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Know a lot about fish?

Mr. Lennon

Mr. Lennon

Diamond Member
I am looking for a polka dot fresh water fish for my girlfriend. I did some research and came across Panther Groupers, but those are salt water. Does such a fresh water fish exist?
 
first things that come to mind for spotted freshwater fish like the panther grouper are catfish

some species of loricariidae, synodontis and corydoras

I tend to like catfish though so that could be why I am thinking of those... loricariidae and synodontis can get quite large
 
Check out fresh water catfish, in particular the Gold Nugget pleco.

Or go to a pet store with a good aquarium dept and ask the fish nerd on duty.

Remember though, 5gal per inch of fish! And that's cumulative too.
 
There a few catfish, but those won't be particularly interesting for your average person since catfish are bottom dwellers. You're probably going to want a mid-water fish, but I can't think of any that would be polka dotted.
 
Corydoras and other types of "catfish" are often spotted. But, for a mid-water fish, I think your best bet (and one of the more beautiful & colorful freshwater fish) are discus.
LeopardPigeonDiscusWFCiam_Ap8AF.jpg


Here's a synodontis:
P38581.jpg

You can use the link to that image to find it for sale ($50)
 
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Some Mollys arent exactly spotted or polka dot but some have a random scale patterns that may be what your looking for. Avoid Oscars and Cichlids if you dont know much about fish, or have the tank to support them later in life (some get to be 20"+). There are some catfish (pictus) you could get but they are kinda boring imo. Same with plecos. Discus are expensive and require a decent amount of knowledge before getting your hands dirty.

Youd probably want a loach of some sort if you want a polka dot theme, some grow to be big, most will stay below 1'. They arent aggressive and do well with most species. They dont have scales so they can be more susceptible to disease and water conditions. There are a lot of kinds out there so checking out what petsmart or your local pet store has would be best.
 
DrPizza said:
Corydoras and other types of "catfish" are often spotted. But, for a mid-water fish, I think your best bet (and one of the more beautiful & colorful freshwater fish) are discus.
LeopardPigeonDiscusWFCiam_Ap8AF.jpg


Here's a synodontis:
P38581.jpg

You can use the link to that image to find it for sale ($50)
Click to expand...

Discus is a good choice, although they can be expensive and are a bit more difficult to care for than your average freshwater fish. I don't think I'd recommend them to a beginner.
 
NONE of the fish mentioned so far are "beginner" fish...not the panther grouper, nor the discus, gold nugget pleco, nor really, any of the catfish.

All take at a minimum, a well established tank to survive long-term.
 
novasatori said:
first things that come to mind for spotted freshwater fish like the panther grouper are catfish

some species of loricariidae, synodontis and corydoras

I tend to like catfish though so that could be why I am thinking of those... loricariidae and synodontis can get quite large
Click to expand...
I always got a kick out of the Plecostomus.

My exGF had one that was a foot long. It didn't do much but I never saw one that big before.
 
Thanks for all the help. I'm going to check out the local fish store and see what they have. I really wish I could get a couple of those Panther Groupers, but I only have experience with fresh water and I hear salt is a bitch.
 
Zeppelin2282 said:
Thanks for all the help. I'm going to check out the local fish store and see what they have. I really wish I could get a couple of those Panther Groupers, but I only have experience with fresh water and I hear salt is a bitch.
Click to expand...

Salt isn't too bad once you get into it, and really not much maintenance if you do it right make the tank pretty self-sustainable. Thing is Groupers aren't a good beginner fish, and you need a HUGE tank as they will outgrow a "standard" home aquarium in a few years.
 
Zeppelin2282 said:
Thanks for all the help. I'm going to check out the local fish store and see what they have. I really wish I could get a couple of those Panther Groupers, but I only have experience with fresh water and I hear salt is a bitch.
Click to expand...

A couple of panther groupers would need at least a 180 gallon tank...which they will soon outgrow. They get BIG...and do it fairly fast.
They'll also eat any fish/invertebrate they can fit in their mouths.

It sounds like you and your girlfriend need to learn about the hobby before you buy any fish at all.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+32+154&pcatid=154


Also, another "polka dot" fish to avoid is the "clown/Harlequin sweetlips."

Cute as hell as babies...but they grow BIG...and are voracious eaters...if they live...but they rarely live more than a few days in captivity.
 
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Try to look for synodontis petricola, those are seriously cool catfishes. They are pretty hardy, and can handle aggressive tankmates (e.g. cichlids).
 
BoomerD said:
A couple of panther groupers would need at least a 180 gallon tank...which they will soon outgrow. They get BIG...and do it fairly fast.
They'll also eat any fish/invertebrate they can fit in their mouths.

It sounds like you and your girlfriend need to learn about the hobby before you buy any fish at all.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+32+154&pcatid=154


Also, another "polka dot" fish to avoid is the "clown/Harlequin sweetlips."

Cute as hell as babies...but they grow BIG...and are voracious eaters...if they live...but they rarely live more than a few days in captivity.
Click to expand...

I was just doing a quick search earlier, but the first website I came across said minimum of 125 gallon tank for groupers. I actually saw a youtube video of this guy feeding both his grouper AND lion fish that shared a 50 gallon tank :\. Your link says a minimum of 300 gallons...so yeah that definitely isn't the fish for us.

I have a lot of experience with fresh water, but you're right, I need to do some research before I even consider salt water.
 
Brackish water puffers and scats are cute and full of dots. They are also comparatively hardy and work well for beginners that have not fully understood the nitrogen cycle or too eager to wait for the system to get run in, etc.
 
I put some goldfish in my rain barrel last summer.
They all died within 3 days.
I probably should have had an aeration pump in there.
 
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