Armatus--3 years Old

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You may get it backward. It seems that ATF is more skittish than Armatus. From what I learn, Armatus could get stress from tankmate, stop eating and croak, while ATF does not handle temperature fluctuation well.
I've never found vatf or gatf to be very skittish but im aware of many self injuring armatus. Maybe an individual thing. Regarding temp change, I made a stupid error dropping my tank to the mid 50s and my vatf was unaffected while losing a large black aro and multiple other fish.
 
You need to name your source, or it's just gossip
I believe his name is like fc3 or something like that he's the guy that has had the large aimara in the 600 for a number of years and had the two together for awhile, he lost it recently, I could be wrong on how long he kept it though. I could be mistaking it for the wolf or just be wrong. Which is why I said I believe, I'll try to find his name.
 
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Beautiful specimen. Thanks for the update

You may get it backward. It seems that ATF is more skittish than Armatus. From what I learn, Armatus could get stress from tankmate, stop eating and croak, while ATF does not handle temperature fluctuation well.

Thanks John, Having kept both a VATF and Armatus I will have to agree as for as skittishness. My VATF was way more skittish than the Armatus. You couldnt even walk by the tank with out the VATF darting away or banging the side or top. Even to feed.
The Armatus when I approach the tank swims right up to the front looking to feed.
 
Thanks John, Having kept both a VATF and Armatus I will have to agree as for as skittishness. My VATF was way more skittish than the Armatus. You couldnt even walk by the tank with out the VATF darting away or banging the side or top. Even to feed.
The Armatus when I approach the tank swims right up to the front looking to feed.
I need to take a vid of my vatf waiting for his food :) Perhaps armatus aren't skittish but when they spook they are less aware of their boundaries?
 
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I need to take a vid of my vatf waiting for his food :) Perhaps armatus aren't skittish but when they spook they are less aware of their boundaries?

I think big part of it is personality also, my VATF was skittish from fairly early on and you wouldnt had thought that as he was feeding on pellets at 2.5" a week after I got him.
 
I'm willing to bet it's the tank height that ruins Armatus.

Look at the way they're mouth is - obvious they explode from underneath their prey. Most of us keep them in tanks under 3' tall and they are tall fish, leaving little room.......

My ATF have NOT lived up to the skiddish stereo type at all. Gatf - Yes. Vatf/Tatf nope...... Like I said, the big guy is over 18" in a 6x2x2 and he's 100% flawless..... Soon he will swim with big tank. :)
 
I'm willing to bet it's the tank height that ruins Armatus.

Look at the way they're mouth is - obvious they explode from underneath their prey. Most of us keep them in tanks under 3' tall and they are tall fish, leaving little room.......

My ATF have NOT lived up to the skiddish stereo type at all. Gatf - Yes. Vatf/Tatf nope...... Like I said, the big guy is over 18" in a 6x2x2 and he's 100% flawless..... Soon he will swim with big tank. :)

Agreed on the mouth shape and feeding behavior. When I drop smelt or fillets in he rushes from below. Or when I do with my fingers ( Carefully) he literally smacks his tail on the top after taking food out of my fingers, splashing water everywhere. Plus he always hits it before it gets to bottom. I have seen him take food off bottom but rarely and not easily. He has to roll his head towards one side or another to pick it off bottom because of the mouth shape.

Its cool that your ATF isnt skittish, wish mine hadnt been. I remember Erics old 18". It was my incentive to get one and his behaved like my Armatus coming to front of tank like a puppy. Maybe because mine was raised alone or was in a tank set in a high traffic area. But my 600 with Armatus is right behind my couch. And there is tons of traffic there.

Al, did you have tank mates that harrased your Armatus or is it unknown stresser that may have been there demise? No sign of trauma from a collision with tank wall or top?
 
Just wanted to chime in, my Larger ATFs are not skittish at all, the gatf actually quite calm even with my hand in the water. However my smaller gatf that's about a foot is really skittish. He was the only skittish one out of a lot of 3 that I had before together.
Here is a pic of the two Armatus that I'm going to adopt after my new tank is setup. I think they are around 16-18"

image.jpg
 
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