Big Charlie is sooo THICK!

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

As people have said on Facebook, its plain to see Charlie is well fed, fat and well taken care of.

As i said over on reddit, even if i could get a bigger tank (say I win the lotto tomorrow lol) the act of moving him out of this one and into another one will likely smash the **** out of him. Very big fish are hard to net and move around without them getting smashed up. I'd almost rather leave him in here in perfect health than attempt to move him and have an injury occur. But again, thats something the naysayers never consider. Most of them really dont have a clue when it comes to keeping big fish.

In the event that you can get a much larger tank one way or another, he may very well be just fine if you lower the water enough and scoop him gently enough. I don't intend to be rude, but this to me sounds a lot like another excuse not to upgrade instead of a valid reason.

I'd be interested to know how safely esoxlucius 's gourami was moved for comparison. For what it's worth he also donated some large barbs to another member (which are even more smash prone than gourami), and it went very well, which to me sheds even more doubt on the concept of moving Charlie causing an automatic smashing.

 

[FINWIN]

Lower water to 50%

Put in large white undyed towel, let it get soaked. (a beach towel for Charlie) Drain tank and roll Charlie into towel. Haul 'im out. Don't know if GGs fight but it should work. Roll snugly so he can't flop around. No point in wrassling with that sucker.

I used this method to transport my O out of the bath tub and it worked like a charm. I ordered a trout net afterwards because he still flopped and fought too much.

 

[phreeflow]

uh oh…

 

[12 Volt Man]

I don't intend to be rude, but this to me sounds a lot like another excuse not to upgrade instead of a valid reason.

I don't mean be rude either but clearly have no idea how powerful GG are. they are long and tall and are enormously strong when they freak. I have netted a big one before and I have also netted an 18 inch pacu once as well. the whole room gets wet instantly.

you are giving all these arguments that sound great to someone who has little experience with huge fish.

but those who know how it really works know better.

its also telling to me that 99.9 percent of people can see how thick and healthy Charlie is, but there is the 0.1% that insist he is doing terribly because of misconceptions about his tank size, lack of decor and "humanizing" of fish - that he must be sad, depressed and bored.. <rolls eyes>

 

[12 Volt Man]

Lower water to 50%

Put in large white undyed towel, let it get soaked. (a beach towel for Charlie) Drain tank and roll Charlie into towel. Haul 'im out. Don't know if GGs fight but it should work. Roll snugly so he can't flop around. No point in wrassling with that sucker.

I used this method to transport my O out of the bath tub and it worked like a charm. I ordered a trout net afterwards because he still flopped and fought too much.

Yeah that might be tough with a GG. Charlie is double the size of an Oscar I don't think i could get him in a towel, he would go apeshit as soon as the towel hit the water even if it were drained down. He is crazy powerful when he gets spooked.

 

[12 Volt Man]

View attachment 1496066

uh oh…

oh yeah fish police everywhere lol

 

[Friller2009]

Not to mention, .avatar--xss { width: 21px; height: 21px; line-height: 21px !important; margin-right: 2px; } duanes @duanes has had giant gourami and I'm fairly certain he said they outgrew a 568 liter. I would be interested to know his opinion on whether or not Charlie has a large enough tank and whether he is thriving or just surviving.

I think this thread needs to be linked

It is clear that 12 Volt Man cares for Charlie and knows how Charlie is. You haven’t kept any giant gouramis of Charlie’s size, so who are you to criticise him for how he is kept? Charlie seems very happy and content in his tank.

Also don’t take advice from people on reddit. They’re mostly 20 year olds still living with their parents, with the biggest fish they have ever kept being a platy or bristlenose, yet they think that they know everything. There is a reason the ‘not big enough for a Betta’ Meme exists. If you are going to take advice from someone, take it from real veterans in the aquarium hobby. Take it from people like duanes or Egon , then let them criticise someone not you.

 

[Friller2009]

"humanizing" of fish - that he must be sad, depressed and bored.

Anthropomorphism is one of the worst things to deal with when you are an animal keeper. Just because it’s alive doesn’t mean it acts like a human.
‘Give that flower horn decorations!’ Flowerhorn will bash the crap ? out of themselves on decor.
‘Why is your striped gudgeon in a small tank?! Upgrade it!!’
Gudgeons move like once a month.
‘You can’t keep snakes in tubs! They need big enclosures!’
Certainly snakes like to live in caves and only come out to eat/drink/poop.

 

[FINWIN]

Yeah that might be tough with a GG. Charlie is double the size of an Oscar I don't think i could get him in a towel, he would go apeshit as soon as the towel hit the water even if it were drained down. He is crazy powerful when he gets spooked.

A beach towel would be big enough which I mentioned I'd recommend for Charlie. Just give him a few pats and tickles to keep him calm, lol. There's a technique to it even if Charlie goes buck wild. Just get the towel under him and let him expend some energy thrashing. Brace his head away from the glass so he won't hurt himself. In the moment when he stops thrashing, grab both edges, fold over him and wrap. The key thing is wrap him snugly so he can't flop! Then haul him out like a tuna. People lift koi, rtcs and the like with canvas sacks so it can be done. You're gonna get wet anyway. Another thing that helps with huge fish like GG's is wearing textured nitrile gloves that gives you more hand control and grip (I worked in animal care before). You can even roll more towels around the perimeter of the tank to pin him in the center.

Yeah I know GG's are huge. But it's best to wrap once Charlie gets a bit tired. Don't try to do it out of the box. You gotta be patient too. A fish that's never been moved will fight the most.

Hell, I once wrassled a giant (5ft + not including tail ) pet iguana with long nails that needed clipping. Took two of us in the pet store to contain. THAT was a workout. He was a sweetheart when his feet felt better. Dumb @@s owner got a lecture from everyone in the shop, including the manager.

 

[phreeflow]

Anthropomorphism is one of the worst things to deal with when you are an animal keeper. Just because it’s alive doesn’t mean it acts like a human.
‘Give that flower horn decorations!’ Flowerhorn will bash the crap ? out of themselves on decor.
‘Why is your striped gudgeon in a small tank?! Upgrade it!!’
Gudgeons move like once a month.
‘You can’t keep snakes in tubs! They need big enclosures!’
Certainly snakes like to live in caves and only come out to eat/drink/poop.

Out of curiosity, is it that way in Australia also, or is it unique to the US? I know the folks in Asia get busted by the fish cops everytime they show pics of their setup lol. Their tanks are jammed pack with fish that look incredibly healthy but it breaks every “rule” of tank size vs fish so they get slammed. I remember back in the days when someone said a mbu puffer needs a 1000 gallon tank and that suddenly became a “rule” that spread across the Internet.