I believe mine is a S. aor.
Many people on this site choose to raise fish as fast as possible.......I don't (Anymore).
As a novice hobbyist I also would feed fish and marvel at their rapid growth.
When I encountered the first Phractocphalus hemiolioptrus I saw in a pet shop I studied its growth , feedings and its ultimate death over a 2 year period. At the time they had a reputation for dying at around 2 years of age. It was discovered normally from stomach parasites which occurred when the fish was being almost force fed. I learned that big cats need to be fed and then fast for periods. With this approach I was able to get big cats to live for a lot longer periods. It works for me as big catfish like my Wallago leerii are living into their 20s now. The Wallago was purchased January 3, 1991 at 28 cm (for $50.00) and she now is estimated by friends who have swam with her to be about 152cm.
All my fish in the 2 big tanks are fed twice a week. Flakes and pellets one time and a fishy dinner (Herring, smelt, shrimp, mackerel, trout, tilapia, silversides) another time. In the larger tank there are many small species of cichlids (they eat most of the flakes and pellets) which all the predators can eat (if they can catch them) if they get hungry between meals.
The first 4 weeks in the 56k litre it did not compete with other fish for food. A young similar sized Leiarius pictus bullied it at times. A larger Hemibagrus wyckii never bothered it or any of the other cats or other fish. The wyckii claimed a 3m x 3m area of the L shaped tank and a small wall blocked its view of the 8 plus metre long side of the tank. All of the other catfish choose to stay on the long side and thus seldom encountered the wyckii. I have owned 4 wyckii (Still have three 2 of which are in the 196 kl.) and all except one have been very docile when kept in either the 56kl or the larger 196kl. However all of them are killers in small tanks of mine under 3,000 litres that I have observed.
After the 4 week period elapsed the S. aor ate beside all the others when fed.
I never saw it really bully or attack any of the fish it was housed with and stayed in the lower 1/3rd (60 cm) of the tank ( The tank is 183 cm deep). I have noticed it spar with a similar sized but 13 year old Calophysus macropterus and a 16 year old 56cm female Sorubim sp. (Rear caudal lobe only about half the size of a lima).
Fish that later occasionally bullied the aor beside the Leiarius were my pair of 12 year old Distichodus sexfasciatus, a 6 year old wild caught female 53 cm Boulengerchromis microlepis ( I generally prefer captive bred fish whenever possible because they carry less parasites.) and a Salminus brasiliensis (One of the most vicious fish I own).
In the smaller 1800 litre tank that it is presently housed in I notice it appears to be a lot more of a bully. The main occupants aside from a breeding foursome of motoro type rays which don't bother the aor are three 6 year old Astronotus ocellatus , 1 Amia calva, 1 Eleotris picta and a 6 year old female Amphilophus urophthalmus. All of the fish other than the rays are pushed aside at feeding time. This behaviour never existed in the larger tank.
It will probably be placed back in the 56 kl sometime in September. The tank it is currently in, normally houses my 119 cm 14 year old Electrophorus electricus (Which goes outside into a pond during summer months)
Many people on this site choose to raise fish as fast as possible.......I don't (Anymore).
As a novice hobbyist I also would feed fish and marvel at their rapid growth.
When I encountered the first Phractocphalus hemiolioptrus I saw in a pet shop I studied its growth , feedings and its ultimate death over a 2 year period. At the time they had a reputation for dying at around 2 years of age. It was discovered normally from stomach parasites which occurred when the fish was being almost force fed. I learned that big cats need to be fed and then fast for periods. With this approach I was able to get big cats to live for a lot longer periods. It works for me as big catfish like my Wallago leerii are living into their 20s now. The Wallago was purchased January 3, 1991 at 28 cm (for $50.00) and she now is estimated by friends who have swam with her to be about 152cm.
All my fish in the 2 big tanks are fed twice a week. Flakes and pellets one time and a fishy dinner (Herring, smelt, shrimp, mackerel, trout, tilapia, silversides) another time. In the larger tank there are many small species of cichlids (they eat most of the flakes and pellets) which all the predators can eat (if they can catch them) if they get hungry between meals.
The first 4 weeks in the 56k litre it did not compete with other fish for food. A young similar sized Leiarius pictus bullied it at times. A larger Hemibagrus wyckii never bothered it or any of the other cats or other fish. The wyckii claimed a 3m x 3m area of the L shaped tank and a small wall blocked its view of the 8 plus metre long side of the tank. All of the other catfish choose to stay on the long side and thus seldom encountered the wyckii. I have owned 4 wyckii (Still have three 2 of which are in the 196 kl.) and all except one have been very docile when kept in either the 56kl or the larger 196kl. However all of them are killers in small tanks of mine under 3,000 litres that I have observed.
After the 4 week period elapsed the S. aor ate beside all the others when fed.
I never saw it really bully or attack any of the fish it was housed with and stayed in the lower 1/3rd (60 cm) of the tank ( The tank is 183 cm deep). I have noticed it spar with a similar sized but 13 year old Calophysus macropterus and a 16 year old 56cm female Sorubim sp. (Rear caudal lobe only about half the size of a lima).
Fish that later occasionally bullied the aor beside the Leiarius were my pair of 12 year old Distichodus sexfasciatus, a 6 year old wild caught female 53 cm Boulengerchromis microlepis ( I generally prefer captive bred fish whenever possible because they carry less parasites.) and a Salminus brasiliensis (One of the most vicious fish I own).
In the smaller 1800 litre tank that it is presently housed in I notice it appears to be a lot more of a bully. The main occupants aside from a breeding foursome of motoro type rays which don't bother the aor are three 6 year old Astronotus ocellatus , 1 Amia calva, 1 Eleotris picta and a 6 year old female Amphilophus urophthalmus. All of the fish other than the rays are pushed aside at feeding time. This behaviour never existed in the larger tank.
It will probably be placed back in the 56 kl sometime in September. The tank it is currently in, normally houses my 119 cm 14 year old Electrophorus electricus (Which goes outside into a pond during summer months)
