Biggest Captive Tandanus Tandanus in Captivity: What size?

[AU_Arowana-RG]

Just wondering out of curiosity. The E-Log says 33.5" is its max, but I'd like to hear from people who've worked with or kept/are keeping these fish to know how big they regularly get, especially in the aquarium setting.

[MatsP]

You mean to say that you want to know what size they stop growing at when they are kept in unsuitable conditions? Fish should not grow less than their genetic pre-programmed size (or at least some reasonable range around that) given enough time.

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Mats

[AU_Arowana-RG]

No, that's not exactly what I mean. I just need to point out that I wish to know what sizes of these animals normally appear with those who have worked with them and/or kept them. I haven't heard of any stories of these fish regarding growth rate, size after 3 years, compatibility, decoration concerns, or even anyone owning them, so I don't exactly know any variables for these guys.

As another note, despite what you may say, the good majority of fish kept in captivity (Sizeable predators to monsters) never do reach sizes comparable to their wild brethren, no matter how good of conditions we give them. In other cases, in may even be the genes of the fish holding them back. Just wanted to say.

[sidguppy]

actually, many fishes DO reach the same size as in the wild; and there's a fairly long list of fish that get bigger than in the wild

the last phenomena is usually caused by the wrong food; in the case of Malawian Mbuna's (very popular); in the wild these graze and their food is rich in fiber and low in proteins.
in captivity many people give them regular food and they grow too large


however; the many species that reach their true size are small species, fish in the 1-6" range.

the larger the fish gets, the smaller the chances are it'll reach it's normal size
this also goes for smaller fish that have a very active life style.
for example: a cichlid species that is 40 cm/16" adult but is docile often reaches full size when kept properly: Cyphotilapia frontosa and Astronotus occelatus grow out in large tanks

however the same length is reached by Bathybates fasciatus in the wild; this shoaling speeddemon has a life style like the Common Barracuda. it's a cruiser and pursuit hunter that exclusively feeds on fresh water sardines.
it would take a tank as big as an Olympic swimming pool to get these up to 40cm/16"......and so they often stay at 25-30cm/10-12"

this is also true of species that need tankspace to move around comfortably, despite not being very active swimmers. Xenentodon cacila for example (needle fish), several eel like species, fish that need a lot of open space over their heads (Archerfish, Four Eyed Fish etc)

or fish that need the usual water when young, but need special water when mature: many Puffers, Hexanematichthys jordani (Silver Shark catfish), Scats, Monodactylus argenteus etc

other famous examples are freshwater stingrays (Potamotrygon), Arowana's, Lunfish, Polypterus, Datnioides, Gourami's etc
ALL of these species I've seen fully grown in captivity; but NONE at hobbyists.
a few at huge showtanks in a LFS; most in zoos or tropical ponds.

with catfishes it's the same.
most Synodontis, pleco's, Pimelodus, Corydoras, Hoplosternum, Sturisoma etc ALL reach their adult size when kept properly!
the tanksize needed to grow-out these isn't hard to set up.

Sorubim, Arius, Leiarius, Acanthicus, Megalancistrus, Ictalurus, Auchenoglanis, Oxydoras etc never do.
the difference again is: large species or species that need a lot of room to show their behaviour (migratory or cruising species).

still, Mats is spot on.

of all the fish suitable for the aquariumhobby most reach adult size
it's the ones UNsuitable for the hobby that get stuck at half or even less their normal size.

on topic and on species:
Tandanus is UNsuitable for the hobby; unless you have a huge pond that is at least 6-8 meters wide.
or preferably a bit of a stream in the backyard with proper temperature and a fence or something to keep them from escaping.

very few if any hobbyists have something like that; this is a typical example of a fish that has only 2 good uses in relations to humans.
the first being in the wild where you can watch it snorkeling if you got the nerve to swim with the crocs.
the second is on the BBQ.

to keep a fish this size in a home tank is akin to keeping a Mastino napolitano in a bathroom.

