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My plan is to set up a new 75-90G Tank with the following:

2-3x Synodontis Ocellifer
4-6x Synodontis Decorus (How many are needed to see their proper behavior?)
3-8x *Rope Fish/Reed Fish* Erpetoichthys Calabaricus
2-5x *African Leaf Fish* Polycentropsis Abbreviata

Too many fish?

I am unsure as to whether the S. Ocellifer are too agressive for the what I have heard to be one of the most docile of Synos(Decorus).

Also I cant think of anything to liven up the upper portions of the tank...
Any ideas?

All suggestions, comments, help is welcome!

Thanks,
Sam

If you leave the decorus, and keep only 2-3 Rope fish (1 male, 2 females will work), you have a great tank with ample room to add other African critters.

decorus get too big (about 10" to 1 foot; 25-30 cm), unfortunately with good care, they DO reach that size.

how about 3-5 Xenomystus nigri for example? The lengths given for this fish differ, but I've seen years of wildcaught shipments, had them muyself in a 130G, and never saw a single one pass 20 cm or so.....It's a peaceful fish, but guppy-sized fish are food. Same goes for Ropefish btw.

another great add-on would be Pantodon Bucholzi, the African Butterfly. It likes insects, like flies, crickets or roaches...just put those on the surface and Pantodon will come to feed. It sticks to the surface like glue, hence a good combi with eels, cats, knifefishes etc.

Other nice ones are Ctenopoma (African Climbing Perch or Bushfish), of wich there are many.

mediumsized African Barbs (Barbus einthoveni, B holotaenia, B callipterus) are safe too, ditto goes for mediumsized Congo tetra's like Arnoldichthys spilopterus, MicrAlestes interruptus and Brycinus longipinnis.

Even big Killi's, such as Epiplatys can be used, but only the biggest (3-4") species, or they'll be eaten by the Pantodon or the eels. Big Killi's are very imposing, very colorful, and they too stick to the upper water layer, leaving the catfishes, Climbing Perches etc in peace. Apart from being eaten when too small, they're very very easy to keep!

E sexfasciatus gets quite big and behaves like a tiny pike.

Well, Right now I have 2 of the African Leaf Fish, 2 of the S. Ocellifer and one S. Decorus( I just got him/her, It was covered in ich at Petsmart and couldnt bear to let such a beautiful fish perish! Hes only an inch or two right now though.)
Are the Ocellifer a problem or no?

So should I try to trade the S. Decorus in? What size tank is needed to keep them?


I like a lot of your suggestions, I have kept the Butterfly and Ctenpoma acuistorie(sp?) before and have strongly considering a group of African Knives for quite some time now.

I will look further into the other species you mentioned.

Thanks for the help!