Feeding 5' arapaima, 3' jau, 2.5'-3.5' RTC, & Co in 4500 gal

[@Fish-Story]

I continue getting regular flack and thumbs down for the "overstock", apparently mostly from non-expert folks without a substantial experience in the keeping of monster fish or even sometimes any fish. I also often get comments from people anthropomorphizing fish, which means assigning human values, perceptions, and even sometimes thoughts and feelings to fish. In the interest of saving my time and possibly saving most of these commenters some aggravation I thought I better address it here. “THE OVERSTOCK!!!” ~ To some, who don't know us and our posts on the Monster Fish Keepers and Planet Catfish forums, I totally agree it may look dangerously or unusually heavily stocked. Those peers, who know us, know it is not and there could even be room for more, as hard as it is to imagine. Yes, most our tanks and this particular 4500 gal tank are pretty heavily stocked. There is a way to maintain a heavily stocked tank and not harm the fish. The biofilter sump for this tank has a volume of 15,000 gal and the water flow through the tank is 20,000 gallons per hour of maximally aerated water (water + air together), which means the turnover time is 12 minutes. To the fish health, the total water volume, that is tank + filter, can be more important than the tank volume alone: if the water turnover is fast enough, it asymptotically leads to an equalization of the water in the filter and in the tank, hence, effectively increasing the volume of water available for the all-important instant dilution of toxins produced by the fish, which is then eliminated by the nitrifying bacteria in the filter. I do plan to add a fifth and maybe sixth 5,000 GPH pump to bring the water flow up to 25,000-30,000 GPH and improve the current condition and be able to add to the stock, if found necessary, or more rescues come than go. The water change is continuous, 24/7/365, and results in a 100% water change every 6 days in this tank and all our tanks. Nitrates are 20-40 ppm. The water is pristine in that both ammonia and nitrite are always firmly at 0 ppm by an API liquid test kit and the fish are most usually healthy. In the second half of 2018, we've had a problem with supposedly a columnaris strain but it was brought into the system with new fish from the wild, my error, and I don't believe it had to do with the stock density. It spread to all tanks. We were losing fish from all tanks, including the lightly stocked. There have been concerns raised about stress from the limited freedom of movement and frequent interaction with tank mates. Some of it is valid but not a horrible problem IMHO. Ultimately I admit that we are uncertain of the exact level of stress the fish are under but if a fish feeds, behaves, and looks as expected and lives out a reasonable life span, things must be fine in the first approximation. BTW, generalizing is wrong. There are 30+ fish species in this 4500 gal and most of them look and behave totally natural to me. Yet, surely some things could be improved, for instance, separating Vittatus African tigerfish and golden dorado from each other and from the rest. But I can't fix it immediately. I need to glue more tanks. The acrylic and the glue have already been bought. For now though, the fish that worry me a bit I think are at least adequate. As for the other 4500 gal (with RTC, arapaima, etc.), these fish are mostly rescues and are indeed getting ready for an upgrade to a planned 30,000 gal. IMO, they have been fine in this tank so far. Most of them are 3'. A 3 footer in a 13'x13'x4.5' is not too bad. They swim, grow, and enjoy themselves from the little that I can tell. They have been in there for 3-4 years and grew up in that tank from far smaller sizes. “THE JAIL!!!” ~ Anthropomorphizing fish is not scientifically correct, nor reflects the reality. Passing human traits to a fish, which for the nearly 100% is a” programmed” biological machine with an exceedingly little room for learning, is a crusade against science and knowledge, against our hobby and the first hand learning of nature, and against common sense. Fish don't "think" of, nor “perceive” freedom and space like humans do. The anthropomorphizing logic in its end result IMHO eliminates any and all fish keeping in captivity, or any animal keeping in captivity for that matter. Many fish stay in one rather small part of the overall water body available to them. Not staying in one place usually is driven by diminishing feed availability and, another biggie, by a breeding behavior / migration. Still there are many species that stay, feed, and mate in one “fishing hole” or in the vicinity of some debris despite having a relatively unlimited body of water like a river or a large lake available to them. Another example, many fish have an ocean at their disposal but hang around one coral rock all their lives. There are great dangers associated with traveling away from the safety of home, especially for smaller and medium size fish on menu of large predators. And they are “programmed” to know it. If the feed is plentiful, the mates are near, and it is safe, many fish don’t exhibit any desire to leave and “explore the world” or get some “freshness, adventure, or entertainment” in an analogy to humans. Fish don’t get the cabin fever. Some of what I stated in the prior section about the room applies to this section too. CONCLUDING REMARKS ~ Our fish have healthy water and an adequate space to swim albeit some are ready for an upgrade or would benefit from a reshuffle, it is true. I also often ask those raising the “jail cell” or “too packed” issues - do you know how fish are raised that you buy from grocery stores and consume? The fish for human consumption are farmed mostly at a 10x-100x the density of ours. Some reply we should look toward the best examples, not the worst. Agreed. But my point is: if one buys farmed fish from grocery stores, I'd not think one can in good conscience turn around and condemn what one sees here because anyone who eats the supermarket fish approves, however tacitly or not, of the farming practices. Still, there is always room for improvement in everything we do. The argument that if you can't do it ideally, then don't do it at all looks good only on paper. Those who subscribe to it, can start eating that paper to stay away from everything done less than ideally, including the food manufacture, also science, education, sports, culture, religion, you name it (well, paper manufacture is horrible for ecology too, for one), and then see how long it'll sustain them. P.S. ~ We are a DIY Public Aquarium and Rescue. These tanks too contain rescued fish available for adoption and waiting for their forever owners to come through. We adopt out. Yes, there are fees (we are not a charity and must make ends meet too) and humane keeping conditions to be met by prospective adopters.

[@MrPackistan]

thank you i think what you do is awesome

[@MrPackistan]

do you guys sell any fish? ive been looking for some catfish that can live in my 310 permanently

[@Dane35]

People are idiots tell them to go watch another channel then

[@invaderjoshua6280]

I’m not concerned about over stocking as they look like fine no stress at all. I’m concerned for your wallet on the food bill?!

[@Fish-Story]

@@invaderjoshua6280 Thank you. The feeding is not too expensive as we over time honed the ways we get the feed. We buy wholesale NLS pellets at around $5 per lb and also wholesale frozen bait fish at around $1 per lb. All our fish cost us roughly $300 a month to feed on average. More in the summer, less in the winter.

[@PrMarcioAntunes]

I don't have the real size of your aquarium, but the impression I have is that it is overpopulated. In addition, as a good Brazilian that I am and a resident of the Amazon, I say that his fish are great and very beautiful. Congratulations.

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you, means a lot coming from a Brazilian. 4500 gal. Yes, it was a bit too much to my liking too. The stock has been reduced a lot since then.

[@Achilles]

Can't believe it's been 3 years. I really hope to see an update soon, would love to compare the sizes.

[@Fish-Story]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4jEfYCLl959eKc kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHXQpJidd9uqpck

[@aquaboy1650]

That Red Tails are huge!

[@melisunnymellchris79]

The Arapaima swallows with extreme lightning speed - incredible!!!

[@Fish-Story]

That's the trait of most ambush predators :)

[@sallydorsey1851]

I love theses red tail they look they could be very friendly

[@padmadevigurung8129]

They are very friendly Had 6 pairs of these on my pond on village They were humongous biggest was about 3 and half But dies when flood came

[@jurassicsushi]

That arapaima smoked that koi lol. He didn't let it go no further than 3" in that water. Cool video.

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. If you throw it just right, it seems to go right into the mouth :)

[@xaventures7222]

Check out my own feeding video of my alligator gar you might like it! Thanks!

[@gragefishfarmcirebon6776]

I love rtc because it looks cute and safely hand feeding

[@amengjkt8786]

Best predator tank i have ever seen....

[@scoobusanubus737]

It's amazing how picky fish can be when trying new foods.

[@Fish-Story]

That is true in my experience.Some are very hard, some are easy, the others are in between.

[@deepdeep3589]

@@Fish-Story put garlic with the fish they will eat it.

[@Fish-Story]

@@deepdeep3589 Thank you. This is a good old trick that often works indeed.

[@stevenphelps7929]

You got one awesome collection of monster fishes. I just love watching them . I'm jealous 😉

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you for the heartfelt compliment. I'd prefer zealous vs jealous ;)

[@dennisvandenoever5664]

This tank is amazing. Great job.

[@apco4386]

It is actually a swimming pool that converted into a tank awesome

[@MichelPidner]

Good job dude, nothing but awesome!!! greeting from Amazonia-Brazil

[@Fish-Story]

I appreciate it, especially coming from someone to who these fish are native. Thank you.

[@aramirez3538]

Very nice I love watching you feed the fish wish I was there to feed the fish I love watching your videos so relaxing just to see the fish feed

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you, I appreciate it.

[@glennremoquillo7464]

i love how these giant fishes don't fight each other. So peaceful.

[@Fish-Story]

It's a delicate balance and requires constant vigilance and observation. Inter-tankmate problems are not uncommon.

