What are some aggressive carnivorous pet fish that is legal and easy to obtain?

Question

Im going to college and i dont want to get a cat or dog because it's a lot of work. Im looking at getting a cool fish. I've heard the oscar fish are like what im looking for but there has got to be more than just that. Do you all have any ideas?

Answer 1

It really depends on how much room you'll have for a tank. Oscars and similar large cichlids need a 55 gallon or larger.

A 2 spot pike cichlid would be a good choice if you have room for a 30 gallon or larger. Very aggressive eater.

Pike livebearers would be perfect for you for a 20 gallon long style or 30 gallon tank.

If you need something for a smaller tank than those, you are really limited to a few insect eating fish such as the Butterfly fish above. Great choice for a 10 - 15 gallon tank.

ADDITION: Hey Mantra, why not write your own answers instead of copying straight from one of my previous answers?

MM

Answer 2

There are more than just Oscars, but there's a reason why Oscars are so popular- they are GREAT fish. They are probably the smartest of any tropical fish... they recognize their owner, can be trained to eat from your hand, have great personalities, etc... If you have the space for at least a 55 gallon tank, an Oscar is nice fish that will keep you entertained. They get big really fast, though.. so a large tank is mandatory.

Jack Dempsey fish are similar to Oscars and also get quite large -not quite as big as Oscars, but you still need at least a 55 gallon for Jacks.

Both Oscars and Jacks will eat small fish, live worms, etc... and both will do well in a large tank (55 gallon+) by themselves.

If you can't afford the space for a 55 gallon or larger tank, you can try any number of types of African cichlids. I have a Red Jewel cichlid and he a mean SOB who will eat any small fish, worm or anything small enough to fit in his mouth. Most African cichlids don't get nearly as big as Oscars or Jack Dempseys, and 2 to 5 would probably be fine in a 29 gallon tank.

I personally don't like pirannahs because they get spooked to easily. Every time someone makes a sudden movement they jump out of their hides.

Answer 3

as far as carnivorous you can get an oscar, several types of freshwater and saltwater piranhas and sharks or a siamese fighting fish. the siamese will attack smaller fish and its reflectionso a mirror around the tank more than often ends up with a dead siamese. a saltwater tank is delicate and expensive, so the saltwater carnivors are probably out. that leaves the freshwater sharks, piranhas, and the oscar. if you want to watch the bait get decimated then i would suggest the piranha's, for a fish that the girls will like go with the sharks they are sleek and will get alot of questions. but if you want a big fish that just looks like it wants to jump out the tank and slap you around go with the oscar. they display little to no fear and they are quite aggressive. i have at one time owned all of the above fish and in college i would suggest the sharks, they're just cool. hope this helps

Answer 4

I would definitely suggest getting a wolf cichlid. Hands down the most aggressive dominating cichlid you can get. You might need a big tank tho, cus they can get over 2 feet long. They will eat pretty much eat anything alive that they can fit down there throat. They will also eat pellets, which make them very easy to maintain. I switch back and forth from pellets to live food thruout the week. It is the most fun fish i ever got. He will charge the glass when you get close. If you are lucky enough to get a nice male, he will have bright blue/green hues to him with black dots and purple tones thruout his body. Not a good mixer fish tho. I put a 13 inch red devil in the tank with him and by the end of the day, i came home from work and the red devil was dead. This would be my best suggestion. You can try looking him up on the internet. Its a Wolf cichlid or Cichlasoma Dovii. Good luck.

Answer 5

Feeder guppies and goldfish are essential to some fish's diet. Of course, most fish need a flake food for extra nutrition. Feeding fish as food is not abuse. If you are feeding fish for your pure entertainment, then that's a little disgusting. Here's some aggressive cichlids. - Telmatochromis Dhonti - Red Terror - Parachromis motaguensis

Answer 6

I have seen all the posters in here give you great information and links to guide you on it. Going to college, been there myself. I think it's wonderful you want fish, but your course load work is going to get really demanding down the road. Carnivours fish, depending on what and how often you feed them are going to be producing alot of waste, and therefore going to require you to be dedicated to weekly water changes, sorry but don't party too much if you want your fish to live. Just trying to use some practical wisdom because I do well remember the college times.

On to your topic. Space is going to be a real issue here. Say you are in a dorm, I am not envisioning you being able to house a 4 ft or 6 ft 75 gallon tank or up. I may be wrong, but let's assume that space isn't an issue nor budget. You've got your Oscars as mentioned, pretty popular and not too demanding to care for other then they'll make alot of mess. I personally have two carnivores, and require medium level of attention. One is the Datnoid Tiger barb, not very common, and you may have a minor level of difficulty getting one locally depending on where you are. Adult size of this one is about 8 inches, though some reports vary. Very smart fish this one is. Very active, and likes to stalk it's prey in good plant/decoration cover.

The other is the Silver Arowana. Problem with the Arowana though, a couple years down the road as he goes, he's going to need a 125 gallon tank and probably better off in a 180, though I can photobucket you a clip of a 7 year old Jardini, just short of three feet long and probably a good 60 to 70 lb fish that's in a 125 tank. Great carnivore I have to say, top water dweller and would basically allow you to have a cleaning crew in there so long as he can't get them in his mouth. I've had five over time, killed some due to some real stupid chemistry awareness, but lesson learned. Some died from disease, but magicman helped me learn how to deal with those issues.

These are the only fish I can give you out of direct experience, and I'd say the most feasible out of those is going to be your Oscar or datnoid. For college I think you're going to want to rule out that arowana, but I don't know the total picture of your situation either. I apologize for not having much knowledge of anything outside of there, but I am more then certain there are others you could look into. I'll post you a link for the Datnoid to look over, and if you really want to see the Jardini arowana, let me know and I'll link that one to photobucket.

JV

Answer 7

I can't believe not one person suggested a Green Terror. They are very aggressive fish that grow to be about 8" and would be fine in a 30 gal. tank if they are kept by themselves. A Jack Dempsy is another good choice. They also grow to be about 8" and could be fine if kept by themselves in a 30 gal. Jack Dempsys are omnivorous and should get vegetables with the live foods.

A smaller fish you could keep is the Malawi Golden / Auratus Cichlid. They grow to be only about 4" and could be kept in a 30 gal. They will eat small fish and other small live foods. These guys are also omnivorous and should get a vegetable diet with live foods.

Answer 8

Oscars are the way too go they are great fish...and come right up to the tank to greet you. Jack Dempsys are also agressive and Pikes are awesome hunters. Also Pirahnas but they have to be in their own tank you cant keep them with anything else. You can keep Oscars, Dempsys, Pikes, dragon fish, African ciclids (which are beautiful as well as aggressive) together. Also puffer fish are aggressive in numbers...we have 1 puffer w/ our 3 oscars and were told not to add too many puffers because they will gang up and kill oscars...If you want vicious fish go for Pirahnas-Oscars are fun to watch hunt but they dont tear into food they swallow the fish head first very slowly most of the time.
You could try Turtles...they are aggressive and you can take them out and play w/ them too if you want...also theyre are aggressive frogs you can keep in tanks.

Answer 9

Here is a cool fish ;Butterfly fish'[Pantodon Bucholzi] it eats small fish ..pieces of meat and worms of all sorts and can be hand fed. It is a surface swimmer but will jump out if no lid is kept on. Its fins are decorative and remarkable.

Answer 10

I would say Cichlids. Most of them are aggresive. Why would you want carnivorous fish? I guess it's your taste but, Cichlids like the once that grow large. Convict and Frontosa CIchlids are cool. I would say.