Advice on my new Cat

[koltsixx]

I already have polys, for the larger ones, I have a lap and weeksii around 13"+\- and I have an endli 16-18" which is the one I'm thinking of keeping because he has a good appetite like the lap and is active like the weeksii. Polys are pretty bullet proof ime, I've never had any issues as far as health goes with them, and back in my ignorant and irresponsible days it was one of the only fish to survive through my mistreatmeant, lol just so happens it, a mala, and a pike cichlid I had were the survivors, it was in the saxitilis group I believe, spelling maybe off haven't done research on pikes in some time. And no pikes for me, I've had some throughout out my fish keeping time, though none in the lugubris group which is probably the size I'd need now, but I don't think they'd fair well with the curu. And their shape may make him more aggressive towards them and vice versa, and I don't need a fish that he can catch try to pick a fight with him, he'll hurt them no doubt, and if they don't learn their lesson it will suck. I've looked into the atabapo I but read they get HITH easy so I strayed away, also like cincta but decided it'll get to big. And yea I like my sun cat, awesome fish, but figure the trachy can fill his niche in my tank lol, very different in behavior etc but I'm talking bioload wise, and I like the trachy more looks wise, we'll see how things pan out, I've not got a large tank to work with like many others, most will likely say my tank is cramped. Though a fts will look like there's no fish except the odoe and gold most of the time. The curu blends right in with the dw, the lap stays in the dw for the most part, sun cat swims amongst it like the others two bichirs for the most part.

I always wanted a ole big headed Weeksii, definitely one of the cooler Polys. Any collection point info on the Lap and Endli or are they CB? I've got an Endli that's CB and been with me awhile and I had a relatively big Nigerian Lap around 12-14 inches but she jumped. I've tried Polys three times, first a CB Lap which jumped on me then the Nigerian which also jumped on me. Both did so within earshot so I heard it and they where out of the water no more then 15 minutes max but both died. The 15 minutes was because they both fell behind a tank and I had to empty underneath the stand to reach them. Other then that I always struggled to make sure they got fed. Constantly overfeeding and because I did I had to up water changes and filter cleanings.

I've never had a Atabapo so can't say for sure but I've kept other Lugubris known for being susceptible to HITH and had no issue. As a matter of fact I have two Monicae?Troucha Trout pikes I got who came in with HITH but healed immediately in my setup. I think it might be more about water hardness then overall quality when it comes to Lugubris and them being prone to HITH. Then again I've also haven't had the same aggression level as I hear typically when keeping Lugubris. I had Tocantins and Tapajos groups and at the same time and they left each other and their tankmates alone. The only attention they paid was to each other and even then it was minimal. Not that I'm pushing pikes on you since you worry about the Curu. I've just found them to be IME one of my more enjoyable species of fish I've kept.

Lol, no worries I'm not one to easily fault how much tank stock one keeps. I myself tend to cramp tanks a little and like you they often times look empty except during feedings. I was talking about tank stocking just the other day with Hendre and said I think people are too quick to throw out the "You're overstocked" card without taking into consideration what kind of fish are being kept. Some fish do travel miles everyday and need room then they're some others that don't really leave their home range and are cramped in little bodies of water during certain seasons and still others that have access to large space but clearly prefer to stake out a small territory. Driftwood cats are a good example. I doubt they move much in nature. They probably stake out a territory, hide all day and probably hunt in a very small area till the sun comes up. So a 12 inch Trachy needs IMO a lot less room then a Pacu of the same size and what would be cruel for a Pacu at 12 inches would be downright heaven for a Trachy. Again just my opinion.

I wish we had vendors over here. It's great that you have some money to spend but get life straight first before treating yourself a little.

And some DIY? Can't wait to see

It is too bad you don't have access to more vendors but then again you have some gorgeous country you can look at and enjoy that we can't. Gotta take the good with the bad and appreciate what you do have. Not that I'm saying you don't. I'm just talking for the sake of hearing myself talk. lol

Yeah, pics might be limited but I do plan on writing up detailed descriptions of the build and my experiences with it, such as benefits.

 

[Hendre]

Polypterus are awesome, I do have access to them at least. It sucks that they jumped like that considering they can breathe air directly leaves my wondering why they die so fast.

