for sheatfish.

 

[nzeng1111]

Actually it’s the puffers I worry about. Amazons have a reputation for being the only puffer without an ounce of aggression in them, and these guys hold up to it. The loaches are definitely the more boisterous of them!

I agree, especially since school aren’t as necessary…but the price!

Funny enough according to the breeder I talked to, schoutedeni don't do well long term in groups of under 6 due to bullying. Abei are somewhat budget schoutedeni costing half as much but they are lurker puffers so they are more aggressive of no tankmates and more inactive although more active than your hairies and dragon puffers. German breeders have had success with 6+ well fed abei as well in a large enough tank

 

[Deadeye]

Funny enough according to the breeder I talked to, schoutedeni don't do well long term in groups of under 6 due to bullying. Abei are somewhat budget schoutedeni costing half as much but they are lurker puffers so they are more aggressive of no tankmates and more inactive although more active than your hairies and dragon puffers. German breeders have had success with 6+ well fed abei as well in a large enough tank

Hmm, I remember reading that schoutodini do fine in 1 or 3. Definitely still a schooler though.
I know amazons will become neurotic messes (well at least more so) when alone.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Marbled hatchetfish are a good substitute for Siamese tigerfish in terms of patterning. But instead of a 40 cm predatory tankbuster, you have a 4 cm peaceful community fish.

MARBLE HATCHETFISH (CARNEGIELLA STRIGATA)

Should ideally be kept in a heavily-planted set-up, preferably with a dark substrate and some patches of floating vegetation around which the fish will tend to congregate since they spend almost all of their time at or towards the surface. Driftwood branches and dried leaf litter can also be...

aquaristsacrosscanada.com

 

[latapy10]

What are some of your favorite fish that are essentially miniature versions of famous tankbusters?

My favorite is technically a combo: having a red tailed shark+featherfin catfish+pictus catfish as a stand in for tankbuster pimelodids (red tailed catfish, tiger shovelnose catfish, achara catfish). The red tailed shark provides the magnificent colors of the red tailed catfish, the featherfin catfish provides the tall fin of the achara catfish as well as patterning analogous to both the achara and tiger shovelnose, and the pictus catfish provides the long whiskers & bauplan of all 3 (plus some bonus spots and high activity levels).

my freshwater tonguesole-not favourite but something different from other fishes.

 

[Deadeye]

View attachment 1477486
my freshwater tonguesole-not favourite but something different from other fishes.

That’s cool! I’ve wanted a flatfish!

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

That fish is also good for the uncommon fish thread.

While I'm here, silver dollars for tinfoil barbs. All the silver sheen with none of the tankbusting.

 

[nzeng1111]

microctenopoma ansorgii gotta be up there too as a miniature leopard ctenopoma. Like most small fish, it has better colors than its larger cousin.