A Couple Big'uns

[JohnWhite]

Arapaima (Arapaima gigas)

 

[Canadian]

pretty sweet how the red starts lowerback and scales down to the tail, really neat.

 

[Lynden]

For those of you who may not know this, Arapaima gigas is the lengthiest freshwater fish on Earth, with individuals easily growing over ten feet in length. They breath air, and with the colourful fins and upturned mouths, they begin to resemble titanic Bettas.... sama:

Are those your fish, JohnWhite? 'Cause if they are, well done.

-Lynden

 

[Flumpus]

Here's a picture I took of one at the public aquarium here in Dallas:

 

[vancouver]

ohhh I know what those are... they have massive ones at the aquarium here too.. in with pacu and banded leprosomethings..

Wicked prehistoric looking buggers!

 

[jamie2010]

love these fish,they are aslo "piraucu" by the tribes of the amazon

 

[geo7x]

wow what cool fish, id love to know if they are yours john white. Is it even possible to keep them in a domestic aquarium sice they get to ten feet in length? I suppose they dont quite reach that length in aquariums but still...

 

[JohnWhite]

No, not my fish. Far too large for me to keep.

 

[Lynden]

Some Canadian guy flooded his basement and, after a couple of deaths, successfully maintained a group of monstrous fish, including a few Arapaima. They can reach lengths of 15' if I remember correctly.

However, Pangasias gigas is the heaviest freshwater fish. I can't remeber the max weight recorded, but they reach lengths of almost 10'.

Neither of these even approach the lenght of the largest brackish-water fish, which is the Caspian Sturgeon, a non verified account states that a 29' female was caught, and she weighed (if I remember correctly) almost 2000lbs. She was soon gutted for her eggs.

Sturgeon are reputed to live for centuries. They are actually quite common where I live, and a lake that my family owns property at is supposed to have a monstrous Sturgeon, centuries old, living in it. However, the lake is also supposed to be bottomless.

A quick search of FishBase.org reveals the true size of B.C. Sturgeon.
Acipenser transmontanus, 1700lbs+; 20'+.

-Lynden

 

[RadaR]

Amazing pics there John.
Lynden, fantastic info there. Why not go on a search for that Sturgeon?

 

[Loko17]

Cool fish. Never seen anything quite like it. Kind of resembles a snakehead.

 

[vancouver]

crazy canadians.. what will we do next

 

[SandMan8388]

It's always interesting to see new species of fish. Amazing color within the scales too.