- Dec 2, 2018
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Yes some people have it (unfortunately, not including me). This is the one time I will not recommend TBTB for catfish info, but I'm sure he knows some people.
Introducing myself
- Thread starter Red Tail Fan
- Start date
Why wouldn't you recommend him? He's managed to keep his gulpers longer than majority of others.
- Dec 2, 2018
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Much thanks, Dave, for your post. Totally on mark IMHO (except for the blurb about me which I have been trying to erase from my memory as I have enough arrogance as is...). I've always said that I killed more fish than the couple thousand of fish I have now, so, Val, I am speaking from the experience of killing as much as the experience of keeping... on my end anyway. That's that toward confessions... I am happy you feel different about MFK now, thanks to old wise Dave.
You just blew my mind, Sherlock! You must be correct!!! I've just realized I must dig the vain gold tier VIPs too much...
You gotta sift advices and opinions. Obviously. I cannot imagine an experienced and knowledgeable hobbyist recommending housing a silver arowana that grows to ~3' with a gulper that usually stays under a foot, unless short term when neither can swallow the other, even then, it is risky. When arowana's same size or 2x longer than a juvi gulper, the gulper will eat it; when the arowana is 1.5'-2' and the gulper is still 6", the arowana will eat it. I may be wrong but I bet that "somebody" is not experienced.
Needless to say, experience and knowledge are not always the easiest to find out, it takes time, but until then, one could start by paying attention to the rankings (yes the Tobias' piranha thing haha), trophy points, date joined, number of posts, likes, so on. If in doubt, ask.
Gouramy will not eat or harass a silver arowana, so the only concern there is the aro preying on gouramy, so the latter has to be large enough at all stages of arowana growth not to become feed.
As for the arowana tank mate ideas, you could check out what I keep our aros with: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/my-silver-arowana-in-4500-gal.688112/ There are great many more suitable tank mates too of course but this should get your thinking started.
You just blew my mind, Sherlock! You must be correct!!! I've just realized I must dig the vain gold tier VIPs too much...
...Was reading a posting online regarding a tankmate for the arrowana and somebody suggested Gulpers, I had never heard of these so I looked them up......now that is one scary fish, definitely wouldn't want one, does anyone here keep this fish. I SO wanted to put my gourami in with him but I have accepted that it is risky and not a good idea but I cant come up with anything else, any ideas welcomed but from what I read the tankmate needs to be quite big, I'll keep looking but it won;t be a Gulper.
You gotta sift advices and opinions. Obviously. I cannot imagine an experienced and knowledgeable hobbyist recommending housing a silver arowana that grows to ~3' with a gulper that usually stays under a foot, unless short term when neither can swallow the other, even then, it is risky. When arowana's same size or 2x longer than a juvi gulper, the gulper will eat it; when the arowana is 1.5'-2' and the gulper is still 6", the arowana will eat it. I may be wrong but I bet that "somebody" is not experienced.
Needless to say, experience and knowledge are not always the easiest to find out, it takes time, but until then, one could start by paying attention to the rankings (yes the Tobias' piranha thing haha), trophy points, date joined, number of posts, likes, so on. If in doubt, ask.
Gouramy will not eat or harass a silver arowana, so the only concern there is the aro preying on gouramy, so the latter has to be large enough at all stages of arowana growth not to become feed.
As for the arowana tank mate ideas, you could check out what I keep our aros with: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/my-silver-arowana-in-4500-gal.688112/ There are great many more suitable tank mates too of course but this should get your thinking started.
You are misremembering. IDK for how much longer but still got 1 gulper for 3.
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- Dec 2, 2018
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In the middle line it had a quote from fishhead saying "What you want to do is talk to TBTB"
Haha... taken out of context sometimes = loses meaning. I have no personal experience feeding crayfish, dead or alive, to my gulpers.
He said he has no experience of a feeding behavior mentioned.
Edit: looks like he replied at the same time as me, my bad,
How I envy your amount of space I had quite a lot of space where I used to live, a room at the back, part of an extension which used to be the childrens' playroom, pool table, dartboard, then when widowed I foolishly moved, to a much smaller cottage, got depressed and regretted it ever since.
