# my cow fish and friends



## slitherin (Jan 29, 2007)

hi all, my first post on the fishy bit, a few pics of my fish...all my fish are rescues and i dont know much about fishes but i get the water checked every 2 weeks, keep the water n filters clean, and keep them fed!.
(please dont tell me off for keeping the pirahna with other fish, if i didnt take them in they was going in the drain and theyve all lived happily for the past 8 months!!!!) my tank is 4'x2'x2' (been told thats 100 gal?)
1 clarious (cow fish)
1 pirahna (chopper) or is it a pacu?????
2 albino oscars (fred n betty)
2 normal oscars (barney n wilma)
1 littlte spotted cat fish thingy (little spotted cat fish thingy)
2 plecs (plecs)


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## Snakes r grreat (Aug 21, 2006)

erm, i think that is a pacu, i may be wrong, but im fairly confident.


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## Lowenna (Feb 6, 2007)

I just went "WOW!" when I looked at the photos of Cow Fish! Amazing! Thats a really cool tank you got there.

What do you feed the Piranha?


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

its a Pacu mate :lol2: 

i have cow fish to


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## slitherin (Jan 29, 2007)

I just went "WOW!" when I looked at the photos of Cow Fish! Amazing! Thats a really cool tank you got there.

What do you feed the Piranha?
__________________
Lowenna

thank you very much.........

whats wierd is all the fish eat what i put in for the others lol

i put a few frozen peas and discs in for the plecs but the oscars nik em
pellets for the the oscars but cow fish and the piranha nik em
pinkie mice, steak and liver for the piranha but EVERYTHING niks em
ill post of a clip of feeding time tomm morning its mental, water every ware lolol


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

PPAACCCUUUU :lol: my oscars love beefheart, so does everything actually ohhh and prawns there go mad for them


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## slitherin (Jan 29, 2007)

out of all of em the oscars are MILES greedier than the rest.....they swim around like little hurricanes swallowing everything they can, then spend 20 mins trying t spit it out n eat b 4 sumone else niks it......buggers they r..lolol


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## slitherin (Jan 29, 2007)

cheers boshogg (got your PM) :no1:


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

you just got to love oscars gave mine a frozen block of beefheart he grabbed it and spent twenty mins with it stuck in his mouth while it melted stupid fish!


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## Karl_1989 (Jan 19, 2007)

*Love them catfish they get huge!*


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## intravenous (Dec 20, 2006)

I think your tank is very overstocked.

You have 119 US gallons, according to Oscarfish.com :: Home a single oscar should be kept in a minimum of 50 gallons and 80ish being the minimum for two (without tank mates). The rest of your fish grow huge: Pacu grow to 3foot easily in captivity...how is that going to cope in a 4ft x 2ft tank? It won't even be able to turn round!

I don't mean to be harsh but if you're not able to correctly house the fish then you're not really rescuing them, just moving them from one unsuitable tank to another. Either buy some new huge tanks (at least 3ft by 6ft for the pacu and you'll need two 4ft tanks for the oscars) or find homes that can house them. Try Fish Crazy - Home it is a UK fish forum that may have some members that are able to help.

Also...buy your own test kits, just because a pet shop says the water is ok doesn't mean it really is, its worth knowing for yourself.


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

:bash: how do you know he is not planning of getting a bigger of tank????? and looking at the pics the tank looks fine as long as it is filtered properly it will be ok for the time beign... also i know wich fish shop he gets his water checked and there are very good and would tell him if there was something wrong with his water

i'm not saying there can live in there forever just saying at the moment it isnt over stocked with 9 fish


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## Guest (Feb 10, 2007)

their wicked!
cool pics!


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## intravenous (Dec 20, 2006)

boshogg said:


> :bash: how do you know he is not planning of getting a bigger of tank????? and looking at the pics the tank looks fine as long as it is filtered properly it will be ok for the time beign... also i know wich fish shop he gets his water checked and there are very good and would tell him if there was something wrong with his water
> 
> i'm not saying there can live in there forever just saying at the moment it isnt over stocked with 9 fish


I wasn't saying he is a bad or cruel person, I was simply giving him the facts...he said himself he doesn't know very much about fish. And as to the fish shop, maybe he does have a good, knowledgeable fish shop and if so thats great but all to often pet shops don't know what they were talking about and will give bad advice. How was I to know if his was one of these or a good one? 

As it stands he doesn't mention having extra, super strengh filtration on his tank and he says he only does water changes every 2 weeks and seeing as that tank must be producing a hell of a lot of nitrates and waste then I just don't think that tank on its own is good enough, even short term. It looks as though there are two adult oscars in there at least, and that pacu and cow fish look a decent size as well.

