Payara captive care guide

xander

Manjuari
MFK Member
Sep 6, 2007
8,535
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555
Singapore
Hi guys, this's a draft we've come up with. need to add any final ideas etc tht u might have. pics will be added in the actual thread.

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Co-Authors: Xander13 (Alexander), Vamptrev (Trev)
Photos by: Xander13, Vamptrev, rk59, milokai, jlnguyen74, Tigirinus
Edited, Arranged, and Referenced by Alexander


*** All Captive Care Information & Images Copyright 2008 Alexander OR used with permission. No material (listed above) may be reproduced without permission.


Payara, Hydrolycus Sp
General Captive care notes

Distribution & Habitat:
Fast flowing rivers in South America, Venezuela

Biology:
Payara are silvery fish that come in a whole range of sizes, from 11inches up to more than 24inches. They live in warm, fast flowing waters that are highly oxygenated. They catch Ich easily and have delicate skins.

Water Conditions:
pH-It’s better to let it adapt to your water pH than try to change yours to match its needs. They do fine in pH of 7.0-8.0

Water Temperature-They do like warm water between 80-88degF is fine. Also the owner likes it too as Payara easily get Ich (and the warmer water along with salt cures ich). Just remember, these fish need lots of oxygen in their waters, and warmer water can hold less oxygen, so a strong air pump is a very worthwhile addition to the tank.

Current- Payara are river fish, and fish from rivers need high currents in their home. A strong pump should be used to provide sufficient water movement in the tank.

Food/Feeding:
Payara will readily accept live foods, although some persistence and starving (try not to let him go for more than 2 weeks without food) might be necessary to wean him off live and onto meaty prepared foods like shrimp/prawns.

Increasing growth rates:
An extract on increasing growth rates.
"I noticed a huge growth spurt on mine was actually when he was in my sump when I was re-doing my 600. Reason being is that I had my pump (Dolphin Amp 3000) re-directed to my 125 sump. You can imagine the current being pushed through. The Armatus was basically forced to swim against the current. The constant activity helped burn & digest the food faster increasing his metabolism. Soon as I threw Goldfish in their it was quickly eaten. I believe an Armatus does not require heavy current, but helps in his growth since he's constantly burning food faster. Now, that he's back in the 600 he does not strike at goldfish as fast as he use to."-R1_Ridah (2007)

Hazardous tank mates:
Plecos are not encouraged to be added as tank mates while the payara is small, if they get attacked/their slime sucked off by the Plecos; it's going to be fatal. It’s just not worth the risk.

Hydrolycus Armatus

Captive Max Size:
2ft++.

Growth Rate:
Their estimated (unestablished) yearly sizes are --1st yr: 12inches, 2nd yr: 16inches, and gain around 2-4inches per year after that. You can expect slow growth rates up to 5inches, and then it’s between 0.5inches to 2inches pre month, depending on water conditions, temp, feedings etc.

Tank mates & Temperament:
The temperament of these fish depends greatly on individual specimens, some Armatus are fine with tank mates, and some are not. The general rule of thumb however, is that Armatus are very aggressive fish. Armatus can be mixed with other large fish, as long as they are large enough not to be eaten. You’ll be amazed at how much an Armatus can stuff down its belly. I’ve personally had my 14inch Armatus down a 7inch catfish, and another member had his 20inch Armatus eat a 10inch tank mate. So as long as it’s not small enough to be swallowed, you could give it a try. However let it be noted that Armatus tend to be very territorial and fend tank mates off their territories vigilantly. They also have a dislike for silvery fish, tending to kill other Payaras. Despite this, there are many people I know (personally and on forums) that have kept Armatus communities in relatively small tanks.

Tank size:

There is no standard fixed size you should keep an Armatus in. Just bear in mind that these are extremely strong, skittish, claustrophobic fish that require a very large footprint. When maxed out (more than 24inches), I’d say a good sized tank would be at least 10ft by 4ft. However, this is not necessary for an Armatus to survive. A good friend of mine had two 14inch Armatus and two 12inch African tigerfishes in a 4ft by 1.5ft tank, with no problems at all, tank got he upgraded it recently. Having said this, it is not advised to keep armatus’s in small tanks. “Housed in small tank you will never get the same
activity and personality than having him in a bigger tank where he feels comfortable. Which is very noticeable. Provide enough footprint for this specie and you will enjoy.”-R1_Ridah(2007). A good sized tank for your average 12inch-18inch Armatus can be anywhere from 4x2x2 to 6x3x2. It’s more or less up to you to gauge if he has enough space.

Identification:
1-They normally swim at a levelled position
2-Have much larger tails, broader bodies, a downturned head and generally larger fangs
3-Red/orange adipose fin
4-Black slash behind gill plate
5-White edged caudal fin
6-Clear caudal fin base turning to black (but red variants have been coming out as of late.)
7-Quoting JD7.62,
"The key to IDing an Armatus vs. tat is the adipose fin. That is it. The adipose of the Armatus is orange. A tats adipose fin can also be orange BUT it will MATCH the colour the tats caudal fin. In other words, if the adipose fin contrasts highly with the colour of the caudal fin, it is an Armatus."

Hydrolycus Tatauia/Red Tail Payara

Captive Max Size:
The largest we’ve seen in the home aquarium is around 12inches. (Unestablished)

Growth Rate:
Their estimated (unestablished) yearly sizes are --1st yr: 6inches, 2nd yr: around 10inches. After that they grow even more slowly. To have an 18inch specimen is extremely impressive, and to date I doubt we’ve seen anything larger than 12inches. You can expect their best growth rates (between 4-8inches) to be at 0.5inches per month

Tank mates & Temperament:
The temperament of these fish depends greatly on individual specimens, some Tatauia are intolerable of other silvery, non-Tatauia fish. But most are fine. Much more outgoing than Scombs, Tatauia are prefer to school rather than be kept solo. However they seem to be very shy feeders, eating mostly when the lights are out, so it’s suggested you get a night light, and watch when the REAL action comes on!

