My first dip with dorado, sold as brassie by Rapps, thought to be frankie

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
16,316
14,514
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
Wow. That's quite concerning. Thank you so much for sharing and the warning. I'll aim to watch closely.

***

Latest update. The ten dorado doubled in size from 1.5-2" to 3"-3.5" in 10 days with us:

 
  • Like
Reactions: Killduv

Redshark1

Peacock Bass
MFK Member
Oct 18, 2017
226
584
115
62
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Many thanks for the video and your explanation. Every day is a shoal day.

I've been watching some YouTube videos of river fishes in the Pantanaal, Matto Grosso near the city of Bonito. Tourists can snorkel downstream and observe the fish, the most numerous of which is the very lovely Piraputanga Brycon hilarii though the more menacing Golden Dorado Salminus brasiliensis also feature.

These videos are among the most beautiful I have ever seen, designed to draw in the tourists.
 
  • Like
Reactions: thebiggerthebetter

DB junkie

Gold Tier VIP
MFK Member
Jan 27, 2007
9,039
1,875
2,053
Iowa
Wow. That's quite concerning. Thank you so much for sharing and the warning. I'll aim to watch closely.

***

Latest update. The ten dorado doubled in size from 1.5-2" to 3"-3.5" in 10 days with us:

One thing worth mentioning is my attempts to mix Frankies was done with a smaller group then yours, maybe with more of them you'll have better luck then I did. Something that might be worth trying is to have a much larger fish in with them all the time. IF they can't take over the tank so to speak they may be less problomatic then if they run the tank. I'm pulling for you man! But I really think you're going to enjoy the bulletproofness of the Dorado. I always thought of all the combos I've tried over the years that Dorado pacing around wolves hovering over goonch lurking was my trifecta. Starve for a few days and a handful of food has never been more entertaining.
 
  • Love
Reactions: thebiggerthebetter

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
16,316
14,514
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
Even though I didn't witness it, I am pretty sure the dorado killed one of their own. It is of bigger size, looks bigger than average but a little smaller than the biggest in the group; the smaller and the smallest dorado look ok. First loss. Down to 9 from 10. No warning sign did I see, this was sudden - most of the tail was torn off and the anal fin was badly damaged and the body area around the anal fish was damaged; one pectoral fin was tattered. I thought the injured dorado could have survived but the next morning it was dead floating around on the surface upside down. In retrospect, maybe, if I separated it, it'd live, IDK.

The rest of the 9 look good, only one has a small portion of tail fish nipped off.

This raises species ID questions. As you know the vendor - Rod of Predatory Fins says brasiliensis. MFKers say unlikely, franciscanus is more likely, more common. Does this violence support the tentative frankie ID hypothesis? DB junkie DB junkie kendragon kendragon

 

DB junkie

Gold Tier VIP
MFK Member
Jan 27, 2007
9,039
1,875
2,053
Iowa
Even though I didn't witness it, I am pretty sure the dorado killed one of their own. It is of bigger size, looks bigger than average but a little smaller than the biggest in the group; the smaller and the smallest dorado look ok. First loss. Down to 9 from 10. No warning sign did I see, this was sudden - most of the tail was torn off and the anal fin was badly damaged and the body area around the anal fish was damaged; one pectoral fin was tattered. I thought the injured dorado could have survived but the next morning it was dead floating around on the surface upside down. In retrospect, maybe, if I separated it, it'd live, IDK.

The rest of the 9 look good, only one has a small portion of tail fish nipped off.

This raises species ID questions. As you know the vendor - Rod of Predatory Fins says brasiliensis. MFKers say unlikely, franciscanus is more likely, more common. Does this violence support the tentative frankie ID hypothesis? DB junkie DB junkie kendragon kendragon

I've never seen a Brassie pick on anything. I had issues with Frankies and Hillari picking eachother off. Sometimes it was the alpha, sometimees it was the smallest. I actually gave up on my Hillari once I got down to 4 from like 7. I just tossed them in with the Brassies assuming any result would be better then the one I was getting with just them in a tank. They all paced together and the aggression amonst the Hillari ended immidietly.

How big of a tank are they in???? IF you witness aggression in the group you should shrink the tank - see IF you get the same results I did. They only fought IF they had room.
 
  • Love
Reactions: thebiggerthebetter

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
16,316
14,514
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
Thank you greatly for this. They are in a 240gal 8x2x2ft. I probably need to place them behind the divider in the far smaller portion then, as you propose!

***

I rehomed and hopefully will have saved a second victim. This time the smallest. They kept biting it across the dorsal side in the middle:

 
  • Like
Reactions: ryanstef

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
16,316
14,514
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
I thought I caught it in time but the attacked dorado from yesterday has not made it. Down to 8 of 10.

 

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
16,316
14,514
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
I upped their feeding 2x-3x. In 2 days no problem. Don't know if this is the feeding effect or a natural pause in the attacks. Haven't had time to move them behind the divider yet. Planned for today.

 

DB junkie

Gold Tier VIP
MFK Member
Jan 27, 2007
9,039
1,875
2,053
Iowa
You can manipulate appetite easily with these guys. The more current and room they have the more frequently they'll need fed.... Wouldn't be surprised if you had to up the feedings even more if there's crazy turnover in there.

Wait till they're old enough for frogs...... Holy brutal.

Aside from them being a pain in your butt right now what are your thoughts on keeping so far????
 
  • Love
Reactions: thebiggerthebetter
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store