I Need Help!.....You will not believe this...

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Cleaned the filter pad again, pumped out 1/3 of the water, major improvement in water quality. Far less rubbish in the filter as well and the smell is much less than it was yesterday morning.
So overall, establishing a firm schedule and can start to work on better and easier filter.
Mr. T. is king of the hill in his pond. Constantly moving, looking, trying to get those little evasive snacks... Feeling a lot more easy now that I can see him relaxed and ok with his surroundings, even though it's just a temporary housing for now.
 
let him free
Maybe easier to ask you a question. If you'd release a non-native species in your good old US of A.... Somebody sees you doing that, reports you,....what would you likely end up as?

Let me help you a bit...you might end up:
1. Bankrupt from insurance claims and environmental damage payments.
2. Convicted for environmental crimes.

There might be more to add, but for starters I hope to get the point across.

An Arapaima Gigas is a NON-NATIVE SPECIES in Thailand. The one that I have likely broke free when his sport fishing-lake home got flooded last Sep-Dec 2011.
Now I've seen several comments like yours and I really wonder what kind of fishkeeper you are saying that.
Your avatar shows a red-tail catfish. Assuming that it is yours, why you don't let it free? Try your luck in destroying your New York local freshwater habitat by putting in a non-native species since your red-tail cat comes from the same areas as the Arapaima I have.
After that, let me know your experience with it and the trouble you got yourself into.

So no, i will not set it free, even though there are thousands of non-native species now roaming a new found territory here in Thailand, I would release it back only in a fishing-lake where it can't escape into the wild....but only if I found I could not keep it in a healthy enough environment myself. That way, I have done the right thing, which is obviously something you don't care about, reading your comment.

It is people like you that make keeping exotic fish in many countries more difficult with each passing day.
 
Maybe easier to ask you a question. If you'd release a non-native species in your good old US of A.... Somebody sees you doing that, reports you,....what would you likely end up as?

Let me help you a bit...you might end up:
1. Bankrupt from insurance claims and environmental damage payments.
2. Convicted for environmental crimes.

There might be more to add, but for starters I hope to get the point across.

An Arapaima Gigas is a NON-NATIVE SPECIES in Thailand. The one that I have likely broke free when his sport fishing-lake home got flooded last Sep-Dec 2011.
Now I've seen several comments like yours and I really wonder what kind of fishkeeper you are saying that.
Your avatar shows a red-tail catfish. Assuming that it is yours, why you don't let it free? Try your luck in destroying your New York local freshwater habitat by putting in a non-native species since your red-tail cat comes from the same areas as the Arapaima I have.
After that, let me know your experience with it and the trouble you got yourself into.

So no, i will not set it free, even though there are thousands of non-native species now roaming a new found territory here in Thailand, I would release it back only in a fishing-lake where it can't escape into the wild....but only if I found I could not keep it in a healthy enough environment myself. That way, I have done the right thing, which is obviously something you don't care about, reading your comment.

It is people like you that make keeping exotic fish in many countries more difficult with each passing day.

wow.. I honestly couldn't think of a better way to say it. I hope this clears things up for anyone else that glances at your thread and thinks otherwise.
 
Thanks for the support. Hillbilly, DammitKhoa :irked: need to slow down on the coffee I guess, comments like 'Set it free' really get me fuming...lol

Anyhow, Mr. T. is a good stress-release fish when you get worked up on something.
He's really getting a very black and red color, his head is free from scratches that showed in the first pictures of him. Tail is jet-black, flowing and moving very nicely.

Will bring the camera tomorrow and try to shoot some pics.
Cheers,
 
Maybe easier to ask you a question. If you'd release a non-native species in your good old US of A.... Somebody sees you doing that, reports you,....what would you likely end up as?

Let me help you a bit...you might end up:
1. Bankrupt from insurance claims and environmental damage payments.
2. Convicted for environmental crimes.

There might be more to add, but for starters I hope to get the point across.

