red torpedo barbs

[AncientMariner]

Cheers for the info Rixy

 

[rixy]

no probs.i'm no expert on red torpedo's,but mine are eating very,very,well and growing quickly,so i must be doing something right.i do a 35-40% water change once a week and feed them on tetra prima and frozen bloodworm.i alternate the food so tetra prima in the morning,some bloodworm at 5-6ish pm and then some more tetra prima before i go to bed.

 

[rixy]

saw some fully grown red torpedo's at trimar today.look fantastic.can't wait until mine get that big.

 

[Supersalmon]

saw some fully grown red torpedo's at trimar today.look fantastic.can't wait until mine get that big.

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[Supersalmon]

Are they plant eaters? Would like to add some to my haevily planted tank but not at the expense of the plants

 

[rixy]

no,they don't eat any plants at all.

 

[kat and james]

hi everyone

the info you have provided here has been so useful, we really like torpedo barbs, they are really gorgeous, but we have found relatively limited info on the net, and from shop keepers, as these fish are fairly new to the hobby.

some info i did find on the net mentioned these fish being aggressive sometimes. has anyone noticed any aggressive behaviour even when they keep larger numbers of fish?

also what size do these guys grow to? and how much have people been paying for them (if you don't mind me asking), as when i have seen them before they have tended to be slightly on the expensive side!

thanks guys!
kat and james

 

[Lateral Line]

Most people that have seen "aggressive" behaviour are keeping too small a group in too cramped quarters. They are not typically aggressive. They grow large and are very active, so their bulk at speed will frighten smaller fish, but then, it is rarely a good idea to mix fish of greatly differing sizes.

I have seen them up to about 125mm, most "adults" appear smaller, perhaps they are not adult. In excellent conditions I would expect them to grow larger. FishBase quotes 150mm which I would not be suprised to see bettered in the wild.

The price has come down. You don't say where you are, which doesn't help. Monty at Tri-Mar in the UK sells them for ~£10 the price fluctuates a little with availability and size.

 

[kat and james]

hi there..
sorry we live in plymouth.. we've found the prices vary also, usually depending on the size, but the most we have found them for was 15 pounds a fish.. ouch! but they really are beautiful. we are thinking we will get 3 or 4. but once we get a bigger tank.. hopefully soon, we will maybe up the numbers.
thanks for your help
kat and james

 

[Lateral Line]

In a "group" of 3 you will see atypical behaviour. These are a fish that habitually exist in groups of 100's. If you "start" with a group of 3 you will see "group of 3" behaviour, i.e. unpredictable.

This species requires a lot of space. For 4-5 fish, (a small group), you are talking about a 55.

You are lucky to live where you are are, you can go see the things at TriMar.

 

[kat and james]

what's trimar???

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> what's trimar???

http/www.trimar.co.uk/

It is one of the UK's biggest mail order fish places. Not far from you, it's in Cambourne. The place is definitely better then the rather amateurish website would suggest.

 

[kat and james]

wow that is AMAZING.. i can't wait to visit.. we'll be heading off that way on monday i hope!!
thanks for the tip!

 

[rixy]

if you need any help on finding trimar,or,any info on red torpedo's,give me a shout.i only live about 35 miles away.

 

[rixy]

ps i would try and get a reasonable size group all at once.if you get 3 or 4 and want to add to them later on,you will struggle to get the same size as everyone sells them at approx 1.5" to 2".when fully grown expect 6".