Lumpy continues to do well, and is displaying even more of his trademark sparkling charm lately. Both my feeding and his growth are slowing down; he's over 20 inches, so has gained only about 6 inches in the past two years or so. I wish that I had kept better records...i.e any records!...of his growth. I have switched him over from Massivore to Northfin jumbo pellets, based upon the list of ingredients and also the simple fact that they are a Canadian product which has recently become easy to source locally. The pellets remain the mainstay of his diet, which continues to be supplemented with...just about everything...
I long ago removed his ceramic-tile cave, simply because he was getting a bit too big to really utilize it. I had toyed with the notion of building him another, twice as long at 24 inches, but in the end decided that he seemed quite comfortable without the bulky construct in his tank. Same with driftwood; just takes up too much room, plus he periodically got into spats with this or that piece and attempted to beat them up, which often resulted in scratches and scrapes on him, so it had to go. His tank now contains a half-dozen flowerpots, each siliconed to a flat piece of ceramic tile to prevent tipping, and each containing a single Amazon Sword. When he was closer to a foot in length, the Swords did very well; now, sadly, they are battered and beaten, with many snapped and dying leaves, caused by his bulky body continually forcing itself into gaps that are just a wee bit too small for it, or simply coming to rest on top of the plants. They are still healthy and growing well, but they are no longer pretty.
Lumpy likes to split his time between resting vertically propped up against the tank side, and reclining like a mini version of Jabba the Hut on the bottom. His head is almost always pointed towards the top and/or the front; ya never know when food is in the offing. He's managed to get hold of me a couple more times in the past year, always releasing at once but still waking me right up. He is beyond fearless; when I am scraping the front glass, I must fend him off with a net at all times. He comes forward immediately and...usually...stops an inch away and just sits there grumbling, watching my hand intently and following it closely as I move around. You can practically hear him thinking: "Is that a worm...or a finger. Maybe I should test it to be sure..."
I am very careful to wash my hands ahead of time, and to handle no food or other fishy stuff before cleaning the algae. I don't want him to grab hold sometime...and then not let go...
I usually keep a large net right in front of him to prevent surprises; if I mistakenly use a net too small, as I did yesterday, he just grabs my hand and/or the scraper and engulfs a corner of the net at the same time. Loads of fun.
I've noticed that
thebiggerthebetter
's big Jelly Cat seems to display a squarer, more blocky head profile than Lumpy has for most of his life, but now he too seems to be getting that "look". Is it a sexual dimorphism of some sort? I don't believe Lumpy is obese, as I am careful with his food intake, and his slower growth makes me think I'm striking a good balance. Perhaps just a normal change that comes with age and size? I don't recall my old Jelly, way back in the day, looking this way...but I had nothing to compare him to, not even in pictures, so maybe I'm way off in that thinking.
Thought I'd have some pics, but messed them up badly. Soon...I'm hoping one of our catfish gurus can determine sex with a close-up of Lumpy's naughty bits.