That's exactly why i went with a cylinder shape and not square not to mention its alot stronger then a square shape. If people start to treat atf like a blk tip shark i believe they will have better outcome. Just my 2 cents....
Six GATF from Wes
- Thread starter thebiggerthebetter
- Start date
Minus two more GATF in the padded 240 gal, one from the Wes' original batch of 6 and one from the second batch.
All in all, we now have
(-- two 20" VATF in a 4500 gal, doing well,
-- one 14" VATF in a 240 gal, a nervous fish,
-- four to five 5"-7" VATF in padded 240 gal)
-- about seven 5"-6" GATF in the padded 240 gal,
-- and the only survivor GATF, the smallest, ~10", of the original 6 in the padded 240 gal.
So far,
-- stuffing more calm tank mates than water in a 240 gal didn't work,
-- padding sides didn't work.
All in all, we now have
(-- two 20" VATF in a 4500 gal, doing well,
-- one 14" VATF in a 240 gal, a nervous fish,
-- four to five 5"-7" VATF in padded 240 gal)
-- about seven 5"-6" GATF in the padded 240 gal,
-- and the only survivor GATF, the smallest, ~10", of the original 6 in the padded 240 gal.
So far,
-- stuffing more calm tank mates than water in a 240 gal didn't work,
-- padding sides didn't work.
They spook that's the just the way the fish is. Mine still will do it but has become less likley. May i suggest covering 3 sides of the tanks that have atf in them outside the fbg ones. I applied this practice to my grow outs in the past. Never lost a singel atf from any self inflicted danages. May not look great but atleast u will keep them alivw long enuf to move them to a fbg tank perhaps. My 2 cents. Paint or vinyl backing with dbl sided tape is what i used for easier removal.
From the pics their snouts have taken quite a beating. Just realized it after taking a sec look.
According to a few people like Wes and those SE Asian keepers, big ATF of a few feet at least in large tanks of at least 30,000 gal pay no attention to people outside their tank / pond.
Thanks, I appreciate the tip. As a matter of fact in the 240 gal I call "padded" both side walls are covered with thick mats on the inside. They still kill themselves at about the same rate. The only thing I still could do is to cover the back per your suggestion, make it opaque or black. I mean on the outside, as it would not be easy to cover the 8' back wall with a mat on the inside.
It's true of almost every single one of them in all the photos in this thread. Some are better and still have their front teeth as the second to the last 8" GATF, some are worse, like the last 12.5" GATF.
As I have been dutifully reporting, they pretty much all die the same way.
If i was you i would cover the 3 sides of the tank with some sort of backing or paint. Leaving 1 visible side for viewing. As far as the ones that Pipa lost those were in a massive tank but also with alot of other fish as well as bigger gatf. The one that did survive i believe was one of the biggest he has. Try to keep 1 by itself in a 3 sided covered tank and see what happens. U have the tanks to do it with as well so give it a shot. I would advise towards a vinyl backing instead of painting for easier removal down the rd. Ur call and i hope that what i have discovered with time will help u grow out a beast of a fish!
Thank you bro. I may wiggle around and argue but this has nothing to do with the appreciation for your help and sharing painfully learnt experience.
IDK who Pipa is and his story. I'd appreciate a link.
No, I ain't got a free 240 gal to try what you say. But I got all the acrylic ($2500 worth off Craigslist) and the Weldon #40 glue and the spot to put together a 5500 gal, roughly 40' x varying width 4'-6' x 4' tall. I plan to place all the surviving ATF in there, if any left by then. The glue cost $1000 and has a shelf life, so this gotta be done soon.
The guy i mentioned is the one that has the 30k gal tank in Thailand that had the big gatf in. It was mentioned several timez by others as well. When u say weldon 40 do u mean weldon 4? That is the liquid stuff that one uses to bond 2 pieces of acrylic. The other is #16 which is a gel type glue used for minor adj and seal jobs.
I would suggest any tank that u may have some atf in to cover 3 sides even if some of the inhabitants aren't atf. Try it out and see what happens. If u go on fb u under the forum monster fish freaks u will see the guy i mentioned with his 30k gal tank.
