Red Tail Cat

[clareandkarl]

Here is Gabriel our Red Tail Cat. he`s swimming around on this video so you can see his colours and markings. he hasn`t got a fully formed fin on one side, if you look you can see it`s a shrivelled up one, he`s had that since he was small, in fact, when we got him he was too small to see it.
There is no substrate or decor in the tank as he crashes around too much and decor puts the arowanas off from taking food from the bottom.

Hope you like him anyway.

 

[england]

liks not working

 

[clareandkarl]

Try again then, sorry about that, thanks for telling me.

 

[CFC]

Arowana shouldnt be encouraged to take food from the bottom, it is believed that this is one of the main causes of droopy eye in silver arowana's. Always try to feed the arowana so that food is snatched and eaten before it hits the bottom by adding the food a bit at a time, once the arowana have eaten enough then feed the bottom dwellers, you can't stop them from feeding off the bottom 100% but you can limit it to a minimal ammount.

 

[mark7616]

There is no substrate or decor in the tank as he crashes around too much and decor puts the arowanas off from taking food from the bottom.

That is why your aro has a serious case of drop eye. If you feed your aro things like meal worms and things that float on top or even use the same place to feed your aro they soon learn that thats where the food comes from you should wait till he is almost by you then drop in the food. Silvers and blacks especially suffer drop eye more than asian and jardini and taking food from the bottom is the reason the eyes of your aro are so bad im afraid.

 

[clareandkarl]

Even though they had drop eye when we got them? We have fed live crickets, floating pellets and mealworms and they will not entertain any floating food. As for feeding them first before the bottom dwellers, we do! They get hand fed, as mentioned, the female comes out of the water to take her food, then they get bored and full, so the food is put in for the bottom dwellers, but then after a while they like to swipe at any food left on the bottom.
If there is decor in the tank they are inclined to catch scales on it.
They have acrylic covers, and are in a fish room with no through traffic.
Thought you might of enjoyed to look at the videos and see some fish in adequate tanks, being looked after.
Clare

 

[SJ2K]

Very nice RTC IMO an arowana with a funny eye isnt the end of the world, if there happy then its all good Its great to see these fish being kept in large enough aquariums!

 

[STD]

Even though they had drop eye when we got them? We have fed live crickets, floating pellets and mealworms and they will not entertain any floating food. As for feeding them first before the bottom dwellers, we do! They get hand fed, as mentioned, the female comes out of the water to take her food, then they get bored and full, so the food is put in for the bottom dwellers, but then after a while they like to swipe at any food left on the bottom.
If there is decor in the tank they are inclined to catch scales on it.
They have acrylic covers, and are in a fish room with no through traffic.
Thought you might of enjoyed to look at the videos and see some fish in adequate tanks, being looked after.
Clare

Nice fish

How big is the tank and what else do you have in it?

 

[clareandkarl]

Thankyou, we actually take on fish that are not `prefect` on purpose, we believe all life has a right to live. the tank is 20ft x 5ft x 3ft and we also have a Tiger Shovelnose, and 2 Oxydoras Niger along with the red tail and pair of arowanas.
At the end of the daylike you say, a fish with a droopy eye that feeds well and does not suffer is not the end of the world.
Clare

 

[STD]

Thankyou, we actually take on fish that are not `prefect` on purpose, we believe all life has a right to live. the tank is 20ft x 5ft x 3ft and we also have a Tiger Shovelnose, and 2 Oxydoras Niger along with the red tail and pair of arowanas.
At the end of the daylike you say, a fish with a droopy eye that feeds well and does not suffer is not the end of the world.
Clare

Sounds like a fab tank

Do you have any full tank shots?

 

[clareandkarl]

http/s64.photobucket.com/albums/h197/cla...2006/?start=all

Here`s my photobucket, there are loads of full tank shots there and some of the fishroom being built, tank being craned in etc, thanks for the interest, I think it`s nice to share these projects.

 

[clareandkarl]

Oh, forgot to ask, have you had your arowana since it was very small CFC? It`s great that you`ve managed to prevent drop eye. You say about the murky waters which we have always thought too but recent studies that have been done of arowanas in clear water have shown drop eye, so I wonder if it is a natural occurance for the fish to see below it, like you say, in murky waters they don`t need to.

Our male arowana has a cone shaped growth over one eye, it just grew there and we tried anti biotics from a vet which didn`t work. The vet knows what it is, forgot the name now, but it needs an operation to put it right. i don`t think it`s worth risking the stress of a journey there and an operation on it, just to correct something which seems not to bother the fish at all.

Any pictures of your arowana CFC??

 

[STD]

http/s64.photobucket.com/albums/h197/cla...2006/?start=all

Here`s my photobucket, there are loads of full tank shots there and some of the fishroom being built, tank being craned in etc, thanks for the interest, I think it`s nice to share these projects.

Thanks for sharing - I am deeply envious

How many tanks do you have?

 

[clareandkarl]

We have 7 and then the big tank making 8. You wouldn`t be envious on water change day, or when you`re half way through a good film but it`s feeding time, or when the electric bill comes in for that matter!! hehehe.
Fish are lovely and amazing and rewarding, but also very demanding and a big commitment.
Glad you like the pics we are lucky to have them all and experience them all.

 

[CFC]

I've seen those cone "growths" on fishes eyes before, from what i understand they are caused by the larvae of a snail which uses fish as a host for part of its life cycle, and as your vet says are only removable via an operation when in senstaive areas like the eyes.

I've had my silver since it was about 10 inches long in february 2006. I havent got any recent pictures of my arowana, its grown too large to be able to fit the whole fish in the shot from the confines of the small fishroom without climbing into the tank opposit but i'll see if i can get some reasonable ones later today.

Did they say where the clear water studies were taken? I've not been to the Amazon i'll admit but as far as i know it comes in two types, black which is like strong tea and white which is like tea with milk so neither could be described as clear, not in the sense of aquariums anyway.

Another possible cause i've seen mentioned is poor breeding from Asian fish farms, i know my silver was a wild caught so prehaps there is something in that?

I know how you feel on the electric bill and feeding, 17 tanks and counting here and doesnt ever get cheaper.

BTW i didnt watch the video, i tend not to watch videos as usually the files are so compressed the quality is awfull, a good series of good quality pictures is so much better in my opinion.