Handling African Lungfish

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Davis811

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 16, 2012
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El Paso
I recently purchased a nigerian spotted and was curious about handling.I understand they can survive through droughts but
#1 is it dangerous to remove the fish from the water?
#2 is it unwise to hold the fish?
#3 Also no handling related but is there any ideas on how to ensure he eats in a competitive tank?
 
I can't answer all of your questions but I can say that it is unwise to handle ANY fish. If you want to hold something like that get a snake. Also, even though they can survive out of the water, it is a survival mechanism they use only in emergencies, such as their home drying up during a dry season or a drought.
 
Unless it is double the size of the RTC I can almost guarantee that it is gonna get eaten.

Never trust a catfish.
 
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Davis811 said:
I recently purchased a nigerian spotted and was curious about handling.I understand they can survive through droughts but
#1 is it dangerous to remove the fish from the water?
#2 is it unwise to hold the fish?
#3 Also no handling related but is there any ideas on how to ensure he eats in a competitive tank?
Click to expand...

I hold mine every once and a while but usually in the water or a few inches above the water because he is very slippery. As for feeding I find it easiest to hand feed. When it smells food it will come to the surface to be fed. Heres a pic of one time I took it out. It was only for a minute though.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II

uploadfromtaptalk1370023646810.jpg
 
Unless you want to get bitten, don't handle your lungfish. The only time I took mine out was to move it to a new tank (@18") and to move it to an indoor pond (@24+"). Both times I used a big fishing net (not hands).

They breathe air so it's not like 1 minute or so out of water hurt mine. I'm sure that if the thing got out one night that it would be OK for a long time, if necessary...

The lungfish WILL eventually bite a chunck out of the RTC or knife...or get eaten by the RTC. African lungs are increasingly territorial and nasty as they get larger...and poor eyesight leads to a bite first attitude with tankmates.

Matt
 
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Siddons, why in the world did you take him out and sit him on a towel? A dry towel at that? Fish need their slime coat. It is almost like a 2nd skin.

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:
 
robmcd said:
Unless it is double the size of the RTC I can almost guarantee that it is gonna get eaten.

Never trust a catfish.
Click to expand...

I disagree id love to see a redtail swallow an 18-30inch lungfish. theyd stay alive an riggle like worms if they were swallowed whole
 
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