The Gregorian calendar is good but I switched to the Brycinian calendar years ago so with the combination of moving to the nearest Even Horizon it definitely alters time and space.Thank you arapaimag. Happy new year for you too.
Yes, I use the Gregoriam calendar
Your tanks are approximately 1000 times bigger than the 55 gallon I have, which the largest fish is a 7" snakeskin gourami (Trichopodus pectoralis) and a smaller relative of the Giant Raphael Catfish, the Striped Raphael Cat (Platydoras armatulus) at 6 1/2". I raised both from juveniles/subadults, 4 1/2" (gourami) and 2" for the raphael. I bought the gourami in 2008 and the raphael cat in 2005.
My tanks may not be large, but I still love monsters. Right now I just can't get any due to my tank size.
I'm very curious if any of your many cichlids (in both the 52k and the 15k), follow larger fish such as you arapaimas and wallago leeri, hanging by the tail, for protection against other fish? I remember visiting the NJ Aquarium and seeing this kind of behavior in their large tanks.
Lastly, thank you for your detailed answers and taking the time to answer my questions.
I also switched the Caesium (Cesium in the USA) atom being used as the measurement of a second to a hydrogen atom in my world.
When I was a kid my biggest tank was a homemade 10 gallon tank and I built an air pump out of a motor in my meccano set. So your tank would have been a dream for me. Also many of the tanks I have now are smaller than your 55.
I only bought my first Snakeskin gouramis in December 2010. They were 2 1/2" long and I ended up with 2 males and one female. Unlike any other gouramis I own or have owned this is the first where the female rules. The female is about 7 inches. The smaller male is 6 inches and the larger male is 8 inches. Their name I believe is Trichogaster pectoralis.
I have owned the raphael cat in the past (Feb 1988 to 1998). It might have been a different species also called a raphael cat as it was a Platydoras costatus.
Yes you are very observant. The cichlids often follow the Arapaima arapaima around just as you described but it is not for protection in my tank.
It happens mainly in my tank during and after feeding meaty/fish foods like herring or mackerel. The big fish lets large amounts of particle escape through it's gills and the small fish follow to eat these bits. When I had smaller Pangasius sanitswongsei in with them, the P. sanitswongsei would follow just behind the cichlids and pick a few off while also lunging at the particles coming out of the Arapaima's gills. The largest amount of particles emitted are when the mackerel is thawed out completely.
When feeding flake and pellets to the cichlids the Arapaima stalks them in an effort to catch he cichlids. When his mouth opens and slams shut it can be heard as a bang and always startles friends.