payara rubbing face on glass

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
55 to small for a 8 incher? i know they get big and ill move him when thats appropriate but i do have plants and drift wood in there.. payaras dont do much swimming they just hover but he hovers face forward on the glass.:smurf
 
wont help

they need alot of space to swim

I think more plants would help a lot. Like Focker said, they are not a very active fish. They just sort of hover around. At 8" a little more width on the tank would probably be nice, but for the time being, more cover would be the way to go.
 
55 is indeed inadequate for such a fish.

even though a payara is relatively inative, it is still capable of quick flash jerks and thrusts due to it's sensitive and shy nature.

given the width of a standard 55 gallon, an 8 inch fish can easily damage itself when it is startled.
 
well i guess ill have to put him in with the bigboys.. hopefully hes big enough not to get stressed out from other fish swimming by. id rather keep him byhimself for awile longer. maybe a 44 gallon corner tank? not long but plenty of room for depth and heighth. i think thats what ill do. he would have more then enough room to turn around and since he doesnt swim much to the left and right then maybe i can raise him 2 or 3 more inches before i add him in the bigger tank.
 
Mine is smaller than yours, but has some baby dats, pbass, and geos as tankmates. He does not seem to be stressed at all by them, but sometimes it is difficult to get him food. Mine will only eat live and with the dats and pbass, he is usually not agressive enough to get his share. I have to buy about 5 feeders just to get him one to eat.
 
Mine is smaller than yours, but has some baby dats, pbass, and geos as tankmates. He does not seem to be stressed at all by them, but sometimes it is difficult to get him food. Mine will only eat live and with the dats and pbass, he is usually not agressive enough to get his share. I have to buy about 5 feeders just to get him one to eat.
I had the same problem w/ my spotted gar... I would almost have to hold the other fish back so it could grab it, and then sometimes the other fish would grab the minnow right out of its jaws!
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com