Very interesting. Makes me wonder about the "Max" size of other fish too.
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20 inch ex-Cichlasoma festae
- Thread starter RD.
- Start date
Thank you for sharing this information Neil!! Interesting to know new information on the fish we keep/love. I applaud you for sharing this information and it would not be MFK if there weren't a few scrooges who try to cloud a thread (that was made to help educate/enlighten) with their idiocy.
Give me a few days.
On another note how is it so hard to believe a fish grew passed its assumed max size? It happens with many other animals in the wild. Even in the hobby in captive raised fish there have been on this very website reports of fish going beyond their "max size" how is this a weird unfathomable concept?
Bristlenose plecos max size 6-7"? Ive seen 12-15".
Jack dempsey 12"? Max size ive seen 18" long 6" tall.
There are constant reports of fish that exceed their expected max sizes. Do you really need pictures to believe this?
reports of a fish they saw with the head of a monkey by unknowns then fine pictures required. But animal grew to larger than normal proportions and documented by a scientific research and wildlife team, and something that happens often in the animal kingdom, I say thanks for the report sir, I'm good.
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I have no doubt that many super sized fish exist and do occur fairly regularly. However, the internet brings out the over-exaggerater in al of us, so naturally people are sceptical of anyone claiming to have something exceptional without offering any proof, especially when it is fairly easy to provide with a camera and a tape or an object to show scale.
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Nice thread RD. Funny people doubting the size of the fish, like scientists have something to gain by overstating it?
Anyway, here's a picture for people.
My male, somewhere very close to the 12" mark TL? Hard to imagine that fish being 8" longer.
I've seen Mel's festae in person and I can vouch that his males are bigger than the one I have pictured above.
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Anyway, here's a picture for people.
My male, somewhere very close to the 12" mark TL? Hard to imagine that fish being 8" longer.
I've seen Mel's festae in person and I can vouch that his males are bigger than the one I have pictured above.
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Balton had at one time stated that his male was 14", and after viewing the various photos & vids of these fish over the years I certainly have no reason to doubt him. IMO still one of the nicest adult pairs of festae that I have ever seen, on MFK or otherwise.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?467759-Few-Pics-of-the-Festae
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R46jVTwNKSc
And here's a past thread started by Balton, titled; "Where's all the Big Festae?".
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?428214-Where-s-all-the-Big-Festae
Plenty of very large male & female festae shown in that past discussion, several males in the 14-16" range. According to Mel, his largest male was only 10" at that time (Oct 2011)
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?467759-Few-Pics-of-the-Festae
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R46jVTwNKSc
And here's a past thread started by Balton, titled; "Where's all the Big Festae?".
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?428214-Where-s-all-the-Big-Festae
Plenty of very large male & female festae shown in that past discussion, several males in the 14-16" range. According to Mel, his largest male was only 10" at that time (Oct 2011)
The 1st behemoth male Festae I ever laid eyes on was a verified 17". He was measured prior to being quarantined. He had come in on a 4 box shipment from Ecuador back in the early 90's via Suriname Tropicals out of Hollywood, Fl. He was infested with internal parasites as were the others and it took quite some time to eradicate them. I have yet to see a male on this site or any other that was as long as him.
Now if he could attain that length with parasites ravaging his body, I could certainly see a healthier one under the right circumstances hitting 20". But the one RD references is likely more exception than rule. I also firmly believe 17-18" ones to be exceptions as well. We never ever came across another one that size in many subsequent orders from the same Ecuadorian supplier. Most of the lurkers we are seeing nowadays are likely in the 14-15" range. They are the same size as some of the larger ones I saw in some Ecuadorian marketplaces a few years back.
Bear in mind, a thick 14" male with a high profile and pristine trailers can certainly be mistaken for a 16" fish when just eyeballing him. I had one like that and some buddies could not be convinced he was only 14" till I put a tape to him.
But there's not 1 justifiable reason to doubt RD's findings. The research seems rather sound to me, pics or not.
PS
Are pics of ones moms and pops romping in the hay needed to justify their authenticity as ones parents? Jes saying!
Now if he could attain that length with parasites ravaging his body, I could certainly see a healthier one under the right circumstances hitting 20". But the one RD references is likely more exception than rule. I also firmly believe 17-18" ones to be exceptions as well. We never ever came across another one that size in many subsequent orders from the same Ecuadorian supplier. Most of the lurkers we are seeing nowadays are likely in the 14-15" range. They are the same size as some of the larger ones I saw in some Ecuadorian marketplaces a few years back.
Bear in mind, a thick 14" male with a high profile and pristine trailers can certainly be mistaken for a 16" fish when just eyeballing him. I had one like that and some buddies could not be convinced he was only 14" till I put a tape to him.
But there's not 1 justifiable reason to doubt RD's findings. The research seems rather sound to me, pics or not.
PS
Are pics of ones moms and pops romping in the hay needed to justify their authenticity as ones parents? Jes saying!
That's partly my reason for being a sceptic, I've even done it myself. I'd have sworn my biggest clown loach was 10", but sure enough when we caught it she was more like a solid 8". Same with my big old ornate bichir. Strangely enough my male festae was one of the fee fish I've ever under estimated in size....
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There is no reason to doubt this kind of data from a university research team.
What is often doubtfull is somebodies guessitimate on the length of a fish.....more often then not, when an aquarists claims a fish is a certain length, the fish was never actually measured. A guessitimate is good enough to give a general idea of a fish being big or small, but in terms of being accurate, is just a pretend made-up number.
What is often doubtfull is somebodies guessitimate on the length of a fish.....more often then not, when an aquarists claims a fish is a certain length, the fish was never actually measured. A guessitimate is good enough to give a general idea of a fish being big or small, but in terms of being accurate, is just a pretend made-up number.