[Richard B]

In Bristol Zoo (albeit a long while ago) i've seen giraffe cats, RTC & Oxydoras that were max wild size & i don't even think the conditions were as good as they could've been (in respect of some of the systems discussed in threads here by species owners)

T Tandanus has 7 registered keepers so you could PM them to ask them specific questions about their experiences

[Suckermouth]

I've seen many big Tandanus at the Baltimore Aquarium, but I don't remember how big.

[AU_Arowana-RG]

Whilst you do make a good point, the problem is whether we are capable of giving them EXACTLY what they need. Most people who are responsible enough to keep large fish normally are just able to give them things that, whilst very good for the fish, aren't exactly like their wild populations. And even the genes need to be considered, as inbreeding does cause some sizeable change to subesequent generations of fish in terms of max size.

It's not that I consider what you say wrong, I agree with what's being mentioned. I just wanted to know what was the max captive size of the largest Tandanus in the captive setting (Such as in Zoos) and in the Hobby setting (In aquarists homes).

[MatsP]

Inbreeding is only a problem if the fish are bred in captivity, and I'm not at all sure these fish have been bred in captivity - if they have, I'm sure it's not in a hobby setup, but in a commercial fish-farm for food fish - like Pangasiids in South East Asia are farmed for food. And I think the key in food husbandry is quick growth, which leads me to believe the clever breeders will try to avoid any genetic forms that reduce growth-speed (and thus probably also the ones that do not grow quite as large, although that isn't NECESSARILY true).

And yes, I agree that even the more responsible and knowledgable keepers may not achieve the same circumstances as in the wild, so the fish may still not grow to their ultimate size due to issues such as higher levels of polution, poorer richness of food, lack of external stimulation (e.g. predators that are kept in a tank where there is "nothing to chase" may not grow the same way as those that are in the wild and gets to chase real prey - this is NOT an excuse to feed live fish to predatory captive fish, just another reason not to keep large predatory fish in captivity!)

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Mats

[AU_Arowana-RG]

Ok, so can anyone chime in with what size his Tandanus Tandanus is and how long he's had it?

What living conditions they are would also be helpful.

[memphis9787]

A few years back I had one around the 50cm mark but traded it, now Im back looking for a big one again.

I chatted to a guy the other day who said he has caught a 1 meter tandanus, I would have loved to have seen that


It would be nice to buy one of these below, missed my opportunity of buying one for $250 a few months back

[taksan]

I had a few in the pond on the farm that looked huge a meter perhaps ?
Caught a really huge one while fishing for bass one day .....didn't measure but it was enormous over a meter easily.

[yodapwnsasmurf]

i have a few tandanus catfish in my 6fter,including a rather large one about 30-40cm.
they are pretty invincible and i think you could get away with just about any regular water temp and ph.
i have one in a very alkaline tank (cichlids) and a few in an acidic tank.
they are all eating happily and are one of my favourites only seconded by pictus cats.

[Firestorming]

A few years back I had one around the 50cm mark but traded it, now Im back looking for a big one again.

I chatted to a guy the other day who said he has caught a 1 meter tandanus, I would have loved to have seen that


It would be nice to buy one of these below, missed my opportunity of buying one for $250 a few months back

Albino.JPG

That looks like the one that Bob had in Cairns or Townsville, nice Platinum barra too.

[bsmith]

I would like to ask a side question on this topic.

Are there really and serious issues associated with keeping a fish like this or any fish that will never attain its max natural growth in home aquarium? Any health issues that is?

[MatsP]

I would like to ask a side question on this topic.

Are there really and serious issues associated with keeping a fish like this or any fish that will never attain its max natural growth in home aquarium? Any health issues that is?

Possibly. In some cases, I believe that a species can develop naturally and still be stunted, as an adaption to it's environment, but some species probably don't do as well as others - big cats often live in large rivers, which makes them particularly sensitive to poor water conditions and likely to not do well in a restricted environment.

I don't think relying on this is good fishkeeping practice. I mean, we don't condone young mums in g during pregnancy, because that reduces the birth-weight, so makes the birth itself easier. And if you turn up to a dog-show with a 3-year old Saint Bernard that is the size of a Labrador, it would probably be thrown out of the dog-show... So why should be look at it differently for fish?

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Mats