New member soon to be new Silver keeper

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R

RESET

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 8, 2010
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Missouri, USA
Hello all. This is my intro to the MFK community. I have been keeping fresh water fish for over 10 years. I have a 40 Breeder tank that is planted with Asian plants and has housed Pearl Gaurami, RTBS, CAE, and a school of WCMM (up to 30 at one point in time). I have also kept betas, flame tetra, bumble bee gobies, and fresh water flounders.

Now for the reason for posting in this forum. I will be the proud owner of a 3-4 inch Silver Aro on Monday. It will be housed in the 40 breeder, for about a year, with the last of my WCMM. I know they will get eaten eventually, unless I cycle the 10g for them. I also plan to leave the plants and drift wood in there for a while. The substrate is local river rock that I collected and washed my self. This tank has been running for well over 5 years so it is cycled. I have tested the parameters and nitrates/nitrites are 0 ppm. I still plan to do a small water change before the aro gets home.

Is there anything else I should do?
 
Silver aros grow on average 1 to 1.5" per month and can even grow upto 3" per month. That 40g breeder is only gonna be good for a few short months, wouldn't recommend going any bigger then 10" in the 40g. Figure on having at least a 6x2x2' 180g in a year to house it. Eventually you will have to even get a larger tank as with proper care the aro will get well over 30".

Also silver aros are very skittish and very good jumpers so make sure every little hole in the top of the tank is well sealed and weighted down.
 
RESET;4370176; said:
I will be building it an indoor pond. I am looking at about 8x4x3.
Click to expand...

Sounds awesome, recommend you get the pond done first, or buy another tank to house the aro in a couple months.
 
Wow, can't edit my posts. OK.

I do plan on growing with the fish. I am just trying to make sure that it makes it that far. Is there anything, other than jumping, that I should worry about when they are small?

One thing I am unclear about is what I should be feeding it at first. What do the little ones eat and how much?
 
Read the stickys bro. bloodworms while lil. But the jumping, i dont think u have to worry about that untill they get older. And FYI not to try to start an arguement, and yes im a new aro keeper too. But these guys r telling u wut it to the "books". I bought my aro hmm id say 4-5 months ago, i cant remember but im sure 1 of these guys will search up an old post of mine and answer for me. But anywayz i bought mine around 5-6". He went into a 40g breeder. and is still there. id say he is at maybe 9" now and is still doing just fine in there. As long as the width of the tank isnt small, which a 40g breeder is 18". Im waiting till november when i move into a new place to set up a 170g. I guess fish can all grow at different speeds. But the way mine is going it will be fine in the 40 until then. If u r like me and is planning on have a bigger tank soon im sure u will be fine. Not trying to start anything with anybody. Yes these guys r the "pros" at aro keeping. They know a lot and have kept them for a long time. But as far as my experiences have gone so far, u will be ok for at most 9 months or so in the 40g breeder.
 
Thanks. I read the stickies but was still a little unclear about the type and quantity of food for the smalls. Do you just keep feeding them until they reject the food? I know 3 times a day at first, go that covered. I just don't want to over feed it if that is possible.

I was planning 4-8 months in the 40 then into the pond. If it reaches a foot before then, I will expedite the process.

Thanks for all the great info guys, keep it coming.
 
my old silver (died in a tank accident) was 22" at 8 months
 
you certainly can over feed it so be careful of that. anything uneaten within a reasonable amount of time should be removed from the tank..... also a lot of people have trouble making the switch to pellets from blood worms and such. You may want to start a pellet diet as soon as possible, especially at 3-4". thats plenty big enough to eat pellets.
 
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