Realistic size for Barbonymus altus

mattybecks

Aimara
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Feb 21, 2012
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A lot of reports state they get to similar sizes. With Schwanefeldii around 13-14", and Altus around 11-12". I have been researching this and from all the different threads and sites this seems to be what others have said.
So I would say they get to be around the same size.
 
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esoxlucius

Alligator Gar
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It's not as straight forward as saying one will definitely get bigger than the other. In my experience tank size plays a huge part in determining whether a fish can reach its true potential. I have an altus and read it would get to about 11". However in my 180g it peaked at about 9" and seemed to stop growing. I thought it had maxed out but when I transferred it to my new 360g it had a growth spurt again. It is now about 11" and only time will tell whether it will get any bigger.
 

Xeno

Peacock Bass
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Hey,
thanks!
I guess I'll pass on them.
I am looking for some fish inhabiting the middle region for a 6ft by 27.5in tank which will be housing some lower jaw bichirs and a cb spotted gar.
I am not sure what to keep with those fish but I guess a decent group of those large barbs would take away from the bichirs.
 
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mattybecks

Aimara
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I just got some Barbonymus schwanenfeldii two days ago. I was looking for the same thing (fish for the middle to upper region of the tank) and I love fish with feeding habits like this.
I am keeping them in a 6ft x 2ft x 2ft tank. Their tank mates are 7 x geophagus Tapajos.
Ignore the Pacu in the background, I was temporarily holding him and found him his new home yesterday.

Filtration is a total of 6000Lph (split 3 ways), all ceramic media. A wall of pothos, with a water change schedule at twice per week. one at 80%, one at 60%.

Food I am planning on giving them a mix of Hikari sinking cichlid excel, Hikari sinking cichlid gold, JBL novobits, and shrimp which I chop up.

Im thinking this may be enough to get the best out of them in terms of growth rate, max size and colour.
 

Xeno

Peacock Bass
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Hey
Beautiful!
I can get schwanenfeldii for 1.20 Euro each but I don't think they are what I am looking for for the new tank.
I was thinking about maybe a red finned giant gourami.
A flagtail would be nice as well but they might feast on the bichir's slime coat which is something i surely want to avoid.
 
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esoxlucius

Alligator Gar
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Hey
Beautiful!
I can get schwanenfeldii for 1.20 Euro each but I don't think they are what I am looking for for the new tank.
I was thinking about maybe a red finned giant gourami.
A flagtail would be nice as well but they might feast on the bichir's slime coat which is something i surely want to avoid.
You could do three or so schwanefeldi and a flagtail. Beautiful, active fish. Your tank will look a bit full though once they max out, especially with your gar and bichirs too. I wouldn't worry about the flagtail sucking on slimecoat as long as they're getting their share of food, mine never showed behaviour like that.

But whatever you do, do not get a RTGG for that sized tank, not unless you have plans to go way bigger or rehome it in 18 months or so. I speak from experience.

Just an aside as well for you to think about. Tinfoils are basically stomachs with fins, they are rapid and will eat anything. I've never kept bichir's, I believe they are mainly bottom feeders. I'd maybe be a little concerned whether they'd be getting enough food with the tinfoils mopping up everything.

As beautiful as they are maybe the schwanefeldi would be a bad choice.
 

Xeno

Peacock Bass
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Hey,
Are laticlavius that aggressive that a predator tank of that size won't be large enough?
Yea I've had one of my lapradei in a tank with oscars and it did not get any food at all so I don't think tinfoils would be a good tank mate in this case.
I thought about Hoplerythrinus as well but as far as I know their behaviour is not too different from bichirs or a gar.
 

mattybecks

Aimara
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I have had bichirs before, and they do take a bit of time to find the food, so with tinfoils they would surely starve.
The last two poly senegalus I had would eat from the surface. When I approached the tank they would rise with the other fish waiting for the pellets. They would just skim the surface grabbing at pellets once their mouths touched them. They do have a great sense of smell, but when I added silver dollars to the tank they could barely get enough food even when waiting for it at the surface. I had to hand feed them shrimp stuffed with pellets. And SD's feeding habits are like Tinfoils. I think you have already come to this conclusion though.

The RTGG get big. They use the word giant in their name for a reason. Space wise and with the bio-load I don't see the fish being very happy in the long term. I haven't kept RTGG, but I have seen them in tanks here and if they decide one day they don't have enough space, they will kill to make more space. Just from what I have seen and heard from people who have kept them.

Im not to familiar with Hoplerythrinus.
 

Xeno

Peacock Bass
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Hey,
Sadly pretty much nobody in Germany keeps RTGG so it's not that easy for me to find good information on them.
I personally would consider the size itself for managable but combined with a strong territorial behaviour I sure get what you are saying.

Cichla kelberi would be an interesting species as well but the info on their full size goes from 12in to 20in.
If they'd stay in the 14in range they would be exactly what I am looking for...
 
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