it appears now some time after the incodent to be acting more normal. still sluggish abd with some head damage. it hit at full speed, and that caused it to hit my overflow box and get stuck for a few seconds before fliping off. it then was floating upside down until it spasumed and righted itself. it has been breathing heavally for some time but seems to be slowing down. might make it from the looks of things right now.
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They are indeed major league glass bangers. I have always treated my Bowfins exactly like gars and staged growout tanks moving them from 20's as babies to 40 breeders as YOY Juvies to 65/ 70's at the 13ish" mark.
I kept on in a 65 and one in my deck pond to around 18". I moved the 18" from the 65 to a 90 along with a 12+" bullhead catfish (cleaner) and around a dozen or so 4" - 5" turquoise Jewel cichlids (feeders) in late spring. The Bowfin split the seem of 90 prompting me to hasten the ultimate goal to introduce them to my spring fed farm pond.
I moved both 18+" Bowfins from the 90 and the deck pond, the bullhead from the 90, the 23" LNG & a 14" albino channel catfish from the deck pond all down to the farm pond.
The large feeder jewels had me sweating bullets. I put them in a 40 breeder growout with two of the male juvie bowfins I got from you, and two 11" & 13" FL. Gars. I would have never attempted the combo except in this emergency. The Jewels are way too big for feeders for these guys, but have yet to see any issues between species.
My 16" Ornate bichir that I have with the two remaining Females that I got from you had acted as an excellent dither for quite some time in a 65 I have in my bedroom, but just recently has started occasionally nipping at either female causing massive glass banging. The femmies are close to the same size as the Bichir, but thicker. The 65 is way too small for them to get enough speed to hurt themselves, but I sure do hope that the 65 will last until spring so I can migrate them from there!