An Arapaima Gigas is a NON-NATIVE SPECIES in Thailand. The one that I have likely broke free when his sport fishing-lake home got flooded last Sep-Dec 2011.
Now I've seen several comments like yours and I really wonder what kind of fishkeeper you are saying that.
Your avatar shows a red-tail catfish. Assuming that it is yours, why you don't let it free? Try your luck in destroying your New York local freshwater habitat by putting in a non-native species since your red-tail cat comes from the same areas as the Arapaima I have.
After that, let me know your experience with it and the trouble you got yourself into.

So no, i will not set it free, even though there are thousands of non-native species now roaming a new found territory here in Thailand, I would release it back only in a fishing-lake where it can't escape into the wild....but only if I found I could not keep it in a healthy enough environment myself. That way, I have done the right thing, which is obviously something you don't care about, reading your comment.

It is people like you that make keeping exotic fish in many countries more difficult with each passing day.

Very well said Luc.

Looking forward to seeing the pics!
 
Maybe easier to ask you a question. If you'd release a non-native species in your good old US of A.... Somebody sees you doing that, reports you,....what would you likely end up as?

Let me help you a bit...you might end up:
1. Bankrupt from insurance claims and environmental damage payments.
2. Convicted for environmental crimes.

There might be more to add, but for starters I hope to get the point across.

An Arapaima Gigas is a NON-NATIVE SPECIES in Thailand. The one that I have likely broke free when his sport fishing-lake home got flooded last Sep-Dec 2011.
Now I've seen several comments like yours and I really wonder what kind of fishkeeper you are saying that.
Your avatar shows a red-tail catfish. Assuming that it is yours, why you don't let it free? Try your luck in destroying your New York local freshwater habitat by putting in a non-native species since your red-tail cat comes from the same areas as the Arapaima I have.
After that, let me know your experience with it and the trouble you got yourself into.

So no, i will not set it free, even though there are thousands of non-native species now roaming a new found territory here in Thailand, I would release it back only in a fishing-lake where it can't escape into the wild....but only if I found I could not keep it in a healthy enough environment myself. That way, I have done the right thing, which is obviously something you don't care about, reading your comment.

It is people like you that make keeping exotic fish in many countries more difficult with each passing day.

touché

Very cool thread. Are you conditioning the water as you change it up? Have you considered that it might be relatively simple to setup an above ground pool for temporary housing until you can properly do your pond idea? It sort of looks like that's what you have him in but to be honest I'm really not 100% on what the sand bag, above ground thing is we have going on in the picture.

Also that's crazy how non threatening and gentle he looks in the video. I'm so used to seeing people getting the wind knocked out of them trying to move these guys, and videos like that, that I assumed they were thrashin' aggressive mean sobs. Looks like a big goofy teddy bear of a fish in the video though. :P
 
Thanks all for the comments.
As for Jon M's questions. The sandbags have been build up straight on the inside, sloping on the outside and are the support-structure for the lining that holds the water. In the video I am hanging over the top row of sandbags, to give you the idea.
After 2 weeks, we are now pretty much keeping it filled up to the rim, so he has a roughly 1-1.20 meter deep pond about 2.5meter square. It looks quite funny with the metal racks and the sides pulled up, makes you wonder indeed, but that's purely to keep cats and other animals out of view and have a better chance of him rolling back into the water if he jumps.
Kind of a getting used and not taking chances..
I don't condition the water, don't have the means to do that, but filter is splashing and moving the water around a lot, so oxygen levels are ok for the feeders and chlorine, if any left when I top up the pond, is pretty sure at very low levels.
Not ideal, but had to run with what I had available here for now. Hope to address issues with the final pond build soon...
 
Another question for all of you...
Pond Mates for Mr. T. and the recommended minimum size.
I have several ideas, 1 being a Red Tail Cat. My market shop has one that's about 8 inch right now.
Fell in love with it and it's sold at less than 10 USD, but don't have a growout tank readily available...
Another option I look at is Tilapia, grownout they are pretty aggressive but a cheap and large enough option at about 15-20 inch.
I might go over to the Weekend Market soon and have a look over there as well, that's fish-keepers heaven on earth...drooling already thinking about it lol.

Feather Backs are another, native option, when big enough. Anyhow, look forward to your recommendations.

Thanks.
Luc
 
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