Goliath tiger fish and growth rate? And are they better than vittatus?

[Marximus]

Just curious how big do really goliaths grow in the home aquarium on average? And how fast do they grow? Lastly is it better than a vittatus? Pls don’t give in the wild numbers, I know they grow like big in the wild. just want to know average size in general not one offs.

 

[CrazyPhishMan]

i believe there is a sticky about this, found here: African Tiger Fish (Hydrocynus) ID and Care Guide 3.0 | MonsterFishKeepers.com

 

[nzafi]

I am no expert but I recall many threads about how many GATF grow painfully slow but there have been multiple exceptions to the rule which has lead to the theory of variants of GATF. Majority of people cannot keep GATF long term because they eventually end up killing themselves against the tank. Seen tons of posts of folks getting them 12-18in or so but not many after that. Those that have grown them from 30-40 inches have large setups. The one succesful member on here keeps theirs in a large circular tank. The others that have I seen online are in 7,000g to like 15,000 set ups.

 

[Marximus]

I am no expert but I recall many threads about how many GATF grow painfully slow but there have been multiple exceptions to the rule which has lead to the theory of variants of GATF. Majority of people cannot keep GATF long term because they eventually end up killing themselves against the tank. Seen tons of posts of folks getting them 12-18in or so but not many after that. Those that have grown them from 30-40 inches have large setups. The one succesful member on here keeps theirs in a large circular tank. The others that have I seen online are in 7,000g to like 15,000 set ups.

ah i see.. because people say they grow to 3ft in the aquarium but havent seen alot maybe like 2-3.. just wanted to know how big can u get one if the tank is smaller like 8x3... bec my friends in the philippines treat goliath like vittatus.. just like 6-8 foot tanks

 

[xenacanth9]

They do reach massive sizes eventually, but it takes quite a while

 

[nzafi]

ah i see.. because people say they grow to 3ft in the aquarium but havent seen alot maybe like 2-3.. just wanted to know how big can u get one if the tank is smaller like 8x3... bec my friends in the philippines treat goliath like vittatus.. just like 6-8 foot tanks

Most keep them in 8x3 or 8x4 tanks, but they always end up dying. The large ones normally are 5+years old. Most people keeping them in smaller tanks have them a couple years before the fish kills itself when ramming the tank.

 

[Marximus]

Most keep them in 8x3 or 8x4 tanks, but they always end up dying. The large ones normally are 5+years old. Most people keeping them in smaller tanks have them a couple years before the fish kills itself when ramming the tank.

Will it be wiser to take a Vittatus instead? I’m thinking just a solo fish...I don’t like comm tanks.

 

[Caveden]

Will it be wiser to take a Vittatus instead? I’m thinking just a solo fish...I don’t like comm tanks.

Yes, they grow smaller. Usually reach 18-24”. Takes quite a while as well.

 

[Marximus]

Is this a goliath?

 

[kno4te]

View attachment 1481576Is this a goliath?

Yes.