[@dannydevito5088]

It looks overstocked just because all the fish are at the front 😂 i Love it Imagine going to a lake and you see fishes big like that swimming up to you 😂💯

[@toothpastedood905]

Oh Yeah Yeah oh yeah

[@dannydevito5088]

Brenddn Goldman oh yeah yeah

[@toothpastedood905]

Oh Yeah Yeah ya know

[@dannydevito5088]

Brenddn Goldman oh yeah yeah

[@balwinderdeepsinghbawa7661]

Cool tank bro Looks like there are some rescued fishes too I saw this Ceo for the first time today and m a big fan although u have a good variety and a lot of hard work going in I m from India and a big fish lover into this hobby since 5 years

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you for the kind words. Glad to meet a related soul in India :)

[@schnookieshullHull]

that's awesome, feeding time must be allot of fun, also expensive lol. but worth it.

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. The 10 lbs I fed in this video cost us five US dollars.

[@erikss5763]

They looked so cute before feeding

[@Fish-Story]

You made me chuckle :)

[@thedivinejourney1691]

Love your tank full of monsters. A quick question though.. How do you make sure they all are fed equally?

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. I do so by providing plenty of feed and every fish can pick and choose what they want, how much, and when. They do not feed equally per se, of course, because they differ one way or another.

[@thedivinejourney1691]

@@Fish-Story Great... Thank you.. I do hope I may be able to visit one day...

[@Fish-Story]

@@thedivinejourney1691 I appreciate your kind sentiment.

[@zekethefishgeek8690]

Good eyes...

[@KeedCjae]

My dream aquarium! Very nice fish bro

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you.

[@KISAKI120]

Don't say this tank is over stocked cuz this tank is not overstocked.

[@Fish-Story]

For someone with limited experience and unaware of how this tank, filtration and WC is set up, it may appear to be too heavily stocked :)

[@patriciaabell9393]

I think alot of aggressive fish have to be in groups to avoid fighting...at least when I had cichlids that was the case... personally, I really enjoy your aquariums! And your fish look quite healthy!:-)

[@Fish-Story]

Much appreciate your favorable review!

[@MrDanAng1]

This is truly monster fishes, they make a 4500 gallon tank seem small and crowded! 😀 I just wish I had a tank like that!

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you.

[@shawnharley636]

Man.... awesome tank bro!! I once had two iridescent sharks in my 100g but within six months had to give them back to my local pet store cause they got too big for my tank lol. Same thing with the pacu I bought for my 125 gallon. He got huge! and tore up EVERYTHING! only thing he didn't do was break the glass lol. I just keep oscars, jaguars and red devils now that's about as far as i'll go. But anyway great video man and I'm glad to see your not like all the others buying fish on impulse and stuffing them all in an inadequate sized tank. Aquarium looks great and the fish all look healthy. Really enjoyed watching them man. great job!

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you for your kind review, Shawn, really appreciate it, and equally appreciate your sharing a bit of your story too. Even though this 4500 gal was more or less appropriate for each fish but altogether it was too many fish and we don't do it quite like this anymore. The water was pristine but the long-term stress from too many tank mates cannot be discounted. We did enjoy this tank too :) Nowadays the stock is roughly 1/4th of what it was.

[@shawnharley636]

@@Fish-Story No problem bro I appreciate you writing back if anything. And yeah I hear you, sometimes you just want to sit back and enjoy the animal without the other fish crashing into them... you know what I mean? while at the same time making sure everyone get the food they need before the bigger guys get to it lol. But anyway I'm glad to hear you toned it down a little just to be fair to the fish(not that I didn't enjoy the video). And I'm looking forward to seeing your more recent videos on this tank!! Keep it up bro!!

[@Fish-Story]

Much appreciated. Great to touch base with a fellow appreciator of aquatic life.

[@nicholas8476]

Arapima are giant vacuum cleaners with fins.

[@glennquagmire1966]

I still love the tank and am so jealous and inspired

[@Fish-Story]

I appreciate it.

[@cbrmonsterkeeper4444]

I love Red tail Catfish sir Greetings From Philippines 😎

[@francescol3307]

I could watch the Pima and Red Tails eat all day ..

[@justinstuart8382]

Amazing tank. Did you build it yourself? Could do with a few less fish just to see what is going on. I'd be happy with just 1 Arapaima and a cple of Catfish in that one as well as the rest of the fish 👍🏼

[@Fish-Story]

Welcome to the channel and thank you! No, this one I put together from 4 parts, made commercially. This tank is featured in this video at a peak of population. Right now only 1/3 of the fish remains in there.

