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.

[@OrangeJuicez]

Best predator tank i have ever seen....

[@dennisvandenoever5664]

This tank is amazing. Great job.

[@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

[@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/

[@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...

[@melisunnymellchris79]

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

[@Fish-Story]

That's the trait of most ambush predators :)

[@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 ;)

[@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.

[@gragefishfarmcirebon6776]

I love rtc because it looks cute and safely hand feeding

[@aquaboy1650]

That Red Tails are huge!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@j_toledo419]

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

[@Fish-Story]

Yup. All eat pellets actually except baramundi.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@suparnagold2651]

How thick is the glass?

[@Fish-Story]

2.5 inches, acrylic

[@nezarrezqy8683]

How do you arrange the filter?

[@Fish-Story]

It's just a sump but a very big one of 15,000 US gallons which also serves as a water reserve. It has a mechanical filter tub and a bunch of shade cloth for the biomedia. 8 submersible pumps on the side opposite to where the water from the two 4500 gal tanks drains.

[@allwins2409]

What kind of pellets do you them?

[@Fish-Story]

Ziegler FinFish pellets.

[@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.

[@goblinslayer1115]

I got a question how are those fish all comfortable with each other since they are so big?

[@Fish-Story]

Of course they are not ideally comfortable. I believe most are adequately comfortable, because they exhibit good appetite and natural behavior. Arapaima are an exception to this statement, as the time after this video had shown. They outgrew this tank and kept jumping out of the tank, eventually killing themselves. I failed to build their future home quickly enough.

[@goblinslayer1115]

@@Fish-Story damn that sounds tough

[@goblinslayer1115]

@@Fish-Story it really must suck loosing something you worked so hard for

[@Fish-Story]

It does. It helps not to lose the sight of the goal.

[@goblinslayer1115]

@@Fish-Story so hows been your 4500 gal tank now?

[@damiansampath524]

Is it ok 2 feed red tail catfish salt water fishes will it cause any problems? Jus asking cuz I have 1 baby red tail catfish in a 240 gallon plastic tank so I wanted 2 knw if I could of feed him salt water fish

[@JiggerzWithAttitude]

Damian Sampath no you shouldn't have any problems, if you do enough water changes to keep an optimum water quality and feed enough (not to heavy) your gonna have a monster in no time... hope you have a pond :D

[@damiansampath524]

@@JiggerzWithAttitude ty yep I will b making a pond in the nex few months

[@Fish-Story]

When it comes to frozen fish, I only ever feed marine bait fish to mine. They do take a fair share of pellets, so I don't know what would happen if the diet was exclusively marine fish. In general, it is prudent to stay away from extremes and offer different types of feed with balanced nutritional value. Having an all-inclusive pellet to be a large part of the diet enables to feed many other things too.

[@damiansampath524]

@@Fish-Story npz ty mine love to eat life food tho cuz dats wat de person who I buy the red tail catfish frm does feed dem so I buy some frm him 1 time an I does feed him shrimp aswell he dont like the pellets I will try a different brand an see bt wat pellets do u feed yur red tail catfish mine is only 4inches tho

[@JiggerzWithAttitude]

@@damiansampath524 awesome, good luck with your rtc they're so much fun.

[@mrgamebreak2756]

What is the size of this pond please ?

[@Fish-Story]

13x13x4.5 feet (1 foot = 30 cm), 4500 gal = 17K liters

[@mrgamebreak2756]

@@Fish-Story Going to build one thanks you so much

[@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 :)

[@ryanhidayat8489]

Tank size LxWxH and thickness glass?

[@Fish-Story]

13'x13'x4.5'. Acrylic panel is 8'x4'x2.5".

[@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.

[@doctorpinkydidi9179]

How old these fishes??? Sorry for my bad English 😳😳

[@Fish-Story]

Around 5 years old.

[@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.

[@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 👍🏼

[@KeedCjae]

My dream aquarium! Very nice fish bro

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you.

[@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.

[@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.

