The End-All Mini Monster Thread

[Bottomfeeder]

Chanda ranga
These fish from India are very charming schooling creatures. They live in estuaries in India, where the water is hard, with pH above neutral, and very slightly brackish. They are considered somewhat sensitive fish, and can be housed in a 10 gallon tank.
Unlike most typ[ical schooling fish, it is a Perch-Like fish, with a spiny first dorsal.
if you buy Glassfish, make sure you are NOT getting the "Painted" (Tainted) ones, which will probably die soon and may carry lymph disease.

 

[likestofish]

Neolamprologus brichardi
Brichard's Lyretail Cichlid

Neolamprologus brichardi was one of the earliest African Cichlids introduced to the hobby. It was first brought into the United States in 1971 by Pierre Brichard. It was collected off of Burundi and was originally called "The Princess of Burundi". It was one of a myriad of lyre-tailed fishes from Lake Tanganyika, N. pulcher, N. gracilis, N. falcicula and N. splendens, just to name a few. It takes a dedicated aquarist to be able to tell these fishes apart, although there are differences. They are small to medium sized cichlids with large males attaining a size of 5 inches. Females are somewhat smaller, about 3 inches.

Habitat:

N. brichardi is found on both the east and west coasts of Lake Tanganyika. It lives in caves along the rocky substrate. Its’ coloration (basically shades of tan) allow this small cichlid to camouflage itself among the rocks and caves and thrive among much larger fish in the lake.

Care:

N. brichardi require no special care. They, of course, love hard alkaline water with a temperature range of 70-82 degrees. Optimum temperature is in the 76-78 degree range. They do well in community tanks and are usually non-aggressive. It is imperative that they have caves to make themselves comfortable.

Feeding:

I feed these fish the same as everything else in my fish room with the exception of earthworms. I haven’t found a food that they won’t eat. Anything from frozen brine shrimp to bloodworms to pellets and assorted flake foods. I do make sure that they get a little more green matter, in the form of Spirulina, than some of my other fish.

Breeding:

N. brichardi is for the most part, monogamous, meaning that they pair off for life. They are cave spawners and will produce around 100 fry per spawn. They will tend to their young for months and will, in fact, take care of several successive spawns at the same time. A word of caution, if the tank starts getting overcrowded, they will eat their young to make room for the next spawn.

Retail Price:

Fry $ Under $10 to
Adults $10 to $30

 

[gobucks1]

Picture:

Scientific Name: Nandus Nandus

Common name: Marble Dat, Nandus

Care Level: Relatively easy, can be hard to get onto dead foods.

Size: 15 cm (6") generally

pH and KH range: Comes from hard, alkaline to brackish water, shouldn't be kept in soft or acid water.

Temperature range: 23 - 27 C (74 - 80 F)

Origin: Southeast Asia

Temperament: Relatively peaceful, but predatory

Compatible Tankmates: Anything that isn't aggressive, or small enough to be eaten, and can withstand its water parameters

Diet: Meaty foods

Tank Size for Adult: 29 gal for single 40 Breeder for multiples

Narrative: Great "mini-dat" for those that can't keep the full-size ones.

References: 500 Popular fish book, badmans, etc.

 

[Death Pony]

Not really a monster, but very small and pretty.

Scientific Name: Celestichthys margaritatus

Common name: Celestial Pearl Danio

Care Level: Pretty easy

Size: 2.5 cm (1")

pH and KH range: pH 6.5-7.5, KH 8-12

Temperature range: 73-79 F

Origin: small pool in interior Myanmar

Temperament: very peaceful

Compatible Tankmates: Pseudomugils, other danios, Sparkling gouramis, otos, etc. Anything small and peaceful

Diet: small!!! Hikari micro pellets, bloodworms, daphnia, cyclops, tubifex, and brine shrimp

Tank Size for Adult: 8 of them can live comfortably in a 10 gallon

Narrative: Not considered mini monsters by any means, but their beauty and constant activity make up for it. Feeding should be monitored for the first few weeks. They will breed very easily. I highly recommend them!

