Lophiosilurus alexandri

Just wanted to make a thread where I can post all the "happenings" with my new pacman. This is where I plan on posting all of my pictures and videos of his growth, feeding habits, and anything else noteworthy. He arrived in tip-top shape on Friday (thanks again Wes!), and is currently in a 75 gal. quarantine at my friend Aaron's (knifegill, here on MFK) place. He took to cut smelt and earthworms the day after his arrival, and appears to be in great shape!

This has been one of my dream fish for many years, and I am very glad to say I finally have one in my collection. My hat is forever off to Wes, from Rare Fish, for bringing in such wonderful stock. This specimen has been a long time coming!

Not the greatest photos, they're mainly to document him in the bag, and his first moments in the new tank:

I am sure I will get much enjoyment out of this specimen over the years! Their flattened appearance has significant eye appeal to me. I am "chomping at the bit" to see him at 12"+! Miguel, six 2' Lophiosilurus sounds amazing! My ultimate goal is to grow him as close to the suggested maximum of 30" as his genetics will allow. I'm hoping my 240 will be large enough for a few years before upgrading!

ray777, it will be interesting to see how we both get on with these guys! I have heard quite mixed opinions about growth rates, so it will be nice to have something to contribute to the knowledge base of this sorely under appreciated species.

What have you all noticed in terms of growth rate? Also, have any of you had success getting them onto pelleted food? I have no qualms with feeding him the standard slew of fresh and frozen fare, I just want his diet to be "complete", with all essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Like i said before, I want this fish to grow into an absolute beast!

That's a pretty respectable growth rate. I'm going to be power feeding/water changing him, so I'm interested to see if that level of growth is expressed with my little guy. You down for a friendly grow out competition?

I'll need to try out Massivore to see if he'll take it. I also feed NLS, which is a bit harder, hopefully he won't mind. I'm also gonna need to check out your threads with your older specimens. There's surprisingly few of us working with this species, so it's always a treat to see other hobbyists mature specimens!

divemaster99 said:

Pretty cool catfish! Wish I had space for those larger more voracious catfish

Click to expand...

Yes they're very cool! Top 5 favorite cats of all time for me. I've been waiting almost 6 years for a tank large enough to house larger cats. If you stick with the hobby, larger tanks are sure to follow. Sometimes it just takes a while!