[@apco4386]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@lukemiddaugh]

how much does it cost to run one of these tanks a month

[@Fish-Story]

$100 electricity, $35 fish feed.

[@lukemiddaugh]

And that's in the USA right that's crazy love your content and info what u have is goals

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. Appreciate it. Yes, USA, Florida, Naples. Our electric is roughly 10 cents a kilowatt hour.

[@lukemiddaugh]

I can't stop watching your fish I've spoke to you on mfk I can't wait for my aro and rtc to grow

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. I see. So you are Luke M. :) Patience is a virtue :)

[@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...

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

curious what the full stock was in that tank

[@Fish-Story]

Our stock is often in flux as you know. You can see the full stock as well as anyone in this video. As this has been now 4 years ago, I don't recall in great detail.

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

@@Fish-Story i can see albino pacu, normal pacu, paroon sharks, arapaima, rtc, rtc hybrids, a jau catfish, tsn, wallago, barramundi and a true black pacu

[@Fish-Story]

Sounds about right :) Thank you.

[@erikss5763]

They looked so cute before feeding

[@Fish-Story]

You made me chuckle :)

[@bose535]

How often do i need to feed my redtail catfish..hes about 2.2ft

[@Fish-Story]

I'd feed it a hearty meal once a week until the tummy is obviously distended. Other days, I'd offer snacks and diversity feed or pellets but in small to moderate amount.

[@bose535]

He doesnt eat pellets i have tried everything possible...another thing i wanted to ask u, he was in a 120gal aquarium all by himself ever since i moved him to a 1600gal he doesnt eat the way he used to eat whats the reason..in fact he didnt eat fr around a month but nw he started eating bt wit less aggressiveness...at 1st i thought it ws becoz of the change of water source...i used to fill tap water 1st and now i use well water, bt even after changing back to tap water hes still nt d same

[@Fish-Story]

@@bose535 Everything possible? Usually, it doesn't take much. If you don't offer anything but pellets, an RTC will cave sooner than later. Perhaps something is different about the new tank - more light, or less oxygen, or boisterous tank mates (that is of course if ammonia and nitrite are firmly at zero ppm by a liquid test; if not, this is the source of your problem). Or your well water is too hard, or too soft, or brackish, etc. Or, finally, sometimes RTC keepers report their RTCs may take awhile to become themselves after a tank change.

[@bose535]

@@Fish-Story ok ill try feeding pellets...there are no tank mates only the redtail bt definite increase in light as he is outdoor, before he ws indoor...if not that then its d water. Liquid test show zero api test kit...i think its the well water which he is not used to...my othr fish hv no prob wit d well water....thankyou very much for replying, incase i hv any other questions ill msg u..thanks

[@Fish-Story]

It's not that feeding pellets is needed, if the diet is otherwise diverse, but it is convenient because it is a serious effort to keep the diet diverse and balanced enough. I agree, going outdoors, especially if in the full or partial sun, would be a drastic change for a nocturnal fish such as an RTC. I am sure the water temperature is different too, plus, it is not as stable as it was indoors (I'd make sure the temp is neither too hot, nor too cold). Plus the switch to the well water. I think if all parameters are within the fish's natural range, it will adjust to the new home and start feeding better. There is no need to worry or rush it because RTC that size can fast for a few months without any harm. // I'd recommend to join Monster Fish Keepers.

[@daveogmiles6152]

Are those predatory fish ?

[@Fish-Story]

Except for the pacu, they are, some more some less. RTC are more opportunistic than predatory in the wild, I'd classify, same with the jau.

[@cbrmonsterkeeper4444]

I love Red tail Catfish sir Greetings From Philippines 😎

[@stevenphelps7929]

What about the pacus?

[@Fish-Story]

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

[@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!

[@srishtygardenresorts705]

How do u maintain it dude. Such a huge tank?

[@Fish-Story]

I only have to wipe the window every now and then and clean the 15,000 gallon sump once in several years.

[@JamesMaquiavel]

Very beautiful, monters fish

[@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.