I think its great that this guy cares about unwanted fish and wants to save them a horrible end but these fish do require a lot of room and so I think this guy does need to be informed about their requirements seeing as he said himself, he doesn't know very much about fish. I'd say they need to be separated now into the tanks I mentioned earlier.

Sorry for assuming but I don't think fish are any different from other pets...they deserve to be kept in proper conditions. If anything fish should be worried about more because if treated badly they literally have to breathe, eat and swim in their own waste and toxins.


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

we have a winner for the more overstocked tank then snakelover


Nothing else meant there. I have nothing but respect for you. You've rescued these fish, true the tank is hideously overstocked but your doing the best you can.

But you really need to consider rehoming some of these fish. The tanks only big enough really for one pleco and oscar, and maybe a few smaller fish.


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

i'm sorry Mike but theres no need for that i have seen much worse tanks just look at fish shops with there tanks and dont say there filters are better because 9/10 cases there worse.

with 9 fish that size (4ft 2ft 2ft) is suitable as long as no more added and he is prepeared to size up.

i keep an oscar, large plec, salvania and one unknown till it heals in a 4ft tank with a external filter and my water quality is perfect never had proplems with it... most cases its not how many fish there is in a tank its how the water is filtered and cared for.

anyway i dont want to start a fight there gran fish Shane wil look forward to meeting you some day

best wishes
Clare
x


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## slitherin (Jan 29, 2007)

caused a caffufull eh...lolol,, firstly thanks claire for sticking up for me a bit:no1: ,, 

i completely understand why you wrote what you did(im glad people feel like this about animals) but you could of asked a few Qs first. I know i said i dont know much about fish, but i do know how to maintain a tank or i wouldnt keep them..

a few things...the water is VERY clean, i run 3 power filters (2 with those tea bag thingys in) and an external filter designed for a big fish pond..and a powerful air pump, 1 of the filters is raised so the output oxygenates the water a bit more. when i first took the fish in i did have problems with quality of the water for a few days, so i went to the shop we were talking about and spent a cople of hundred quid getting it sorted..
im aware the fish will require a bigger tank and know the possible sizes these fish go too..but like i said if ididnt take them they was going in the drain..i am having a custom tank built twice the size of this one for the fish but i will STILL keep these fish together.....like all things this costs money and as my partner is pregnant and theres only 5 weeks left, it has been put on hold untill summer.

i know your opinion on fish shops and i totally agree, as a reptile keeper/breeder with quite a big collection i have the same opinion with reptile shops, some of them will sell anything you want no questions asked to the most inappropriate people, the fish shop in question is FRISBYS in hull and im sure you would of heard of it because of the previous owners reputation, alot of the tropical fish he sold he had actually collected in the wild him self, and i know he was the RSPCA and local customs No1 man with regards fish identification and care..
im not defending my self (dont think i need too!!) and i know you wasnt aware of any of this im just putting my situation into perpective..
regards shane.


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## slitherin (Jan 29, 2007)

sorry just read back......the reply was for "intravenous" and "mike515" comments..thanks..


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## intravenous (Dec 20, 2006)

slitherin said:


> sorry just read back......the reply was for "intravenous" and "mike515" comments..thanks..


Yeah, I was about to say...:razz:. My username is misread quite a lot.


I'm reassured by your reply :smile:, I'm glad to hear that you understand their requirements and have extra filtration. I'm sorry for not asking a few questions first but normally when someone says they don't know much about fish it means they also won't know about cycling and such but I don't think my post was particularly offensive or agressive.

How big is the future tank going to be? Do you mean twice the size as in twice the floor area? If you don't mind me saying, 4 times the floor area would be a lot more ideal: like an 8ft x 4ft. Bearing in mind that the pacu can grow to 3ft anything smaller will make it hard for it to turn round or swim. I don't think they make bad tank mates though :smile:. Pacu are peaceful and oscars are also a relatively peaceful cichlid (apart from being territorial to each other) so they should all be fine together if kept in a large enough tank.


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## slitherin (Jan 29, 2007)

yeah mate, the tanks going to be 8x4x4 , i have a concrete floor which ive had drilled to check and alls fine so its just getting round to affording it now lol (baby n stuff) but ill have some snakes for sale in the summer so thats when its all planed for..
(i have nightmares about overtime at work allready:lol2: )


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## intravenous (Dec 20, 2006)

slitherin said:


> yeah mate, the tanks going to be 8x4x4 , i have a concrete floor which ive had drilled to check and alls fine so its just getting round to affording it now lol (baby n stuff) but ill have some snakes for sale in the summer so thats when its all planed for..
> (i have nightmares about overtime at work allready:lol2: )


I'm sure that'll be cool to see then :razz:. Any idea what sex your oscars are? With four you're likely to have at least one male and female so you could end up with babys to sell on. Oscars are up near the top of my list of fish to buy if I ever get a big tank <3.

