Arapaima?

[thefishguy7]

I'm considering buying an araipima. I'll be building a monster pond/tank in my basement. I know they grow huge, so I have some questions:

-what is the minimum tank dimensions for this fish? (l w h) I will be building a tank shaped either like this: ------, this: [```````], this: [``````, or this: ``````]
-what can I feed it that is cheap, but good for it? (non-live food please)
-at what length do they usually stop growing?
-how many should I get if I decide to get any?
-can they be kept with a breeding pair of motoro stingrays, a rtc*tsn hybrid, and a bunch of pbass?
-what are other good tank mates?

Thanks in advance, Rob.

[bigspizz]

For life? At least 20'x15'x10'? That is what I would think...I have not read this anywhere though....

[thefishguy7]

i can't do 10' tall, can I do like 5'-7'. Remember the tank can be L shaped or like a box missing one side.

[bigspizz]

5' and impo he would wreak havoc on the lid and possibly cause disaster....Again this is just me. Hopefully Johnptc or someone else will chime in with some hands on :)

[catfishlover106]

you can go a 20'x15'x8'...but it may still be alittle small...

[catfishlover106]

go look into those other threads made for larger monster tanks that were build with arapaimas in them...even ask johnptc and some others thats owns a couple in their 10,000-15,000 gallon concrete block tank

[thefishguy7]

hmmmm, looks like if I want one I'll have to do at least 7" tall then. Other dimensions?

[catfishlover106]

they stop growing at around 12-15'

[catfishlover106]

yup you do need to make it something like a 7' tall tank

[catfishlover106]

you can keep 1 in a tank with your type of dimension....and you can keep it with those othe fishes you got like those pair of rays...pbass and your catfish....its all good with those guys with the pima

[catfishlover106]

other tank mates are anything else you can think of...and larger cichlids like the dovii and managuense and umbees...like those guys...you dont got to worry about them being aggressive to your pima if you do get one since your pima is gunna out grow those cichlids and make them look like a fly once in the tank

[catfishlover106]

as for food you can get some cheap beef heart and some raw shrimp from the super market...but if thats what you want get alot for those guys as they eat alot....and you can get them on pellets like anything that floats that big should suffice

[thefishguy7]

thanks catfishlover, do you know good foods for them?

[thefishguy7]

won't cichlids bother the rays though? I'd love to have both in the tank, but I'm worried about the rays.
I'll also have a SA lung, a clown knife, and some silver aros in the tank. Does this sound good?

BTW, other threads are proving helpful, but still can't find good dimensions.

[catfishlover106]

well from my experience with them along time ago...i'd say anything meaty will be great for them...give them alot of raw shrimp for protein.Beef Heart for other minerals,Massivore Pellets ( kinda pricey ) cichlid pellets(extra large ones for your bigger and growing pima...and also you could feed them frozen silversides

[catfishlover106]

yea the cichlid may not be a good option if your keeping rays as they can be easily injured by those very territorial cichlids....so their not really going to be in the picture...and those other fishes are great too those that you got now should be great tankmates

[catfishlover106]

what about adding some pacus....like the red bellied pacus...or the black pacu that kinda gets alittle bigger than the red bellied pacus

[catfishlover106]

if you have alot of fishes in the tank thats good to even have a jardini arowana in the tank since their is too much fishes that it cant go to his killing streak...so hes also an option to go into your tank

[catfishlover106]

these pacus and jardini arowana will leave your rays alone so no worrys about them

[catfishlover106]

oh theirs a tiger shovelnose catfish and red tailed catfish if you want monster catfishes...but they might eat your clown knife....so if you do plan on getting these monster catfishes...get them later on when smaller...and when your fishes get alittle bigger...as these catfishes grow pretty fast

[thefishguy7]

jardini sounds cool, I'll probably end up adding all the monster cats and some huge polypterids too. No pacu though, the one I used to have was mean and would definatly kill the rays. Maybe some gar.

Does anyone know how to prevent the water from evaporating into the room above? We just replaced the floor, and I do not want to do that again.

For dimensions I'm thinking an oddly shaped box that is missing 1 side. Probably 6-7' height, with the first length being 8' and that having a width of 6'+, the back would be 12+' with a width of 8+', and the last side would be about 6+', with a width of 6+'.
Do these dimensions sound okay?

Imagine something like this:

l``````````````````````````````````````````l `````````l
l l l
l tank l l
l l l
l l Filtration l
l l`````````````````````````l l l
l l l l l
l l l________l l
l l chairs/couch l Filtration continued l
l l l__________________l
l________l l```````````````l
____ l l
sink l l`````````l l``````````````l l laundry stuff l
l l entrance l l storage l l l

[thefishguy7]

post got messed up, I'll try again.

[catfishlover106]

yea sure bout how will the pima move later on when it gets bigger? are you going to move him or give him away?... and yea some gars will be great too...a florida gar,longnose gar,shortnose gar,alligator gar are some types of gar that grows big too

[catfishlover106]

ok ill wait on that revised post

[thefishguy7]

jardini sounds cool, I'll probably end up adding all the monster cats and some huge polypterids too. No pacu though, the one I used to have was mean and would definatly kill the rays. Maybe some gar.

Does anyone know how to prevent the water from evaporating into the room above? We just replaced the floor, and I do not want to do that again.

For dimensions I'm thinking an oddly shaped box that is missing 1 side. Probably 6-7' height, with the first length being 8' and that having a width of 6'+, the back would be 12+' with a width of 8+', and the last side would be about 6+', with a width of 6+'.
Do these dimensions sound okay?

Imagine something like this:

l``````````````````````````````````````````l `````````l
l................................................. ...................l...............l
l...........................tank.................. ................l................l
l................................................. ..................l................l
l................................................. ..................l..Filtration..l
l.............l`````````````````````````l......... ....l...............l
l.............l................................... .....l.............l...............l
l.............l................................... .....l________l...............l
l.............l........chairs/couch...............l.Filtration continued..l
l.............l................................... .....l__________________l
l________l........................................ .....l```````````````l
____.............................................. .......l........................l
sink l..........l`````````l..l``````````````l.l...laund ry stuff.....l ......l..........l..entrance.l..l.storage......... ..l.l.........................l

please ignore the periods, I just used them so the picture wouldn't get messed up, the extended line at the end is supposed to be moved down 1 row, but for some reason, it won't move down.

[thefishguy7]

I'm only 14, so I'll be selling most of my fish before I go off to college, or I'll have my parents take care of them until I have my own house and a gigantic tank. So he wouldn't be living in the tank for any more than 10 years.

I'll do all sorts of gars, especially gators.

[thefishguy7]

I calculated the size of the tank (approximates) and it will be somewhere around 9,000 gallons.

[catfishlover106]

cool idea and im also 14 years old myself

[catfishlover106]

and im already full of fish knowledge lol

[catfishlover106]

tank dimension should be fine =)

[thefishguy7]

thanks catfishlover. can't wait to get a pima!

Does anyone here know how to prevent damage from happening to the floor above? Is there some special plastic or something? I was thinking of doing an upside-down dome, so when the water evaporates it sticks to the plastic, flows to the middle and drips back into the tank. I'm worried this won't be good enough though. Any ideas?

[catfishlover106]

you could add some plastic to just let the evaporated water stick to the plastic and it will just drip ryt off

[Mystix212]

Consider that a full grown pima is anything from 9-12 feet, not even a tank the size of John's is sufficent. Feeding him is going to be killing your wallet too. After all these expenses, even the up keep of a tank of this magnitude, are you sure you can cope with it?

[thefishguy7]

I know I can pay for it and take care of it, but I'm not entirely certain if my tank is big enough. Remember, tank is only for it for a maximum of 10 years.

I assume my plastic idea is good enough? Will a large tarp suffice?

[catfishlover106]

yes it should suffice

[catfishlover106]

go for it if its only going to be for 10 years but you never know it may reach a size that could catastropically destroy your tank....and bout 9,000 gallons down in your basement if it breaks down

[ccdoido38]

For life? At least 20'x15'x10'? That is what I would think...I have not read this anywhere though....

way to small.
they grow 15' in the aquarium, and 25' in the wild.
the fish won't be able to turn, not that it's active when they grow up but they still would appreciate alot of swimming space(for feeding time)

and thefishguy7; don't get an pirarucu if you're going to be cheap about it. you're buying a monster fish you have to be commited to spend alot of money on it.


try atleast a 5,500gallon tank.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zyrf4c8qoWw

[bigspizz]

way to small.
they grow 15' in the aquarium, and 25' in the wild.
the fish won't be able to turn, not that it's active when they grow up but they still would appreciate alot of swimming space(for feeding time)

and thefishguy7; don't get an pirarucu if you're going to be cheap about it. you're buying a monster fish you have to be commited to spend alot of money on it.


try atleast a 5,500gallon tank.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zyrf4c8qoWw





5,500 is WAY smaller than 20'15'10' (22,500 gallons)......LOL! 25' in the wild????? What have you been smoking?

[stingray man]

How are you 14 and gooing to afford this i am 14 myself alos and i can barley afford a smaller pond

[ccdoido38]

I know I can pay for it and take care of it, but I'm not entirely certain if my tank is big enough. Remember, tank is only for it for a maximum of 10 years.

I assume my plastic idea is good enough? Will a large tarp suffice?

you're still 14....you're planning something way too ahead.

you can't just drool at a fish and get it because it's cool.
you have to plan alot more than your little sticks and arrow diagam of the tank.
first off; if you can't get a tank or a pond to properly house a monster fish, then don't get it. the fish is only going to suffer because of your greed.

2nd; again, feeding will kill you. i've read someone telling you to feed massivore pellets, but for an juvenile fish, you're looking at around 4bags per day to give him a big belly.
you can try something else like; catching your own food from local lakes.
i'm sure the pirarucu would rather eat something natural then some pellets which they would never encounter in the wild. this is just my opinion but; in general i think pets would rather die early by eating things that they really like, instead of having a healthy long life eating boring artificial food.

3rd; filtration. you're looking into around a living room size filter to clean up the bio mass these monsters create, and the tankmates.

4th; the electric and water bill will be 15times more than the average house's.

5th; how are you going to heat such a big tank? you're going to need alot of heaters to maintain a 4 or 5digit tank to a tropical temp.

6th; water changes; how do you suppose you're going to do water changes? you're looking into 2 bottles of prime for each water change, which you should be performing twice weekly if you're getting alot of monsters.

and finally oxygen; again you're going to need alot of pumps and fountains to get oxygen to the fish other than your pirarucu.


just don't get one if you're not commited

[ccdoido38]

5,500 is WAY smaller than 20'15'10' (22,500 gallons)......LOL! 25' in the wild????? What have you been smoking?

sorry 55,00gallon.

havn't you talked to any locals in the amazon? there are plenty of 20'+ fish pulled of from that river.

[Mystix212]

they grow 15' in the aquarium, and 25' in the wild.

you're buying a monster fish you have to be commited to spend alot of money on it. try atleast a 5,500gallon tank.
:ROFL::ROFL::ROFL::ROFL::ROFL:

Also, one of the largest ever Pima's caught was 15ft. Have you got any real evidence of a larger one?

[thefishguy7]

hmmmm, maybe I shouldn't get one, you guys are freakin me out.:ROFL:

BTW, I'm very smart, dedicated, and I know what I'm doing. Please do not assume I'm a lousy fish keeper because I'm 14. I'll skip out on the pima, but I'm still doing a large tank with arowana, pbass and motoros. I have money because I save my money and use it wisely. I'm not cheap, I search for deals to save my money. I also buy fish, breed them, grow the out, then sell them. I did more than little sketches, I think everything through. I thought about filter, lights, heaters, etc... My dad is an engineer that deals with spacecraft and he helps me with design for maximum strength. Again, I know what I am doing.

[stingray man]

Well im all for ya GL

[ccdoido38]

:ROFL::ROFL::ROFL::ROFL::ROFL:

Also, one of the largest ever Pima's caught was 15ft. Have you got any real evidence of a larger one?

no way; i know there have been much bigger ones in aquariums, and obviously in the wild.

i wouln't think that there isn't a 25' pirarucu in the river, atleast what the locals tell me. come on just think about it, it's a big river there must be atleast some un-discovered beasts under there. i could just picture a 35' giant pirarucu just washed up after living and protecting the amazon for 200years.lol


hmmmm, maybe I shouldn't get one, you guys are freakin me out.:ROFL:



good choice

[cichlaguapote]

:ROFL::ROFL::ROFL::ROFL::ROFL:

Also, one of the largest ever Pima's caught was 15ft. Have you got any real evidence of a larger one?

I call b.s. on that one too.. don't believe everything you hear.. There was a show on History Channel called "Monster Quest" apparently there's 14' lake trout somewhere in canada from a story that was told.. they're still looking for it... lol

Not to mention those same locals say there are monsterous anacondas 50'..

To the original poster learn to weed out bad info. Because there's a boatload in this thread.

[bigspizz]

I call b.s. on that one too.. don't believe everything you hear.. There was a show on History Channel called "Monster Quest" apparently there's 14' lake trout somewhere in canada from a story that was told.. they're still looking for it... lol

Not to mention those same locals say there are monsterous anacondas 50'..

To the original poster learn to weed out bad info. Because there's a boatload in this thread.





:iagree:

[SimonL]

havn't you talked to any locals in the amazon? there are plenty of 20'+ fish pulled of from that river.

Then why aren't there any pics or proof?

thefishguy7, it's a cool idea, but I'd wait until you are done school...Actually add up the costs of building the tank and maintaining it...Unless you have the world's best paying part-time job, this is gonna be difficult to accomplish. This tank will probably cost tens of thousands of dollars to properly construct, plus a house size electricity bill, and enough food for a family? I wish I had that kinda money when I was 14...

[ccdoido38]

are you 3 above calling the local villagers liars?


you have to think a little more fun; it's possible there's a 14' trout, just maybe. i mean there's a giant mekong catfish. and look at all those sea monsters that everybody is used to, like anglerfish. i don't think people from a 100years ago would ever think such fish existed.
there are many animal species that are being discovered year by year.

i also think the lochness monster is real and is a living descendent of the dinosaurs

[cichlaguapote]

are you 3 above calling the local villagers liars?


you have to think a little more fun; it's possible there's a 14' trout, just maybe. i mean there's a giant mekong catfish. and look at all those sea monsters that everybody is used to, like anglerfish. i don't think people from a 100years ago would ever think such fish existed.
there are many animal species that are being discovered year by year.

i also think the lochness monster is real and is a living descendent of the dinosaurs

I won't argue there are new species everywhere.. but that's different from saying a species we already know about and have studied, we even farm now gets almost twice a big as is verifiable.

Am I calling villigers a liar? No. I'm saying did they have a american tape measure with them? And I'm make a point that villagers also say that green anacondas get twice the size they actually do.

I think you need look at things from a more scientific view rather than a dream land view.

[SimonL]

i also think the lochness monster is real and is a living descendent of the dinosaurs

Don't get me started on that stupidity, you do realize Loch Ness has only been there for 10,000 years right? You also realize that plesiosaurs aren't dinosaurs, but coldblooded reptiles and Loch Ness has a temp of 40 degrees? And that it only appeared after that proven fake pic showed up in 1960, right?

I love the idea of dicovering new species, and finding "relic" animals, but most cryptozoology is just sensationalist BS.

[cichlaguapote]

hmmmm, maybe I shouldn't get one, you guys are freakin me out.:ROFL:

BTW, I'm very smart, dedicated, and I know what I'm doing. Please do not assume I'm a lousy fish keeper because I'm 14. I'll skip out on the pima, but I'm still doing a large tank with arowana, pbass and motoros. I have money because I save my money and use it wisely. I'm not cheap, I search for deals to save my money. I also buy fish, breed them, grow the out, then sell them. I did more than little sketches, I think everything through. I thought about filter, lights, heaters, etc... My dad is an engineer that deals with spacecraft and he helps me with design for maximum strength. Again, I know what I am doing.

You should skip the pima.. you're 14 and when you start heading to college and get other things involved it could get overwelming to care for fish, especially large fish. Arow(you could even do multiple arows in a tank big enough), pbass, motoros sound awesome. :headbang2

[SimonL]

I can tell you from personal experience that being tied down by masses of fish tanks is a serious bummer when moving out or considering potential college or university. I am currently trying to plan my future Uni schedule around getting back home for feeding and water changes lol.

[bigspizz]

The info is getting better I can tell you that much! I thought I was in crazy world before you guys showed up. I agree with SimonL and cichlaguapote.....

[cichlaguapote]

The info is getting better I can tell you that much! I thought I was in crazy world before you guys showed up. I agree with SimonL and cichlaguapote.....