Anyway, particularly down tonight as I have lost my arrowana, woke up this morning to find him propped in the corner of the tank on the floor,
I spent all this afternoon doing everything I could think of to save him but he died and I am way past gutted.... The redtail is fine, I couldn't get any shrimp but I purchased some peeled prawns and cut small pieces off, the redtail grabbed it eagerly and arrowana obviously didn't get any,
so every night I was giving the redtail a small piece of prawn plus two of his pellets, the arrowana having his floating foodsticks. last night I fed the redtail pellets/prawn and put some very tiny pieces of prawn on the top that floated to give the arrowana some, this morning the arrowana had eaten all his food but there had obviously been a lot of activity in the night because there was pieces of prawn all over the tank floor so the redtail was obviously not eating all that I had offered and the amount had built up also making the water slightly cloudy. I quickly netted him out, he was very wriggly and I was hopeful, but I didn't have anywhere else to put him, I decided the best place was the tank with my bristlenost pleco and a white gourami, I felt that the bigger tank which has boisterous weather loaches in wasn't a good idea, as soon as I put him in there the gourami attacked him, and the arrowana hid behind the filter, I abandoned the net and just put my hand in to get hm out again,
he was still very wriggly so again I was hopeful, the only other place was a polystyrene box where I am keeping from floating plants, I had also put in the tank a filter with water polishing floss in it as I don't have a UV steriliser Should I have one? would it have helped? !I then changed most of the water and sucked up the pieces of uneaten prawn replaced the water and also added some Colony bacteria.
Finally placed my arrowana back in the tank, he started swimming around and my hopes were raised, I had to go shopping and when I got back he was on the floor again and I then knew he wasn't going to make it despite all my efforts, I had even been praying for him.
Another facet to this is my cat, she lays on the glass lid of the aquarium and taps/scratches at the glass with her paw I continually pull her off obviously but I cannot watch her all the time and I think this would have harrassed him. Well, in my efforts to make sure they were well fed I definitely overfed them, polluted the water? Why is the RFT fine though? There is an ornament in the tank with tunnels and the RTF hides in there most of the time so he wouldn't have seen the cat? Maybe if I had covered the tank? It's all maybe's, I don't know if I will replace him, I just know that I loved him and now I've lost him which sums up the story of my life.
/
Anyway, particularly down tonight as I have lost my arrowana, woke up this morning to find him propped in the corner of the tank on the floor,
I spent all this afternoon doing everything I could think of to save him but he died and I am way past gutted.... The redtail is fine, I couldn't get any shrimp but I purchased some peeled prawns and cut small pieces off, the redtail grabbed it eagerly and arrowana obviously didn't get any,
so every night I was giving the redtail a small piece of prawn plus two of his pellets, the arrowana having his floating foodsticks. last night I fed the redtail pellets/prawn and put some very tiny pieces of prawn on the top that floated to give the arrowana some, this morning the arrowana had eaten all his food but there had obviously been a lot of activity in the night because there was pieces of prawn all over the tank floor so the redtail was obviously not eating all that I had offered and the amount had built up also making the water slightly cloudy. I quickly netted him out, he was very wriggly and I was hopeful, but I didn't have anywhere else to put him, I decided the best place was the tank with my bristlenost pleco and a white gourami, I felt that the bigger tank which has boisterous weather loaches in wasn't a good idea, as soon as I put him in there the gourami attacked him, and the arrowana hid behind the filter, I abandoned the net and just put my hand in to get hm out again,
he was still very wriggly so again I was hopeful, the only other place was a polystyrene box where I am keeping from floating plants, I had also put in the tank a filter with water polishing floss in it as I don't have a UV steriliser Should I have one? would it have helped? !I then changed most of the water and sucked up the pieces of uneaten prawn replaced the water and also added some Colony bacteria.
Finally placed my arrowana back in the tank, he started swimming around and my hopes were raised, I had to go shopping and when I got back he was on the floor again and I then knew he wasn't going to make it despite all my efforts, I had even been praying for him.