References: LiveAquaria, personal experience

 

[Stump]

Name:Asterophysus batrachus

Common names: Gulper Catfish, Ogre Catfish

Region: Orinoco and Rio Negro Basins

Size: Up to 10-11"

PH: 5.7-7.0

Temperature: 24.0 - 29.0 degrees Celcius, 75-84 degrees Fahrenheit

Feeding: This fish will try to eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that can fit in it's mouth. Prefers live food, but will accept nearly everything.

Compatability: Extreme care must be taken in order to keep these fish with others. Nothing small enough to fit in it's mouth, but nothing large or predatory enough to consider the Gulper food. I'd recommend something no less than twice the size of the Gulper for tankmates (i'm serious).


Tank Size: I'd recommend a 40 breeder minimum (36"x18"x16").



sources/references: planetcatfish.com

Picture courtesy of rdx1555.

 

[gobucks1]

Name: Lebiasina astrigata

Common names: Colombian Dwarf Predatory Tetra, Elegant Pencilfish

Region: Colombia and Northern South America

Size: Up to 3.5" (8cm)

PH: Not really critical, comes from soft,acid water

Temperature: 72 - 79* F (22 - 26* C)

Feeding: Mostly livefoods, may accept some frozen diets; predator

Compatability: Not kept with small tankmates. Or anything that will bully it,

Tank Size: 20 Long for a group of 4 or so

sources/references: 500 Freshwater Aquarium Fish Book, picture from some asian website

Picture: (top fish)

 

[the zigman]

Here is the meanest fish I ever had in a small tank..

Scientific Name: Cichlasoma salvini, Nandopsis salvini
Common Name: Salvini Cichlid, Tri color cichlid
Family: Cichlidae
Range: Central America: Guatemala, Honduras; Southern Mexico
Size: Up to 6 inches
Diet: Omnivore
Tank Set-up: Freshwater: Fine gravel or sand, rocks and roots for hiding, open swimming
Tank Conditions: 72-79°F; pH 7.0-8.0; dH 10
Minimum Tank Capacity: 50 gallons
Light: Medium
Temperament: Aggressive
Swimming Level: Middle to bottom
Care Level: Moderate
Reproduction: Egg Layer

 

[Death Pony]

Name: Chaca chaca

Common names: Frogmouth catfish

Region: India and Bangladesh

Size: Up to 7.1"

PH: 6.0-8.0

Temperature: 72 - 75* F (22 - 24* C)

Feeding: anything that will fit in its mouth. Live feeders, fish fillets, shrimp, large pellet foods

Compatability: anything it big enough not to be eaten. Will not bother top dwellers.

Tank Size: 36"x18"x18"

Narrative: A rather sedentary ambush predator, they almost never leave the bottom of the tank. For some reason, this fish causes the pH of the water to decrease. Not a pretty face by any standards.

sources/references: Planetcatfish.com, AquaScapeOnline.com

 

[Death Pony]

Scientific Name: Xenomystus nigri

Common name: African Brown Knifefish

Care Level: moderate?

Size: 12 inches

pH and KH range: pH 6.0-7.5

Temperature range: 23-28*C, 73-82*F

Origin: Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo, Chad, Congo river basin, Nile river

Temperament: peaceful, but not towards smaller fish or other knives.

Compatible Tankmates: Polypterus senegalus, Congo tetras (maybe), anything of a similar size and temperament.

Diet: carnivore. Can be weaned off of live food.

Tank Size for Adult: 50 gallons

Narrative: One for the oddball fan with limited space. They like having lots of roots, driftwood, and rocks to hide in. Subdued lighting is a must.

References: http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish/africanknifefish.php

 

[gobucks1]

Scientific Name: Tetraodon Miurus

Common name: Congo Puffer

Care Level: Moderate, as with all puffers, pristine water is appreciated

Size: 6" (15cm)

pH and KH range: Not picky, 6 - 8 pH, soft to moderately hard

Temperature range: 24 - 26C (77 - 80F)

Origin: Congo River Basin, Africa

Temperament: Lurker, very aggressive and somewhat inactive

Compatible Tankmates: No

Diet: Invertebrates, snails, shrimps, etc. Can be trained onto "dead food" but will still need some inverts to keep beak size down

Tank Size for Adult: 29 gallon good with excessive water changes, 40 breeder better

Narrative: Cool lurking predator, most active at night. There is also a red morph.

References: The Puffer Forum, Puffernet

Picture: