South America Lungfish

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bsplenden

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 7, 2005
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Singapore
I just got one of these a couple of days back and it is about 3.5" long. Its diet now consist of a staple of prawn meat and sometimes frozen blood worm. I will introduce it to feeders when it gets slightly bigger.

It seems to be doing fine so far.

Is there anything special I should take note of while taking care of this species?
 
I will try to get a picture when it gets bigger. Right now, it is black, and the tank bottom and sides are black too. And it is small. So it is pretty hard to get a good picture of it.

And these lungfish are pretty skinny as compared to others.
 
Lepidosiren paradoxa - South American Lungfish
Freshwater
Subtropical
Temp.76-82F
pH: 4.5-7.5
dH: 0-12
Size:4'
Description:The young look like tadpoles with four external gills. During the first weeks of their life they breath only through the external gills.Within 2 months the gills begin to disapear
and air breathing begins


Tank:Furnish the tank with bog wood and a dark, fine gravel substrate.
There can be subdued lighting and still water. Ideally, woody material should be the most prominent decoration in the tank.and open swimming areas.
Distribution:Argentina,Bolivia, Brazil,Colombia, Fr Guiana, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela
Enviroment: Prefers stagnant waters where there is little current.
Foods:juveniles eat larval insects.Adults:snails, clams and shrimp,algae and plant matter
Plants: Echinodorus tenellus,E. intermedius Cabomba aquatica or myiophyllum brasiliense,Sword plants, Vallisneria, Heteranthera, Ceratophyllum, Lemma, Limnobium,water lettuce,and lemna


Notes: Same as african except they are reported more tolerant of tankmates
when it gets bigger make sure the lid of the tank is secure and weighted-Anne
 
beblondie said:
Lepidosiren paradoxa - South American Lungfish
Freshwater
Subtropical
Temp.76-82F
pH: 4.5-7.5
dH: 0-12
Size:4'
Description:The young look like tadpoles with four external gills. During the first weeks of their life they breath only through the external gills.Within 2 months the gills begin to disapear
and air breathing begins


Tank:Furnish the tank with bog wood and a dark, fine gravel substrate.
There can be subdued lighting and still water. Ideally, woody material should be the most prominent decoration in the tank.and open swimming areas.
Distribution:Argentina,Bolivia, Brazil,Colombia, Fr Guiana, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela
Enviroment: Prefers stagnant waters where there is little current.
Foods:juveniles eat larval insects.Adults:snails, clams and shrimp,algae and plant matter
Plants: Echinodorus tenellus,E. intermedius Cabomba aquatica or myiophyllum brasiliense,Sword plants, Vallisneria, Heteranthera, Ceratophyllum, Lemma, Limnobium,water lettuce,and lemna


Notes: Same as african except they are reported more tolerant of tankmates
when it gets bigger make sure the lid of the tank is secure and weighted-Anne
Click to expand...

Thanks for this information!

But I am just wondering... How do they eat snails? They crush the shell?

Hmm... And I'm pretty surprised they grow up to eat algae and plant matter as well...
 
the South American lungfish (SAL) like all other lungfishes actually lacks teeth, but instead has ridged tooth plates in its mouth which are very powerful and used for crushing mollusks and crustaceans, some of their favorite prey. you would be surprised what even a small SAL can do!

in order to add to their diet, i would suggest offering small pieces of algae wafers as the fish nears the 6" mark. they normally eat some plant matter in the wild and this will help them get that aspect of their diet in the aquarium (may not take them at first, but should eventually).

offer up a variety (hikari pellets also work well, for one of your size i would break them up) and this fish will grow relatively fast. good luck!--
--solomon
 
Cool... Can't wait for it to get bigger...

And is it a good idea to try to mix this with my arowana when it gets bigger? I have mixed my 13" arowana with many types of fishes with no problem including a 5" birchir. So I can say that my arowana has a pretty mild temper. But what about the lungfish?
 
Have a generaly South American lungfish are tolerant to tankmates.That said it will depend on the individual temperment.-Anne
 
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