Just hope that tank never bursts :razz:...that would be a nightmare.


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## slitherin (Jan 29, 2007)

not sure of the sexes, is there any way of telling????


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## intravenous (Dec 20, 2006)

slitherin said:


> not sure of the sexes, is there any way of telling????


I think there is, but don't ask me :razz:. Try Oscarfish.com :: Home ?


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

no problems i know what it is like the second i mention i have three red tails people are automatically jumping to conclusion about me not been able to house them etc etc if you want i can get a price on the tank i know someone who can make them quite cheap and tere decent to

Clare


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## martin day (May 18, 2006)

those cow fish are actually clarius catfish or the walking catfish as they are normally called in the hobbie ,they are banned in some countrys as they are easily spred if a pair was to be released,they have they ability to move across land to another body of water they store air in a labrenth organ and move there body a bit like a snake ,they allso have a poison in a spike in thier dorsal fin 
if you search walking catfish on you tube you will be able to see one in action i know its on there as ive seen it


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## intravenous (Dec 20, 2006)

boshogg said:


> no problems i know what it is like the second i mention i have three red tails people are automatically jumping to conclusion about me not been able to house them etc etc if you want i can get a price on the tank i know someone who can make them quite cheap and tere decent to
> 
> Clare


With things like red tails and pacu, people don't necessarily think they shouldn't be kept as pets or that you're not able to house them, its just that most people who end up with these large fish have done so through ignorance ("they only grow to the size of the tank!") or through being misinformed by the shops they got them from so when other fish keepers see people who keep them they automatically fear the worst and worry for the fish's welfare (I guess some people also just can't imagine anyone going to that much effore/expense for a fish). I imagine it must be really annoying for those who have these big giants and can care for them properly, but at least the people who question you show that they care about the welfare of fish?

The two of you sound like you know what you're doing and your tanks/ponds sound like they are going to be great (I am especially jealous of those red tails, I think they are beautiful fish :razz. It's also good to know that there are people out there like you who are willing to put in the effort to give these (sadly often unwanted and rejected) giants a good home :smile:. Sorry if I've come across as "on the offence" to either of you, I just think fish are often not given the same attention as other pets and worry incase they fall into the hands of owners who don't know how to look after them.


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## slitherin (Jan 29, 2007)

:lol2: :lol2: tanks mate, We know its a clarius just messin.....

that would be brill clare thanks, youll know more than me about the gauge of glass needed n stuff, id apreciate it very much..


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

Get building as soon as mate. andpost some pics when it's done 

boshogg, youre doing what everyone does and grouping all fish shops together. Seriously not all fish shops are trying to con you outta money. Plus the 9/10 filters are worse thing is bollocks. with PETshops, its usually the case, but again with the speicalist shops (not chain stores such as maidenhead) they rely on customer loyalty and word of mouth. This means they have to be good to survive.

yeah i know about the filtration debate, but in that tank there is not enough room for the fish. Not having a go i have nothign but respect for someone who rescues clarius's and pacus. Not many people will do it. Just saying what he already knows.

oh and sorry if you aren't a guy lol


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## martin day (May 18, 2006)

how big is the cow, ive been looking for one for ages but cant find one ,how big do they grow?


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

mike515 said:


> Get building as soon as mate. andpost some pics when it's done
> 
> boshogg, youre doing what everyone does and grouping all fish shops together. Seriously not all fish shops are trying to con you outta money. Plus the 9/10 filters are worse thing is bollocks. with PETshops, its usually the case, but again with the speicalist shops (not chain stores such as maidenhead) they rely on customer loyalty and word of mouth. This means they have to be good to survive.
> 
> ...


 
sorry i wasnt meaning specialist shops i was meaning genreal run of the mills wont mention any names as these tend to be the ones that people go to. the one i personally use supplies the fish shops in the UK with there fish :lol2: 

clarius catfish are wonderfull i have been lucky so far i havnt had one go for a walk lol but i do make sure there have a secure lid to stop this. i have known them to destroy a tank actually thats how i got my adult pairs all them years ago there threw a stone about and smashe the tank and the owners missus said it was her or th fish for some reason the mrs won lol

yes i understand that the fish needs the room but from the pics there dont look like there packe din there

will get you a price on a tank on tuesday


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## slitherin (Jan 29, 2007)

my cow is about 11" long but they can grow to just over 3'

theres some for sale local t me (hull) 1'---2.5' £60---£80


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

i got my babies 1-2 inches for £1 a piece so we got 6 lol i just love clarius


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