new aimara, need some tips please..

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Absolutely gorgeous aimara you've got there, 3 years and still going strong!

What size tank are you keeping this leviathan in?! I also see you went the bare tank rout, seems to be working for my specimen so far as well. Any possibility of getting a few more pics of this monster?
 
thanks,
for now the fish is in a 300g tank. I plan to move house, so later on this dog get a bigger home. I keep all my fish in bare bottom tanks, never had any problems with it. Its just easier to maintain a clean tank.
 
Cleanliness was one of the deciding factors in me taking out any structure from my specimens tank as well. They're such messy eaters that bits and pieces of food invariably end up getting stuck under decor and rotting!

What has your feeding and water change regimen with your specimen?
 
wit aimara, normally feed only once in 2-3 days, he wont take any food even though I throw some food in. Water change is done weekly, about 70% out of total water volume in the tank.
 
Good to know I'm not the only one with an aimara that's fickle when it comes to feeding! I've noticed your same feeding trend with my specimen. Seems that she's only interested in food every second day or so. I'll throw a silverside or earthworm in the night after her last feed, and it'll just sit there on the bottom of the tank until I take it out. Seems like they prefer to digest the majority of their previous meal before feeding again. I suppose that's just ambush predators for ya though!

My background is predominantly based around siluriformes, so having a fish that doesn't want to eat every chance it gets is certainly taking a bit of getting used to!

I'm so glad to see someone on the forum with a large aimara, there's surprisingly few of us keeping them (perhaps it's just the cost prohibiting their popularity?!). It's great to be able to compare and contrast any and all information about this sorely underappreciated and under kept species with fellow keepers.

The few. The proud. The aimara keepers.
 
no worries mate, heres another hint, aimara seems triggered/attracted with shiny preys, at least thats why I observed mine till now. To be honest, I always feed mine with life food, ie, juvies tilapia, frogs, and silver barbs, but I've never use goldfish because I dont like its nutrient. Here in this forum, some people will tell u not to go with life feeders etc, but they can bla all they want. I have 3-4 years of keeping this fish and I've never have any problems feeding life food to my fish.
 
by the way how big is yours? is it Venezuelan aimara?
 
The only reason I don't feed live food to my specimen is that I don't have a reliable year round source for it. I would love to be able to provide her with an assortment of live fish, amphibians, and reptiles, they're just simply not readily available where I live (especially this time of year). I have however been toying with the idea of setting up a 75 to grow out some tilapia fingerlings, though I'm concerned she'll like them too much and not want frozen anymore. Worth a shot though I suppose. I am a firm believer in live foods being nutritionally superior to their frozen counterparts. Disease/parasite transfer withholding of course. I just like the convenience factor associated with frozen foods.

My specimen is around 11", and is from the Colombian Rio Orinoco. She has quite distinct patterning, and when calm, has remarkably clear banding! I've had her just over a month, and she's put on a solid 1.5".
 
Certainly not the best pics, but it gives you an idea. Forgot to mention that she is housed by herself in a standard 240 to grow out a bit.

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it'll get bigger before u know it, mine seems to grow a few cm each month
 
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