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Leporinus fasciatus...
Potentially HUGE fish in Small Tank 8/15/07
Hello again,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I recently purchased a Leporinus fasciatus,
<Grows to a foot, minimum tank size 70 gallons.>
as well as a Pangasius catfish,
<Grows to 4 feet!
See: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catalog/image.php?image_id=5186 These fish do
not belong being sold to the general public.>
for my 29 gallon tank. They are in there with a small Columbian shark
<A brackish schooling fish that grows to 18".>
and a plecostomus.
<Common Plecos grow to 18".>
Recently I noticed the Leporinus has torn skin [a large white/clear piece
hanging off one side]. I caught him in the net to have a closer look, and that
piece fell off as soon as I did. After letting it go, I removed the carbon from
my two filters, and added a dose of Melafix and some Stresszyme. Now there just
seems to be these white blotches on that one side. I'm wondering if maybe the
catfish and Leporinus are fighting, since both seem to like this one corner of
the tank. Or maybe there is something else wrong. I do know that the Leporinus
is a brackish fish,
<Not true.>
and I do keep the salinity at a constant level.
<Only helpful for the Columbian shark. Most folks assume a "little aquarium
salt" is brackish but this doesn't make brackish water. None of your other fish
will appreciate salt in their environment. If you're not using marine salt &
measuring it with a hydrometer, it won't make much difference to the shark
anyway. Even low-end brackish water would require around a cup of salt/5g.>
I'm hoping you can shed some light on this problem as I do not want him/her to
go belly up on me anytime soon! Thanks!
<My take on this is: The Leporinus is a very skittish, active fish (needs a
tight-fitting cover, to prevent jumping), that needs a lot of swimming room, as
is the Columbian shark & the Pangasius catfish. I think they are running into
each other trying to swim in a tank that is too small for them & running into
things. Please check into the adult sizes of the fish you plan on purchasing,
before you buy them. I think you have BIG problems ahead. Until you can return
or rehome your fish, Melafix & water changes should heal the wound. ~PP>
Black Ghost Knife w/ Rainbow Shark? <& Banded Pencil?> -
05/01/07
Good afternoon!
<Christina>
I apologize if you have answered this question before but I have looked
through numerous Internet sites including reading most of your FAQs on
BGK compatibility without finding much of an answer for my specific
concern.
Let me start off by saying that I fully realize that within a couple of
years, I will need to purchase a MUCH larger set up and am already
planning for it, I just do not have the floors to handle it at this
time. For now, I have recently set up a 30 gallon aquarium, have let it
cycle, and purchased 2 "diamond" tetras, one honey dwarf gourami, and a
4-5" BGK. My hopes/plan was to incorporate my 10 gallon fish that have a
great need for a larger tank (one 4" angelfish, one 4" Banded Leporinus
and one 4" Rainbow Shark).
<Yikes... this Pencilfish species can be very "nippy"... the FW minnow
shark possibly as well>
I started with placing the Rainbow Shark into the 30 gallon that for the
past 24 hours has housed the gourami, tetras and the BGK. The shark
immediately went into the large ship ornament that housed the ghost
Knifefish.
<A typical behaviour... hiding>
Both fish started swimming around one another nipping. I removed the
shark and placed him back in the 10 gallon until I am able to get advice
on the situation.
<Maybe another such "ship" or tube...>
There are two other ornaments including a tube in the tank that the fish
can swim into to hide. Will the Black Ghost Knifefish and the Rainbow
Shark be OK together (even in a MUCH larger tank such as 75 gallons or
125 gallons?
<Likely so, yes>
Is there a better way to introduce them? Should I first place the angel
and Leporinus in the 30 gallon?
<I would not place the Leporinus here>
Thanks for any advice you can provide.
~Christina
<There is a good chance that the Shark may get along if introduced
slowly (as in a floating colander for a few days, the lights off), but
not the large pencil. Bob Fenner>
Sorubim lima 1/11/07... Leporinus aggression 1/12/06
Can you give me an idea of what to do?
I Just purchased 1/10/07 a Sorubim lima 6" at my local ps. I have him housed in
a 100 gal tank with a 7" Leporinus. As soon as I put in the catfish the
Leporinus has been all over him.
<Yes... some large Pencilfish species, individuals can be pure territorial
terrors>
I have had the tank covered with a blanket all day to try to give the cat time
to adjust to the his new surroundings.
<I'd remove, at least physically separate the Pencil>
I notice a couple of small bite marks from the Leporinus near the cat's tail and
the cat has a cloudy eye. Should I treat for ick now?
<I would not...>
I see no other signs of ick but I don't want to wait until it is too late!
Should I remove this catfish now? Is there anyway to get the Leporinus to leave
him alone?
Please help- Mike
<I'd remove the Leporinus... try re-acquainting them in a few weeks when the
Pimelodid cat is better situated. Bob Fenner>
Keeping Cichlids with L. fasciatus 9/30/06
Hello Crew, Excellent web site and I look at it a lot. Great work.
