Why are Payara so hard to raise past 10 inches?

[shamrock]

I really dig the look of the Payara but can never seem to raise one past 10 inches.
Has anyone had any experiences with raising one?

 

[downset21]

I've heard of this before, and I'm not sure anybody answered it. I had a theory that maybe as they hit a certain age they need different water parameters or something.

 

[rumblesushi]

they're not hard to raise past 10 inches at all if your name is Woodysun-Taiwan

 

[jimtan75]

I have never successfully kept this fish for more than a month. They are too vulnerable.

 

[rumblesushi]

jimtan - which happened in each case? Mysterious death? attacked by tankmates?

 

[jimtan75]

jimtan - which happened in each case? Mysterious death? attacked by tankmates?

Either they were killed by wolffish or eaten up by my endlicheri

 

[jimtan75]

In monster fish keeper vol 6, there a very cool 2 ft payara, the owner raised him in a 10 ft tank

 

[fishyboi]

DAmn sucks ur payara got eatin. Probably they die since they need more space

 

[Oddball]

I've read in a few places that "Brown-blood" disease may be the culprit for these losses. I have yet to find lab findings to support this. But, it stands to reason that water quality tends to drop as the fish gets larger (increased biomass to the system). And, the demand for higher DO levels to maintain larger fish could prevent the adult fish from clearing itself of nitrate-induced brown-blood disease.

 

[odalisay]

I read on another forum that as they get older in the wild their water requirements change and that it was pretty difficult to duplicate this in a captive environment.