Your favorite tankbuster miniatures

[latapy10]

Ctenolucius hujeta instead of Hepsetus odoe (Similar feeding habits, body layout but hujeta's grow slow and max out at 9-10 inches)
Hampala ampalong/salweenensis instead of Hampala macrolepidota (Hampala ampalong only reaches 6 inches, H. salweenensis reaches 8 inches unlike H. macrolepidota wich reaches 2 feet)
Buenos Aires tetras as a substitute for Astyanax bimaculatus (or even Salminus sp.)
Brachychalcinus orbicularis instead of silver dollars
Cobitis species instead of dojo loaches (most Cobitis reach about 6 inches long)
Altolamprologus compressiceps/calvus instead of Dimidiochromis compressiceps/strigatus (similar feeding habits and mouth)
Notopterus notopterus (or Xenomystus nigri if you don't mind the missing dorsal fin) instead of Papyrocranus afer
Notoglanidium macrostoma instead of Auchenoglanis sp.

Hi ,on the bottom is cobitis sp. which can be instead of whether loach...I agree that species first and colour second.

 

[Caveden]

I admit that not all of the suggestions may work for everybody. What draws me to a fish is usually the color or pattern, so I made suggestions based on that, but it may not be what draws everyone to fish, so it therefore may not work for everyone like previously stated.

Then that’s not tankbuster miniatures LOL

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

For those who would choose a fish based on color, it is. They have a miniature version of a tankbuster with colors they like that way.

 

[Fishman Dave]

I like @Deadeye suggestion for those who love chaos, the redtail black shark (6”) for the black shark (28”). Or the good old upside down syno nigriventris for mystus luecophasis. Hemibagrus oliroides for the Asian redtail cat. At a stretch, kissing gourami for the albino giant gourami.

 

[Fishman Dave]

Or how about this
Sperata acicularis, a nice manageable 10” -12” as apposed to its bigger cousin Sperata aor of 70”

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Nice suggestions both ways, you hit the nail for both appearance and behaviors! But I thought the Burmese shovelnose was 102 cm instead of 25-30 cm?

BURMESE SHOVELNOSE (Sperata acicularis) 3"

A large and rarely seen predatory catfish, the Burmese Shovelnose originates from several of the large rivers in Myanmar (Burma), where it is a prized food fish. An active, open water species, they are generally found within the main river channels in their native habitat in fast-moving, well...

aquaristsacrosscanada.com

That would, of course, make it a tankbuster itself. Though certainly not as much as a 178 cm Indian shovelnose.

 

[latapy10]

Hi ,on the bottom is cobitis sp. which can be instead of whether loach...I agree that species first and colour second.

View attachment 1481999

not whether loach but dojo loach i wanted to write...

 

[Fishman Dave]

Nice suggestions both ways, you hit the nail for both appearance and behaviors! But I thought the Burmese shovelnose was 102 cm instead of 25-30 cm?

BURMESE SHOVELNOSE (Sperata acicularis) 3"

A large and rarely seen predatory catfish, the Burmese Shovelnose originates from several of the large rivers in Myanmar (Burma), where it is a prized food fish. An active, open water species, they are generally found within the main river channels in their native habitat in fast-moving, well...

aquaristsacrosscanada.com

That would, of course, make it a tankbuster itself. Though certainly not as much as a 178 cm Indian shovelnose.

It’s an interesting one. Acicularis has been debatable for years but I have yet to see a large one and now Sperata is up in the air altogether with a couple of new species proposed.

 

[nzeng1111]

Pretty rare species but pao cochinchinensis as a substitute for any large puffer outside carinotetraodon. They get to about 4" which is a very managable size and according to german keepers, they can be kept in large enough groups (> 6 puffers) and are active compared to the shy baileyi and palembangensis. However, they are still lurker puffers and probably shouldn't be kept with nonconspecifics.

 

[latapy10]

A stone loach could be a small version of weather loach...But for unheated tanks max to 24 degrees....