whots this stunning catfish!

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JONNY CICHLA

JONNY CICHLA

Candiru
MFK Member
Jan 7, 2008
682
181
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England""
Hi does eneyone know whot this beast of a catfish is! looks like its from the tiger shovelnose family!!

also does eneyone on this forum keep one of these in there home aquarium!!

piraiba.jpg
 
Ah the Piraiba. You need a big tank and high current if you're planning on keeping one for any amount of time. When available they typically come in at 3" sizes or so. I kept one up to 13" in the past. They grow very slow for SA cats about 1" a month if heavily feeding. A lot more aggressive than a Tig or Juruense when it comes to feeding time. Max size is 8ft+ and 400lbs+
 
amazonfishman said:
Ah the Piraiba. You need a big tank and high current if you're planning on keeping one for any amount of time. When available they typically come in at 3" sizes or so. I kept one up to 13" in the past. They grow very slow for SA cats about 1" a month if heavily feeding. A lot more aggressive than a Tig or Juruense when it comes to feeding time. Max size is 8ft+ and 400lbs+
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Thats a huge catfish then 400lbs! how come they grow so slow i wonder? as you"ed think being so big when adult they would grow quick!! You think its becouse they get a food in the wild you cannot provide in the aquarium? or the water condishion needed to shrive! How much money they go for i wonder?
 
JONNY CICHLA said:
Thats a huge catfish then 400lbs! how come they grow so slow i wonder? as you"ed think being so big when adult they would grow quick!! You think its becouse they get a food in the wild you cannot provide in the aquarium? or the water condishion needed to shrive! How much money they go for i wonder?
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Just because something is big doesn't mean it go that way quickly :)

That's the biggest problem being faced in SA these days is over harvest of the larger Shovelnose species and why luckily aquaculture for the hobby and fish farming as a food resource is becoming more heavily used to sustain wild populations.

It's not a matter of insufficient diet that limits the growth rates of the Piraiba, it simply is the way that fish grows. I grew mine out in a 480g with a big powerhead and unlimited supply of food basically with feeders and various hikari pellets and it still grew that slow.

You can get them for $75-$100 usually for a 3" if they are available.
 
>10 years for a wels to reach 8'-10'; >20 years for an alligator gar to reach over 7'-8', etc. It depends on in what environment the fish evolved. Quickly outgrowing possible predation is one factor often cited in quick fish growth.

Baby antilope has to be able to run within hours from birth to avoid being eaten. Baby cats and dogs don't.

$70 or so if lucky (US) or up to $200 for 3"-5".
 
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