I was wondering if anyone had any tips for an armatus fish. I really want one but I don't know what tank size to get, what filtration etc. I have done some research but a lot of people are saying 1000 gallons minimum.... is that true?
Armatus Fish
- Thread starter Ninjakiller08
- Start date
Asumming that you are going to get a 2 to 4 inch armatus, i would grow it out in a 75 to 100 gallon tank until it get to 12 to 14 inches. After that, i would either transfer it to a secondary tank or the final setup. The secondary tank can be anywhere from a 150 gallon tank to a 250 gallon tank. You'll need to upgrade again though. I would skip that step and put it in a final setup that I would recommend to be a 300 gallon or bigger. Of course the bigger the better. 1000 gallon would be ideal for the most healthiest armatus, but it doesn't need to be that big FOR THE ARMATUS TO SURVIVE. I doubt there are many people that can afford that big of a tank for a single fish. 500 gallons would be good enough IMO. Just a note that armatus can reach 24inches+ if the proper care is provided.
As in current, many MFK member would suggest a crazy ton of current. Personally, i don't think this is the most important factor for armatus
to survive. People would suggest to put 2 to 3 powerheads in their tank that would give 2000+ GPH of current in the tank.
As for me, the source of the current for my tank comes from a humble canister filter. Mine is still happy. I think people add huge currents in their tanks to mimic the common habitat of the armatus which are the white waters in the amazon but I heard that the BIGGEST armatus comes from a lake in south america. The fast current just gives the armatus faster motabolism.
For more info, check the sticky in this forum: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?183738-Payara-captive-care-guide
Hope it helps.
As in current, many MFK member would suggest a crazy ton of current. Personally, i don't think this is the most important factor for armatus
to survive. People would suggest to put 2 to 3 powerheads in their tank that would give 2000+ GPH of current in the tank.
As for me, the source of the current for my tank comes from a humble canister filter. Mine is still happy. I think people add huge currents in their tanks to mimic the common habitat of the armatus which are the white waters in the amazon but I heard that the BIGGEST armatus comes from a lake in south america. The fast current just gives the armatus faster motabolism.
For more info, check the sticky in this forum: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?183738-Payara-captive-care-guide
Hope it helps.
Why not do what most hobbyists do, listen to what you want to hear and ignore the rest....
All the info you need is all over this site. All you'll need is some really good luck to pick out the good info from all the bad info.
A better question isn't how big they need, it's how big can YOU provide?
Might also want to speak with your fellow Canadians that have grown BIG Armatus and find out if it's even possible to keep them without using mostly RO water.... It's irrelevant what juvies are being grown up in, you only need to worry about the people that have got theirs past the random death size (18-20" +++)
There's theories that these fish do very poorly in hard water or high mineral content.....
All the info you need is all over this site. All you'll need is some really good luck to pick out the good info from all the bad info.
A better question isn't how big they need, it's how big can YOU provide?
Might also want to speak with your fellow Canadians that have grown BIG Armatus and find out if it's even possible to keep them without using mostly RO water.... It's irrelevant what juvies are being grown up in, you only need to worry about the people that have got theirs past the random death size (18-20" +++)
There's theories that these fish do very poorly in hard water or high mineral content.....
Both the above comments are true. Ideally a 300gal + would be the bare minimum for life. I plan on a upgrade
for mine sometime this summer. They do require a good amount of current (the exact amount is debatable between us owners, find a happy "sweet spot" for your fish), and it seems they do prefere softer water and the use of RO water isnt necessary as long as you stay on top of maintenance. Again like said above this isnt a species to buy on impulse, and "wing-it" when it comes to care needs. You need to be able to provide this fish with the proper conditions it needs to thrive, or else you made a very pricey mistake. Even their personality isnt ment for every type of aquarist, they are a very stubborn fish.
Well all the armatus from Asia don't have all the killer currents and they grow the biggest and healthiest.
Maintenance has absolutely nothing to do with high PH, high TDS or high conductivity numbers.....
You say RO isn't necessary so prove me wrong. Find me someone up there keeping a monster 20+ incher in the liquid rock tap water that the north is known for. Rays are VERY resilient fish and I know guys up there and across seas that won't even put their liquid rock tap water in their tanks, but rather reconstituted RO or RO/tap mix.....
And Lix, ever thought that the big ones over there might be kept in water closer to their natural parameters (soft mineral free) then we provide and fed live food most of their life?
I think IF you were to dig deep enough into water chemistry I'd bet the high current you guys think they need has more to do with stuff like the water's oxygen content then simply something for the fish to swim in.......
all this talk lately of why we are not growin these BIG armatus.. Hard water, UV/redox, O2 content, feeding smelt...etc.. Makes me think of the KISS....
I am starting to think the sudden death may be something as simple as i have heard other members like JL say, the biggest thing to keep an armatus alive is keeping water level low so they dont smash them self on the top of the tank or jump out... i also think that moving an adult armatus is very risky!! They ones i have killed i think was spooked by me cleaning algae, and LARGE rays and have banged into something. Mine never showed banged up noses but did show a HUGe blister on his eye on one occasion..... I think VAMP also said when fang died he thought it was stung in eye, maybe it banged into something like the top of the tank too?>?? What do you think?
I feel it happens way too often to be only bumping into things .... I agree with DB, that hardness of water, or something along those lines, or smelt/feeding issues is the culprit .... I had 2 Armatus die 1 week apart at about 11 inches, randomly, everyone else in the tank was fine and I was feeding all silversides and in the end smelt ... I have one now that's slightly larger, and only eats pellets and a little krill, but I'm scared everyday when I turn on the lights in the tank that he could be showing signs that the other 2 showed ... my well water can rust silverware its rediculous, been thinking of investing in an RO system
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Your in Iowa, you know nothing about Canadian water other than what you've been told or read. I have VERY soft water with a low mineral content, I have had tons of comments here on MFK reguarding the health of my Armatus. I do agree with lix thinking they dont require as much current as most people think, but some of this does come down to the individual preference of the fish, not the species as a whole. I recently had my oldest/strongest powerhead die out on me, I havnt botherd to put the new one in as I noticed my armatus seemed to be a little more perky without it. Hes still a juvi though so I expect his temperament to change as he grows and his preference changes.