Tank size:

Requiring much less than an Armatus, a minimum tank size of 4ftx1.5ft could probably last you a long time. However an upgrade to at least a 4x2x2 is advised for a 10inch specimen.

Identification:
1-Usually swims at a low angle
2-Up turned head
3-Medium sized red(usually. sometimes there are black/yellow variants) tail
4-Red/orange adipose fin that matches the colour of its tail
5-Big black eyes

Hydrolycus Scrombrodies/Scombs

Captive Max Size:
There are very large Scombs in the hobby so the absolute maximum size is unknown. Current maximum size known is 12” in captivity (Unestablished). Beyond 12” is unheard of as this fish is identified with death by unknown reasons as well as a being susceptible to bacterial infections.

Growth Rate:
Growth rates are slow, typically around ¼” per month

Tank Mates/ Temperament:
Scombs are usually comfortable with a wide variety of tank mates as long as there isn’t a significant size difference among the fish. Scombs are fairly calm and therefore, aggressive fish can pick on them and over power them. Most tank mates will grow much faster than Scombs. They can be skittish and vulnerable with over-active tank mates

Tank Size:
Tank size can vary from 20 gallons and up, depending on the size and growth rate of the fish.

Identification:
1-Brownish tail that becomes transparent toward the back tip
2-Fairly small dark spot located behind the gill plate
3-Fins are small in size as compared to their body size
4-Have a small Pectorial Fins-again
5-Swim at a large angle

Water Conditions:
Scombs like very clean water as they are prone to bacterial infections; they do best in a constant pH, with temperatures in the low 80degressF

Medication:
The safest medication is salt as they can be very sensitive to other medications.

Raphiodon Vulpinus aka Raphs

Captive Max Size:
The largest reported size in captivity is 18” however there are few large Raphs in captivity so the maximum size is unestablished.

Growth Rates:
Growth rates are slow, typically ¼” to ½” per month

Tank Mates/ Temperament:
Raphs are comfortable with a wide variety of calm tank mates that are not over active. They get nervous easily.

Tank Size:
The fish tends to become claustrophobic as they age and therefore the tank needs to grow as the fish grows. They are known to bang their noses into the glass of the tank when getting uncomfortable

Water Conditions:
Raphiodon Vulpinus like very clean water as they are prone to bacterial infections; they do best in a constant pH, with temperatures in the low 80degressF

Medication:
The safest medication is salt as they can be very sensitive to other medications.

Identification:
1-Raphs have a very large Pectorial Fins
2-They have long skinny bodies
3-Solid silver body colour
4-Transparent tail
5-Swims at a slight to no angle

Cynodon Gibbus aka Cynos
*There is very little information on this fish

Max Captive Life Size:
Maximum Captive size is unknown due to lack of captive Cynos in the hobby

Growth Rates:
Growth rates are slow, typically ¼” per month

Tank Mates/ Temperament:

Cynos require very calm tank mates as they are intimidated very easily. When uncomfortable, they will not eat.

Tank Size:
The fish tends to become claustrophobic as they age and therefore the tank needs to grow as the fish grows. They are known to bang their noses into the glass of the tank when getting uncomfortable

Water Conditions:
Cynodon Gibbus like very clean water as they are prone to bacterial infections; they do best in a constant pH, with temperatures in the low 80degressF

Medication:
The safest medication is salt as they can be very sensitive to other medications.

Identification:
1-Round black spot located behind the gill plate
2-Solid silver colour to the body
3-Small transparent tail
 

JD7.62

Dovii
MFK Member
Sep 13, 2005
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Nice info, I think it could be written out a bit better but over all good. I do disagree with a few things. For example, some of the largest Armatus caught are NOT found in rivers rather lakes such as Lake Guri in venezuela.
 

jonahonah

Feeder Fish
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Mar 28, 2006
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when you say scombs have small pectorals all the pics i have seen the pectorals are large in relation to the other species
 

vamptrev

Silver Tier VIP
MFK Member
Apr 23, 2007
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keep the comments comming.....

please feel free to bring up any other points u might have...
 

Mystus Redtail

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jun 8, 2007
2,154
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Fishing in Wisconsin
"A good friend of mine had two 14inch Armatus and two 12inch African tigerfishes in a 4ft by 1.5ft tank, with no problems at all, tank got he upgraded it recently."

? I don't think that's grammatically correct.
 

alcohologist

Candiru
MFK Member
Apr 8, 2007
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singapore
regarding armatuses - current.
might be helpful to give a rough figure that your circulation powerhead should be pushing. maybe in relation to the fish's size? i dont know much about these fish so that's all i could think of. plus i think many people would be interested in growing out their armatuses fast.
 

DB junkie

Gold Tier VIP
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Jan 27, 2007
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I'de like to see some pics of 18 inch Rhaphs. When I asked around no one could confirm a specimen over a foot. I would say they get more aggressive with age. Mine used to be fairly passive.
 

DB junkie

Gold Tier VIP
MFK Member
Jan 27, 2007
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Should also include a breaking guide so people can get them trainerd onto dead food. I've had all species but Cynos and they are all fairly easy to get off live.
 

jonahonah

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 28, 2006
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it may be useful to have people experiences of the less hardy versions in order to warn people of the expected lifespan. This would prevent people buying say scombs for large prices and then it dying the next week none of us want that.

I know that you have mentioned the sudden death but it would be nice to have an average of when this happens because we know they usually die at 12" but people have said they last 2 weeks it cant grow that fast.
 
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