# Monster Fish Keepers



## arapaimag (Dec 6, 2007)

Are there any MFK members in Southern Ontario on this forum that keep large fish 18" or bigger???


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

I belong but I think the biggest mine is so far is a foot though I havent measured in a while.


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## arapaimag (Dec 6, 2007)

What species of fish is it?


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## fish_luva (Nov 24, 2009)

I'm a member, but i don't have fish the size of yours my friend.. I've seen some of your videos and stuff online,,,, 

We are not worthy..  ,,, YOu have amazing setups.... 

any chance one could get a tour ????? Pm me if i coud...

Seriously though,,,, the biggest i have right now is jack dempsey's & polleni's,,, about 12 inches as well......

cheers!!!!
Sheldon


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

Hi Mike,

Not keeping any monsters anymore (Wild Frontosa: largest was 13"), but I still check out MFK a couple times a year to see what's cool.

There are some cichla guys here on GTAA though

What's new in Quaoar???


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## aeri (Sep 9, 2007)

me


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## arapaimag (Dec 6, 2007)

What fish and sizes are they?


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## bigfishy (Jun 19, 2009)

me too!

I always browse their Datnoid's forum

Still growing out... soon 18"++++ 



15" Super Red Arowana
10" Giraffe Catfish
10" Northern Thai Tigerfish
9" Siamese Tigerfish


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## 12 Volt Man (Sep 26, 2011)

I am a frequent poster there with thousands of posts LOL

don't have any 18"ers anymore (used to have huge Lemon fin barbs) but I am growing up some monster tinfoils in my 150g that should reach 14" or so.


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## aeri (Sep 9, 2007)

arapaimag said:


> What fish and sizes are they?


23" jardini, 17" giant gourami, and a 16" rtg that i'm thinking of selling soon
measurements as of 2 or 3 months ago i'm not sure if they've grown


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## arapaimag (Dec 6, 2007)

That is a big Jardini. I've only ever had one that was bigger and it was 25" when it died in 2009. I had it for 10 years and got it from an Oxford Fish club member in 1999 when it was 19" long.


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## aeri (Sep 9, 2007)

thanks. it's my favourite fish i've had it since it was 4" in 2007
when it hit 16" its growth slowed down a lot

do you have any pics of yours when it was 25"?


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## arapaimag (Dec 6, 2007)

The 25" jardini is in this video at around the 1:42 time.

It's size is deceptive because the brycons in the pics measure up to 26". Also the angle the camera is looking into 28 feet of water length wise and the fish is in 6 feet deep water.

It was measured at 25" when it died.


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## aeri (Sep 9, 2007)

looks beautiful. i agree i didn't realize the size of mine until i moved it a few months ago.

i've never seen a brycon in person before.

all that food that you dumped in is probably my years worth of fish food...

how are your feeding costs/amounts/schedule?


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## impalass (May 5, 2010)

I've had my humble red tail golden arowana since 2006. Brought him home at 7" and when last measured in 2010 he was 22"


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

I *think* I've been on MFK before but it has been a long long while. I was reading up on polys. Now she's over a foot.. <3


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## arapaimag (Dec 6, 2007)

aeri said:


> looks beautiful. i agree i didn't realize the size of mine until i moved it a few months ago.
> 
> i've never seen a brycon in person before.
> 
> ...


I like brycons and keep 3 species at present. I gave away several in 2009 including a few to Reptillia to put in the Nile crocodile tank.

Not sure what you mean by feeding costs/amounts/schedule

are you referring to the tank in the video?


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## arapaimag (Dec 6, 2007)

impalass said:


> I've had my humble red tail golden arowana since 2006. Brought him home at 7"  and when last measured in 2010 he was 22"


Very nice fish. I have one in my big tank that I bought in 1999 from Steve at Dragon Aquaria when he was in his first small store location. It was 5" then and is now 30".
He does not look nearly as nice as yours.

He actually paired up with another Sclarapages aureus (They used to be Sclarapages formosa) and looked like they might 
try to breed. But the smaller 29" female passed away this past summer. I had no idea how old she was because I had been given her in 2007 by Mike at Finatics. She had gotten the gill curl and her previous owner attempted to do surgery on the gill but it did not turn out well.

Are you a member of MFK?


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## arapaimag (Dec 6, 2007)

Ciddian said:


> I *think* I've been on MFK before but it has been a long long while. I was reading up on polys. Now she's over a foot.. <3


Very good and you fit in the mini monster group with your Polypterus.

Do you know what species it is?

I at present don't have any polys but they are great jurassic fishes to own and don't need the big tank their monster cousins the lungfish need.

I have owned P. bicher, P. congonicus, P. delhezi, P. ornatipinnis, P. palmas, P. sengalus and 2 unknown species.

I do own 3 of their bigger cousins.

