check this out all you Xingu heads

[grokefish]

See
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/p ... cle_id=646

Matt

[MatsP]

Looks nice. I wish I had somewhere to put a 1660 liter tank...

--
Mats

[sojapat]

Heading for a diaster !
Pirhanas eating everything .......I mean everthing....
If it is a biotope tank why are there fishes from everywhere but the Xingu ...
I never saw any aquatic plants in the main river..
Maybe it should be titled a South American disaster waitng to happen tank..
12 stingrays in 360 gallons....

[grokefish]

I also think that this Neil, I just wanted to see what people that have been there thought.
I don't know about the pirahnas eating everything, you have more experience than me on that.
From what I have been able to gather, aquatic plants and bogwood are not common in this system.
I have been following all these biotopes and cannot but wonder if some marbles have gone astray.
There seems to be no co-relation between the word/descriptions of the biotope and the tank.
Some chap in the competition that PFK are running, sortalike Americas top model for fishkeepers, has put plants and bogwood in his tank too.
Having never been there I cannot really comment on the authenticity of these setups, but I thought they were shit.
Are penguin tetras found in the xingu?
Maybe there should have been some penguins in there to eat the pirahnas.
Also it claims that no-one should set up a Xingu tank less than 8' long, are they FITH? What about all the cool small suckyfish in the system?
I don't know, I personally think PFK is loosing the way.

Matt

[apistomaster]

I have seen other fish manage to survive for years at my local fish shop. They have been breeding theirs for well over ten years. The species is Pygocentrus nattereri. Small Tetras and a large P. gibbiceps have been with them for years in a 125 gallon holding ten adult Piranhas. The tank has a large wet/dry filter and a sump holding another 50 gallons that helps make keeping ten adults(10-inches) in this set up.
It is rare to visit and not see a pair guarding a brood. Unfortunately, it is now illegal to sell Piranhas in Idaho, he was selling them for only $3.00 each. They are worried about them getting established in the State's famous Trout streams and Alpine Lakes.

I think many would be surprised to learn that community tanks containing Piranhas can be done. Ironically, it is the bull nosed Pygocentrus species that do the best despite their capabilities. It is the scale and fin eating species of Serrasalmus that are more difficult to keep with other fish. I have seen some community tanks set up with P. nattereri and Lake Malawi Cichlids for years on end. Definitely not a biotope but with enough caves and the Cichlids' high speed escapes, they even manage to breed along side the Piranhas.

[grokefish]

Well, very different opinions on keeping piranhas, having had no experience of them I cannot really make an informed opinion.
Thanks guys
Matt

[sojapat]

Funny eh?
When I have caught rays in the wild they have often been bitten by pirhanas
I cannot see this situation improving when they are held in such close proximity.
I have kept many pirhanas in the shop ... They are mostly thugs .
The larger ones are often taking an eye here or a fin there
I personally would not recommend that you put pirhanas with any other fish let alone expensive and slow moving cats/rays/cichlids.
Such a shame when the tank could be put to better use as Grokefish said.
I still think the Xingu title is a bit misplaced
Sturisoma Aureum ( He would have to travel about 600 miles to the Xingu

[grokefish]

By the way read Mike Norens comment in this:-
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/p ... cle_id=646

Mike I would like to personally thank you for seemingly being the only Human on the planet that cares about the RioXingu. On almost everything on the internet I can find that mentions the RioXingu and fish has a comment from Mike regarding this subject.
Have you started a chain E-mail on this subject? If you have e-mail it to me would you I shall forward it to everyone I know, and considering I work in the power generation industry it is bound to get somewhere that it may make a difference eventually (It's actually a very close and closed industry you know).

Matt