Aba Aba Knifefish!

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I

Industrial

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 22, 2010
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Buffalo, NY
I am interested in Aba Knifefish. Aba Knives are my favorite fish, but I know for sure I will never be able to house one. :cry:

Anyways, I am wondering if anybody has any pictures of info of Aba Knives. All I have heard on them is that they grow to 5 feet and weight 42lbs (I am sure this is a record, rather than an average). Has anybody ever kept them? And what is the largest size they were ever raised to?
 
It is fairly hard to keep these guys. My personal experiances have been very heartbreaking if you will. Or I just have bad luck. Most are gotten at egg sac sized. I've never seen one for sale bigger then 6".. this is the hard part. Getting them eating and acclimated. They are WC as far as I am aware. And being knives are delicate to begin with. They do get large 3'+ in captivity, and are very aggressive. ideally a single specimin tank. They are to the Knife world What the Ariapima is to the Arrowana world, and teh Alligator Gar is to the Gar world.

I have a planted system seeded with snails, guppies, and blackworms that has been running for a few monthe now as it is... In trying to get one of these fish. This will be my 3rd attempt at keeping one.. and likely my last.
 
I just got one yesterday, 10"...maybe 12".
This morning before the light, I dropped a few masivor pellets in and it started eating.
I wanted one for as long as I can remember but timing and availability has kept me waiting!
Ideally you want to buy a larger one. Not speaking from experience just what I read here. The smaller ones, less than 6", are fragile.
They seem to be available in the spring and you will see them on aqua bid soon.
Good luck!
 
Industrial;4760890; said:
I am interested in Aba Knifefish. Aba Knives are my favorite fish, but I know for sure I will never be able to house one. :cry:

Anyways, I am wondering if anybody has any pictures of info of Aba Knives. All I have heard on them is that they grow to 5 feet and weight 42lbs (I am sure this is a record, rather than an average). Has anybody ever kept them? And what is the largest size they were ever raised to?
Click to expand...

Mine is a few inches over 36. We were unable to measure him when he was moved in November. I had planned on moving him to my 810 but it just did not happen so he now is in a 520 he was in a 480 prior to that.

I got him as a baby from John at Pets PLus in Lockport NY which is not too far from you.

I know of one that was in a local pet shop in Toronto that was sold to the Toronto Zoo at about 20". It lived there for many years and appeared to be about 60" long when it passed away.

A curator friend at the zoo also confirmed that size when it died.
 
I got mine at 7" in July. He has more than doubled in size since then. He started in a 75 and is now in a 125. He hides during the day but patrols the tank like a shark at night. He comes to the surface at 10:00 pm every night when I drop in tilapia or shrimp. I offer him a few feeders about once per week. If I give him too many feeders he kills the ones he does not want or he will just eat the heads. I only turn the light on over his tank when I am cleaning it. Otherwise, he seems happier in a darker tank.
 
Wow, so over 3' isn't unusual in captivity and they do grow quickly!

We just got some at work through our wholesaler. They still have their yolk sacks! Part of me wants to buy him and see if I can get him past that stage and keep him until he gets too large and rehome him, but then the other part of me hates rehoming fish :help2:

Hey, arapaimag, I live near the Fish Place in North Tonawanda. Would you want a free aba knife in a couple of months? :ROFL:
 
Industrial;4826739; said:
Wow, so over 3' isn't unusual in captivity and they do grow quickly!

We just got some at work through our wholesaler. They still have their yolk sacks! Part of me wants to buy him and see if I can get him past that stage and keep him until he gets too large and rehome him, but then the other part of me hates rehoming fish :help2:

Hey, arapaimag, I live near the Fish Place in North Tonawanda. Would you want a free aba knife in a couple of months? :ROFL:
Click to expand...

Thanks I love the aba aba but I must pass. I don't have an extra 500 to 1,000 gallon tank to keep him in.

Mine never grew fast I bought this one from John in 2000 at 7" and it has only grown 31" to 32" since I bought it with minimal growth the past 4 years.

Which store do you work in?
 
So my boss was telling me, he knows and aquarium that would want a large Aba Knive, so I am thinking I will get it and grow it out for a bit :headbang2. I am kind of doubtful, it will last long since it's still digesting it's egg sac, but I want to make sure there is somewhere to put it incase it does get big.

arapaimag;4828263; said:
Thanks I love the aba aba but I must pass. I don't have an extra 500 to 1,000 gallon tank to keep him in.

Mine never grew fast I bought this one from John in 2000 at 7" and it has only grown 31" to 32" since I bought it with minimal growth the past 4 years.

Which store do you work in?
Click to expand...

I work at the Fish Place :headbang2
 
Industrial;4826739; said:
Wow, so over 3' isn't unusual in captivity and they do grow quickly!

We just got some at work through our wholesaler. They still have their yolk sacks! Part of me wants to buy him and see if I can get him past that stage and keep him until he gets too large and rehome him, but then the other part of me hates rehoming fish :help2:

Hey, arapaimag, I live near the Fish Place in North Tonawanda. Would you want a free aba knife in a couple of months? :ROFL:
Click to expand...

Do you still have any in stock?
 
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