Monster Fish
Surely all of us has something to do with fish one time or another. Mum used to rear some in a tank at home.
At one time, fighting fish were the rage among boys. I was one of the boys.
Commonly reared fish are like guppy, angel fish, zebra fish, tiger barb, red sword-tail, gourami, etc. The wealthier folks would go for something more exotic and more adventurous. They reared Oscar that gulps down their food in a more ferocious manner. Some even had a Piranha or two before they were banned. Here's an Oscar.
All these tropical and ornamental fishes are still here today with new and cross-breeds to boot and then there are marine fishes. Youngsters today are also different. They love their fish quite differently. They love "Monster Fish".
What are Monster Fish? Those that can grow up to a foot in length or even more than two feet and they have a high protein diet. That means you require special filtration and care and are not for normal hobbyists. You will need a huge tank and think 120 gallons of water or more for a tank and upwards. What you see here is a baby toman (snakehead) and a walking catfish. Snakeheads and Catfish have many cousins.
These are also used as feeder fish that is as food for bigger fish but I don't like catfish.
I caught a walking catfish before that weighed a few kilos and felt utterly disgusted. I just do not like the look.
Gar
Gars are relatively large fish and the alligator gar is the largest as they can grow up to 3m. They are slow moving except when striking at prey. They look a bit like sturgeons and commonly available here is the spotted gar.
Look at this monster 1,000 gallon tank with all the large fish including gars in it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SN9Ew6FbLU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SN9Ew6FbLU
But what it lack in speed of movement, it more than make up for in stealth. It hunts stealthily moving close to its prey and suddenly "snap!"
Due to its long snout it has to hold on to its prey and gradually turn it around before swallowing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mil1pe_cF_U;feature=related
After some time, the gar has to go up quickly to the surface of the water to take in air.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzJhGscsRI8;feature=fvst
Arapaima
The Arapaima is a South American fresh water fish that can grow up to 400 pounds.
Bichir
This is a bichir. They have spike-like fins like an armour.
This one in particular is a Polypterus Endlicheri.
And are bottom dwellers.
It is one of the oldest living fish today.
They do like fresh live seafood.
They are also popularly known as Endi.
An ancient dragon indeed.
Very often, it is not easy to capture a shot of any fish as they can move around very quickly even for the slower moving species. This was the only time I could get them to pose together.
Pleco
Every home needs a vacuum cleaner and the South American Plecostomus or Pleco in short is just that. They are large algae eaters and can grow quite huge to about two feet. Though peaceful and can live with the others they may suckle on to some fish causing a little problem here and there. It took me a long time to patiently wait and get this shot to display its suction.
In the old days, we can put these small goldfish into a goldfish bowl for display.
The shops are now selling them as feeder fish to feed the monsters.
Crayfish
It is nice to add many different species of life in a tank. So this Crayfish made an interesting addition. As it grows, it will shed it's shell and need a place to hide while a new one is growing. Unfortunately, on one careless occasion, after shedding it's shell, we could not find it overnight. Only the shell is left. We were looking for the criminal who might have swallowed it. Crayfish meat is very sweet and tasty you know? Just like what a priest may say at a funeral: "What you see lying here is the shell. The nut is already gone".
Prawns
Some folks prefer prawning rather than fishing and of course some do both. It can be quite fun and in fact some folks relish doing it. We put this large freshwater prawn in the tank with a Redtailed Catfish and a Snakehead and as we have been feeding both fish with prawn meat, I think they can smell a fish, er, I mean a prawn. Redtail tried to swallow it but could not and the Snakehead was all excited making a few hits at it. Now you know why prawns have shells.
Snakehead (Toman)
Toman is another species that are sold for food as in baby toman. Rearing them can be an eye opener. They are voracious eaters reminding me of some people.
As they grow they change in colour and texture. They are easy and not choosy. Live feed, prawn meat or pellets makes no difference. Other fish may be more choosy but not the toman.
Toman can be agressive and have sharp teeth and boy can they bite. Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ixdzQkvnMU (Jeremy Wade)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=vlvX92YMXDE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUnAXcMuNkI
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?67070-THE-LEGENDARY-TIGER-SNAKEHEAD
There are many varieties - the Giant Snakehead (Channa) is the largest in the family. It is locally known as toman. They put up a strong fight when hooked. It is a good food fish in Chinese cuisine. They can only be put in a tank with same size fish or else they will all be gobbled up. This fish can be vicious for it is the most ferocious of all freshwater predators. The "Haran" is its smaller brethren.
I had originally wanted to show a video clip of snakehead live feeding from youtube but decided against it as it may be somewhat gruesome for some of you but then these things happen in real life in the oceans, lakes, ponds and even in the wilderness for the animal kingdom. We humans do these things too, don't you know? Big fish eats small fish.
Redtailed Catfish
The Redtailed Catfish is native to the Amazon and the Orinoco river basins of South America. It is also a game fish for anglers due to its potential large size. There are many other types of large Catfish.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tejA-CxDIVk (Paraiba)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37membCwaYY (Goonch)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvz6gs5nWBY (Mekong Giant Cat)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29U787KK6ck (Redtailed Catfish)
Sea Bass
We caught some baby Sea Bass (Kim Bak Lor) and kept them. This fish is unique as it can survive in salt water as well as freshwater. Allow it to slowly adjust by easing it into "brackish" water. Brackish water is saltier than freshwater but not as salty as saltwater. It's like a mixture of seawater and freshwater as in estuaries.
I was surprise to find out the the sea bass is quite an aggressive fish. You eat it all the time but I bet you never knew that.
This fellow, much smaller in size than the Temensis could actually whack the bigger fellow into submission. I like that spirit.
Peacock Bass
Cichla Orinico aka as the Peacock Bass is actually a large South American Cichlid and is a prized game fish. It is the largest cichlid. This fellow is a schemer. It avoided the sea bass but slammed at it when it is all dark. I am studying fish behaviour in relation to humans. What the fish!
Arowana
This is a prized fish and is legendary. Some folks nay even believe it brings good luck. "Kim Leng" or Golden Dragon in local dialect, they are excellent jumpers. It can leap almost 2m into the air to pick insects or birds on branches. It is solitary, aggressive and dominant and can only be paired with other fish that does not fit into its mouth.
It is a majestic swimmer. This one here is a Silver Arowana. The most famous and expensive Arowana is the Red Arowana or some call it the Super Red.
Other Monster Fish
Now that you have seen all these, do take care and do not go into the water to pee. Especially the guys after too many beers.
When you look at fish and the vast species you wonder if they were accidents or creation. A wonderful creation by design or thousands of perfect accidents? Watching species of fish in a tank can be therapeutic - how they go about daily, move around, fight at times or feed. It is perhaps a little like god watching the going on in the world. So much like observing humans in this world. If you are on high protein diet, you are just like a fish!
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