4th of July Army
- Thread starter ShadowStryder
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Very nice!
They will grow insanely fast if you keep them well fed. Great fish forsure!
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They will grow insanely fast if you keep them well fed. Great fish forsure!
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Couple pics and vid of my trio feeding. Put on at least an inch + since I got them. White edging is appearing on tails.
Question to more experienced Armatus keepers, is it common for there to be a color variance in individuals. One of the trio is a light golden while the other two are more of a bronze.
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Question to more experienced Armatus keepers, is it common for there to be a color variance in individuals. One of the trio is a light golden while the other two are more of a bronze.
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Very nice!
Hard to see the color difference in the pics and vid but they deff all look armatus.
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Hard to see the color difference in the pics and vid but they deff all look armatus.
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
I believe it was DonH or someone over on Wolves that had a great pic of the 2 different shades of Armatus facing each other.
Definitely 2 different shades.
How long are you going to keep them on feeders?
Do you have any way to monitor TDS or conductivity?
Definitely 2 different shades.
How long are you going to keep them on feeders?
Do you have any way to monitor TDS or conductivity?
Thanks Trev....
One is definitely lighter, almost golden. No meters of any kind and as for as feeders I am considering keeping them on some type of live foods. Even of that means buying cheap large cichlids. Wondering if the need for everyone in the US's drive to convert to prepared or frozens foods isnt contributing to the early demise of them. Maybe something as simple as them needing a specific nutrient from bones, brains and/or guts. Maybe I will feed some frogsI believe it was DonH or someone over on Wolves that had a great pic of the 2 different shades of Armatus facing each other.
Definitely 2 different shades.
How long are you going to keep them on feeders?
Do you have any way to monitor TDS or conductivity?
I will have to go check and see if I can find those pics on Wolves.
Thanks Al.
The way I see it, not seeing monster Armatus has to either be due to food or water. It's definitely not a lack of effort that's for sure!! Maybe they all do crash into the lids. Many different factors, but the way I look at it, it's easier to address food then water. So I'm assuming it's the water. LOL. IF it's the water then "what" in the water? My guess is the conductivity # being 20-40 times what it is in nature might be it. IF the osmoregulatory system isn't designed for this why would it work fine in it? I really hope it isn't but it shouldn't be hard to prove or disprove if we all have these fish and all watch the numbers and all keep tabs on diet. Everyone working together will get us big ones a lot faster then chalking it up under "a mystery death" cause there doesn't seem to be any good explanations considering how many are bought young and how many get BIG. IF it comes down to it I'm going to start hoaring out my meter and we'll all send it around keeping tabs on different tank numbers. We sure as heck don't have anything to loose, except maybe a few Armatus???
I bet Armatus won't do no frog.....
I bet Armatus won't do no frog.....
Im feeding mine wild caught feeders. I figure they cant be worse then store bought platys, after all they raised around me in outdoor ponds anyhow.
Once larger I will transition to dead but whole fishes as food because during the winter I will have a tougher time getting live. No pellets or krill or anything like that for my trio. When larger I will have no source of live fresh water feeders but I will have a huge fresh, local and free source of food for them but they will be caught in the Gulf, so they wont survive in my tank and will have to be fed dead. Cigar minnows (scad), mullet, sardines, alewives, menhaden, squid, etc I catch easily and constantly have a freezer full due to my job as a fishing guide.
As for your water hypothesis vs the guys in Asia. The US is a LARGE country with all kinds of different water, IF it was just water conditions, would we not see some guys in some locals having better results then others? Heck you go from county to county and the water can vary a good bit sometimes! Are the guys in Asia on a whole having better results then us? OR is it because "monster fish keeping" is more popular over there hence we are seeing more examples of success but when in fact they are having just as many issues as we are?
