hey man i was just wondering about the wallago leeri u have....wen did u get it and how big was it wen u first got it?? hows the growth rate like? im thinking about getting one myself... thx for any help given 
50,000 + 15,000 Gallons Mega Tanks Videos Thread
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WOW! Amazing videos! I love the wallago leerii, how big is it? The water isnt very clear (but clearer than some other members tanks, lol) I would also like to point out, your my hero, because your the only person on mfk that doesnt overstock there tank (besides me a a few others)
The first fish is a Pseudodoras niger also called theJEAE21;1147164; said:
Dolphin Catfish
I got this description on the net:
I have 5 in the tank the smallest is probably around 36"
Some sources say 30" is the max but I have never had any that did not grow bigger.
AKA: Black Doradid or Niger Catfish
Pseudodoras niger (Valenciennes, 1817)
Temperment Sociability Min. Tank Availability Area
Peaceful Pairs 150 gallons Common Bottom
Pseudodoras niger is what you would call a gentle giant. The body and fins are a uniform black to slate grey, fading to a lighter grey on the belly. There is also a single row of narrow, lateral plates that run along the body from behind the head to the caudal fin.
This catfish shows no aggression towards its tankmates. Small specimens are shy and spend the day hiding away, only coming out to eat at night. As they mature however, they start to cruise around the aquarium more boldy. Even though they are good scavengers and sift through the substrate looking for food, they usually won't bother uprooting plants.
P. niger prefers a temperature range of 70-76 degrees F. Being fairly active swimmers, they require plenty of oxygren in the water, so a powerhead or some sort of heavy water current is required. It will tolerate a large pH range, but, you should avoid extremes of the water hardness level.
In the roof and floor of the fish's mouth are several fleshy appendages, covered in taste receptors. These act as a tongue when the fish is sifting around looking for food. In the wild, P. niger eats plant material, fruits, and insect larvae. In the aquarium they can learn to eat pellets.
The 2nd catfish is a Wallago Leeri.
Here is a description from the web
Wallago leerii (Bleeker, 1851)
e are continuing the predator theme this month ( Nov.2004) with another beastie, the "Helicopter catfish" from the upland rivers in Thailand down to Indonesia. This species of Wallago is not exported as much as its cousin Wallago attu but a few aquatic publications have W. leeri captioned as W.attu and I will point out the differences later in these two closely related species.
First of all we at ScotCat must stress that this is not really a catfish to keep in your aquarium and as they are creeping up more and more on importers lists you must keep in mind that it can grow to a mostly unmanageable 6ft in length and would need a fish only diet the older it gets, as you can tell by the girth of its mouth. It strikes me as strange that it is now offered to unsuspecting aquarists although these specimens were in very good condition and were around 18inchs in length when photographed in the aquatic stores tanks.
There are at present 4 species of Wallago listed, our factsheet of the month W. leeri, W. attu, W.maculatus ( which could turn out to be a synonym of W. leerii) and a new species which was described this year by Heok Hee Ng from mainland Southeast Asia, W. micropogon.
To distinguish W. leerii from the very similar W. attu you have to look at the dorsal fin first. W. attu has a pointed extension while W. leerii does not and is more rounded at the tip. The mouth gape of W.attu ( see above) reaches beyond the insertion of the eye and W. leerii has the mouth only reaching to the beginning of the eye. W. attu has a longer anal fin than W. leerii with 77- 96 with the latter possessing between 64-75 fin rays.
Characteristics
Body elongated, compressed. Abdomen rounded. Head large, depressed. Snout spatulate, somewhat protruded. Teeth villiform in bands on jaws and in patches on palate. Two pairs of barbels, one pair each of maxillary and mandibular. Mouth reaching to anterior margin of eye. Mandibular barbels shorter than pelvic fin. 12-16 gill rakers on 1st arch. 64-75 anal fin rays.
Colour
Light golden brown on upper body with broad black band reaching to caudal peduncle from posterior of insertion of dorsal fin. Silver spangle effects adorning this band. Older larger adults lose this colouration and tend to be all over silver.
Compatibility
This catfish is not meant to be in an aquarium as it will view any other fish as lunch. Only suited to very experienced aquarists who can give this catfish an indoor heated pond and plenty of room.
Breeding
Not possible in an aquarium setting as in their local habitats they leave the deeper water and spawn in the shallows.
Feeding
As juveniles they will eat pellet and tablet foods and meaty foods such as earthworms and beef heart. As adults they will only except a living fish diet.
Etymology
Wallago - Bleeker, in 1851 took the Indian fish name 'Wallagoo', gave it generic rank, and used it in connection with a new species.
leerii - Named in honour of Leer
References
Baench; Aquarium Atlas 2
Rainboth J. Walter; Fishes of the Cambodian Mekong. FAO Rome 1996
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2004. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (09/2004).
Ng, H. H. 2004. Wallago micropogon: A new species of silurid catfish (Teleostei: Siluridae) from mainland Southeast Asia. Copeia, 2004 (1): 92-97. [1]
Jayaram, K.C.; The Freshwater Fishes of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma and Sri Lanka - A Handbook. Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta 1981 p.206-210.
Thank you for the kind words.Sabre_Tooth;1145507; said:
Although I try not to overstock in a few tanks it has become a problem as the fish grow. The 15K really needs to be thinned out but nobody wants 20 to 30 18" to 24 " brycons or doriads.
If neo ever gets to putting the action videos from the 15k up on this article you will see what I mean.
TLkmDN;1145395; said:hey man i was just wondering about the wallago leeri u have....wen did u get it and how big was it wen u first got it?? hows the growth rate like? im thinking about getting one myself... thx for any help given
Thank you for the question
I have 2 in the Aquarium here is my records on the 2 fish and where purchased:
#1. approx 48 to 52" long TL
Wallago leerii
Aquarium Services MISSISSAUGA ONTARIO CANADA
10 inches in 1991 when purchased
#2. approx 36 t 42" longWallago leerii
The Fish Place N TONAWANDA NEW YORK USA
15 inches in 1999 when purchased
I never fast fed them to get quick size.
Here is a pic of #1 taken dec 25/1992 in a 180 gallon tank with a few adult Mozambique tilipia.
LOL wow they look so tiny compared to now! you've have them for over a decade!!! thats just crazy man. respect for ure determination and passion bro. well done. i can totally see myself further into the hobby 10 years from now.