[@justinstuart8382]

@@Fish-Story Good to hear it. Good luck with it all 👍🏼

[@farmanshaikh6405]

Great video 👍 thanks for sharing! Awesome 🐟

[@naufalfadhilaz6968]

Waiting for peeps commenting "ohh no, that's so fuc*ing crowded!"

[@rikai2011]

First thing i noticed, keeping 5 arapaima in this tank is crowded itself and he have some monster catfishes in there as well

[@manaboy2981]

Haha

[@Mr.Saephan503]

Those red tail catfish are HUGE

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you but they are far from champion sizes. The biggest are around 3.5'. The champions raised in captivity are around 4.5', in the wild close to 6'.

[@diasporelegassi2708]

I thought the tank was big until he popped into frame, then it got bigger lol

[@mightiest.8166]

Oi ussop

[@Fish-Story]

13x13x4.5 feet, 4500 gal US gallons

[@diasporelegassi2708]

@@Fish-Story I- No words, just impressed lol

[@Fish-Story]

@@diasporelegassi2708 Thank you for the positivity. There are days we all need it badly.

[@diasporelegassi2708]

@@Fish-Story no problem. If those fish were suffering they would be showing it.

[@Noneshhhhhhh]

Awesome tank bro, greeting from Indonesian 🇮🇩🙌

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you.

[@justinrvarga7236]

This is gonna be my next tank. Put all my huge bastards in there 😂👌❤️. The surface agitation of the outflow is insane. No need for airstones

[@Fish-Story]

The incoming flow at the moment is 20,000 gallons per hour. Each of the four incoming pipes has a hole where the pressure is zero or less than zero (slight vacuum) and as such the flowing water sucks in some air and delivers the water-air mix into the tank.

[@j_toledo419]

see man these are the videos we want MORE of 😁😁😁

[@Fish-Story]

Yes, you are training me wonderfully :)

[@j_toledo419]

@@Fish-Story everything going ok brother?

[@Fish-Story]

Thanks. Everything's never ok but can't complain. Just exceedingly busy times. No time at all for playing with the camera so far.

[@stevenphelps7929]

How many monsters are there in your tank? Lol! 😆 Wow!!

[@Fish-Story]

Too many :) The stock has been reduced by 2x.

[@sanditiob.estuputro65]

Love it dude ! From Indonesia !

[@abdanilhamsyah2621]

Sama

[@javlaboss8353]

Get some big fish! I enjoyed watching u feed ur tetras :-D

[@Fish-Story]

:)

[@javlaboss8353]

Yay!

[@Fish-Story]

@@javlaboss8353 We do aim to please but often fail :)

[@adriangarciafishing7498]

Great video not saying anything bout your tank I personally like a less stocked tank I myself have monster fish redtails arowana and some others just my thing but great looking fish an keep it up

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. Glad to meet another keeper with similar taste and experience. No problem whatsoever with constructive criticism. I too prefer lower stock levels. This tank's stock had been reduced 2x a while ago.

[@andrefish2323]

Aqui do Brasil ficamos com inveja disso, parabéns !!

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you but translate to English, please.

[@stevenphelps7929]

How is your tank? That's awesome,that you have, so any huge fishes in there.

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. This tank has been evolving a lot. You can track its stock currently and over years on our channel.

[@oneup1098]

BOUGHT FOR $20 NOW WE'RE HERE

[@veravandyuk6045]

This is why beginners need to rethink of buying red tail cats they get enormous especially in a big tank. Nice tank by the way it looks awesome with the algae. What do you feed the pacu?

[@Fish-Story]

Yes. They should be thought of as a 4'-5', 50-100 lb fish. Thank you for the compliment. The wife wants me to scrub the algae, haha... Pacu get pellets and steal an occasional fish...

[@imsanil1240]

This aqurium is bigger than my room!

[@rathishm9120]

Dude it's bigger than my house

[@JamesMaquiavel]

Very beautiful, monters fish

[@michieldejonge5965]

Nice fish, great video! We want more😁

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you! Will oblige as time permits.

[@zenft9256]

imagine if you would put an oscar inside of that xD the oscar would definitely get eaten with the size of the fishes in that tank xD

[@Fish-Story]

It would be eaten immediately. Many people think it's okay but I personally say it would be borderline sadistic toward the oscar, this is how I feel about any unnecessary live feeder fish feedings. But I practice live and let live. To each their own, as long as it is not illegal.