Fish tank space is a hot topic, although you have a good point. Bigger is always better though, and if my fish have space to fulfill their habits I'm happy, although I still wouldn't stick say a 12 inch trachy in a 48 inch tank.

Beauty is subjective. Although parts of the country are stunning we do have our share of the not so nice. I have some pics of river wilderness somewhere

Well, I'm still looking forward to your DIY

 

[moe214]

I always wanted a ole big headed Weeksii, definitely one of the cooler Polys. Any collection point info on the Lap and Endli or are they CB? I've got an Endli that's CB and been with me awhile and I had a relatively big Nigerian Lap around 12-14 inches but she jumped. I've tried Polys three times, first a CB Lap which jumped on me then the Nigerian which also jumped on me. Both did so within earshot so I heard it and they where out of the water no more then 15 minutes max but both died. The 15 minutes was because they both fell behind a tank and I had to empty underneath the stand to reach them. Other then that I always struggled to make sure they got fed. Constantly overfeeding and because I did I had to up water changes and filter cleanings.

I've never had a Atabapo so can't say for sure but I've kept other Lugubris known for being susceptible to HITH and had no issue. As a matter of fact I have two Monicae?Troucha Trout pikes I got who came in with HITH but healed immediately in my setup. I think it might be more about water hardness then overall quality when it comes to Lugubris and them being prone to HITH. Then again I've also haven't had the same aggression level as I hear typically when keeping Lugubris. I had Tocantins and Tapajos groups and at the same time and they left each other and their tankmates alone. The only attention they paid was to each other and even then it was minimal. Not that I'm pushing pikes on you since you worry about the Curu. I've just found them to be IME one of my more enjoyable species of fish I've kept.

Lol, no worries I'm not one to easily fault how much tank stock one keeps. I myself tend to cramp tanks a little and like you they often times look empty except during feedings. I was talking about tank stocking just the other day with Hendre and said I think people are too quick to throw out the "You're overstocked" card without taking into consideration what kind of fish are being kept. Some fish do travel miles everyday and need room then they're some others that don't really leave their home range and are cramped in little bodies of water during certain seasons and still others that have access to large space but clearly prefer to stake out a small territory. Driftwood cats are a good example. I doubt they move much in nature. They probably stake out a territory, hide all day and probably hunt in a very small area till the sun comes up. So a 12 inch Trachy needs IMO a lot less room then a Pacu of the same size and what would be cruel for a Pacu at 12 inches would be downright heaven for a Trachy. Again just my opinion.


It is too bad you don't have access to more vendors but then again you have some gorgeous country you can look at and enjoy that we can't. Gotta take the good with the bad and appreciate what you do have. Not that I'm saying you don't. I'm just talking for the sake of hearing myself talk. lol

Yeah, pics might be limited but I do plan on writing up detailed descriptions of the build and my experiences with it, such as benefits.

Collection points would be unknown if any, I picked the weeksii up a little under a foot and same for lap probably almost a year ago or more, and the endli I got more towards 16" in the beginning of the summer that passed. I'm usually very good at telling CB from WC, but with this endli, some angles it looks wc and some it doesn't, the only one that ever gave me trouble is in my own tank lol kind of ironic, as for the lap, one of its spines are a bit off so it is probably CB, but they are tall and there is 14, almost could be a PBB , just dreaming now lol, the head makes me wanna say wc but the spine doesn't allow me to, so who knows, as for the weeksii, don't think they've been bred in captivity yet, she is unique, when I got her she was missing a whole spine, like her back healed over with scales and everything, but now she's grown a little stub that is still growing surprisingly, wonder how much it'll grow back. And sorry to hear they jumped on you, probably died from some internal bleeding of some sort from the impact, because as pointed out they can breathe atmospheric oxygen. And as far as feeding goes, don't worry about that, some eat like no tomorrow some don't, my weeksii has grown some as I've pointed out, and she rarely eats, I know when she does cause the next morning she'll have a full stomach with all the bumps to show the pellets etc, and I've gone months without seeing those signs, probably can count with my two hands maybe one how many times I've seen it. Thats how all my fish are, as they got larger I slowed to every other day of fedding I found they didn't eat every time still, so now I feed when I get around to it, sometimes they go a week, or sometimes I'll feed two to three times a week, never more than a week though without feeding will I go. And as for the pikes, that is good to hear, gives hope for some others, but I think me buying fish will be coming to an end for a while at least lol. It's good to hear you've enjoyed them, I definitly enjoyed them in the past no doubt, worth another try one day but maybe not today lol. And I agree with you on the tank space thing, I honestly try to take into account bioload over the size of the fish needing more space possibly as long as it isn't to crazed like somon keeping a 18"+ pacu in a 4x2 120. And maybe that makes me wrong in certain situations, but it's likely due to most of my fish and most of the fish I'm interested in perhaps, except a few like maybe a lince cat and dorado or the odoe and gold wolf I have, are all fairly lazy and like their hiding space more than free tank space lol.