Another facet to this is my cat, she lays on the glass lid of the aquarium and taps/scratches at the glass with her paw I continually pull her off obviously but I cannot watch her all the time and I think this would have harrassed him. Well, in my efforts to make sure they were well fed I definitely overfed them, polluted the water? Why is the RFT fine though? There is an ornament in the tank with tunnels and the RTF hides in there most of the time so he wouldn't have seen the cat? Maybe if I had covered the tank? It's all maybe's, I don't know if I will replace him, I just know that I loved him and now I've lost him which sums up the story of my life.
/
R
Red Tail Fan
RTF: How I envy your amount of space ...
TBTB: In all fairness, we are looking to do this professionally with a small DIY Public Aquarium.
RTF: Anyway, particularly down tonight as I have lost my arowana...
TBTB: My sincere sympathies. I know precisely how it feels. Yet this is part of the hobby and especially of the learning. Our hobby is much more complex than keeping a cat or a dog. You either learn to stomach setbacks and deaths or quit sooner or later. Hang in there, Val.
RTF: .... The redtail is fine,
TBTB: Does it feed? Has it fed after the aro loss?
RTF: so every night I was giving the redtail a small piece of prawn plus two of his pellets, the arrowana having his floating foodsticks...
TBTB: Sounds good.
RTF: ... but there had obviously been a lot of activity in the night ...
TBTB: The night is the activity time for the largely nocturnal RTC.
RTF: ... because there was pieces of prawn all over the tank floor so the redtail was obviously not eating all that I had offered and the amount had built up also making the water slightly cloudy.
TBTB: Do you mean over days? The uneaten feed must be taken out every day. Cloudy water can mean an uncycled tank due to bacterial bloom in the water column. Uncycled tank = ammonia in the water = stress for the fish = no appetite = eventual sickness or even death depending on the ammonia reading and the time period. Do you test your water for ammonia and nitrite with a liquid test tube test kit? I'd say this is one the most helpful things you could ever do to learn and avoid such things in the future as well as many other things too.
RTF: ... I quickly netted him out, he was very wriggly and I was hopeful, but I didn't have anywhere else to put him, I decided the best place was the tank with my bristlenost pleco and a white gourami, I felt that the bigger tank which has boisterous weather loaches in wasn't a good idea, as soon as I put him in there the gourami attacked him, and the arrowana hid behind the filter, I abandoned the net and just put my hand in to get hm out again, he was still very wriggly so again I was hopeful, the only other place was a polystyrene box where I am keeping from floating plants, I had also put in the tank a filter with water polishing floss in it as I don't have a UV steriliser Should I have one? would it have helped? I then changed most of the water and sucked up the pieces of uneaten prawn replaced the water and also added some Colony bacteria. Finally placed my arrowana back in the tank, he started swimming around and my hopes were raised, I had to go shopping and when I got back he was on the floor again and I then knew he wasn't going to make it despite all my efforts, I had even been praying for him.
TBTB: If I had to guess, I'd say the immediate cause of death was stress from all the handling, changing tanks, and the gouramy attack. Arowana, when small, are not hardy but a rather sensitive fish. A little too much stress and they cave. I'd still most definitely get the test kit and investigate the water where the RTC lives.
RTF: ... Another facet to this is my cat, she lays on the glass lid of the aquarium and taps/scratches at the glass with her paw I continually pull her off obviously but I cannot watch her all the time and I think this would have harrassed him.
TBTB: I think your hunch is right. Arowana is a ~100% surface fish, so it'd be swimming inches away from the cat and any sudden move or sound would spook it, piling up the stress again.
RTF: ... Well, in my efforts to make sure they were well fed I definitely overfed them, polluted the water?
TBTB: Nothing but an API liquid test could answer that with certainty.
RTF: ... Why is the RFT fine though?
TBTB: This is a good question. But you said the RTC hasn't been eating what you were offering. So it could not have been fine.
RTF: ... There is an ornament in the tank with tunnels and the RTF hides in there most of the time so he wouldn't have seen the cat?
TBTB: Surely if the RTC was affected by your cat, it'd be one millionth of that of arowana because it is a bottom and nocturnal creature.
RTF: Maybe if I had covered the tank? It's all maybe's,...
TBTB: Not all maybe's. Especially with the test results, I think the picture would have been more or less clear.