1 Protopterus annectens about 36" that I've owned for 10 years and got given to me by Arlington Pet Shop Jane/Wilson when they closed down in 2001. IT had been on display for many years as the stores mascot. The store was one of the oldest in Toronto starting in the early 50's in Crang Plaza (North side of Wilson). Later moved to the south side with their address actually being on Beverly Hills Drive. Marian McKivor the lady that owed the store was the daughter of the original owner.
The fish is kept in the winter months in a 250 gallon tank and goes outside each summer into either a 8x8 pond or a 20x8 pond.

1 Lepidosiren paradoza the South American lungfish about 20" long and just a baby I bought at 4" from The Fish Place in North Tonawanda NY. 
in March of 2010. He is presently in a 120 with a shoal of congo tetras (Phenacogrammus interuptus) and a 5" Synodontis granulosa. They all will be moving in the next 6 months to a larger tank.

1 Noceratodus forsteri the Australian lungfish. I got him from Li the owner of the Monster Fish Keeper site in October of 2006 when I visited his house while attending the Catfish convention held nearby. It was about 12" long then and now is 38" and lives in a 560 gallon tank with a 26" Brachyplatystoma tigrinum (formerly incorrectly called a Meidontus tigrinus) a 13" chocolate pleco (unable to get the actual species) and a 10" water cow (Eliotris picta). The Australian lungfish like the South American lungfish are rather docile and generally can be kept with many other fish.


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## arapaimag (Dec 6, 2007)

fish_luva said:


> I'm a member, but i don't have fish the size of yours my friend.. I've seen some of your videos and stuff online,,,,
> 
> We are not worthy..  ,,, YOu have amazing setups....
> 
> ...


Hi Sheldon you really have taken to the hobby in a big way. 20 tanks in about 20 months.........

I might go pet shop hopping next Sunday (4th) in the Kennedy road group of stores maybe you can link up with me then and chat fish.


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## impalass (May 5, 2010)

arapaimag said:


> Very nice fish. I have one in my big tank that I bought in 1999 from Steve at Dragon Aquaria when he was in his first small store location. It was 5" then and is now 30".
> He does not look nearly as nice as yours.
> 
> He actually paired up with another Scarapages aureus (They used to be Scarapages formosa) and looked like they might
> ...


My RTG comes from Dragon Aquarium also, the only other bigger fish I've had where 12" Royal plecos and 12" Dats, ST, IT,NGT, all the Tigers started beating on the Arowana at 11-12" except the NTT I presently have.

I'm a member of MFK but have not been active lately. I try and stay off fish forums, leads to flipping fish to often in my case.


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## bcarlos (Nov 19, 2009)

I'm a member, although I don't frequent MFK too often anymore. My biggest monsters are my Henlei group, all over 18" now.


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## pharmaecopia (Mar 1, 2011)

I'm a member over there, right now I have 8 alligator gars over the 18" mark as well as 4 bowfin. I also have some other future monsters that haven't reached that size yet. Florida gars, cuban gars, longnose gars, niger catfish, pterodoras granulosus, and megalodoras uranoscopus.


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## arapaimag (Dec 6, 2007)

pharmaecopia said:


> I'm a member over there, right now I have 8 alligator gars over the 18" mark as well as 4 bowfin. I also have some other future monsters that haven't reached that size yet. Florida gars, cuban gars, longnose gars, niger catfish, pterodoras granulosus, and megalodoras uranoscopus.


You have a very nice collection of monsters.

What are your long term aquarium plans for the Atractosteus spatula?

What growth rate have you experienced?


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## pharmaecopia (Mar 1, 2011)

arapaimag said:


> You have a very nice collection of monsters.
> 
> What are your long term aquarium plans for the Atractosteus spatula?
> 
> What growth rate have you experienced?


Thanks

Long term plan for the A. spatula is larger indoor pond(s). Likely have a move coming up in the next year, so that is when that is planned.

Growth rate has varied between individuals, my two biggest when last measured were 31" and 33". I got them when they were between 2 and 2.5 years old already when I got them and haven't reallt put on that much more length. Most of the others were picked up between 19" and 21", and for those that I could get ages 6 months - 2 years old. The smaller gars are growing a little faster, but seem to fill out more than they put on length. The one that I have seem the greatest growth rate was picked up in pretty bad shape around the 10" marks and within a couple months got to 16" then slower from there. These gars all now between 20 and 25"

A couple factors that would influence their growth rate. I don't powerfeed them, they do get smaller daily feedings of pellets, and get some sort of fresh/frozen fish usually twice per week. I have found that giving them smaller daily feedings cut down on the aggression and nipping between the group. In addition to this I also cool their tank quite a bit over the winter months, usually between 60 and 65F. As the temp drops their appetite slows down a bit.


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## chen (Jun 4, 2006)

Mike, me member ...some reaching 18", some slightly over....eventually most will be over 18"


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## arapaimag (Dec 6, 2007)

chen said:


> Mike, me member ...some reaching 18", some slightly over....eventually most will be over 18"


You are a monsterfishkeeper for sure.

Glad that you give your fish a big tank. Your rays look incredible!!!!!!


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