Green Terror in 55-Gallon

[Friller2009]

Can I fit more than one bichir in my tank? I would love to have a bichir aquarium. I only have a 55 gallon tank...

What top dweller could I do? Could I go a Hujeta gar?

Thought you said you’d done hujetas and found them to hard?
You want something at the top go for a butterfly fish, they’re bigger and cooler than you’d think

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

Thought you said you’d done hujetas and found them to hard?
You want something at the top go for a butterfly fish, they’re bigger and cooler than you’d think

I don't believe I said I thought they were too hard. I said feeding them live food was too hard. If a hujeta is okay for my tank, I can wean it off live food (if it isn't already off live food). I'm more experienced now than I was a year ago. Plus, I have a way I can do live food. I've figured out a way to do so since the comments regarding live food.

 

[dmyersWv]

Smaller bichirs are pretty active mine were always on the move.

 

[Caveden]

Upper jaw bichirs/ juvenile bichirs are generally more active compared to larger, lower jaw bichirs. At the moment you have two choices, you can go with cichlids and one bichir, or 3 bichirs with a school of smaller sized fish at the top, perhaps Congo tetras.

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

Ok. Choosing fish for my tank has legit driven me nuts again. I can't choose for the life of me, and it's getting worse. So, I will list all the fish that are appropriate for my tank that I'm interested in. Here I go:

SA/CA Cichlids: Convicts, EBJDs, and Firemouths.

SA/CA Oddballs: Hujeta Gars, Red Wolf Fish, and BGK.

SA/CA Schooling Fish: Emperor Tetras and Silver Dollars.

SA/CA Catfish: Striped Raphael Catfish and Pictus Catfish.

African Schooling Fish: Congo Tetras.

African Oddballs: Bichirs, Ropefish, and Elephant Nose Fish.

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Now that the fish I'm interested in is listed, what fish can go together?

 

[Deadeye]

Hujeta, firemouth, bgk, and elephant nose shouldn’t be in a 55 - too big or active.
The red wolf will shred any tankmates, so I wouldn’t get one unless that’s the fish you want (and nothing else).
Silver dollars are flighty, so them in a 12 inch wide tank can prove problematic (not impossible, but a 75 or larger is better).
The emperor tetras would be good for everything else on that list.

I think that if you got a senegal bichir, convict cichlid, the cats you have, and the Congo tetras, it would be a fine setup to work with and not too overstocked.

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

Would this be ok?

1 Platinum Senegal Bichir, 1 Striped Raphael Catfish, 3 Silver dollars, and 3-5 Butterfly Fish.

 

[Deadeye]

I think it’s doable - just keep the lights dim and give lots of cover to keep the silvers from freaking out.

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

I think it’s doable - just keep the lights dim and give lots of cover to keep the silvers from freaking out.

Check my edits. I just took away/added some.

Also, would this tank decor setup work?: Driftwood, medium to large cobbles, dim lighting, and maybe some floating plants or a hardy plant that can thrive in sand.

 

[Deadeye]

Check my edits. I just took away/added some.

Also, would this tank decor setup work?: Driftwood, medium to large cobbles, dim lighting, and maybe some floating plants or a hardy plant that can thrive in sand.

I’d pick the silvers or the butterflies (the butterflies would be more comfortable in a 55). Best to go with the butterflies in this case
Silvers do best with many of them (I only have 3, if the tank wasn’t already overstocked I’d get more though).

That setup sounds good - the bichir and cat would like the lower decor and the butterflies would appreciate the floating cover.