Strange Tank....

[Pink Punisher]

I have a tank that is 36"x12"x12" (LxWxH) its a 22.44 gallon tank and i had planned on using a tank with 4-6 inchs more height for a Red Fin Wolf fish, now ive read that they dont use height much so would this be all that big of a issue? I think it would be fine but thats my opinion and also if the wolf wont fit can i have some ideas on what will? Id like something aggresive and will put on a show if i give it some feeders for guests to see. Any type of ideas are more then welcome as well.

Thanks,
Spence

[Quatro]

I think I saw the site you are talking about.  It said height wasn't important and that 36" x 20" footprint was fine.  I have no experience with this fish but it seems to me that a fish that grows to 20" would not be happy in a 36" tank.  The other few sites I checked all said large tanks (at least 75gal).

[Pink Punisher]

No not a common Wolf fish, the Red Finned Wolf Fish only get to about 8 inches i believe so i would imagine it being fine but i want to make sure, again any other ideas for stocking welcome.

[babblefish1960]

...Red Fin Wolf fish...Id like something aggresive and will put on a show if i give it some feeders for guests to see.

I will say this whether I am alone in this opinion or not, quite honestly, fish eat fish the world over, that is the world of fish, we all know this to be true.

As my own personal opinion, having kept very many different fish from the world over for more than four decades, I find this aspect of wanting a particular species for its entertainment value during its feeding, for the sake of amusing your guests, questionable.  It has the feel of a dog fight or something just as gruesome, and to glorify it for the "fun" also feels wrong.

I feel I may be speaking up for many others also who may feel equally offended by this activity as the principle reason for possessing any fish.

[beowulf]

I totally I agree with Babble.  It's like people who get piranhas just to start them and then they put on a show for guest by throwing a few feeders in.  Please be a fish keeper and not a fish haver, and make sure you are getting this fish for the right reason and you are taking care of it properly with the right diet etc.

I use to own a couple of piranhas and normally fed them beef heart and some pellets but once I figured I would get them some feeders for the heck of it, never again.....they don't eat them in one shot, the one piranha took a bite out of the feeders rear end and the thing was still alive attempting to swim around without a tail and they just left it there for hours.....I felt so bad for the feeder I never got any again.

[charlie]

I find this aspect of wanting a particular species for its entertainment value during its feeding, for the sake of amusing your guests, questionable.  It has the feel of a dog fight or something just as gruesome, and to glorify it for the "fun" also feels wrong.

I feel I may be speaking up for many others also who may feel equally offended by this activity as the principle reason for possessing any fish.

I could not agree with you more.

[kennyman]

I feel the novelty issue with carnivorous fish is not without its merits. Look to fish like the Leaf Fish or Nimbochromis. Both sly predators who would be kept out of appreciation for their ability to hunt. Also concider the fascination with sharks and the whole theme behind Big Al's logo and shark feeding. If the entertainment value of such a fish eclipsed respect for the creature then certainly it is not responsible fishkeeping, but I don't think there is anything wrong with keeping these creatures.

That said I hate the thought of keeping fish in a glass specimen box. Any fish deserves to be housed in adequate conditions. I don't keep anything bigger than a guppy in a 20gal.

[Mettle]

Those are some pretty cool dimensions on that tank! Very interesting... Is it a custom build? Or was it actually from a manufacturer? In terms of the dimensions for the fish you mentioned - everyone I know who keeps or has kept red fins does does in at least a 40 gallon breeder (36x18x15). The added depth is always a bonus. But 75 gallons would probably be ideal... Now, depending on what size you got it at, you could keep it in a smaller tank and upgrade as necessary.

I've also heard that the red fins are far more enetertaining than their larger growing, lazier counter parts who simply sit on the tank floor and wait for food.

As far as an 'aggressive fish' goes you'll likely be disappointed with almost anything that you end up buying. The reason is because most of the true predators out there are too large for us to keep in our tanks and we're relegated to keeping some of the ambush predators, etc...

If you wanted something truly astonishing look at the gulper cat fish (Asterophysus batrachus I think). This fish can eat things the size of it or larger! Which is very impressive, to say the least. I know someone who lost two dovii, an oscar and one other not-so-small cichlid to a gulper they had in the tank that they thought was 'too small' to be eating its fellow tank mates. It would, however, grow too large for your current tank.

You could also look at getting exodons. These little guys can be super fierce... In the wild they're fin and scale nippers, but a healthy swarm of them is certainly a sight to see. And if you drop in some feeder guppies or minnows it'll definitely be a crazy show.

As others have said... Just make sure you're not getting the fish for the wrong reasons. Entertainment value of live feedings often wears out quite quickly. And fish aren't an Xbox game that you can shelve and forget about. They'll need care, etc. I, however, won't lecture you on live feeding. I've done it myself and will continue to do so (I feed my flowerhorn tetras every so often) but to each their own.

[BigDaddy]

Miracles makes a 36 x 12 x 12 tank.  I used it to breed apistos.  Great tank.

[sniggir]

I don't know very much about the red finned wolf but I have seen wolf fish get huge... I personaly would get at least a 4 foot tank like a 75... but when it gets bigger maybe even a 6 foot tank the one that I saw...again never seen a red fined... was about 14" long... very cool looking fish...but as already stated... are interested in the fish or just in the violance.... also remember that you may have to put your own hand in there....

[Nerine]

even if it gets 8 inches...the tank is still too small in my opinion...you should go for a 75 gal. Fish like to have space. When my large pleco was in the 55 at 12 inches, he just sat on the bottom...when he moved into the 75, he was VERY active. they have nothing to do in a small tank!! everyone's tank should be 55 and over even for tetras my neons were thrilled with 55 gallons!

[featherfin]

a good fish for this tank would be the native grass pickerel. they get to about 13-14 inchs but most only reach about half that size. they will do fine in a ten gallon tank planted tank as they like weeds. your tank should be fine for one of these. they are carnivores and will take live foods. i am opposed to the idea of getting a predatory fish for entertanement value but what can you do...

[Pink Punisher]

Hi sorry ive taken so long to respond, I was camping and school has started finnaly. Im not looking into this fish just for the fact that it will tear up other fish and eat them alive i should have worded better. What i ment was if i had a guest over at the time and might consider giving it a treat so to say, I dont mean everytime a friend comes over im gonna be giving it live feeders, also i wouldnt be feeding goldfish i would be feeding guppy's much healthy and also a guppy would be small enough to be eaten in 1 bite unlike a goldfish which could take a few chomps and would be disgusting to see floating around. By aggresive i mean something that will put on a bit of a show if i slide my fingers across the glass and will follow my finger. I wouldnt be getting this fish for just 'show and tell' i actually am interested in the fish and it species, i would LOVE to buy a common wolf ( They get quite large) and just being able to watch it even if it is a bit lazy. There amazing fish non the less.

Sorry if i offended anyone i didnt mean to it is just a case of me not wording myself correctly. I dont want to see blood and guts floating around in my tank not to mention the smell it would give off i just ment that i would like something that i could throw in a guppy every now and then just to mix up its diet. I would be feeding it a proper diet and taking the best possible care i can afford to give it, Im not just gonna buy it to watch it rip others apart, I AM against that as well. Sorry again for the misunderstanding.

Ill try and say something tommorow as well if anyone answers. Im getting conflicting information as well, there is a site that specializes in preditory fishs and in wolf fish and they all say that it would be fine in this tank for life. I plan on overkill filtering a Emp 400.

Spencer