M. tigrinus growth

[African_Fever]

Just wondering what kind of growth I could expect to get out of some M. tigrinus from those who have kept them, and what would be the best food for rapid growth. I'm looking at bringing them in directly, and because they're rather small (2-3") I thought I'd grow them out to about 6" before selling them. Was thinking about using the round 300 gallon rubbermaid water trough and a couple of XP5's for them, but if they'd be fine in a glass tank (55 to 120 gallon) with heavy water changes, I'd prefer to keep them there (would be nice to actually see them as they develop).

Also, would these be ok with some smaller rays (4-6") once the cats got a bit larger?

Thanks.

 

[T1KARMANN]

i you feed them well they will grow 1-2inch per month if you can keep them alive at that size

i would just put them in with 300-400 feeders like a buffet

 

[amazonfishman]

I would stay away from feeders. They don't provide enough nutrition and are expensive as anything if you have to feed alot. Best suggestion for growth would be hikari carnivore pellets and nightcrawlers or pieces of nightcrawlers when they are small. The hikari pellets are guaranteed 49-50% protein, that equals good healthy growth. When larger you could also feed market shrimp to keep them healthy. The aquariums would be fine when they are smaller but they would probably grow faster in my opinion on the same rate of food in the 300 gallon rubbermaid because they'd have more space to expand. I feed nightcrawlers and hikari to mine. Currently my Tig is around 12" right now as well as all my other shovelnose cats (juruense, lima, tsn, and planiceps) ~Trent

 

[shoefreak03]

Just wondering what kind of growth I could expect to get out of some M. tigrinus from those who have kept them, and what would be the best food for rapid growth. I'm looking at bringing them in directly, and because they're rather small (2-3") I thought I'd grow them out to about 6" before selling them. Was thinking about using the round 300 gallon rubbermaid water trough and a couple of XP5's for them, but if they'd be fine in a glass tank (55 to 120 gallon) with heavy water changes, I'd prefer to keep them there (would be nice to actually see them as they develop).

Also, would these be ok with some smaller rays (4-6") once the cats got a bit larger?

Thanks.

what is XP5 filter???

if the tigs come in really small without stripes, then i would highly suggest guppies as main diet first and they are more sensative when small and require lots of food. once they get about 4-5", then you can switch to pellets, bloodworm and small cut up shrimps.

 

[DeLgAdO]

I would stay away from feeders. They don't provide enough nutrition and are expensive as anything if you have to feed alot. Best suggestion for growth would be hikari carnivore pellets and nightcrawlers or pieces of nightcrawlers when they are small. The hikari pellets are guaranteed 49-50% protein, that equals good healthy growth. When larger you could also feed market shrimp to keep them healthy. The aquariums would be fine when they are smaller but they would probably grow faster in my opinion on the same rate of food in the 300 gallon rubbermaid because they'd have more space to expand. I feed nightcrawlers and hikari to mine. Currently my Tig is around 12" right now as well as all my other shovelnose cats (juruense, lima, tsn, and planiceps) ~Trent

nothing is more complete than a live whole fish

The aquariums would be fine when they are smaller but they would probably grow faster in my opinion on the same rate of food in the 300 gallon rubbermaid because they'd have more space to expand.

fact: growth rate is the same no matter what size tank you put it in, but it all comes down depends on the water quality

 

[amazonfishman]

I've never seen an XP5 but Rena just release the XP4 which is a 4 bin module of their canister filter line. I'd assume that if its an XP5 maybe its just a newer larger canister filter model.

Maybe I should have been more clear on feeder fish. NOT goldfish. Rosies or some types of cichlids (I've used convicts and texas cichlids in the past) or some other fish but not goldfish. And again feeder fish are uber expensive if your having to feed alot of them.

Fact: growth rate greatly depends on tank size. A RTC for example just to be on the extreme side isn't going to grow as fast in a 20 gallon as it will in a 2000 galllon because it will have its growth stunted by the smaller tank and/or die from excess ammonia and nitrites in the smaller tank if it does manage to survive. To further prove this when I was growing out my planiceps shovelnose in my 55 it was growing roughly 1" per month and I moved it when it was around 10" to the 240, since then its been growing roughly 2" per month on the same amount of daily feedings that it received in the 55 but has more space to grow where it doesn't feel as confined and more swimming space. ~ Trent

 

[T1KARMANN]

the problem with small tig in a big tank is they are rubbish hunters when small

so put them in a small tank until they are about 10inch then move to bigger tank

small guppys are good

now mine is 20-22inch it also hunts well and takes the hikari pellets they are great most fish eat them

a tig will take dead food with no problem but if you pack a small tank with the tig and say 200 guppys it can eat when it wants which is mainly at night
if you want to get up at 3am in the morning to feed it then just feed dead food and clean up the left overs after each feed

if you want max growth do the guppy buffet

 

[bigfishsmallpond]

my tig is a littie slow on it growth i got had in september and he is 10" but he was in the store for 1 year

 

[African_Fever]

Sorry, that should've been FX5 (too many filters all sound alike).

I think I'll probably end up getting the pond for them in the future, but for now I'll grow them out in a smaller glass tank and feed heavily (with just about the same filtration that I'll run on the pond). More feeders in a smaller area definitely makes more sense, with all fish that you're trying to grow out (I prefer to grow out all my cichlid from 5 or 10 gallons first before moving them into larger tanks so that the food is more concentrated).

As far as growth rates go, with lots of regular water changes I doubt that I'll see any difference in growth between a 75 and a 300 gallon pond. It all has to do with removing the pheromones that the fish produce that slow their growth. I'd rather do 1/3 water changes on a 75 every other day than 1/3 on a 300 gallon pond once a week (would end up being about 100 gallons going through each system every week). The food for them would be much more concentrated in the 75 and therefore much easier access to them.

Thanks for the advice so far.

Are they that much harder to keep alive as young juvies? If I'm careful about water changes and feeding, will there be any problems I should worry about?

 

[jakethesnake]

Do they mix well when young? Im thinking of buying 2-4 3-4" tigs from danny then growing them on. Thought its best not to over feed, adding loads of feeders to the tank might make them binge heavily wont it? Also T1, polyfilter? Would you use this soley as filteration, with no biological media?

Cheers dudes