fshfanatic’s Blog

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Feed Your Fish Sparingly!
One of the most enjoyable times for the new hobbyist is watching the flurry of activity in the aquarium after that pinch or two of fish food hits the surface. Sometimes we’re tempted to repeat the show 2-3 times a day, which is fine if your fish consume all the food within a couple minutes. The problems start if there is excess food, which is defined as “overfeeding.” Overfeeding is the most common source of the algal nutrients ammonia and phosphate. Algae thrive on both the nutrients generated from uneaten food and fish waste. Many experienced hobbyists who learn to resist the feeding frenzy and only feed once daily – or feed smaller portions 2-3 times daily – find it’s much easier to keep the unwanted green in check. Time lights & change bulbs – Scrape glass often

Control the Lights
If you turn on your aquarium lights when you wake up and turn them off before bed, the extended light cycle may be encouraging extra algae growth. Put your lights on a timer to replicate a day/night schedule and stick to it. Keep lights on 10-14 hours per day for planted aquariums, 6-10 for ornamental setups. Also, change bulbs at least once a year. Aquarium bulbs lose their spectrum and intensity as they age; this weakened light will likely encourage algae growth.

Frequent Partial Water Changes
In nature, rain and water currents refresh water conditions by diluting and carrying away nitrate (a.k.a. algae fertilizer) before it can build up to excessive levels. Your closed aquarium system, however, requires regular water changes to remove excess nutrients. Ideal frequency is 10% weekly, but for a lightly populated aquarium, 30% monthly is sufficient. It’s also a chance to siphon up all the sludge and dead plant matter in your gravel. Continue Reading »

These beautiful carfish are actually one of my favourite fishes. I have a small 6″ one in my 180 gallon Jardini Arowana tank

Origins: Apparently you can find these red-tailed Brazilian flatheads in much of the Amazon and its tributaries. They call them mighty tasty pirararas locally. They use pirañhas for bait.

Name: Phracto = flat, cephalus = head, hem = red, pterus = fin. Or red-tailed flathead. Same as our local flatheads plus a red tail and a less finicky appetite. Our flatheads eat only live fish. Red-tail catfish fish eat ‘em dead or alive (or plastic).

In the Wild: Red-tail catfish eat crabs and fruits.

Foods in Captivity: Not known as picky eaters, red-tail catfish love fish, worms, and crustaceans (which bring out their reds). They also eat enough pellets to bulge their bellies if given the opportunity. Large red-tails also eat rocks and can apparently spit them out at will.

Occasional Fasts. Any critter that “carbo-loads” at every meal needs an occasional meal off. Give him a meatless Friday and let his digestive system catch up. He’ll start swimming around when he gets hungry again.

Grows Huge: The cute two-inch red-tail catfish you bought grows to three or four feet – 18-inches in the first year. They live for 15 years.

Security: Small red-tail catfish will spend their days hiding in caves. As they grow, they need no security.

Friendly: Red-tails make great pets. They quickly learn to eat from your fingers. Start by feeding them in the evenings. They also put up with being petted. We don’t recommend this, however they seem to like rubbing against your hand.

Bad Substrates: Don’t put a lot of marbles or rocks on the bottom. Red-tail catfish will eat anything swallowable. What else would you expect from a critter that swallows crabs whole?

Mixers? Not many other fish will mix with these critters — especially smaller fishes. Asian red-tail catfish tend to beat up South American catfishes of the same size.

Temperature: As you might extrapolate from a fish that lives in the world’s second longest river, red-tail catfish adapt to a wide temperature range.

Breeding: No breeding reports yet. Here’s the way I’d do it … I’d give an Asian fish farmer 10 red-tail catfish. Then come back in five years to pick up half the babies.

Shedding? Red-tail catfish exude a mucous film occasionally. It reminds you of caecilian worms in this respect. You need to remove crud like this. Continue Reading »