oddball/catfish stocking ideas

[thebiggerthebetter]

yes Alligator gar require a couple thousand gallons however my gar is more or less a slow grower. .... I have been told that it is odd that he is close to 5 years old and less then 3 feet. I have always had him in tanks with ample space and filtration but I keep the gar at a colder temp and I feed once a week to keep him a little more lean...

I've had two gator gars for a long time, lost them at about 7-8 years of age both at 3' exact. My keeping conditions mirrored yours.

 

[reptilerancher]

have you had problems with fin nipping?

 

[reptilerancher]

and thebiggerthebetter how did you lose them?

 

[KNH]

have you had problems with fin nipping?

No not at all. They school so they will follow tight behind similar fish but never bother anyone they don't see as food. As long as they are kept in a proper size tank they are a joy to keep

 

[reptilerancher]

ok I have one solo could that be a problem?

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Arapaimas aren't much different this is true but they are prone to starvation if not feed on a regular bases is what I've heard. If I'm not mistaken the largest freshwater fish is the lake sturgeon then mekong then wels, arapaima,then Alligator gar but if my top 5 is off please let me know I don't want to spread misinformation.

This may or may not help http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...ting-f-w-fish-by-continent-and-family.660258/

have you had problems with fin nipping?

All kinds of problems, not only fin but body biting... but none too bad. Gars are silly biters that bite things they cannot eat by any stretch of imagination. I've learned to minimize it (night light helps tremendously for one) and live with it.

Note that YMMV, per KNH post. Keeper's experience varies.

ok I have one solo could that be a problem?

Not IME, it would not matter.

and thebiggerthebetter how did you lose them?

Overdose and/or an unfortunate combination of trichlorfon and fenbendazole (treating tank mates).

 

[moe214]

I wasn't stating the largest in order lol, I was just saying that they are known to be some of the largest freshwater fish and have the potential to get there, which is what you should plan for. And I had a pacu once upon a time, he was friendly, but I've seen some in my lfs that were fairly aggressive with eachother and other fish.

 

[reptilerancher]

to thebiggerthebetter thank you for all your answers. Do you thing SA cichlids and a snapping turtle would work as tank mates for the pacu?

to moe214 I plan on moving them to one of those 20 foot round above ground pools or a indoor pond in the next 2 years. the tank I have for the monsters is a large stock tank. This summer I'm moving and plan to build a plywood tank that will be 72"x48"x24". so yes I have planed for the future and I feel to be a responsible pet owner you should always know all the natural history and information of the wild animal that you can and set money aside for the animals well being in the future.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I've no experience with turtles but according to this http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/stumped-cichlids-vanishing.659391/ snappers should have no tank mates.

SA cichlids should be ok with a pacu, in general. I'd say problems are unlikely but in our hobby one has to remember that such combinations of fish of varying aggression level are always a gamble.

We can only speak of trends or averages / expectations but individual cases do vary from total success to total disaster. Too many variables. Aggression is a subject to tank size, tank mate size, fish gender, fish age, water parameters, temp, pH, furniture, current, lighting, diet, etc. You change one of these things and all of a sudden, the situation changes too, for better, or for worse.

 

[reptilerancher]

the snapper is a common and is lazy as hell lol. he lives with a 10inch Oscar and a few small odd ball SA cichlids and never had a problem like you said we can only speak of trends or averages / expectations but individual cases do vary