Project "Wolverine" (Grammode)

[Fish on Fire]

I just used some fish credit that I got from trading in some African cichlids in order to grab the best looking male Grammode that was available at the pet store. He is about 3" standard length and 4" total and was the only one with full finnage and colors out in the tank with about 10-12 other Grammodes. He's currently living in a 36 gallon bowl front with a fairly docile 9-10" senegal bichir. The goal is to grow this small grammode into a beast with:

Water changes twice a day. Approximately 25% each time.

Good diet of: Hikari Cichlid Bio-gold, earth worms, and shrimp. Thinking of getting Massivore once he puts on a little more size.

Anyways, he isn't very timid like I expected him to be, though he isn't exactly territorial yet. He comes out and already swims to the front of the tank when I approach it. Hopefully this doesn't change as he gets bigger and he just becomes bolder and bolder. Really stoked about this project as all I have aside from him is some juvi African cichlids that aren't really showy or personable yet. Will update with pics, stay tuned.

 

[Fish on Fire]

I just checked on him before I went to bed and he was nowhere in the tank. Turns out he jumped out of the back on the filter openning and was laying behind the tank covered in dust and webs. Don't know how long he's been out of the tank but I really hope he pulls through. Added some Prime to help recover his stress coat.

 

[Fish on Fire]

Here are the pictures of the Grammode as promised, taken this morning after he recovered from his jump out of the tank.

Full Tank shot (yes, it's a 36 gallon bowl front).



Now for "Wolverine", a bit timid after jumping out:



Coming out for a better look at the camera and its yellow light:



Kind of crummy shot but it shows some of his color at 3.5-4".



Clearer shot of him that shows most of his color, just missing the blueish-green sheen on his fins.



His tankmate, One-eyed Jack the Bichir at close to 10".





I'll be providing weekly updates of his progress.

 

[fwprawn]

Why would you do water changes twice a day ? That is not healthy for a properly cycled tank. I do not see any filtration in the tank shots - what gives ?

 

[Fish on Fire]

Why would you do water changes twice a day ? That is not healthy for a properly cycled tank. I do not see any filtration in the tank shots - what gives ?

Optimal growth. I've done it before with several other fish, never had a problem with it and they were really healthy, vibrant, and grew a lot faster than average. As for the filter, it just broke down today and I took it out to try to fix it (pretty sure that sand got caught in the filter), it was a Penguin Bio-Wheel filter rated for 50 gallons.

 

[Miguel]

I find it exagerated, 2 wc a day. Tottally.

 

[Fish on Fire]

I find it exagerated, 2 wc a day. Tottally.

It's really to compensate for a smaller than ideal tank and the fact that there's been a strong correlation between frequency of water changes and fish growth in my own personal experience of raising fish from a juvenile size. The fact that Grammodes are really slow growers made me decide to employ this method vs the normal 50% once or twice a week. I want to see close to 1"+ a month growth from him, not the reported .5" that most people get out of grammodes. Think of the tank as a net and the water from my hose as the lake, the idea is for there to be a continuous flow of fresh water; in order to simulate this environment in an enclosed area it calls for me to perform water changes more often than normal to remove as many growth inhibiting hormones as possible from the water.

 

[Fish on Fire]

Threw in some feeders and watched him hunt one. He grabbed one of the larger female guppies in the middle of the neck and smashed it against the bottom of the tank until it was worn out, spat it out, and then ate it head first. It was cool to watch him smash the fish. He really does remind me of Wolverine.

 

[mrrobxc]

Nice fish...thank goodness you found him before it was too late.

I'd tone the WC down as well...maybe 3 times a week max???

 

[Fish on Fire]

Nice fish...thank goodness you found him before it was too late.

I'd tone the WC down as well...maybe 3 times a week max???

Yeah, I may end up doing them every other day instead cause he is getting more skittish with more water changes, it'll also allow for more stable water parameters. I may wait until I can move the bichir out though.