Im going to guess its just more of a large sensitive high DO demanding fish living in cramped spaces having to do with their demise then anything else. Sure armatus are found in some lakes but for the most part the species inhabits fast moving highly oxygenated rivers. I think they need lots of DO, lots of water movement and lots of food. It seems the guys over in Asia with big armatus constantly have live food in their tanks. My little guys ALWAYS have a full belly now that Im leaving live feeders in there all of the time. Im guessing the three go through over a dozen 1-2" mosquito fish a day! Once larger and needing larger foods that I cant provide from my creek I will just have to feed them constantly from my frozen supply which I just happen to be lucky enough to have!
Once larger I will transition to dead but whole fishes as food because during the winter I will have a tougher time getting live. No pellets or krill or anything like that for my trio. When larger I will have no source of live fresh water feeders but I will have a huge fresh, local and free source of food for them but they will be caught in the Gulf, so they wont survive in my tank and will have to be fed dead. Cigar minnows (scad), mullet, sardines, alewives, menhaden, squid, etc I catch easily and constantly have a freezer full due to my job as a fishing guide.
As for your water hypothesis vs the guys in Asia. The US is a LARGE country with all kinds of different water, IF it was just water conditions, would we not see some guys in some locals having better results then others? Heck you go from county to county and the water can vary a good bit sometimes! Are the guys in Asia on a whole having better results then us? OR is it because "monster fish keeping" is more popular over there hence we are seeing more examples of success but when in fact they are having just as many issues as we are?
Im going to guess its just more of a large sensitive high DO demanding fish living in cramped spaces having to do with their demise then anything else. Sure armatus are found in some lakes but for the most part the species inhabits fast moving highly oxygenated rivers. I think they need lots of DO, lots of water movement and lots of food. It seems the guys over in Asia with big armatus constantly have live food in their tanks. My little guys ALWAYS have a full belly now that Im leaving live feeders in there all of the time. Im guessing the three go through over a dozen 1-2" mosquito fish a day! Once larger and needing larger foods that I cant provide from my creek I will just have to feed them constantly from my frozen supply which I just happen to be lucky enough to have!
ATF live in just as if not more turbulent conditions then Armatus. There's no issue with raising them. Coincidence they come from harder water?
Who most consistently raises big Armatus over here? The guys in California. The guys with soft enough water that they're prone to PH crashes.
Look at discus. Do people breed Discus in tap water?
Sounds simple enough to feed them different food. Can't wait to see your monster sized Armatus JD.
Who most consistently raises big Armatus over here? The guys in California. The guys with soft enough water that they're prone to PH crashes.
Look at discus. Do people breed Discus in tap water?
Sounds simple enough to feed them different food. Can't wait to see your monster sized Armatus JD.
Do you have data of the water params for the hundreds of rivers in a half dozen countries that armatus are found in? I have a hard time believing they are all soft with a low ph!
Do all of the guys in cali have soft water? Or, is it because MOST "MFKers" are in Cali? I think its hard to say and comparing discus to armatus is not a fair comparison IMO. Discus have a small range and inhabit small areas within that range. Armatus are found in many different river basins in South American and in fact, are pelagic themselves capable of traveling over large distances encountering many different water conditions, unlike a discus.
Not all water in South America is soft, nor acidic.
Im not disagreeing with you but just bringing up other questions.
As for no issues raising GATFs, I dont see that many big ones in the US either unless Im missing something. Plus you have to consider the price difference between the two and who is more likely to buy what. So many variables...so little time!!!
Do all of the guys in cali have soft water? Or, is it because MOST "MFKers" are in Cali? I think its hard to say and comparing discus to armatus is not a fair comparison IMO. Discus have a small range and inhabit small areas within that range. Armatus are found in many different river basins in South American and in fact, are pelagic themselves capable of traveling over large distances encountering many different water conditions, unlike a discus.
Not all water in South America is soft, nor acidic.
Im not disagreeing with you but just bringing up other questions.
As for no issues raising GATFs, I dont see that many big ones in the US either unless Im missing something. Plus you have to consider the price difference between the two and who is more likely to buy what. So many variables...so little time!!!
