Arapaima Gigas

[bmxer4ever]

Thanks for replying Zoodiver. As you may well have guessed, I have absolutely no knowledge of keeping these fish WHATSOEVER..!
That's why I wanted to start this.
I currently have no intentions at all of trying to keep them either....!
Another dimension completely to the kind of fishkeeping I, and I'm sure most others, are used to.
I'm actually typing this while waiting to see if I can get access to Johnptc's Arapaima tank camera!
I have to admit that before I found MFK, I didn't even know that 'pimas existed.... another reason for this thread. I'm sure other people will join us knowing absolutely nothing about them either.
Arapaimag directed me to a thread about owning them, getting everyone to post their experiences of keeping them, but it was an old thread started last year...hence why I hadn't seen it before.
And having no knowledge kept me from looking in the Arowana forum....didn't realise thats where all the 'pima stuff was posted.... that'll be the bony tongue then!
Look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with here.
Thanks guys..

 

[CalifishFreek]

I've had mine for about 2 years and he is a small 48+ inches. He has grown up in a 450 i have that is 4x6 but now needs a new home bad. They are the coolest fish and "BOb" follows me around my garage. I am able to pet and hand feed him and he knows the difference between my hand food I put in the tank. They are smart fish and if you have the room and understand just how large and expensive he will get, do it. PS I am moving him to a 1000 gallon round holding tank until I get my 2000+ gallon tank done. Bobs a big boy.

 

[bmxer4ever]

"Questions? Should I go into more depth on these subjects, or move on to filters?"

Go on then....we're waiting...! Gigas must produce a horrendous amount of waste!
So is it one room for the tank and another for the filtration system...?!

 

[Zoodiver]

Filters:

The first thing to remember is that these are river fish. Enclosures should have a lot of moving water, but you'll also want areas of less flow. With systems the size your talking about for an arapaima, you're going to be looking at at least one good size sand filter, possibly a large carbon (if you are so inclined), a large bio tower (or sand bed if you can accomidate one) and possibly ozone. You'll also need pumps up to 5 or 7 hp, lots of PVC (sch 80 -NOT sch 40), ball valves and check valves, flow rate meters, pressure gauges and a host of other plumbing basics.

**As for ozone, I'd suggest not going there unless you have the training. Large scale ozone units are a quick way to kill yourself. **

Most of the things you'll need are availible as pool filters. From there, it's matching cubic feet to the amount of water you have. Good flow (depending on tank volume) should equate to 100% turn over rate two or three times an hour. You'll want both a surfce skimming suction line off of an overflow box as well as a bottom drawing suction line. Both can feed into a pump which will push water into the filter and back to the pool. If you are using several types of media in various filters, several pumps my be needed. Also, I'd recommend having a single smaller pump running just circulation (straight from and to the pool). this is great for adjusting flow and use in case you need to take a filter off line for servicing.

Most sand filters are round for this size application. Thse work well for saving space and maximizing filter surface area. If you look into an elongated tube style, keep in mind you'll need more water to fluidize the bed completely during a backwash. Elongated beds allow more surface area for water contact. These style are usually used on extremely large systems.

Depending on where you're located, you'll want a heat exchanger as well as a chiller. Some areas, you'll need both to maintain proper temps.

 

[bmxer4ever]

Thanks again Zoodiver.....can you explain some of that a little more, cos I aint got a plumbing degree...
Because you have worked with this kind of set up before, I know that you are very familiar with the terms you are using, but unfortunately I'm not!
My biggest filter is a Fluval 4 plus!
Can you explain bio towers and sand filters and fluidized beds please (oh..and backwashing?). I think I have a rough idea of what you mean, but I'm really completely out of my depth here!
Any pics and diagrams would be helpful.

Thanks again
bmxer4ever

 

[Zoodiver]

I'll try for you....

