What and how much do you feed your rhom

[Adamson]

I feed as much as they will eat, mine won't eat more than once every other day though.

 

[arapaimag]

Are you saying that you've kept your rhom for 31 years!!!! Please tell more about this, pics if possible please...

Yes it is 30 years plus in my tanks. I have always kept it by itself and move it about every two years between 180g and 120 g tanks when I do a teardown on the tank it is in.

Here is a pic taken a few days ago and it is in a 120g.

 

[Sm0ke]

View attachment 804180

Yes it is 30 years plus in my tanks. I have always kept it by itself and move it about every two years between 180g and 120 g tanks when I do a teardown on the tank it is in.

Here is a pic taken a few days ago and it is in a 120g.

Thanks so much for responding man, it's people like you that inspire.

I believe you have beaten the record for longest captive rhombeus my friend!!!

See here: http://www.angelfire.com/biz/piranha038/rhombeus.html

I saw my first live S. rhombeus in 1957 and again in 1971. I am grateful to Frank Glennon of the Steinhardt Aquarium San Francisco, California for informing OPEFE that the oldest known (to me) piranha in captivity is *still alive (See image at left of the actual fish). I personally saw this beast in September of 1971 when it was only 6 inches TL (= total length). After 28 years in captivity this fish was only eleven inches TL (March, 1999) when it died. It was reported to me by a hobbyist the S. rhombeus discussed above is no longer alive (Sunday, August 6, 2000). It was thought the fish jumped out of the aquarium or died some other way. Reportedly, the fish died sometime in the latter half of 1999. What a sad end to fish that lived for over 28 years.

I hope to have my crew that long, and perhaps one day you can start a thread to share some tips. I surely will be appreciative.

 

[ballinouttacntrol]

I feed mine once or twice a week. Mackerel, Herring, Smelt and Shrimp. I keep a few guppies in the tank and several large mystery snails to work on anything it does eat.
It moves every two or three between 180g and 120 g tanks when I do a massive clean out. Undergravel filters with a couple of airstones. A couple of bogwood with plastic plants attached.

The fish is in it's 31st year in my tanks. It is only about 10" to 11".

congrats on successfully keeping a rhom that long but Good lord they don't grow much! i'm moaning about 5-6 inches and you're 28 years further down the road then me and have only doubled my size. baby rhom owners around the world are selling their stock today and buying adults after reading your post lol

 

[F1 VET]

Better nutrition, filters, dechlor, bigger tanks (relative to size and availability) information/research etc gets better with the time, so of course methods were different back then and just like general medicine or health for example it just improves such as fish keeping, there are people that have 8"+ 4yr old rhoms on here, it shows that wc (low nitrates & cycled tank) + healthy diet and adequate space can achieve better/faster growth rates just to name a few. Not at all saying he did a bad job just saying techniques have advanced, like people only topping off tanks in the 70-80 and 90s, and of course the all in one pellet. In 20 years there will be even more advancements and information learned with FK!

Keeping an animal alive that long is spectacular imo




Go S. Vettel #1 rb8

 

[arapaimag]

Thanks for the kind words in keeping my fish alive for this period of time.

It is actually not my oldest fish.

That honour goes to my Peckolita vittata (clown pleco) which I purchased in January 1980. It is only 3" long.

 

[brich999]

The one thing I read was buy as big a rhom as I could afford because they only will grow so much in captivity. This is enough proof for me. Awesome fish.