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tiger shovelnose

Posted: 13 Apr 2003, 13:11
by general-sherman
can i keep one of these in my 6ft diameter 30ind deep pond?

Posted: 13 Apr 2003, 13:40
by Silurus
It might be a bit of a squeeze, if yours grows to anywhere near the max size (105 cm), but I don't see why not.

tsn

Posted: 13 Apr 2003, 14:01
by general-sherman
the biggest one i've seen in aus, was 28inch.
its 10yrs old and has been in a HUGE (lxwxh) 10x7x3 tank all its life.
how often do they reach 42inch (105cm) in captivity?

Posted: 13 Apr 2003, 14:03
by Silurus
I don't know if they reach 42" in captivity. This is the largest reported size for wild-caught fish of this species.
There's always a possibility of it reaching this size in captivity.

tsn

Posted: 13 Apr 2003, 14:13
by general-sherman
so it might work in the pond?
tiger snose cost $600 down here. i dont want to risk this if it will ultimately fail. or be cruel to the fish in any way.
the shopkeeper told me a 6x2x2 and a large external canister was all i would need.
i tend to disagree with this type of information though...

Posted: 13 Apr 2003, 14:26
by Silurus
High chance it will work, but you have to bear in mind this small possbility. I would not risk it, if I were you. Get one of the smaller pims, something like <i>Brachyplatystoma juruense</i> or <i>Merodontodus tigrinus</i>, which will not reach beyond 24".

Posted: 14 Apr 2003, 05:24
by general-sherman
unfortunently for fishkeepers in australia b.juruense and m.tigrinus are not available here.
the list of not too difficult to obtain pimelodids down here goes like this:
p.pictus
p.ornatus
l.marmoratus
s.planiceps
s.lima
p.fasciatum/tigrinum
the last four all command a price over $600
i have seen other sp. here but not for sale. which would be most suitable?

Posted: 14 Apr 2003, 05:29
by Silurus
Either <i>L. marmoratus</i> or <i>S. lima</i> would be the most suitable.

Posted: 14 Apr 2003, 06:23
by S. Allen
dang... $600 for a tiger shovelnose? http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/ ... 1050624013 put a hat on it and buy it a plane ticket... Just tell the flight attendants you'd like to prevent drawing attention to your son's infirmities... I dunno, if you're willing to spend $600 for that fish, you might consider working out an order from another continent, see if you can get an importer to order if you pay all charges and stuff... you could get quite a few others while you're at it for that money.

tsn

Posted: 14 Apr 2003, 12:04
by general-sherman
all pimelodids except p.pictus & p.ornatus are under illegal import status.
hence the high price. people smuggle the fish in from asia, and they can charge whatever they want for them.
and people WILL pay.

Posted: 14 Apr 2003, 12:21
by Silurus
Here is a list of the species that can be legally imported into Australia.
Pretty slim pickings, I say. Now I know why striped raphaels cost more than $70 apiece in Australia.
Just wondering if the authorities in Australia raid LFSs for the smuggled fish.

illegal fish

Posted: 14 Apr 2003, 13:44
by general-sherman
yeah the do raid occasionally.
they can also raid private residences if they suspect prohibited animals on the premises.
an aquaintence of mine who owns a shop recently got raided for making the mistake of advertising his 4' s.planiceps and 3' tiger shovelnose in the local trading post. the fish were in his private collection kept in the residence behind the shop.
they raided and deemed the fish should be destroyed. so they poured CYANIDE in the pond and left them to die.
this does'nt seem humane at all.

Re: tsn

Posted: 15 Apr 2003, 14:41
by coelacanth
general-sherman wrote: the shopkeeper told me a 6x2x2 and a large external canister was all i would need. i tend to disagree with this type of information though...
Next time you're in this shop, lock the owner in a cupboard for the next three years with an underpowered, intermittently working ventilation system and then see whether he still thinks it's fair to keep fish in similar accomodation.
I do think your pond is a little undersized for a TSN. Stay well away from S. planiceps, they are even more unsuitable. Looking at the list of restricted fish, you do have a problem, but should you find a young Leiarus pictus, they are stunning to look at, they don't get above 60cm, they get to know their carer and even get tame enough to be stroked. Couldn't be better for what you want.
Pete

tsn

Posted: 16 Apr 2003, 03:11
by general-sherman
ha ha !
and to add insult to injury he also told me a tsn won't get longer than the tank is wide!
its no wonder so many fish get trapped in undersize tanks :roll:
i have seen a l.pictus here once, it was not for sale tho.
i heard a shop in brisbane had one for sale for $1200. brisbanes 2000km away tho, so i missed out on getting that one.
i'd already decieded that planiceps were unsuitable for captivity and i won't get a tsn
now that i know they're toooo big for the largest pond/tank i can fit in my house.
thanks guys