I am a cichlid lover from Moscow. I currently have in my 175gal:
1 `6 GT
1 `5 Oscar
2 `3 Cons
1 `3 Pink Con
5 `4 Silver Dollars
1 `7 Pleco
2 `3 Hemichromis bimaculatus
Once upon a time I kept 6 red bellied piranhas in a 120 gallon tank with
Leporinus fasciatus (Picture attached) <Mmm, nope. RMF>. To my surprise this
tiger colour fish (don't know the common name) is described in many books as a
peaceful fish, but I noticed on the contrary, and its indeed a very aggressive
fish to the
extent that even piranhas didn't mess with it. The question is whether I may
keep Leporinus fish again and do not have any idea of whether its a good thing
to do by putting it with my above mentioned cichlids? Any suggestions will be
appreciated. I really want to keep this fish again. Cheers
< Most of the literature refers to smaller fish. Larger Leporinus can get up to
over a foot long and are very fast swimmers. Your Oscar and green terror are big
enough to handle him but not fast enough to fend him off. The Leporinus will not
back down from your cichlids and may cause problems.-Chuck>
Image permission?
- 04/05/2006
Abramites hypselonotus - Can we borrow this image on www.allfishforums.com? Of
course we will add a note as to whose photo it is, and where to find the
original source.
Thanks for your time!
<Mmm, you folks appear to be non-profit... per our Content Policy, you're
welcome. Bob Fenner>
Leporinus fasciatus and (yummy) plants
My problem is maintaining plants in my aquarium. Research has lead me to believe it is my Leporinus fasciatus. My aquarium is a 44 gal, 36" bowfront with undergravel filter and a penguin
BioWheel 170. Other livestock are a rainbow shark, 3 glass catfish, 3 Hatchetfish, 3 ghost shrimp, and a pleco. No fish additions for about 3-4 years, no fish deaths in about 3 years-all these are 4-6 years in my care. The
Leporinus is maybe now 7 inches- initially
harassed by the rainbow shark until it outgrew it-now usually the shark gives in (maybe 5 inches).
Tank is 8 years old, Leporinus was moved in about 4 years ago when it was getting big for a smaller tank it was in. Single 36" fluorescent. I did okay with plants (avoiding high light requiring plants) until then. Since then I cannot maintain decent plantings (I also suspect he may have took out my snails). Java Fern has done very well and now has patches throughout the tank,
Cryptocoryne wendtii has survived for 2 years but is a little chewed on. Nothing else have
I been able to maintain. I admit
I have quit changing the bulb in the last 2 years as nothing does well anyway, but prior
I changed the bulb every six months with aquarium full spectrum fluorescents.
<Does need to be changed about this often>
I cannot find anywhere on your site compatibility listings, and would like more options in what
I can grow, and am tired of spending money on plants that don't survive. Are there ones you can suggest that would survive or do
I need to consider finding another home for him. I really ultimately would like a well planted tank. Thanks for any suggestions. SMS
<It may be that your minnow shark and Pleco are contributing to your lack of success here as well... as the Pencilfish and lack of photosynthetic active radiation... Other tough plants like the Crypts, Anubias... or very fast growing ones like
Vallisneria americana, Crinum species might do... You really need to add more light and change the lamps for same as well though. Perhaps another system w/o plant eaters...? Bob Fenner> Tankmates For Leporinus?
Thanks for all of the info, I think I have the tank, and the Ick, under
control for now. Its been about a week or two since I first contacted you and I
took your advice and took the 3 Bala sharks back, which leaves me with 1 rainbow
shark, 1 clown loach, 1 pleco, and 2 Leporinus (Leporinus fasciatus), and that
frog. All seems to be well and the fish seem to get along decently
enough. I'm thinking about getting a larger tank (55 gallon) and transferring
these fish over to the tank after a while and using the smaller tank as a
community fish tank or something.
<A good idea. You may even want to go larger. I think that you'll find them
much more peaceful in a larger tank!>
My question is the Leporinus seem to be very aggressive and the top
dogs of the tank, (they also seem to be growing very fast), do you have any
recommendations of good tank mates for them once I switch them over to the 55
gallon tank?
<I'd go with some "larger" tetras, like Lemon Tetras, Serpaes,
etc., which are both attractive and capable of "standing up" to the
potential aggression of these guys...>
Also will the Leporinus eat live food (feeder fish) etc?
<Well, I've never heard of them eating feeder fish, but they do eat live
foods, such as black worms, daphnia, and brine shrimp. They will also nibble on
live plants, so think about "tougher" species if you're gonna go with
live plants>
You guys are the best, Thanks, Lonnie
<Thanks for the kind words, Lonnie! I'm glad that we can help you!>
Freshwater Fish problems...and questions
Thanks for all of the info, I think I have the tank, and the Ick, under
control
for now. Its been about a week or two since I first contacted you and I took
your advice and took the 3 Bala sharks back, which leaves me with 1 rainbow
shark, 1 clown loach, 1 pleco, and 2 Leporinus (Leporinus fasciatus), and that
frog. All seems to be well and the fish seem to get along decently
enough. I'm
thinking about getting a larger tank (55 gallon) and transferring these fish
over
to the tank after a while and using the smaller tank as a community fish tank or
something.
<Good idea>
My question is the Leporinus seem to be very aggressive and the top
dogs of the tank, (they also seem to be growing very fast), do you have any
recommendations of good tank mates for them once I switch them over to the 55
gallon tank?
<Many choices possible... have to be fast, aware fishes... like some of the
larger barbs, Danios...>
Also will the Leporinus eat live food (feeder fish) etc?
<Not a good idea to offer live fish... these fish can/do eat their tankmates
quite often. Other live foods like crustaceans, worms, insect larvae are taken
with gusto. Bob Fenner>
You guys are the best,
Thanks,
Lonnie | |
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