The fish is pretty laid back in general. Usually not moving until you try to feed it. So dont expect much during the daytime since it is a nocturnal catfish. Be mindful of its sensitive nose area because when you scare it, generally it runs around injuring it first and causing a slant in its nose structure...DONT TAP THE GLASS...imagine you if you were sleeping and someone started tapping you on the face everytime you closed your eyes....
Lima ShovelNose Info/Problems
- Thread starter richardhmc
- Start date
Mine are always on the move swimming verticle together. One is 14" and the other is 12" the 12" one is a year old the other is 10 months. Got both at 3". Good luck. P.s. their mouths are way bigger than they look.
Lima Shovelnoses are fairly peaceful fish when kept with fish its same size and of relitively equal aggression. It will eat anything that can fit into its mouth. Sometimes you can run into a picky situation with LSN because some may eat anything that looks remotely like food and then others will only eat live feeders. Generally growing 1" a month until around 12" or so with power feeding. But on a normal diverse diet dont expect more than 1/2" a month. Word of warning this fish does shed its slime coat several times a year or even a few times a month. Dont worry its a natural process, some LSN eat their own slime coat but others will just muck up the entire tank on a whim. This fish is usually a careful eater but sometimes will get a rock or two stuck in its mouth, use either smaller gravel which it can easily spit out or larger gravel which cannot be eater. (Necrocanis avatar should give you a hint on how big or small to go with choosing gravel...its mout is way larger than you think) Keep at a moderate temperature, not to warm usually around 68-78 degrees will do. It doesnt require much tank depth but water movement is a large plus since in its natural habitat it sits against large flat stones or against plants or drift wood waiting for potential prey to float by. I suggest a moderately powerful jet spray head for this. Filtration is a MUST catfish require CLEAN WATERS. This is a South American catfish so not much salt/if any is needed unless during treatment for a sickness. The maximum size of this fish is around 18" but can grow up to 26" in ponds maybe even more. Generally a class catfish it woddles around the aquarium day or night time...but prefers to eat at night. Dim lighting should be used, most people over light aquariums not taking into account how much light natural water actually lets through to the bottom of ponds, lakes, and rivers that these fish inhabit. Again this fish can sometimes be spoked so be careful, its nose is prone to damage. Do not overfeed, general foods include beef heart, blood worms, feeders, peices of fish, etc. It is suggested to allow for a break between heavy feeding schedules to allow the system of the catfish to be "cleaned" out eliminating possible toxin build up.
I hope you enjoy your LSN i have one mine is 6 inches...had it for 3 months...very interested to see it outgrow my 125! HOPEFULLY!
I hope you enjoy your LSN i have one mine is 6 inches...had it for 3 months...very interested to see it outgrow my 125! HOPEFULLY!
Anyone have ideas on why LSN patters are so diverse? I have two and one is is green and silver with black blotches and one is greenish yellow and silver with a THICK black stripe running down its side. The larger one, has the thick black stripe and he is MUCH thicker and more aggressive than the smaller thinner one.
woah.. lots of helpful info given.. thank you
1) why do young lima shovelnoses stand with their head on the floor nd tail in the air? at first it scared me because i thought it might be dead.
2) Right now, i have a piece of driftwood in there giving it some type of cover. I know it is nocturnal but i also heard it could be diturnal? (not sure if its right word) but meaning that i can be active in both day and night. What can be used to cover up the light? Right now.. i must admit i have a pretty bright light over the tank
3) about how big of a tank will it need to grow into?
1) why do young lima shovelnoses stand with their head on the floor nd tail in the air? at first it scared me because i thought it might be dead.
2) Right now, i have a piece of driftwood in there giving it some type of cover. I know it is nocturnal but i also heard it could be diturnal? (not sure if its right word) but meaning that i can be active in both day and night. What can be used to cover up the light? Right now.. i must admit i have a pretty bright light over the tank
3) about how big of a tank will it need to grow into?
well, i put a piece of black construction paper underneath the lights nd above the hood.. but its not exactly the effect I wanted because its just half the tank bright and the other half dark
I wanted to make a dim light sort of effect.. any ideas? or shud i just go get a dim bulb?
I wanted to make a dim light sort of effect.. any ideas? or shud i just go get a dim bulb?
They just sit naturally in that state facing the ground I would assume to keep watch out for prey on the bottom especially when smaller because they would be hunting small fish and shrimp from the bottom of the river. As its been said don't worry if your Lima "shed's" they do this frequently unless you notice it shedding alot and or fin/whisker rot its probably fine.
They will sit parallel to most driftwood or heaters if less cover is available to blend in and remain mostly still during the day. Mine sits on the large piece of driftwood in 1 of 2 spots 95% of the day. As soon as the lights go out it goes into hunting mode and cruises the tank. They will swim at times during the day as well as feed during the day but most of the Lima shovelnose activity is predominately at night. They do great in groups and are pack hunters (just ask anyone whos wittnessed a group of Lima's hunt, they take turns and annihilate the prey its really cool)
I wouldn't worry that much about the brightness of the light, they will stay in darker areas of the tank under driftwood or cover of some type however I never had any problems with brightness affecting my Lima and in fact one of its preferred spots was right underneith a 500watt lamp
As far as max size goes I'd say about 24" with very very few reaching over 18" in captivity. I've personally kept Lima's from 2-3" up to my beast at 20-22" currently. With reference to their color patterns its from the different riverine systems that the Lima was caught from or bred. Here are several pictures (both mine and other members) exhibiting the different color varients. Ph should be about neutral, low 70's to low 80's for temp. ~Trent
They will sit parallel to most driftwood or heaters if less cover is available to blend in and remain mostly still during the day. Mine sits on the large piece of driftwood in 1 of 2 spots 95% of the day. As soon as the lights go out it goes into hunting mode and cruises the tank. They will swim at times during the day as well as feed during the day but most of the Lima shovelnose activity is predominately at night. They do great in groups and are pack hunters (just ask anyone whos wittnessed a group of Lima's hunt, they take turns and annihilate the prey its really cool)
I wouldn't worry that much about the brightness of the light, they will stay in darker areas of the tank under driftwood or cover of some type however I never had any problems with brightness affecting my Lima and in fact one of its preferred spots was right underneith a 500watt lamp
As far as max size goes I'd say about 24" with very very few reaching over 18" in captivity. I've personally kept Lima's from 2-3" up to my beast at 20-22" currently. With reference to their color patterns its from the different riverine systems that the Lima was caught from or bred. Here are several pictures (both mine and other members) exhibiting the different color varients. Ph should be about neutral, low 70's to low 80's for temp. ~Trent
Oh yes, I have also experienced what looks like shedding.. when i first put my lima in, all of a sudden, it looked like as if someone spit into my tank... except everywhere
When is a good time to feed then? In the day or night
When is a good time to feed then? In the day or night