[@jerbear299]

Love your tank man the fish look great

[@Asol1224]

Peixes da minha terra Lindo de mais amigo

[@arthurgimenespassos3342]

Vc tá em todo lugar né?kkkkk

[@arthurgimenespassos3342]

Kkkkkkkk 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@Asol1224]

@@arthurgimenespassos3342 sério eu to em todo lugar ?

[@arthurgimenespassos3342]

@@Asol1224 já te vi em um monte de canal de aquarismo

[@johnzabik270]

A huge ass tank and fish..👍

[@Garudao0o]

Woah, my dream tank... amazing!! out of curiosity, how much do you spend on their food? O_O! amazing tank.

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. We spend around $300 a month on feed on average for all the fish. About 1/5-1/4 goes to this tank.

[@231lizard]

"Fish swim in their own pee and poop" (read in Butthead voice, then laugh)

[@EF-vz1mk]

how do you know if everyone ate? because i saw that arowana taking seconds and i think thirds. and it looked like some fish in tank didnt get to eat. Can someone explain that to me.? Thank you

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you for your interest and concern for our fish. The types of feed offered vary between feedings and even if they were the same, the fish sometimes feed, other times not of their own choosing, hunger level, and comfort or the lack thereof. Especially catfish are known to eat a lot in one sitting, then skip a few feedings. For example, the 4 paroon shark catfish have only been taking pelleted feed for us. Small TSNxRTC hybrid has been ill. Overall, they don't dig this type of feed I am offering in this video - the freshwater frozen-thawed fish. Our barramundi would never take anything but saltwater fish. Reading my comment right under the video and perhaps listening to my narration could help elucidate the issue further. BTW, there are no arowana in there but there are arapaima.

[@justinthomas9119]

That looks so overstocked

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. Some think so but the water is well aerated and pristine - ammonia zero ppm and nitrite zero ppm by an API liquid test kit - and the fish are usually healthy. I've been having a problem with columnaris but it was brought into the system with new fish from the wild, my error, and I don't believe it has to do with the bioload. The biofilter for this tank is 15,000 gal.

[@justinthomas9119]

@@Fish-Story Fair enough, it just looks like it but i can tell you take great care of your fish and they all do look very healthy.

[@veravandyuk6045]

They are mostly swimming in the front and not to many are swimming in the back also his filter is huge and the water is crystal clear.

[@kennethmarrow3131]

You should climb in there with them so you can experience what it feels like.

[@evertonfanjuan9212]

@@Fish-Story I think what is very wrong is that they dont have enough space to swim freely

[@thecharmcityredneck]

Nice!! You get in there to clean the tank?

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. Yes, I do. Tried doing it from outside but so much better from the inside.

[@ceoatianaamber2265]

What do you feed the fish that look's like paroon shark???

[@Fish-Story]

They are paroon shark catfish. I offer everyone thawed whole fish and pellets. Our paroons are yet to take the fish, always preferring the pellets.

[@glennquagmire1966]

Such a bummer, a beautiful massive tank with even more massive and beautiful fish. Tone down the stock a ton and it will be a masterpiece. Bigger tanks don’t mean more fish when your talking about red tail catfish, pacus, arapaima and other monster fish unless it is a truly gargantuan tank. It may look “roomy” and the water may be pristine but remember these fish live in rivers and lakes. A clean jail cell with Delicious food is still just a small cramped jail cell

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. I know where fish live, haha :) I am a professional. Do you know how fish are raised that you buy from grocery stores? 10x-1000x the density of mine. Anyhow, your logic IMHO would eliminate any and all fish keeping in captivity, or any animal keeping in captivity for that matter. Our fish do have an adequate space to swim albeit they are ready for an upgrade, it is true. The water is pristine. Ammonia and nitrite are zero ppm firmly by an API liquid kit at all times. Nitrate 20-40 ppm. 100% water change every 6 days, continuous. The biofilter is 15,000 gal. Yes, 15K gallons. Maximum aeration. Anthropomorphising fish is not scientifically and not really correct. Just as one example, many fish have an ocean at their disposal but hang around one coral rock all their lives. Fish don't "think" of and don't perceive freedom and space like humans do. You are trying to pass on human traits to a fish, which is a crusade against science, knowledge, hobby, nature learning, and common sense. My $0.02.

[@MyVideosWillCalmU]

@@Fish-Story Slam Dunk😂 Mic dropped 😂

[@Fish-Story]

@@MyVideosWillCalmU Thank you. Glenn has good points but some things can be argued against. I wish I answered his post in a friendlier and softer manner. I was way too confrontational in my reply. For this, I apologize. My bad clearly. No one should listen to me.

