Aba aba?

[Tucc185]

I got an aba aba (Gymnarchus niloticus) in at work today, and I realized I knew almost nothing about them. They look like they have some sort of electric sensing capability, but not sure. What water conditions do they prefer? foods? Any special requirements?

 

[DeLgAdO]

they are weakly electrical and have a bite that hurts like hell

their super agressive i hear

 

[Tucc185]

Whoa! That's a whole lot bigger than the one at the store!

 

[Oddball]

I really hope you have him in a tank by itself. The one guarantee with an aba is it WILL kill anything you try to keep with it.

 

[WckedMidas]

rom what i understand they dont start getting agressive till there like around the 10 inch mark or so. when there smaller there real fragil and die easy. And when small dont take abuse very well

 

[Chad]

I'm actually trying one out tomorrow. I believe the aba aba is around 14 inches. I've heard they are like chainsaws with fins.

Also, I've been told they have very poor vision. Thus, they will taste about anything they come near.

 

[magic]

How big do they get? Is that the fish that ppl claim eat crocodiles??

 

[Fruitbat]

The Aba Aba (Gymnarchus niloticus) has been recorded to lengths of about 167cm (65 inches - nearly 6 feet) and weights up to 18.5kg (about 41 pounds). They are definitely fish to be kept by themselves in a VERY large aquarium (eventually) because of their nasty disposition and ferocious jaws. They do not content themselves with biting only other fish and there have been reports of them biting aquarium heaters in half and ripping internal filters to bits. Best to consider titanium heaters and make sure that all of your filtration is external. They are also known to push even heavy aquarium lids off and jump to their deaths....so extra weight on the aquarium top is in order.

-Joe

 

[magic]

How big of a tank does one of those beasts need? Are they very active?

 

[Oddball]

This fish will eventually need a tank measuring 8ft x 6ft. Adults are not too flexible and require a tank with a large footprint just to turn around. That's a lot of tank to devote to one fish.
I had an albino aba for about 5 years that never grew over 34" (hit 34" at roughly 3 years). I don't know if this size is the result of having been captive-bred or, if I was missing an essential element in its diet that it needed to promote growth.