RTF: I don't know if I will replace him, I just know that I loved him and now I've lost him which sums up the story of my life.
TBTB: Val, take heart. This is the story of everyone's life... sooner or later. We are all in this together. I'll pray for you too.
RTF: How I envy your amount of space ...
TBTB: In all fairness, we are looking to do this professionally with a small DIY Public Aquarium.
RTF: Anyway, particularly down tonight as I have lost my arowana...
TBTB: My sincere sympathies. I know precisely how it feels. Yet this is part of the hobby and especially of the learning. Our hobby is much more complex than keeping a cat or a dog. You either learn to stomach setbacks and deaths or quit sooner or later. Hang in there, Val.
RTF: .... The redtail is fine,
TBTB: Does it feed? Has it fed after the aro loss?
RTF: so every night I was giving the redtail a small piece of prawn plus two of his pellets, the arrowana having his floating foodsticks...
TBTB: Sounds good.
RTF: ... but there had obviously been a lot of activity in the night ...
TBTB: The night is the activity time for the largely nocturnal RTC.
RTF: ... because there was pieces of prawn all over the tank floor so the redtail was obviously not eating all that I had offered and the amount had built up also making the water slightly cloudy.
TBTB: Do you mean over days? The uneaten feed must be taken out every day. Cloudy water can mean an uncycled tank due to bacterial bloom in the water column. Uncycled tank = ammonia in the water = stress for the fish = no appetite = eventual sickness or even death depending on the ammonia reading and the time period. Do you test your water for ammonia and nitrite with a liquid test tube test kit? I'd say this is one the most helpful things you could ever do to learn and avoid such things in the future as well as many other things too.
RTF: ... I quickly netted him out, he was very wriggly and I was hopeful, but I didn't have anywhere else to put him, I decided the best place was the tank with my bristlenost pleco and a white gourami, I felt that the bigger tank which has boisterous weather loaches in wasn't a good idea, as soon as I put him in there the gourami attacked him, and the arrowana hid behind the filter, I abandoned the net and just put my hand in to get hm out again, he was still very wriggly so again I was hopeful, the only other place was a polystyrene box where I am keeping from floating plants, I had also put in the tank a filter with water polishing floss in it as I don't have a UV steriliser Should I have one? would it have helped? I then changed most of the water and sucked up the pieces of uneaten prawn replaced the water and also added some Colony bacteria. Finally placed my arrowana back in the tank, he started swimming around and my hopes were raised, I had to go shopping and when I got back he was on the floor again and I then knew he wasn't going to make it despite all my efforts, I had even been praying for him.
TBTB: If I had to guess, I'd say the immediate cause of death was stress from all the handling, changing tanks, and the gouramy attack. Arowana, when small, are not hardy but a rather sensitive fish. A little too much stress and they cave. I'd still most definitely get the test kit and investigate the water where the RTC lives.
RTF: ... Another facet to this is my cat, she lays on the glass lid of the aquarium and taps/scratches at the glass with her paw I continually pull her off obviously but I cannot watch her all the time and I think this would have harrassed him.
TBTB: I think your hunch is right. Arowana is a ~100% surface fish, so it'd be swimming inches away from the cat and any sudden move or sound would spook it, piling up the stress again.
RTF: ... Well, in my efforts to make sure they were well fed I definitely overfed them, polluted the water?
TBTB: Nothing but an API liquid test could answer that with certainty.
RTF: ... Why is the RFT fine though?
TBTB: This is a good question. But you said the RTC hasn't been eating what you were offering. So it could not have been fine.
RTF: ... There is an ornament in the tank with tunnels and the RTF hides in there most of the time so he wouldn't have seen the cat?
TBTB: Surely if the RTC was affected by your cat, it'd be one millionth of that of arowana because it is a bottom and nocturnal creature.
RTF: Maybe if I had covered the tank? It's all maybe's,...
TBTB: Not all maybe's. Especially with the test results, I think the picture would have been more or less clear.
RTF: I don't know if I will replace him, I just know that I loved him and now I've lost him which sums up the story of my life.
TBTB: Val, take heart. This is the story of everyone's life... sooner or later. We are all in this together. I'll pray for you too.
- Dec 2, 2018
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