[@MyVideosWillCalmU]

@@Fish-Story Tbh I think your response was perfect. My channel I still have up but as you can see I haven't posted for years. But still have over a 2000 plus Litres with big fish including an Silver arowana etc. And these type of consistent responses put me off, I just ain't got the time for it Lol. Nevertheless I just found your channel, keep up the amazing work.

[@Fish-Story]

@@MyVideosWillCalmU Thank you for this and for the high marks. Glad to meet another soulmate loving large f/w fish. My point is to learn from others, if they present a worthy and polite case, be friendly and constructive, not combative. Which is why I pinned my copy and paste long response to this and similar critical posts... And I evolve too and learn with passing years. I admit that the tank in this video had too many too big fish in it. It has been thinned down a lot since. We were able to adopt out most RTCs, and the arapaimas - I failed them, haven't finished their new 25K home in time, they jumped out and perished.

[@sandiawansyah9189]

Its amazing, how to can clear water/tank?

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. The filter is a large 15,000 gal sump.

[@sandiawansyah9189]

@@Fish-Story ok thanks you greetings hobby ornamental fish from indonesian country 🙏

[@Fish-Story]

@@sandiawansyah9189 God bless Indonesia and its fish-keeping peers! :)

[@sandiawansyah9189]

@@Fish-Story yes of course

[@ravisanker7761]

@@Fish-Story hi...

[@williamsitompul7858]

Thank you sir you made my day

[@bharaniraj9892]

It'll b great if u could get giant datnoids in dat aqua...gorgeous tank....

[@Fish-Story]

Giant datnoids would decorate any tank and any collection indeed :) I've not had a chance to grow some out except one lowly silver dat.

[@eddyortiz8110]

Hey that was pretty cool there are some big boys in that tank what do you usually feed them because these were the invaders that you took out of the old right,you said salt water diet I haven't seen that video yet!good stuff.

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. Yes, these were the free loaders from the koi pond. I usually feed them whole salt water thawed fish - herring, mullet, jack, snapper, pompano, etc. This is my first try to film feeding this tank. Next time I will try their usual. It should be more entertaining.

[@therisingempire1567]

If I have that size tank my wife be like There's my husband inside the tank playing with the fishes🤣

[@Fish-Story]

Haha... like this? kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHOoq5yYib55gMU

[@j_toledo419]

do u feed pellets for the ones that can't eat fish?

[@Fish-Story]

Yup. All eat pellets actually except baramundi.

[@EvansBrosRacing]

Do you go fish for feeder fish ? or buy them , seems like it would be very costly with so many big fish

[@Fish-Story]

I am not quite clear what you are asking but if I get it right, we never ever feed live feeder fish to our fish. 50% of our feed are pellets and 50% thawed fish. Our monthly expense for feed is around $130.

[@EvansBrosRacing]

@@Fish-Story I wondering if you go out to a river or lake and catch fish with a rod and reel or a net , to feed to yours . But it sounds like you just buy frozen ones .

[@Fish-Story]

@@EvansBrosRacing Yes, I mostly use a cast net to catch fish in the Gulf of Mexico but with the increasing stock of ours I cannot catch enough anymore and the season that's good for catching is rather short, Aug-Nov. If I had more time to fish and bought more freezers, it'd have to buy less but still, processing the fish, portioning, bagging and boxing, etc. before the freezing is also a significant effort and we are pretty much a one-man show.

[@EvansBrosRacing]

@@Fish-Story thanks for taking the time to answer , I was just thinking of 10 lbs of food at a time in just the fish portion is a lot of food and that is just the one tank . I am guessing you have many tanks . I know it is a huge job taking care of them , and so much worse for 1 person to try to keep up . keep up the good work and I am no expert but I can see that tank is plenty big enough for the fish that are in it . If the readings are good , they are fine and the back of the tank was empty while feeding until some got their food and then they went to the rear to consume their meal in peace . Some bozos are going to say stuff just to argue , and be negative , but you are respected by the majority and that is all that matters .

[@Fish-Story]

I appreciate your kind support. Thank you. Ten pounds a week in frozen fish alone is not sustainable year round because appetites vary, fish come and go as many of these are rescues waiting to be adopted into a forever home. The tank did prove to be too small for the arapaima and I failed to construct a proper home for them in time, so there is some truth in the criticism.

[@amanjaychaurasia7744]

That pacu and arowprima looks awesome

[@orvillemendonca6586]

What's the cost of maintenance? Food cost, electricity bill?

[@Fish-Story]

The feed bill is roughly $35 a month. It is run by four 5500 GPH pumps 360 watt each and $25 a month each to run 24/7. Lighting is rather negligible.

