Questions about my adonis

[ptarn]

Hello all,

As I stated in my introduction I have recently acquired an Acanthicus adonis (November 2010). I know how large it can grow and I know about its feeding habits and the fact that it really needs to have wood to graze. But I still have some questions and I haven't found the answers anywhere.

1.) Almost every site states that an adonis can become one metre in lenght. Is this including the streamers of the tail fin or really just the body length? It seems to me this can be quite a difference.
2.) It is not advised to hold more than one in a tank due to agressive behavior towards another adonis. But how does an adonis treat other bottom dwellers? I have a small group of seven Corydoras sterbai and one L-number that I can't for the life of me remember which one it is (I'll post a picture soon). Do I have to take them out in the future or can they live side by side peacefully?
3.) Is it or is it not an ominvore? I know it feeds on pellets and/or tablets, but I also come across sites that state that an adonis has to eat worms or something like that. Or does that change when it matures?
4.) How fast does it grow in centimetres? I am not familiar with inches, but I've already seen that it has grown, although not with several centimetres. The man at our fish store said it could take 10 years for it to reach mature size, but from others sites I've gathered that it can grow to one metre in half that time or even faster.
5.) This is not so much about my adonis, but about handling plecos. I have seen several pictures on this forum of people actually holding a pleco in their hand(s) and out of the water. Doesn't that hurt the fish somehow? Can I get hurt if I grab my adonis like that (I've seen the barbs it has on its skin)?
6.) Are 'Polka Dot Lyre Tail', Acanthicus adonis and L155 one and the same?

I hope you can help me with these questions!

 

[Jackson]

Hello all,

As I stated in my introduction I have recently acquired an Acanthicus adonis (November 2010). I know how large it can grow and I know about its feeding habits and the fact that it really needs to have wood to graze. But I still have some questions and I haven't found the answers anywhere.

1.) Almost every site states that an adonis can become one metre in lenght. Is this including the streamers of the tail fin or really just the body length? It seems to me this can be quite a difference.
No not including the tail. They really get that big or bigger
2.) It is not advised to hold more than one in a tank due to agressive behavior towards another adonis. But how does an adonis treat other bottom dwellers? I have a small group of seven Corydoras sterbai and one L-number that I can't for the life of me remember which one it is (I'll post a picture soon). Do I have to take them out in the future or can they live side by side peacefully?
I would take them out as soon as possible just to avoid any problems. Those fish can't stand up even to a young Adonis. If you do keep other bottom dwellers it better to have fish that can handle such a strong and said to be aggressive fish. The one I had really did not bother any of the others but they were big fish too
3.) Is it or is it not an ominvore? I know it feeds on pellets and/or tablets, but I also come across sites that state that an adonis has to eat worms or something like that. Or does that change when it matures?
You need to add vegetables like squash and carrots to it's diet as well as pellets and algae wafers. They are omnivores.
4.) How fast does it grow in centimetres? I am not familiar with inches, but I've already seen that it has grown, although not with several centimetres. The man at our fish store said it could take 10 years for it to reach mature size, but from others sites I've gathered that it can grow to one metre in half that time or even faster.
It depends on what type of conditions it's kept in and how it's fed. If taken care of properly, fed a high quality healthy diet, clean pristine water conditions and lots of space they can grow fast. I had one go from 3" to 13" in one year. It slowed down after that though. Sorry I don't do cm
5.) This is not so much about my adonis, but about handling plecos. I have seen several pictures on this forum of people actually holding a pleco in their hand(s) and out of the water. Doesn't that hurt the fish somehow? Can I get hurt if I grab my adonis like that (I've seen the barbs it has on its skin)?
it does not hurt them but it for sure stresses them out. I only do it with the ones I know can handle it. If done it should be for a very short period of time. If you have to pick up the Adonis wear some type of rubber gloves. I was sliced open by my old one once when I tried with no gloves. It really hurts
6.) Are 'Polka Dot Lyre Tail', Acanthicus adonis and L155 one and the same?
no they are two different fish. Adonis being the larger of the two
I hope you can help me with these questions!

Answers in the quote above

 

[ptarn]

Oh wow, thank you so much for the answers! Really clears up a lot for me, nice. I will tell my husband about this information, specifically what you said about other bottom dwellers, so we can decide how to handle that in the near future. I am already feeding it pellets and algae wafers (thanks, didn't know the word for it) and I will start to add some fresh veggies to its diet as well.

Thanks again! ^^