My zoo update
- Thread starter Zoodiver
- Start date
Looks awesome hope to see it someday,our family vacations always center around aquariums and zoos
Today I've finally got both my arapaima to take thawed food from my hand. As dumb as that sounds, it's a great thing to have. Since they are a CITIES protected animal, I have to keep track of daily food intake (by weight) and make sure each gets the supplements etc. If I just did a broadcast feeding, there would be no way to keep track of who got what. At the Dallas World Aquarium, they lined up before we even got in the water to feed them. It was hilarious to watch them start moving toward the off exhibit holding around lunch time!
I found your thread. Thanks for the detailed info you gave me on the Arapaima forum. Mine are growing the biggest is over 18" and the smallest is about 16"+. They still will not take pellets or krill. Only one will take shrimp. They all eat thawed smelt, mackeral and white fish. I noticed the 2 cuban gars in the tank have really started to swim a lot more and a lot faster with the three pemas in the tank (800g). I am still not force feeding for growth because I want the to all be about 30" when I move them in July to either the 50k+ (If SimonL can catch that black shark (Morulius chrysophekadion))
or the 15k if he can't. If they go in the 15K I will have to move about a dozen brycons (Brycon brevicauda + Brycon falcatus)out (20 to 24") and maybe a few of the barbs also 24"(Leptobarbus hoeveni).
I will post this on the pema forum also so those guys can keep up.
or the 15k if he can't. If they go in the 15K I will have to move about a dozen brycons (Brycon brevicauda + Brycon falcatus)out (20 to 24") and maybe a few of the barbs also 24"(Leptobarbus hoeveni).
I will post this on the pema forum also so those guys can keep up.
I'm not too happy with the consistancy of mine hand feeding. There is alot of activity around their tank that I'd like to eliminate.
Anyway, here is a shot of the stingray stream from above. The second is the arapaima pool (known as the River display) filters. Running sand filters and ozone. No carbon at this point, but I might switch one the sand units over later on.
All filter backwashing is done by pulling from a 10,000 gallon holding tank (not the exhibit water), then reclaiming it in a second holding. I then run a filter on the water used to back wash to polish it up for re-use. I'll only be loosing the water I use to backwash on that filter to the sewer system, which in the long run will save the zoo a TON of money. Once I cleaned that water, I move it over to the first chamber to use as clean water to backwash later on. It's funny to have an entire filter system to clean my backwash water, but it's very useful as well.
I'll take pics of the arapaima pool drained tomorrow so you guys can see the rock work that is done.
Anyway, here is a shot of the stingray stream from above. The second is the arapaima pool (known as the River display) filters. Running sand filters and ozone. No carbon at this point, but I might switch one the sand units over later on.
All filter backwashing is done by pulling from a 10,000 gallon holding tank (not the exhibit water), then reclaiming it in a second holding. I then run a filter on the water used to back wash to polish it up for re-use. I'll only be loosing the water I use to backwash on that filter to the sewer system, which in the long run will save the zoo a TON of money. Once I cleaned that water, I move it over to the first chamber to use as clean water to backwash later on. It's funny to have an entire filter system to clean my backwash water, but it's very useful as well.
I'll take pics of the arapaima pool drained tomorrow so you guys can see the rock work that is done.
