Buying a larger fish?

[Randys]

I recently lost the Flowerhorn I had in a 90 gallon on the main floor of my house. Great fish. Friendly, personable, and eager to great you whenever you entered the room. I was really bummed out.

So now I'm thinking about a Trimac. This tank has a sump and I'm no slacker on water changes so I'm thinking it should work. Being on the main floor I always try to keep this tank as pristine as possible. I'd like to end up with a large male with a larger personality so naturally I figured I'd buy a group and grow them out in one of the bigger tanks downstairs in my man cave. THEN I noticed Dan at COA has 9-10 inch males available. I've never purchased anything but juvies so am wondering about the disadvantages of buying a fish this big. I've always assuming growing out a fish is a two way street, I get to pick out the most promising specimen but also they are growing up with ME, and getting used to ME. Is this connection lost when purchasing a larger fish? Or am I WAY overthinking this?

What, if any, are the disadvantages to purchasing and older fish?

 

[Rusty91]

I recently lost the Flowerhorn I had in a 90 gallon on the main floor of my house. Great fish. Friendly, personable, and eager to great you whenever you entered the room. I was really bummed out.

So now I'm thinking about a Trimac. This tank has a sump and I'm no slacker on water changes so I'm thinking it should work. Being on the main floor I always try to keep this tank as pristine as possible. I'd like to end up with a large male with a larger personality so naturally I figured I'd buy a group and grow them out in one of the bigger tanks downstairs in my man cave. THEN I noticed Dan at COA has 9-10 inch males available. I've never purchased anything but juvies so am wondering about the disadvantages of buying a fish this big. I've always assuming growing out a fish is a two way street, I get to pick out the most promising specimen but also they are growing up with ME, and getting used to ME. Is this connection lost when purchasing a larger fish? Or am I WAY overthinking this?

What, if any, are the disadvantages to purchasing and older fish?

I can‘t really tell you any disadvantages. My opinion is, that its cooler to grow the fish yourself. I like to see how they get from small to big and I think it also makes you proud if they get big and healthy.
But just my 2 cents…

 

[jjohnwm]

Maybe overthinking it a bit. This is a fish, not a dog; the "connection" to which you are referring is, IMHO, nonexistent. A fish learns that its keeper is not a danger, and that his/her approach can often result in a meal. That's pretty much the extent of it. Attributing much more to it than that is just wishful thinking. I'm prepared for an onslaught of heartfelt tales of true love and devotion being demonstrated by cold-blooded animals with brains the size of poppyseeds, so fire away.

I always choose small fish over large ones, just because I enjoy watching them grow, I like the opportunity to get a few and then winnow them down to the perfect one(s) for long-term life in my tanks, they are naturally much less expensive, and because a younger, smaller fish has a much longer life ahead of it than an older, mature specimen. Finally, a smaller fish is generally easier to move and transport without trauma than a big honking adult.

 

[Cich Mind]

Hello Randys ,
Here's my take on this situation. I've never bought a full grown fish before. I personally like growing out juvies. It's quite fulfilling and rewarding to grow them out and watch them interact with each other. They will all have there own personalitys and quirks. It makes you feel like you made an accomplishment by growing out small ones until adulthood. They will have a longer lifespan than an adult too. If I were to get a Trimac, which I may some day, I would get 5-6 juvies, grow them out and pic my favorite male fish. I would look for best personality and looks, ect. I think Trimacs are awesome fish and make great wet pets, it just sucks they usually have to be solo because they are so aggro lol. Definetly one of my bucket list fish. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Randys]

Maybe overthinking it a bit. This is a fish, not a dog; the "connection" to which you are referring is, IMHO, nonexistent. A fish learns that its keeper is not a danger, and that his/her approach can often result in a meal. That's pretty much the extent of it. Attributing much more to it than that is just wishful thinking.

Yup, that’s pretty much the way I’ve always looked at it too. And the thought of buying a larger fish has never even occurred to me until I saw it on Dan’s website.

I’ve already got a new cycled 125 in my man cave that’s waiting for the genuine Lake Michigan driftwood to sink before adding a group of Jag juvies. So I guess the grown Trimac was appealing to get something back in the 90 without waiting several moths to grow out a another group.

 

[Matteus]

Yup, that’s pretty much the way I’ve always looked at it too. And the thought of buying a larger fish has never even occurred to me until I saw it on Dan’s website.

I’ve already got a new cycled 125 in my man cave that’s waiting for the genuine Lake Michigan driftwood to sink before adding a group of Jag juvies. So I guess the grown Trimac was appealing to get something back in the 90 without waiting several moths to grow out a another group.

With that being said. You can always try it so you can try something new. Not much harm in that.

 

[Randys]

Ya! A new experience that I can report on back to you guys!

I’d start with a group of young-uns but I think they’d be too hard on each other in a 4 foot 90.
What do ya think?

 

[C. Breeze]

I always wonder what makes a big fish that I can’t lay eyes on a discard. As opposed to a keeper, but whenever I see a big fish for sale I consider that someone else has already decided it’s not a keeper/breeder/display fish etc and I usually just decide that they were right and pass in the fish.

 

[Randys]

I always wonder what makes a big fish that I can’t lay eyes on a discard. As opposed to a keeper, but whenever I see a big fish for sale I consider that someone else has already decided it’s not a keeper/breeder/display fish etc and I usually just decide that they were right and pass in the fish.

My concern exactly. Although it is Dan so I’m inclined to trust what’s he’s got.
Maybe I’ll email him and ask about the history. He makes it sound like he has more than one male in the 9-10 inch range.

 

[jjohnwm]

A big fish could simply be something that outgrew its original accommodations and the owner needed to rehome. Typical MFK thing. Half of the fish on here seem to be living in "grow-out" tanks, which as far as I can tell is a term used to denote a tank that is too small for the fish once it gains a bit of size. Keepers always have grandiose plans for bigger tanks next week, next month, after I move, after the election, after I throw out the wife, after the zombie apocalypse, etc...but in many or most cases these bigger tanks remain imaginary and the fish end up needing new homes sooner rather than later.

Or...maybe the previous owner did what we are discussing here: he/she bought a small group of individuals, picked out the best specimen to keep, and the nice-looking fish you see available for sale is actually the ugly runt of the litter...which might still become a beauty in its own right once it is out from under the thumb of its more dominant siblings.

Or...another MFK classic: the inexperienced aquarist asks if he could keep an X fish, a Y fish and a Z fish together "for life". After 30 people tell him/her that there is no chance, it'll never work...he finds one other equally inexperienced fishkeeper who guesses that it might be okay. Perfect! Just what he wants to hear. The mismatched community is assembled and after 20 minutes without bloodshed it is declared a success. A week later the tank looks like a blender being used to mix Bloody Marys. Either the offending aggressor, or perhaps a lucky survivor, are quietly re-homed...and a lot of nice fish show up this way, if they are removed before the blender has run too long.

In any case, there are plenty of scenarios where a good deal on a large fish is simply a good deal on a large fish...if you don't mind missing the fun of watching it become large in the first place.