When dealing with larger style media filters (like a sand filter), cleaning them is an entire different task. It's the same idea as anyone is used to....the filter gets dirty, so clean it.
A sand filter is nothing more than an expensive container with (you guessed it) sand. Water comes in the top under pressure from a pump, it's passed over the sand and taken out the bottom. In doing this, any solid waste is removed from the water. As time passes, that solid matter will build up at the top of the sand in the filter. Eventually, it will plug up. So to prevent that, it needs to be cleaned. This is done by forcing water backwards into the filter. Instead of going out the top back to the tank, a valve is selected to direct water to a drain. Running water backwards to wash = backwash. It's pretty easy when you look at it step by step. Media filters like that also work well for carbon. Same backwashing method applies. Things to think about are size and shape. I like round filters for most tanks. However, on extreme tank volumes, the more surface area at the top of the filter the better. This is where elongated (oval shaped) media filters come in. They offer FAR more surface area, hence they don't plug up as quickly. The down side to that is the amount of water needed to completely backwash a longer filter is vastly more. This is because as you are forcing the water back in, the entire bed of sand must "float" or "fluidize" in order to rinse all of the debris out. Imagine taking a plastic cup and filling it half way up with fine sand. Now fill it the rest of the way with water. Imagine putting a straw down thru the water and sand to the bottom. Now blow into the straw to mix the two. It doesn't take much air just to move some of the sand, but to really mix it well, it takes alot.

A bio tower is simply a structure made to allow bacteria to grow. In must smaller tanks, the substrate is enough area to grow bacteria. We make use of that surface area via good flow and undergravel fitlers. In larger tanks, these ideas don't work. The amount of water fowing around the particles of substrate isn't enough to support the amount of bacteria you'll need to offset the bio load of the larger fish. A bio tower can be as simple as a 5 gallon bucket with holes in the bottom, filled with bio-balls and having water pass in the top and out the bottom. They can be as complex as frabricated fiberglass towers with their own pump and piping to circulate tank water into them. Tehsize will depend on size of the tank and number of fish. Bio towers are also a great way to keep O2 levels up in larger systems. Most of the tanks that need these aren't the type you can just toss an airstone on.

I'll work on getting visual aides after I get off of work. Hope this does enough for you for the moment.

 

[bmxer4ever]

Thank you for that. It all starts to make sense now, cheers for filling in the blanks!
I can see how filter constuction for big tanks can be so challenging; theres so many ways to do it, you could get obsessed with it!

 

[bmxer4ever]

You know, I was just thinkin - how much do arapaima cost? What size are they generally sold at and where would you get one? Do you have to contact an importer or are they available through the trade? Never thought to ask this before.
Anyone know?

 

[benzjamin13]

Definately a ]V[onster fish. I've seen a few for sale before (not sure if they're legal here in Cali...probably not though), but I don't have the room to keep them and because I know I can't afford one. I went to Thailand and the mall has a pima pond inside. I believe that they have 5 LARGE pimas in there with a few cichlids as well. They are awsome fish and I would love to keep one, but yeah...

 

[Zoodiver]

Cost depends on location, size and legality. Obviously, the larger they are the more expensive. I've seen them sell as high as $9,000 for sub adults. I've purchased them for less than $100 with all the paper work. The best way is to get on from a known importer. That way you know the animal is legal. (There is more to being legal than being in an area that allows them.) Most of the time, the ones you see floating around in pet shops are not legal.

Shipping or just getting one is something I should have touched on right away. Obviously, as air breathers, shipping isn't as simple as dropping them in a bag and shipping them Fed Ex. However, it doesn't have to be too involved either. I like large padded boxes, 2/3 filled with water. Enough room to turn around is all that is needed for shipping uder 24 hours.

Young (I mean beery young animals under 10") don't tend to live out their full lives when shipped. Often times they won't go back on food, and will wither away. Young arapaima are heavily dependent on parental care (especially the father). The male secretes a milk like fluid from glands on his head - similar to Discus parents. Sometimes, you'll see young for sale that have been pulled from the nest too soon. These animals are VERY hard to get feeding well.

Over all, I've had the most success shipping 12-14" animals without any problems. There are very few who can transport large (8' plus) animals with much success. You're looking at a full out truck rig, coffin box (or larger), small scale LSS on board and things of that nature. I'd compare it to a shark transport. They are very similar.

I've always been able to get young on live food, then slowly mix in thawed stuff until they are fully eating prepared meals.