hi just wondering wat the largest lungfish species is and how big they can grow. i was thinking of keeping a lungfish in my custom made 7' by 2.5' by 3' tank then maybe transfer to my 18 foot pond later. possible?
Largest lungfish species? and how big??
- Thread starter TLkmDN
- Start date
I think the ;largest is the AUL, or australian lung, but some other people on here will know more then i, PM Santoury.
Yep, PM ME lol.... I'll just post here 
The largest is P. aethiopicus if I am not mistaken. There are photographs of an African holding one that is above his head. 6.5 feet or so. You probably won't be able to keep a lungfish in a 2 foot wide aquarium for very long.
The largest is P. aethiopicus if I am not mistaken. There are photographs of an African holding one that is above his head. 6.5 feet or so. You probably won't be able to keep a lungfish in a 2 foot wide aquarium for very long.
the word "largest" is somewhat relative when it comes to fish, generally we refer that to length of the fish, in which case Protopterus aethiopicus aethiopicus is the biggest, at around 6' (200cm). The heaviest lungfish (often times weight is considered for sport fish) is the Australian lungfish at around 40kg (all info according to fishbase.org).
the AUL is definitely a much thicker fish, not quite as long as the longest recorded P.aethiopicus, but definitely stout and heavier (if you look at photos of these fishes you'll see the difference).
as for a lungfish suitable for your tank and eventually pond, you will be able to house any of the species in a tank of your size for at least a year, and likely longer than that. AUL's shoot up to 18" quite fast, but then their growth rate is much slower (although they will eventually reach larger than the width of the tank).
Any of the Africans would be fine in a tank of that size for around 2 years give or take, and depending on the species and individual, could be kept in that size tank for a while longer.
The South American lungfish (SAL) also has a pretty quick growth rate, some easily reaching 24" in their first year, but again, this fish would be just fine in your tank for a year or two.
having your pond will help in terms of housing a large specimen if necessary, but unless you just want a pond housing a single lungfish, i would shoot for the SAL or AUL over the Africans as the Africans are unpredictably aggressive towards tankmates, whereas the first two species are a bit more docile.
hope that helps, if you let us know what species of lungfish you are looking in to, whether you want to keep it with tankmates, and any other details, we can better assist you. good luck--
--solomon
the AUL is definitely a much thicker fish, not quite as long as the longest recorded P.aethiopicus, but definitely stout and heavier (if you look at photos of these fishes you'll see the difference).
as for a lungfish suitable for your tank and eventually pond, you will be able to house any of the species in a tank of your size for at least a year, and likely longer than that. AUL's shoot up to 18" quite fast, but then their growth rate is much slower (although they will eventually reach larger than the width of the tank).
Any of the Africans would be fine in a tank of that size for around 2 years give or take, and depending on the species and individual, could be kept in that size tank for a while longer.
The South American lungfish (SAL) also has a pretty quick growth rate, some easily reaching 24" in their first year, but again, this fish would be just fine in your tank for a year or two.
having your pond will help in terms of housing a large specimen if necessary, but unless you just want a pond housing a single lungfish, i would shoot for the SAL or AUL over the Africans as the Africans are unpredictably aggressive towards tankmates, whereas the first two species are a bit more docile.
hope that helps, if you let us know what species of lungfish you are looking in to, whether you want to keep it with tankmates, and any other details, we can better assist you. good luck--
--solomon
wow thanks so much for the info. it helps a lot. but yes my pond currently has 6 fish. 2 RTCs...2 TSNs....2CKs all about 3 foot in length. tats y i have to grow the lungfish out in the tank first.
TLkmDN;1135666; said:
no problem, any time
as for your pond...given the tankmates, i would go with a South American lungfish, Lepidosiren paradoxa. these fish are much cheaper and easier to come by than the Australian lungfish, and generally get along well with tankmates they cannot swallow (temperament does vary with the individual though).
you can see pics of all the lungfish species in the lungfish section of www.primitivefish.com, in case you want to make some comparisons, etc. good luck, and let us know if you have further questions!--
--solomon