What Is This?

MOW4T · Sep 26, 2009

bought this 2 days ago, it was advertised as a dwarf green pike but from what i can see on google i dont think thats what it is, any ideas?
sorry about my crap photography skills

AdAndrews · Sep 26, 2009

I think it may be a Wrestling Halfbeak, which is a type or rarer livebearer, that occupys the higher reigons of the tank.
Dont take my word for it though

Adam

MOW4T · Sep 26, 2009

cool, googled that and its throwing up a lot more similar looking fish

thanks

dave_oddballs · Sep 26, 2009

that is a young, and quite skinny, ctenolucius hujeta (rocket gar, silver gar, hujeta gar)
they can get to around 10", and will eat or try to eat most live fish anywere up to around a few inch's in length, i had a group, out of which one remains, is about 8 inch and growing. be careful what you put with it, and they only really like being in groups.

Dave

just to compare, here is mine, post number 30 in this thread;
http

/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...91616&st=20

and by the way they are nothing to do with the halfbeak family!

JohnRossDele · Sep 26, 2009

it looks like a rocket gar, big predatory fish & your tank is too small for that fish (they can reach a size of around 28") although this size is not commonly seen in the home aquaria but bare in mind that it will get a stunt in growth and suffer!

dave_oddballs · Sep 26, 2009

they very rarely exceed 10" in captivity, even in the bigger aquarium, they won't be stunted as such, they will live perfectly happy, normal lives. what is more important is that they should have at least a 5 foot aquarium and should not be kept singularly. they are hard to get feeding on anything apart from live fish. mine eats prawns and lance fish, also she nicked a chink of krill out of my hand last night! but this was after about a solid month eating next to nothing.
mine is on her own as her bro and sis died, one got startled and sort of knocked its self out and the other wa on the living room floor one morning, i tried to introduce more but they was too small and consequently ended up as dinner so i have been searching for more around the 8" mark, obviously unsuccessfully.
how big is your tank? and have you fed it yet? could you get a closer clearer pic so i can see if its a male or female?

MOW4T · Sep 26, 2009

tank is only 100cm approx 130 litres i think, will be upgraded asap. it snatched a pellet yesterday but it spat it back out, seen it kinda nibble a bit at flakes and bloodworm but nothing substantial, mind you i do have a danio swimming about with no tail since it went in

dave_oddballs · Sep 26, 2009

mine takes cichlid pellets then spits them out, it only goes for them when they are in the flow of the filter, it goes for anything that moves, when i feed it lance fish and prawn i have to chuck them in and it darts at them, i think its because it thinks they are alive when they move. it does from time to time take things straight from my hand but that is unnatural, it only does that because it has learnt thats where the food comes from.
good luck with the fish, its one of the most fascinating fish i keep,but just remember you will have to keep at least 3, and in at least a 5 foot tank, and, your best getting another two soon as they are harder to get hold of at a larger size!

bae1994 · Sep 26, 2009

wow how cool is that fish

i want one now dave could you clear wether i could in my other thread for my 8 ft tank

dave_oddballs · Sep 26, 2009

well, they need to be at least a trio, but the more the better, you could probably keep about 6 in your tank, but i don't think that they would live long with the oscar, i used to have a big oscar and it never stopped trying to kill them, the oscar went!
once they are bigger they are pretty solid fish but you dont often find bigger ones for sale, if you wanted them you would have to re-think your stocking.