Tigrinum shovelnose

[Xeno]

Hey,
would a 70.8in by 31.5in / 228gal tank be sufficient to take care of a tigrinum?
If it would grow past 18inches I'd be willing to sell it to a friend who's got a 10ft by 27.5in tank.
I personally have never ever seen a tigrinum with my own eyes so I am not able to judge if my tank would be ok for one specimen.
The other fish in the tank are going to be a group of wide bar silverdollars, black berry silversollars, chalceus, a flagtail, a pair of bumblebee oscars and a pair of chocolate cichlids so only fish that occupy the top and middle region of the tank.

 

[Fishman Dave]

IMO a 6 * 2.5 would house it for a number of years however I would be a little concerned a) of your mix of other tank mates and
b) the potential stocking
Although you don't mention how many of each.
Tigs will want excellent water quality.

 

[Xeno]

Hey,
dang I forgot to add the amount of fish per species.
Let me fix that:
6 Myloplus schomburkii Var. 1 wide bar
6 Myloplus Lamax III Black Berry
1 Semaprochilodus sp.
4 Chalceus erythryrus (Might end up selling them since they aren't exactly peaceful fish)
2 Astronotus crassipinnis
2 Hypselecare temporalis Oyapock (Might sell them as well)

Why would you be concerned about that mix?
The only problem I see could be the Chalceus long term.

What size can I expect a tig to get in an aquarium?

 

[Fishman Dave]

Chocolate cichlid will want to be kept in pairs in a tank with plenty of hideouts and not much flow or light.
Oscars will want a tank with not much flow and can sometimes be aggressive, especially if they pair off.
Myloplus will want reasonable flow and plenty of plant diet.
Flagtail will appreciate high flow and plenty of plant diet.
Chalceus is actually probably the only fish on there with a diet similar to the Tigrinus, albeit Oscars eat anything.
Tig will want reasonable flow.

 

[Xeno]

Hey,
alright so you'd sell the chocolates and replace them with for example Geophagus to make it a medium flow/ high oxygen setup?
I am feeding a wide variety of food to them to cover their needs.
Several frozen foods, smelt, cucumber, salad and courgette from my garden, carnivore pellets, herbivore pellets and insects.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

In general, the tank mates shouldn't fit in a tig's mouth.

If starting from a baby tig of say 3", you'd probably have several years before it will become obvious that the tig needs an upgrade. They can reach 2.5-3 feet eventually.

IME rather sedentary (during the day, IDK what happens at night) but go for an occasional swim around the tank.

 

[Xeno]

Hey,
Tigrinum do get THAT large?
Damn.
Pretty much every source states a max size around 20in +/- some inches depending on the source.
If they really do reach 2.5-3ft I'd rather get some Sorubim lima or sturius shovelnoses instead.

 

[Xeno]

To rule out any misunderstanding because reading about a max size of 2.5 to 3ft in regards to tigrinum really confuses me:
I am talking about Brachyplatystoma tigrinum not Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum

 

[Fishman Dave]

Yes, size stated is for Tigrinum. As Victor said though, a number of years to hit 2 ft mark and beyond. Maybe a bolt catfish would suit better at 12-14”. Lima could be kept in a group but again Lima can reach 18-24” eventually.

 

[Xeno]

Hey,
Bolt catfish are not available over here.
With the common size of S.lima being around 14-16in and their calm nature I'd feel comfortable keeping them in that tank if they'd have a chance to grab food because Astronotus und Myloplus are quite the fast and aggressive eaters.