[@clarencegillies7264]

Man I love them redtail catfish

[@Aqua-uq7ix]

I feel so bad for these fishes ..

[@Fish-Story]

Me too.

[@Swanchatterjee96]

Literally what jail looks like

[@rifqibagaskara5084]

It's been 3 years, where are those monsters rn? Do you still keep them?

[@Fish-Story]

Some are still here with us. Some have been adopted out, like most RTCs, and some perished, like the arapaimas. Here is what the tank stock looks now: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHXQpJidd9uqpck

[@rifqibagaskara5084]

@@Fish-Story what time do you feed them with that size? Once a week?

[@Fish-Story]

In the summer once every 5 days they consume 10 lbs / 4.5 kg of herring and pellet snacks in between. In the winter the frequency can go down 2-3 times.

[@dannycruz5577]

My biggest fish is only foods for your fish. Lol

[@Fish-Story]

:) I know many fish keepers with relatively small fish and small tanks who are far more knowledgeable, experienced, serious, and of far higher statue in the hobby than I and from whom I learn and consider them my teachers. :)

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

lmao people getting mad af at a tank where literally every fish except the pima can live comfortably for their entire life

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. I think their objection is to the stock level. It has been heavily reduced since then anyway.

[@dammikapremarathna7937]

My dream fish tank

[@noaddedsugar_]

how big is the arapaima now?

[@Fish-Story]

These pimas have been gone a long time.

[@noaddedsugar_]

@@Fish-Story what happened??

[@Fish-Story]

@@noaddedsugar_ It's all laid out and rationalized in our thread: www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/smaller-pima-in-4500-gal-16-18.679297/

[@Someone-zx7xd]

How do you heat this aquarium? I am planning to get a 600 gallon one but if I heat it with the conventional method, it will consume a lot of electricity. Is there any alternative method of heating a large aquarium with the least operating cost? Let it be expensive to install but I want less expense in the long run.

[@Fish-Story]

We don't heat our tanks, almost never. We live in subtropical climate and get away with having curtains on our pavilion walls. When it gets too cold, we lower them. What you probably need to do is insulate your tank from all the non-critical sides, that is al sides except the main viewing pane and perhaps the top. Or you can build a tent / pavilion / greenhouse type structure over your tank if it is not indoors in addition or in lieu of the insulation.

[@Someone-zx7xd]

@@Fish-Story But I live in extreme climatic region where winter temperture can get as low as 2°C and summer can get as high as 35°C. I want to keep the temperature constant at 80°F(26.67°C). What wattage of electricity would be required to raise the temperature from 2°C to 26.67°C in a 600 gallon tank? It looks insane to raise that much temperature in such a large volume of water. Do you have any info about it?

[@Fish-Story]

The specific heat capacity of water is 4,200 Joules per kilogram per degree Celsius (J/kg°C). This means that it takes 4,200 J to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1°C. 600 US gallons x 3.785 l/gal = 2,271 liters = 2,271 kg of water... x 4,200 J/kg°C = 9,540,000 J/°C to heat 600 gal by 1 degree C ... x 25 °C = 240,000,000 Joules of energy to heat 600 gal by 25 °C. 1 Watt = 1 Joule/second. 1 KWatt = 1000 J/s. 1 KWatt-hour = 1000 J/s x 60 minutes x 60 seconds = 3,600,000 Joules. 240,000,000 Joules / 3,600,000 Joules = 66.2 KWatt-hours... at, let's say, $0.10 per kWatt-hour = $6.6 dollars to heat 600 US gallons by 25°C by electricity (gas is usually cheaper). I don't know if this helps you or not but feel free to ask more questions. People have built tropical fish tanks in temperate climates, e.g., Ted of anythingfish.com built an 8,000 gal tank in Seattle, which is covered with snow in winters but if you insulate it well, it should be doable.

[@Someone-zx7xd]

@@Fish-Story Nice to know that you are not irritated by questions and answer kindly.

[@Someone-zx7xd]

@@Fish-Story But insulation is not an option because I am keeping the aquarium at the centre of the room and thus it should be viewable from all sides. It's not a problem to raise the temperature at once but it is about retaining the temperature. I am just asking about the wattage of heater that would be required to keep a tank of 600 gallon consistently at 80°F if the surrounding is at 2°C(35.6°F) and there is no any kind of insulation. Will 3 kilowatt of electricity be enough to retain the temperature at 80°F? It should also be noted that as it is a large volume of water so there should not be much heat loss because the ratio of "surface area : volume" would be lesser than that of a small tank.