UGH.. If only I had the patience to go back and go through multiple pages of misinformation on stocking, tank setup, etc.. Maybe someone else will do it. :)

[SimonL]

IMHO, the only people who should be giving advice about tank size, etc should be those few MFKers who own Arapaima, or work with them at aquariums...

cichlaguapote, you should go back and reread them, it's rather amusing...

[ccdoido38]

IMHO, the only people who should be giving advice about tank size, etc should be those few MFKers who own Arapaima, or work with them at aquariums...

cichlaguapote, you should go back and reread them, it's rather amusing...

you sound like you're trying to stomp on me with all the anti-cryptology
did i ever say i "don't" have experience with pirarucus?

oh that's cool you work in a aquarium(no really!), but are you the one paying the electric and water bills? you can't just talk about how to care for the fish, but talk about the reality of pg&e bills too
i'm just trying to get the kid out of piraracus, so a beautiful fish doesn't have to suffer just because the kid "wants one".
i think he ought to plan something that will happen for sure and will happen really soon.

[SimonL]

did i ever say i "don't" have experience with pirarucus?


Never said you didn't, I was refering to other posts :) I agree it's probably not the best idea. And I did mention the bills and food...I managed the aquarium store, I know what we paid for water and power lol. And feeding the bloody sharks and groupers is expensive!

you sound like you're trying to stomp on me with all the anti-cryptology

I just have a beef with the Loch Ness monster lol. Things like that give cryptozoology a bad name...I think it's perfectly plausible to find something like that in the ocean, or some forgotten lake in Africa, etc...but in a recently formed lake in Scotland? I have researched every piece of info I could find for the vague hope that a marine reptile had survived, but after reading all the facts arguing against it, I must say I think it's BS.

Also, that's a hell of a nice looking tank! Is that your's? Or where you work?

[ccdoido38]

lol; i mean it takes over 6 hours to fill half of the tank up, can't imagine what it would be like if it's a much bigger tank.

i don't know..i just like to think it's real. although it's funny how it's such a small body of water and such a big monster and there has never been a actual capture specimen.
and about the 14' lake trout that cichla posted, it could be a un-discovered trout of some sort. some fish looks very similiar in pattern but the size will greatly differ! a giant trout of some sort perhaps?


it's a private tank of a friend of mine that lives in suriname, luckily he gets to heat the tank for free since he's in a tropical country. but the kid that started this thread lives in new jersey, lol how are you supposed to match the faucet water temp. and tank temperature when filling the tank up??

[ccdoido38]

oh i just had to deal with a guy on craigslist looking for big arapaimas for his tank, i asked how big it was and he told me it was a 55gallon.
i then asked if he's aware of the adult size of the fish? and he said, he just wanted it so he can show off to his friends....


nice moray on the avatar by the way

[SimonL]

That's why someone like arapaimag needs to share experience with big tanks in cold climates :) No one else can give decent advice about the costs...

I have no opinion about this "giant trout"...I find the notion of giant undiscovered fish much easier to believe than Loch Ness...My favorite example of cryptid fish BS is the "Lake Iliamna Monster" which seems to resemble a sturgeon in every way...except it's TWENTY FEET LONG (no wait, that sounds like a sturgeon too). ;) Not to mention they get White sturgeon in that area too lol.

[ccdoido38]

hey how do you do water changes for tropical tanks at public aquariums?

at monterey bay aquarium; i read that they have this pump and they just get the water from the bay into the main tank, but again that's just native fish.

how do you heat the water when doing water changes?


haha, i also want to know more about bigfoot and chupa-cabra.
maybe an escaped pet gorilla? and an escaped tazmanian devil??lol

[SimonL]

Sorry, it's just a huge fish store lol, you'd have to ask someone else. If public aquariums are anything like us, there's a constant drip feed of clean water into the system.

[bigspizz]

hey how do you do water changes for tropical tanks at public aquariums?

at monterey bay aquarium; i read that they have this pump and they just get the water from the bay into the main tank, but again that's just native fish.

how do you heat the water when doing water changes?


haha, i also want to know more about bigfoot and chupa-cabra.
maybe an escaped pet gorilla? and an escaped tazmanian devil??lol




lol

[ccdoido38]

Sorry, it's just a huge fish store lol, you'd have to ask someone else. If public aquariums are anything like us, there's a constant drip feed of clean water into the system.

oh i see

[thefishguy7]

people, thanks for the heads up, no pima for me, just a semi-large tank, some motoros, and a pbass.