[@unddegorosts4370]

How many time do u feed

[@Fish-Story]

I feed thawed fish usually once a week, sometimes twice. Pellets I feed 4 days a week.

[@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.

[@andybarlow5524]

How's the barramundi going?

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. It's all in the respective thread: www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/barramundi-perch-lates-calcarifer-24-in-4500-gal.698472/#post-7871551

[@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.

[@mr.maiden3278]

y Diario le das todo esa comida? o.o

[@Fish-Story]

You say: "Do you have all that food? o.o" I am not sure what you mean. I always have a stash of fish food.

[@strugglejennings7215]

What do the pacu eat in tank like this scraps?

[@Fish-Story]

They eat their fill of pellets and an occasional fish they steal from tank mates. Pacu are the least of my worries. They are incredibly adaptable, resourceful, and smart. They will make due in any tank, even if you neglect them. But we don't by any means. Just making an argument.

[@trixycampana8710]

Can silver arowana survives in that environment? Just wondering.

[@Fish-Story]

Not long term. We had 5 silver arowana in that tank, all 30"-36", 4 males and 1 female. Every breeding season one arowana would get chewed up. I think they would be either fighting or courting, which too can get violent, and jump around doing that and bump their head against a tank cross brace or the wall and become discombobulated for a little while but this is enough for their tank mates to decide that the arowana is now feed and can be eaten. They have never managed to swallow the arowana but the stress of constant trying was great and the rear third to a quarter of the arowana would be stripped of scales. I would catch the injured arowana and move them to a 240 gal tank to recover and they always had done so until last time when our female arowana hasn't survived. So since then the 4 males were moved and reside in the other 4500 gal.

[@trixycampana8710]

@@Fish-Story thank you. That was very informative. I got a silver arowana about 22inches now and 7" and i dont know their sexes.

[@Fish-Story]

They are close to impossible to sex from external features for a hobbyist. The only reason I knew for sure is because our males fought between themselves and the alpha male arowana always won and courted our only female. They had several baby clutches, which the alpha brooded in his mouth about 1.5 months each time.

[@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.

[@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...

[@adriangarciafishing7498]

Do you live feed

[@Fish-Story]

No, I don't do it for several reasons, ethics and health being the main ones.

[@adriangarciafishing7498]

@@Fish-Story I farm are own worms with high quality food and that's one of the live foods are fish great and farm guppies but other then that nothing live or from an outside source I really like your videos

[@Fish-Story]

You are entirely too kind. Thank you. Few feeds beat properly prepared, gut-emptied earthworms indeed, this is a great feed. If you breed your own guppy feeders, then the health risk is likely removed.

[@adriangarciafishing7498]

@@Fish-Story yes some what that is I still regulate alot if my feeders the guppies are the most they reproduce some much I gotta make sure no sickness happens but all is well thx for all the return feed back I'm working on posting my own videos of my monsters

[@stevenphelps7929]

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

[@Fish-Story]

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

[@bharaniraj9892]

Gorgeous Red Tails....Jus a quick question...hw do u do a water change for an aquarium this big...

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. The WC is continuous, fresh water runs in and out 24/7, 100% WC in ~6 days.

[@nami3663]

Fish Story Aquarium & Rescue Wow can you please explain how you have your system set up? Your water bill must be massive

[@Fish-Story]

@@nami3663 We are on a well water. It is light brackish and has to run through an RO filtering system. Then we add a little bit of raw well water to the RO water at around 15% to 85% to give it good hardness and pH stability. We make and spend about 7000 gal a day of this mix for the continuous water change. It costs us roughly a couple hundred US dollars a month in electricity charges.

[@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

[@l-box8272]

Size tank bro ?

[@Fish-Story]

Gallonage in the title - 4500 gal. 13x13x4.5 feet.

[@glennquagmire1966]

I still love the tank and am so jealous and inspired

[@Fish-Story]

I appreciate it.