[@Achilles]

What is the scariest incident you have witnessed happening inside your tank?

[@Fish-Story]

IDK, fish attacking a tank mate? Not too uncommon.

[@Aquanutz66]

Very cool 💯

[@mohdismail4342]

youtube is bias....i dont know y this channel doesnt have much viewers....

[@Fish-Story]

Appreciate the sentiment. One has to chase the views, the likes, the shares, etc. and be aggressive in the advertising and promoting on social media sites or shoot entertaining and catchy videos or at least have gorgeous looks, or all of the above haha... I got no looks nor have the time to invest in shooting great videos, nor it is in my nature to be promoting self. I am content with the viewership we get.

[@mohdismail4342]

i know what you should do sir...put monster word in every of your videos...hahaha....

[@Fish-Story]

Ha... thanks. To be honest, I am not fond of this word either although my favorite online forum is Monster Fish Keepers. The word monster carries by default a negative connotation, which rubs me wrong.

[@Gksportsnetwork]

Beautiful

[@suhass3245]

Can u please share the dimensions of the tank

[@Fish-Story]

13 x 13 x 4.5 feet outside dimensions, about 12x12x4.5 inside. 1 foot = 30 cm.

[@skrtsikomode3612]

How long do you think i could keep a baby red tail in a 120gal for?

[@Fish-Story]

what is the footprint?

[@skrtsikomode3612]

And a baby shovel nose

[@Fish-Story]

Depends on the footprint dimensions but I'd say around half a year. It is a subjective call past the minimum requirement.

[@fendiagustinus9016]

hello. the full black cat fish. what it is called?

[@Fish-Story]

Jau catfish aka Zungaro zungaro.

[@ruwasiriwickramanayaka2647]

Wonderful

[@Kadenie9]

The red tail cat r huge

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you.

[@revy5293]

@@Fish-Story how old are they?

[@Fish-Story]

8 out of 9 are rescues, my guess is about 5 years.

[@muhammadfazli3875]

amaizing fish

[@cusick88]

Love the tank - thanks for sharing. How do you make sure they all get to eat? I didn't see a few of them getting any fish?

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. The rest feed on pellets and steal an occasional fish. Also, not every fish fish feeds every time. I keep track of all.

[@ayanadhikary7936]

I want to make one like you buddy.now have a baby Rtc and a shovel nose

[@Fish-Story]

Excellent! Thank you. :)

[@GravityCorp]

Oh god, you make me jealous dude, i hate you couse you have my dream . Lol

[@Fish-Story]

You're welcome :D

[@buatdikenang6608]

Nice tank,

[@Bessie-vb9yw]

I feel sorry for the big catfish that are so blind and just feeling for the food with their whiskers. I would make sure they are each fed first just because they are so blind.

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. They all are well fed. Moreover, they are quite well suited for their life both in the wild and in captivity. Poor vision that some of them have doesn't keep them from feeding well. Most catfish have an ok or a good vision. The barbels give them a huge advantage over the diurnal fishes in the dark but also are a great sensory organ to use at all times.

[@iskanderredrey397]

9:07 ? earthquake ))

[@Fish-Story]

Probably more like clumsy-quake :)

[@sudhaskitchen5650]

Add more fishes ,i can still see water!!

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. Give me some time. I need to pull out a kitchen knife out of my back.

[@nanangcahyomahendro6481]

Crazy,nice

[@StanTheObserver-lo8rx]

Interesting that the big fish like that dim lighting. I guess they feel safer.

[@Fish-Story]

It is mostly the catfish that do... but in my case, what I was saying had more to do with what our fish are used to than their natural preferences. Until we open to visitors at large, it'd be kind of wasteful to provide brilliant illumination. But I do have it installed and turn on occasionally.

[@leam89]

Why would fish like bright lighting

[@lurker-saniswatching6541]

Large predatory species generally live in murky or very deep water. Therefore they're more adapted to muted lighting conditions. The catfish also developed their whiskers as sensory organs to compensate for poor visibility

[@klownz666]

Non of these fish should be available to buy anywhere... especially Pacu and Redtails... Arapaima as well but I feel they are a fish that someone would specifically seek out and not just end up buying at random.

[@bruhman8005]

I can get all of these in California

[@Wiravairiwardhana]

Your RTC So big sir👍

[@suparnagold2651]

How thick is the glass?

[@Fish-Story]

2.5 inches, acrylic

[@stevenphelps7929]

What about the pacus?

[@Fish-Story]

They get the pellet feeding. They steal fish too when they can.