what fish is good as a pet?
- Thread starter fungia
- Start date
if its a large tank, I've found queen angels to be very personable, and interactive, I had one that you could actually "pet" when you'd stick your hand in the water she would come up and behave sort of like she would for a cleaner, and you could stroke her side with a finger, then she'd move around so you could do the other side, if you cupped your hand she would nestle in your palm, needless to say you could also quite easily hand feed her, (she was also quite easy to catch) beautiful fish as well, they just get really big, so you would want a large tank, 75 bare minimum, and she would out grow it, for smaller fish, a bi color blennie is quite ammusing, and its small and cheap, another option would be blood/fire, or cleaner shrimp, or both, once adapted they will readily crawl and pick on your hand, with a large enough tank all the above could be kept together quite well
If it is just FO tank, I agree with the puffers. They are the most personable fish I have ever had dealings with. Don't loan them money though as they welch on loans often. Interact with you especially if they have food, but watch the fingers as they have a really good bite.
Oscars are a cichlid, and cichlids (along with their damsel cousins) are perhaps some of the smartest, most personality driven fish around. Cichlids are the most successful parents of any species on earth it turns out... considering the number of offspring that they often raise with such low mortaility rates (I heard that on PBS once). Of them, the oscars are very personable. They are very smart. In the wild, they can be observed teaming up, using tactics to hunt for food. The oscars will circle a crayfish/freshwater lobster at opposing sides... so the pincers are spread out at each of them. Then, they will both lunge at the shellfish at the same time, each grabbing a claw in their mouth and ripping the critters claws right off!! Then its easy snacking.
I used to be an african cichlid breeder myself, and its no secret that part of the attraction for this very large group of fish keepers is the personalities of the fish.
Heck, you want a real firecracker of a cichlid for a 10-20g tank? Get some tanganyikan cichlids called shell dwellers. You can keep a flock/harem of them in a 10-20g, and they are very smart little buggers that are fun to watch. Not as much interactive though as just interesting.
For saltwater, the only personable fish I know of are large, with few exceptions. One exception would be Jawfish. They are like little pitt-bulls of a nano-reef if you get one. I love em myself. They have attitude. And they will interact with the owner somewhat.
Other options would be a peacock mantis shrimp. These things are fierce, and you will never pet it, but when you look at them, they look right back at you (trying to decide if it can kill you all together, or if just a finger-snack will do). They are unique in many ways, and if you want proof... http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... did=266915
Or an octopus... but those can be challenging... too challenging. But smart as all heck. They have little to no known predators, can catch sharks much larger than they are (and can eat mantis shrimp), and have even been recorded leaving their tank, going across a room to open a jar of food, then closing the lid, and going back across the room back into their tank... smarter than your kids might be (they dont put the lids back on, right?)
I used to be an african cichlid breeder myself, and its no secret that part of the attraction for this very large group of fish keepers is the personalities of the fish.
Heck, you want a real firecracker of a cichlid for a 10-20g tank? Get some tanganyikan cichlids called shell dwellers. You can keep a flock/harem of them in a 10-20g, and they are very smart little buggers that are fun to watch. Not as much interactive though as just interesting.
For saltwater, the only personable fish I know of are large, with few exceptions. One exception would be Jawfish. They are like little pitt-bulls of a nano-reef if you get one. I love em myself. They have attitude. And they will interact with the owner somewhat.
Other options would be a peacock mantis shrimp. These things are fierce, and you will never pet it, but when you look at them, they look right back at you (trying to decide if it can kill you all together, or if just a finger-snack will do). They are unique in many ways, and if you want proof... http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... did=266915
Or an octopus... but those can be challenging... too challenging. But smart as all heck. They have little to no known predators, can catch sharks much larger than they are (and can eat mantis shrimp), and have even been recorded leaving their tank, going across a room to open a jar of food, then closing the lid, and going back across the room back into their tank... smarter than your kids might be (they dont put the lids back on, right?)
wetworx101":33pm2rg6 said:
At first I thought, wow I'd like to see that. then I thought, "well that might just freak me out a little". Maybe Ive seen a few too many horror movies.
I find that just about any fish will eventually come to recognize the person that feeds them and become more active or interested when that person comes to the tank. For interactive pets, Oscar would have my vote. I had a pair that I could pet at one time.
For a small kid to have a tank for pets. Gold fish, Inexpensive and indestructible
wetworx101":3o6dpnab said:
At first I thought, wow I'd like to see that. then I thought, "well that might just freak me out a little". Maybe Ive seen a few too many horror movies.
I find that just about any fish will eventually come to recognize the person that feeds them and become more active or interested when that person comes to the tank. For interactive pets, Oscar would have my vote. I had a pair that I could pet at one time.
For a small kid to have a tank for pets. Gold fish, Inexpensive and indestructible
I've been a lifelong cichlid keeper/breeder. Frankly I find many of the larger Central American cichlids have personality equal to that of the Oscar. (which is actually from South America)
There are many choices for single, pet fish in say a 55 or 70 gallon tank, too many to name...
For the marine equivalent, it's hard to beat one of the Triggers, Hinds (Cephalopholis species) or a smaller true grouper, maybe Epinephelus ongus (Specklefin grouper), or E. hexagonatus or E. merra.
Jim
There are many choices for single, pet fish in say a 55 or 70 gallon tank, too many to name...
For the marine equivalent, it's hard to beat one of the Triggers, Hinds (Cephalopholis species) or a smaller true grouper, maybe Epinephelus ongus (Specklefin grouper), or E. hexagonatus or E. merra.
Jim
i like my yellow headed pearly jawfish. he is constantly looking at me when i'm near the tank and follows me with his eyes as i move back and forth. he reminds me of that muppet called "beeker". everyone who views my tank in person remarks about how cute/interesting he is. it's like they don't even see the other fish, and as far as the corals go..they think they are just aquatic plants or something :?
my vote would be a pearly jawfish. now, the blue spotted jawfish is much more attractive, but very expensive and extremely hard to keep long term i hear.
btw..if you do consider one of these, don't overlook the fact that they are jumpers!
i haven't had any trouble with my tank (topless), but NurseSmartyPants lost a firefish and a yellow headed jawfish in the same week to suicide 8O
my vote would be a pearly jawfish. now, the blue spotted jawfish is much more attractive, but very expensive and extremely hard to keep long term i hear.
btw..if you do consider one of these, don't overlook the fact that they are jumpers!
i haven't had any trouble with my tank (topless), but NurseSmartyPants lost a firefish and a yellow headed jawfish in the same week to suicide 8O
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