Where you get that from? Selling on behalf of akidos?

Vittatus, my friend. Retatus is their slightly retarded cousin maybe.

J/K

Hahah pakai la electric eel sambung aircond bro.. Murah sikit bill

Anyways, good to see someone from up North. Berjiran la kita.

Org Peghelih bro..

Hahaha I'll double that! Getting four hopefully from Fins & Greens (ggMing)

But its not the cun one like what akidos had though

Anyways, I hope the sturgeons and paddlefish go to good homes. Remember their natural habitat and keep in mind that in future they will require massive amounts of space.

Personally, I've been planning to keep monster fishes for sometime as ggMing can confirm and I worry about how to accomodate them 3, 5 or 10 years down the road. Just the thought of how much it would cost to feed them is enough to keep you up at night.

This post has been edited by [PIMPIN]: Apr 27 2011, 04:11 PM

How about we stock the new ponds first then go from there LOL

Found online - "By the end of their first year, baby paddlefish grow about 10 to 12 inches. They can live up to 30 years."

Try: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/pad/

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Added on May 1, 2011, 12:08 amActually the sturgeons and paddlefish would most likely need an aquarium with a chiller. Apparently paddlefish can take floating pellets and swim upside down to eat from surface as grow older.

Nice looking fishes but so demanding once they start growing.

http://www.nanfa.org/captivecare/paddlefish.shtml

http://www.nanfa.org/captivecare/sturgeons.shtml

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Added on May 1, 2011, 12:19 amAcipenser Ruthenus



The Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) is the sturgeon best suited for keeping in garden ponds as it's slower growing and has a smaller maximum size than other species available. The Sterlet is a freshwater species that only rarely is found in brackish water; as such they are less tolerant of salt than the other species but can easily take doses suitable for koi. More sedentary than some of the other species the Sterlet tends to spend day times down in the deepest parts of the pond becoming more active as dusk approaches. It is often seen looking for food around the edges of shelves and drop-offs. Care must be taken when bowling or transporting this fish as it tends to produce a lot of mucus from the body when caught not only making it very slippery to handle but it also thickens the water during transportation. The name Sterlet refers to the small bony stars (Scutes) found in the skin.

Sometimes in shops you will see other sturgeon given the Sterlet title, normally Diamond Sterlet or Siberian Sterlet. Do not believe them, it is a ruse by the shops to make you think that the Diamond or Siberian sturgeon will stay small and they will not. It is a true sturgeon not a dwarf species. They can grow to around 1 meter after 10-12 years and attain a maximum of around 1.2m and 16kg. They can be kept in ponds of 1000 - 2000 gallons (4500 -9000 litres) for many years but bigger is better if you want to keep the fish into adulthood. Best-kept temperature range is from 10-18oC (50-65oF) but can tolerate higher temperatures if lots of oxygen is present.

This post has been edited by [PIMPIN]: May 1 2011, 12:19 AM

So what you wanna put in the pond? You asked for 8ft pond, I dig already one nice 8ft one for you.

Maybe the measuring tape slightly off but not by much lah.

How come so warm? Inside the house, water temp 35 degrees? Wow

I vaguely remember you posting something about this awhile back. But it looks like it didn't make much of an impact. I'm guessing that most of the people here either don't own any of the animals involved or they really couldn't care less about the wildlife department. I admire your intentions in keeping the community informed but at the same time, its up to them to decide whether to comply or not. There is only so much you can tell people to do.

In reality, the chances of getting caught are next to nil and since this isn't technically a sales thread and is simply a discussion of primitive fishes, the regulars feel safe enough to discuss the various species openly whether protected or otherwise. Personally, I don't own any of what you've mentioned above but I suppose those who do will find your information useful and probably owe you a thank you. Or they would just totally ignore what you've posted and take their chances. Who knows? At least you tried.

This post has been edited by [PIMPIN]: May 19 2011, 06:07 AM

Because ignorance is no defense. So like I said, kudos for taking the effort considering the fact that you're not obliged to.

CITES, Act 686 and the law aside, from what I can tell, the Axolotl survival rate is quite disappointing based on what has been discussed in this particular thread.

Not sure if its the case on other local forums locally. If you go back a few pages, you'll see what I mean. I don't know if its caused by owners not being able to provide the care needed or simply due to lack of knowledge about the species.

