If he reliably eats the tilapia, get him used to eating pellet sized chunks. Then start doing the powder. After he's habitually smashing pellet powder soaked chunks, let him go hungry a day or two and throw a pellet in and see what happens.
My first ATF
- Thread starter Aw3s0m3
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If he reliably eats the tilapia, get him used to eating pellet sized chunks. Then start doing the powder. After he's habitually smashing pellet powder soaked chunks, let him go hungry a day or two and throw a pellet in and see what happens.
Sweet! Thanks! Haha I just realized you've been helping me out like crazy with both of my recent purchases. Thanks for that!
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So I couldn't sleep last night so I looked up huge guys on YouTube and noticed that none of the giant ones in Japan or Thailand were kept with heavy, or any, water movement. Is water flow truly necessary with these guys or are they like armatus where even though they're from fast moving waters, they prefer the calmer areas? I still haven't seen my gatf use the current. It always hangs out right next to it or hides behind the sponge filter at the other end of the tank.
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I honestly don't think those huge ones in the YouTube videos were grown from smaller sizes. I don't have any evidence of this, obviously, but my guess is most of them were imported at a much larger size than we normally get.
As for if they recognize you, mine definitely does. If I come downstairs with a plate and fork (with cut up shrimp or tilapia), he starts doing laps waiting for me to drop the food in. Even if I just come up to grab food sticks to drop in from the bag, he moves from his normal center camp out spot to the front top waiting for me to open the lid. I actually moved my office desk down there, so I can watch him while I work. I've noticed him attacking the glass and 'barking' at me when he can see me for longer periods of time, a lot like a serrasalmus piranha. They can definitely be spazzy though, don't get me wrong.
As for if they recognize you, mine definitely does. If I come downstairs with a plate and fork (with cut up shrimp or tilapia), he starts doing laps waiting for me to drop the food in. Even if I just come up to grab food sticks to drop in from the bag, he moves from his normal center camp out spot to the front top waiting for me to open the lid. I actually moved my office desk down there, so I can watch him while I work. I've noticed him attacking the glass and 'barking' at me when he can see me for longer periods of time, a lot like a serrasalmus piranha. They can definitely be spazzy though, don't get me wrong.
I agree with pretty much all of Paul's post. My experiences are pretty much the same and I also feel that those giant Japanese one's are unlikely to be grow outs; some of those fish are likely 15-20 or even older!
The GATFs that I've worked with have been flighty unless you have something that they want. Even Max would largely make it clear that he didn't want anything to do with me unless he was hungry. I don't care for the personality of GATF to be honest.
As for the current, it can be hit or miss. The main reason for the current is to keep the fish happy in a tank that is smaller than would be ideal if you have no current. ATF occupy two different niches: rapids and wide open areas of lakes and rivers where there is essentially no sides and no bottom. It is all about giving the fish a natural habitat in which it can live. When you consider these options, it is much easier to put a battery of powerheads into a tank of a couple hundred gallons than it is to acquire a tank of a couple thousand gallons.
Your little guy is likely avoiding the current because he's so little. When tiger fish are very young, they behave like minnows. They hide in the grass and sticks and whatnot in the shallows at the very edge of the water until they're big enough to actually act as predators. Once your guy gets a bit bigger and/or more comfortable, you'll see him cruising the current in the middle of the tank like he owns it.
The GATFs that I've worked with have been flighty unless you have something that they want. Even Max would largely make it clear that he didn't want anything to do with me unless he was hungry. I don't care for the personality of GATF to be honest.
As for the current, it can be hit or miss. The main reason for the current is to keep the fish happy in a tank that is smaller than would be ideal if you have no current. ATF occupy two different niches: rapids and wide open areas of lakes and rivers where there is essentially no sides and no bottom. It is all about giving the fish a natural habitat in which it can live. When you consider these options, it is much easier to put a battery of powerheads into a tank of a couple hundred gallons than it is to acquire a tank of a couple thousand gallons.
Your little guy is likely avoiding the current because he's so little. When tiger fish are very young, they behave like minnows. They hide in the grass and sticks and whatnot in the shallows at the very edge of the water until they're big enough to actually act as predators. Once your guy gets a bit bigger and/or more comfortable, you'll see him cruising the current in the middle of the tank like he owns it.
IME skittishness is a symptom of too small a tank or too slow of flow. Or both. If the tank is big enough they won't be as skittish. Although it's like putting a mustang in a corral they just don't like to be confined.
My experience with skittish atf has actually been exactly the opposite. When I put young fish into a large tank, they start and stay skittish. If I start the in a smaller tank (I favor a 20 long) the fish realize that they can't get away and eventually realize that not only am I no threat, I am their source of food. Max was a small fish in a big tank; every tiger that I started in a smaller tank with lots of flow has been much more personable.
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Thanks guys.
Since he tries to avoid the current as much as possible, I don't know if I should add another 1 or not, but then again, I honestly feel that the tank is too small for him but I don't want him to get eaten in the 40. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here because I understand that adding more flow makes them feel more comfortable when I a confined space but since he's avoiding the flow, I'm not sure if adding more will make him comfortable or stress him out more.
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Since he tries to avoid the current as much as possible, I don't know if I should add another 1 or not, but then again, I honestly feel that the tank is too small for him but I don't want him to get eaten in the 40. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here because I understand that adding more flow makes them feel more comfortable when I a confined space but since he's avoiding the flow, I'm not sure if adding more will make him comfortable or stress him out more.
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I guess it depends on the individual personalities. Some are just more skittish. I saw 3 ATF at the LFS a few months ago. All were in their own tank same size. Two were spazzing out where one was just hovering in the middle very calm and kool.
