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What's the Oddest Fish Combination That You've Kept?

Discussion in 'Freshwater General Discussion' started by birdhuff, Dec 26, 2008.

  1. birdhuff

    birdhuff Thread Starter New Member

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    Odd fish mixes.
    Just curious I am avowed cichlid freak I am wondering what is the oddiest fish combo folks have kept together succesfully? I have a a lot of them over the years and would like to know who else has very odd mixed tanks. You know the ones we tell all newbys UH do not mix those but we do . B
     
    birdhuff, Dec 26, 2008
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  2. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    I'm one of those people that don't push the envelope too much. :)
     
    Anthony, Dec 26, 2008
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  3. birdhuff

    birdhuff Thread Starter New Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    Well with saltwater that would be an expensive experiment. LOL! Any one else?
     
    birdhuff, Dec 26, 2008
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  4. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    I meant with cichlids. Is your question specific to cichlids or just any type of freshwater fish ?
     
    Anthony, Dec 26, 2008
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  5. birdhuff

    birdhuff Thread Starter New Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    Any type I was just wondering about odd mixes as I have kept a lot of different fish over the years. I am not looking for advice on what to mix just as to any thing odd that folks have mixed with good results that normaly you would never see together in a tank setting. say for instance a red devil with Oh guppies as an example if know wants to talk on the subject I will leave it alone. I just have had a lot of odd fish mixed with good and yes bad results but was curios as to others experiance with wierd mixes that you never dreamed would work. I had a friend for example who with my dire warning put fancy goldfish (coldwater) with his discus (tropical) and I would have bet anything that is was sure to be a disaster and suprise they all stayed healthy and happy for years go figure I still do not recomend that mix! LOL! Thanks
     
    birdhuff, Dec 26, 2008
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  6. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Active Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    I keep Angelfish and Discus together. They say they do not mix but I really have not had a problem other than a month ago I added 2 Angelfish that triggered a fungus outbreak followed by a rotton tank smell, then velvet, and then ended with fin rot. All the fish pulled though except those 2 Angels that died a few days after being moved into quarantine while a few days after removing them my Discus cleared up all signs of illness.

    But I hardly call that an odd mix as they both require the same water parameters.
     
    LemonDiscus, Dec 26, 2008
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  7. birdhuff

    birdhuff Thread Starter New Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    You know angels are totaly underated as far as fish go. I think people have gotten that Oh it is old news syndrome but you get a big tankfull of those guys and they are down right beautiful and that is a fact. I totaly have a pet peeve these days with the hybrid craze and I know a lot of you probably love them. The problem is if they by chance produce fertile offspring and they go back into a breeding pool not by the sellers choice but by happen stance then if they look like one of the parents and are sold as such it pollutes the pure species bloodline and that just bites! I do not mean to offend any of you guys keeping parrots or flowerhorns but we as fish enthusiast need to be responsible with keeping track of future species. I guess as a zookeeper it is ingrained in me to be this way but I feel it is for the best for true species to remain as such. Now back to odd tank mates any body kept or heard of oddball combo tanks? Oh one of my oddball stories is I kept Tilapia Mosambica with convicts and had a pair go through with breeding behavior never had any fertile eggs but that was just crazy a almost two foot tilapia and a much smaller convict trying to hook up totaly bizzare and no If they had produced offspring they would have become feeder fish for my other big hungry guys not going to a petstore or sold LOL! B
     
    birdhuff, Dec 26, 2008
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  8. birdhuff

    birdhuff Thread Starter New Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    Oh by the way sorry for the outbreak but glad it was a minimual loss and I have seen angels and discus mixed many times with out any problems I bet they look great together and you really enjoyed them.
     
    birdhuff, Dec 26, 2008
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  9. jrow8162

    jrow8162 Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    I mixed an Orange Pike Chichlid, Convict, Red Devil, and Managuense one time. They did fine but once they grew the water got cloudy. Cant mix too many big cichlids together.
     
    jrow8162, Dec 27, 2008
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  10. birdhuff

    birdhuff Thread Starter New Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    Yes big cichlids and poor filtration can wreak havoc in a tank. Wow! that is a heck of a mix of cichlids especialy such big hitters as those guys. How big did they all grow before you seperated them? My pike cichlid I am totaly loving by the way what species did/do you keep?B
     
    birdhuff, Dec 27, 2008
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  11. jrow8162

    jrow8162 Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    They were pretty big. I separated them when the pike was about 7 inches or so. I kept the Pike with an Oscar after that. I used to have to pull the Oscar out of the Pikes mouth until the Oscar outgrew him. I just keep a community tank now. Cichlids get expensive after a while.
     
    jrow8162, Dec 28, 2008
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  12. birdhuff

    birdhuff Thread Starter New Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    They can put a strain on the wallet. My all time favorite cichlid I have ever kept is a tie between Chocolate cichlid H. temporalis and Tilapia mosambica both outstand specimens and all around long lived and beautiful well the chocolate was the tilapia was just a really cool fish with personality. LOL!
     
    birdhuff, Dec 28, 2008
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  13. jrow8162

    jrow8162 Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    Yeah, they can be a lot of fun. My Redtail Catfish used to eat out of my hand... I fed him Krill most of the time. I didnt even have him a year before he outgrew my 55 gallon tank. I'm enjoying the variety of fish I get to add to my tank now that its a community tank. I've been hinting around with the wife about getting another big tank. Might try some African Cichlids this time...
     
    jrow8162, Jan 3, 2009
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  14. Ms. Wright

    Ms. Wright Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    I had a breeding pair of ghost angels in my 55, along with seven small Geo Bahia Reds. Everybody got along fine, although the angels ate their fry. When the tank leaked, I had to move everybody into my 150, with Tanganyikans and dither rainbows. The Geos killed the angels right off, when they'd never messed with them in the smaller tank.
     
    Ms. Wright, Jan 7, 2009
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  15. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    An oscar with africans (this was when I thought cichlids were cichlids lol)
     
    Anonymous, Jan 7, 2009
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  16. Ms. Wright

    Ms. Wright Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    But you know what's cool? You can put big rainbows with practically anything. :D I actually had one turquoise fry show up in a tank full of Tangs and huge synos. Named him "Lucky" and he's still here.
     
    Ms. Wright, Jan 7, 2009
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  17. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Active Member

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    My sister when I was really young used to have an Oscar that was her landlords in her apartment. Of course she had to take care of it. The fish named "Lucky" reminds me of this and also creates an odd fish mix.

    Well she fed the oscar feeder goldfish and well over the years 1 survived. Also named lucky, this feeder goldfish was about 7" long
     
    LemonDiscus, Jan 8, 2009
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  18. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    I wonder what that one feeder said to the oscar to make him fall in love.
     
    Anonymous, Jan 8, 2009
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  19. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

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    Re: Odd fish mixes.

    I heard you couldn't keep severums with oscars and my sev does fine with them.
     
    Anonymous, Jan 9, 2009
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