ID sharks theories?

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Stavfish

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Went in the pond today to get the 6 big plecos out....they are going to 6 separate ponds so good homes to each of these two + footers! My two I'd's sharks are huge... They have grown almost 6 inches in the past 4 months or so. They are now pushing close to 3 feet and show no signs of stopping anytime soon. Fresh water only.... Just a hint of salt to assist in gill function and electrolyte balance. Sharing with RTC'S , Arows and Pacu... All are huge. Water quality and space is key to growing all these guys out and longevity ... I'm sure they'll all outlive me.


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Chub_by

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I think it's incredible that you manage to raise those fish in Arizona! Is there a thread where we can see frequent updates and pics of this amazing pond?

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thebiggerthebetter

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Chub_by said:
I think it's incredible that you manage to raise those fish in Arizona! Is there a thread where we can see frequent updates and pics of this amazing pond?
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I'd very much enjoy seeing these too. 2'+ plecos? What kind? I thought only certain ancistrus attain 2'-3'. 3' IDS in captivity could be a record - it'd be lovely to see that, especially with the evidence of size, if you are willing. Anyway, your pond and fish sound great!
 
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Chub_by

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Several plecos grow to over 2' - members of the Glyphtocherichthys, Liposarcus, and Acanthicus Genus' for example.

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thebiggerthebetter

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thebiggerthebetter

thebiggerthebetter

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Moontanman

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I know this resurrecting a dead thread but I would like to discuss this idea of stunted vs possible species.

I to have kept a pangasius shark that stayed small no matter what i did. A pet shop owner gave him to me when the fish was about 10 to 11 inches long. Supposedly he had been kept in a ten gallon tank for several years and had outgrown it. I took him home and after a few days of quarantine I put him in my 125. He ate like a pig, didn't bother even small fish like cardinals.

He drew the wrath of an elephant nose fish for some reason and it harassed him incessantly , seeming to give him a slight electric shock when they encountered each other.

I had the pangasius shark for several years, he never grew perceptively and stayed around 11" long.

I live where I can put my fish outside for 8 months a year in my yard pond so the pangasius got to vacation every summer in a several hundred gallon yard pond. He was easy to catch, wasn't nervous or skittish like most pangasius sharks are. In fact he would take food from my hand.

Most of the time i fed the fish in the 125 daphnia that I raise, trout worms, opened clams and Hikari pellets, the micro pellets if I remember correctly.

He spent at least three summers in the pond but one day I came home from work to hear my neighbor tell me how a huge bird was in my pond, she thought it was beautiful but that bird/Heron pretty much cleaned out my pond including the pangasius shark.

I tried to compare him to other pangasius sharks in the pet shop hoping to find one just like the one that became bird food but I couldn't find one that was any different than the rest of them...

I have honestly given some thought to seeing if I could reproduce the stunting, maybe buy 12 and put them in a 40 breeder tank and see if any of them stop growing at around 10" or so.

The one I had made a striking display swimming around among tetras and other small fish. The only other fish close to his size was an elephant nose fish and three 12" hog chokers i raised from larvae.
 
thebiggerthebetter

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I'll just copy my replies from the PCF. Nothing new to you, Michael.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=43830#p298949

My experience and my take on this is that there appears to be two large groups of IDS in the trade, ones that grow big and quick (~1.5' in the first year, 2'+ in 2 years) and ones that grow slow and to a small size, usually 8"-10". These I think are the dinks and runts, just as your paddlefish were, Michael, culled from the fish farms that produce tonnes of IDS for food.

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I doubt you'd find anybody, at least on here or MFK, who would support or at least be indifferent to an intentional stunting of a fish. Many people do it unintentionally left and right and then get unpleasant comments for it. Intentionally doing so is considered probably by most or all an animal cruelty.

One advice I can give is that when you go to an LFS and see a bunch of IDS, pick the smallest. In general, they come in at 2"-3". If you see a 4"-5" and larger IDS, that's likely a normal one that should grow quick and big.

Sometimes, I keep visiting the same LFS and seeing the same IDS group for weeks or months, when the sales are slow. At the end of this period it may become clear which ones have a higher chance to stay smaller and which ones do not.
 
thebiggerthebetter

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