And you were talking life lessons to Hendre lol I agree with you, appreciate everything you do have, and don't be upset for what you don't have.

 

[kno4te]

Any news on ur Nodosus koltsixx ? I'm hoping it snaps out of this shock.....short of injecting some chopped up food down its throat with a syringe and cpr'ing the thing.

 

[fugupuff]

ha, first time seeing this thread, 12 pages!!! took me like an hour. I'm going to be missing some sleep now thanks to you guys. Good read...I'll reply more when I have some time. I like this group here, all take a pretty scientific approach to solving these problems. Who wants to try triplophysa, they're actually super cool!

 

[Hendre]

ha, first time seeing this thread, 12 pages!!! took me like an hour. I'm going to be missing some sleep now thanks to you guys. Good read...I'll reply more when I have some time. I like this group here, all take a pretty scientific approach to solving these problems. Who wants to try triplophysa, they're actually super cool!

Why I set mine to 30 posts a page

I love these threads for sure, very interesting for me.

Stone loaches? What sort? They look interesting but I won't be able to get those. You must nudge some fish my way
J/K

 

[koltsixx]

I edited posts I quoted to conserve some space.

Polypterus are awesome, I do have access to them at least. It sucks that they jumped like that considering they can breathe air directly leaves my wondering why they die so fast.
Clip......

Which is great because IMHO, polys are awesome. Peaceful, grow to an impressive but not too large that they're unmanageable and come in some crazy patterns. Combine that with how cool the guys in the poly section are and all the interesting stuff about collection points and you've got a cool fish. As for why mine died, I believe Moe is right as I thought the same thing; internal injuries from my solid concrete floor.

Meh, depends on the size of the Trachy. A 75 could house juveniles for awhile but long term I agree a minimum tank would be a 6 footer.

Of course no place is perfect but IMHO you probably have it better then I who lives in the Bronx. Where wilderness takes on a whole other meaning. lol As for your pics, if you haven't shared them already; you should maybe create a thread in the lounge.

Collection points would be unknown if any, I picked the weeksii up a little under a foot and same for lap probably almost a year ago or more, and the endli I got more towards 16" in the beginning of the summer that passed. I'm usually very good at telling CB from WC, but with this endli, some angles it looks wc and some it doesn't, the only one that ever gave me trouble is in my own tank lol kind of ironic, as for the lap, one of its spines are a bit off so it is probably CB, but they are tall and there is 14, almost could be a PBB , just dreaming now lol, the head makes me wanna say wc but the spine doesn't allow me to, so who knows, as for the weeksii......Clip

And you were talking life lessons to Hendre lol I agree with you, appreciate everything you do have, and don't be upset for what you don't have.

So you're problem child is the Endli? Have you ever tried posting in the Poly section? I imagine you did but figured I suggest it just in case. Or are you worried your PBB hope will be dashed? lol And I'm with you on Weeksii as far as I know Weeksii are all wild caught.

I was figuring internal injuries as well for the reason the Polys didn't make it. Most fish I had that jumped died. And I was usually nearby when they did and got them back in the water fairly quickly. Perhaps my concrete floor did them in??

I do the same as far as feedings for my preds. Most of my preds are fed every two days. I'm surprised your Polys go so long looking lean. Have you noticed any stunting? I just ask because it's my number one worry with Polys. I always worry they won't get enough and so won't develop properly.

No new fish for awhile? But why? lol I take breaks as well and actually the longer I'm in the hobby the more my choice in stock seems to be becoming more stable. Meaning I'm learning to stay away from most impulse buys since I've kept most fish available and now know more or less what works and what I like. So I wind up buying new fish less and less often. The only thing that messes me up is usually is Wes who always brings in some really cool rare fish I can't say no to.