[@francescol3307]

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

[@williamsitompul7858]

Thank you sir you made my day

[@Noneshhhhhhh]

Awesome tank bro, greeting from Indonesian 🇮🇩🙌

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@anasazlan_]

Do you have a gar?

[@Fish-Story]

Currently we have about a dozen of Florida gars 1'-2.5' and three tropical gars at 2'. We used to have two alligator gars at 3' and three longnose gars at 2'. The three species we never had are short nose, cuban, and spotted.

[@anasazlan_]

Fish Story Aquarium & Rescue can you make a video about that gar i was so intrested about gar

[@Fish-Story]

All the videos featuring our gars have been posted in this forum thread of ours and also some info www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/four-tropical-gars-one-florida-gar-12-15.679353/#post-7637848 One day, when their time comes, I will shoot an update. We have more than a thousand fish of hundreds of species. It takes time to film updates.

[@devendranreddy1358]

Total cost of your aquarium tank with fishes

[@Fish-Story]

For current tank cost consult the manufacturer - sem-iround 13x13x4.5 feet with an 8x4 foot, 2.5" acrylic window - www.aquaculturetanks.com/ The fish are half rescues and half are our own collection bought when they were small 2"-6". The bought fish can be guessed at about $500.

[@blackfang1217]

I could adopt a wolf hybrid with that kind of money 😵

[@manimtimjahmilb.8079]

In the philippines it all only costs $50

[@joennykorea6197]

What u feed the pacu

[@Fish-Story]

pellets

[@farmanshaikh6405]

Great video 👍 thanks for sharing! Awesome 🐟

[@michieldejonge5965]

Nice fish, great video! We want more😁

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you! Will oblige as time permits.

[@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 :)

[@231lizard]

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

[@yassiejuan1072]

Are those two hybrids?

[@Fish-Story]

I am not sure what "those two" and "they" are in your two questions. There are indeed two large hybrid TSN x RTC catfish in this tank, about 3'. The hovering probably has to do with the feeding going on, so it doesn't represent their more natural behavior.

[@yassiejuan1072]

@@Fish-Story can i ask another question Ahm how old an a rtc to get mature or ready to breed?

[@Fish-Story]

@@yassiejuan1072 There are no reports of the Red-tailed Catfish having been successfully bred in aquariums. Breeding has been accomplished in South American fisheries however, via the use of hormones. www.fishbase.se/summary/phractocephalus-hemioliopterus.html says after they reach 85 cm. So I guess 2-3 years...

[@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 :)

[@alltankedup]

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.

[@joennykorea6197]

How many times u feed them must get expensive

[@Fish-Story]

Once a day. About $30 a month for this tank.

[@QualeQualeson]

Seems to me that when it comes to big fish, the bigger they are the smaller space they get. The notion that these fish are fine as long as they can swim at all seems to me a huge misconception at best, cruelty at worst. On a normal scale, an aquarium can have say 15-20 body lengths to swim in a straight line for a small fish, but what do these guys have? 5?

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. This topic has been discussed and debated great many times before. Also, generalizing like that is probably not the best approach as different fish, small and large, have different space needs. I've been compiling relevant links for a while on the topic. If you wish, you can find them here: www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36395

[@nicholas8476]

Arapima are giant vacuum cleaners with fins.

[@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.

[@johnzabik270]

A huge ass tank and fish..👍

[@youtoon9698]

Those RTC are huge. How long you keep them?

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you. In that video shot in Jul 2018, they have been 2.5 years with us and came to us at about 1-2 years old. So overall, they were roughly 4 years old in that video.

[@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

[@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

[@andrefish2323]

Aqui do Brasil ficamos com inveja disso, parabéns !!

[@Fish-Story]

Thank you but translate to English, please.

[@takusaako5086]

how much kilo of food fish for a day?😅😅

[@Fish-Story]

Around a pound of pellets every day and once a week 10-15 lbs of thawed fish, that's all. $40 a month.

[@oneup1098]

BOUGHT FOR $20 NOW WE'RE HERE

[@Aquanutz66]

Very cool 💯

[@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.

[@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