Your concern is largely on compliance with the law, etc. My pet peeve however are people who are not capable of keeping an animal for life in the first place yet proceed to buy a juvenile one which they house in pitiful conditions (imagine fishes in tanks they cannot even turn around or move about in) then a few years down the road have no choice but to get rid of it.

That is what gets to me more so than the law. Not that the law isn't important but it requires you to fulfill certain regulations yet it doesn't compel you to be a compassionate owner. I guess we both want a better hobbyist culture in the end.

Take care dude.

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Added on May 19, 2011, 3:50 pmPretty random question. When feeder fishes get swallowed, do they die instantly or is there a period of suffering in the stomach where they either suffocate or slowly disintegrate being broken down by stomach acids?

I know for those eaten by Arapaimas, death is probably instant because the lower jaw of the Arapaima crushes its prey while Alligator Gar, sometimes the fish dies while still being gripped by those sharp teeth while the Gar tries to swallow it.

But what about those who are swallowed whole? Any ideas?

This post has been edited by [PIMPIN]: May 19 2011, 03:50 PM

Actually, I've always wondered what the 'cut-off' date is for a fish to be considered primitive? Wouldn't practically all fishes be considered primitive? It's not like there are fishes that just evolved last month (referring entirely to natural fishes not hybrids or those 'created' by humans by cross breeding)

How big is the fish? Do you feed it live fish or massivore? Obviously Mamat_Lisham has first dibs, if that falls through then I wouldn't mind taking it - I'm in D'sara Heights or alternatively could meet you at Pang's shop. This is only IF Mamat_Lisham does not end up taking it since I do have three RTCs of my own and don't mind 'rescuing' fishes so to speak.

Ask Pang, he couriers fishes all over the place. I think its important that they do not know there is liquid in the packaging though.

Wow.. must be one huge lake! Any pics?

Mind sharing more pictures of the Gars? I started off with four but only two survived.

Now, I estimate their size as around 10in or so.

What's your feeding schedule like? How many feeders do they whack a day? More importantly, what to do about the huge amount of waste they produce? I have to do water change every other day

That's a 300 gallon pond? Is that a typo bro? How big are the Arapaimas?

Hey bro, I'm Razlan added you on Facebook earlier.

Err.. you're asking the wrong person haha. I'm not a contractor bro and my aquarium also normal standard sizing so no custom work.

But if you are going to have a 5'x5' viewing pane and then have the walls made of concrete that still doesn't indicate the size of the actual tank itself. The 5'x5' is just the window right? Doesn't mean it'll take up the entire front of the tank. Basically what is the length, depth and height of the tank? And then the front panel consists of a 5'x5' viewing glass which is massive. In order to support the water pressure it would be expensive. You're better off making a longer tank rather than a taller one because the water pressure and weight against the glass increases significantly with height.

Then for the base of the tank, you'd probably need to make it out of rebar and cement. Or at very least thick steel with multiple support beams. The concrete structure (if you do go with concrete) would need the drain holes all built in as well plus allowances for plumbing of the PVC. Then where would you put it? The weight of the actual thing means either ground floor or if on upper floors better be on a load bearing part of your house structure.

The filtration system is also going to cost a bomb. But actually, if you DIY everything you could get away with a rather reasonably priced setup. Try MFK, there are heaps of DIY tanks there much bigger than what you want and they share their plans/drawings.

Yeah, I do have about 10 ponds or so. The ones that I have measurements for are the smaller ones: 3000gal, 6000gal, 40000gal and then the rest are all basketball court sizes and larger. But not all in one place of course, but each house has at least one pond.

I believe its already happened? Ask the fish suppliers to confirm if Gars can be brought in legally anymore. Because people release them into local rivers and lakes - that's why any non-native fish is often banned or viewed as a threat.

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Added on May 25, 2011, 11:06 pmSome are concrete, while some aren't. The biggest concrete pond is the 40,000gal pond. The rest are already mature ecosystems over 10 years old in some cases.

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Added on May 25, 2011, 11:07 pmSome are concrete, while some aren't. The biggest concrete pond is the 40,000gal pond. The rest are already mature ecosystems over 10 years old in some cases.

This post has been edited by [PIMPIN]: May 25 2011, 11:07 PM