On the pikes, you definitely gotta give them a try again someday. Look it me "Not that I'm pushing pikes on you" yet here I am pushing them on you. lol I just can't helpmyself. They're like more manageable sized PBass in many ways. They move around quite a bit and study you every chance they get. And they hit food like a beast with a loud smack accompanying every trip to the surface.

I'm glad you agree on the tank size thing and like you I imagine it puts me in the wrong at times but I believe more often then not I'm providing enough to keep my fish happy. Also IMO regardless of what one believes we should try and respect our fellow hobbyist and their choices. Respect them as we expect to be respected. We can voice our opinions and try and help a hobbyist if he/she's doing something wrong but we should temper how we do it and not shove it down their throat.

Lol, yeah I was getting all preachy on poor Hendre.

Any news on ur Nodosus koltsixx ? I'm hoping it snaps out of this shock.....short of injecting some chopped up food down its throat with a syringe and cpr'ing the thing.

Hey kno4te, thanks for asking. Update: The Nodosus is now spending a lot of time hiding in some driftwood. Makes an occasional swim around(maybe twice a day) but when ever he comes to rest he sways with the current in the tank despite it being so minimal. Still he isn't floating like he was. So perhaps he's making a turn around for me? I'm still hoping and keeping fingers crossed.

 

[koltsixx]

ha, first time seeing this thread, 12 pages!!! took me like an hour. I'm going to be missing some sleep now thanks to you guys. Good read...I'll reply more when I have some time. I like this group here, all take a pretty scientific approach to solving these problems. Who wants to try triplophysa, they're actually super cool!

This long arse thread is mostly me running off at the mouth. But you know how I am. You've gotta deal with my lengthy emails every time I order a fish. lol This section, the Poly and Crenicichla are probably my favorites with the Poly and Catfish section IMO having some of the most knowledgeable members.

I was thinking about the Triplo's but got gun shy when I started worrying about the Nodosus. But man do the Triplo's look cool. Any experience with them? Or have you heard anything? Can they tolerate tropical temps? I believe you said into the very low 70's. Just wondering if I can still try them in a tropical kept in the 78-79 range.

 

[Hendre]

Which is great because IMHO, polys are awesome. Peaceful, grow to an impressive but not too large that they're unmanageable and come in some crazy patterns. Combine that with how cool the guys in the poly section are and all the interesting stuff about collection points and you've got a cool fish. As for why mine died, I believe Moe is right as I thought the same thing; internal injuries from my solid concrete floor.

Meh, depends on the size of the Trachy. A 75 could house juveniles for awhile but long term I agree a minimum tank would be a 6 footer.

Of course no place is perfect but IMHO you probably have it better then I who lives in the Bronx. Where wilderness takes on a whole other meaning. lol As for your pics, if you haven't shared them already; you should maybe create a thread in the lounge.

That's why I want a poly. Manageable beasts.

I have carpets so hopefully internal injuries are not such a risk. (Although spilt water is)

I can't wait for a 6ft tank. Ideally if I do aquaculture larger systems would be easier to come by.

I'll put up a thread later

Lol, yeah I was getting all preachy on poor Hendre.

Poor me

 

[shookONES]

Wandered into this thread on accident, but man am I glad I did. Its posts like these that make MFK great. It's rare to see this much knowledge and info being tossed around so freely, and I just wanted to commend those that contributed.

Kolt...your collection is crazy (nice to see who got those plat kperch) so you know this kinda stuff comes with the territory. You're in unchartered waters with these ultra rare fish...a true pioneer. Win, lose, or draw with your guy, I think we've all learned a lot. This species wasn't even on my radar, but now I find myself doing my own independent research haha. Maybe I'll give these a shot when tank space opens up!

As for the loach, this species is truely on my bucket list. I fantasize about a cool water loach tank, with these guys being the star of the show. From my research, however, it seems acclimating these guys to tropical temps is a surefire death sentence. Any reports of successful long-term care start with cool/cold water. Low to mid 60s are where they seem to thrive. Looks like a chiller and a dedicated tank is just what the doctor ordered for these beasts.