Hi all,
Used to post on this forum a good 10+ years ago but have since forgotten login details and so made a new account.
I’ve been reading over various old threads regarding gulpers in captivity and how they frequently seem to fail to thrive. I’ve had one about 3 years, who touch wood is doing well. Thought it would be interesting to share my experience and get some input from others in terms of what’s good/ not so good for keeping them healthy.
Mine is in a 200L tank with cherry shrimp, guppies, neons and otocinculus. I learned the hard way early on that they can really fit a surprising amount in their mouth when he ate a green terror a good bit bigger than him within a week of them being together. After that point I was reluctant to house with other fish but added the guppies and cherry shrimp when breaking down another tank. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem interested and so I subsequently added the neons and ottos which he hasn’t touched. I suspect they’re only interested in prey items if it’s worthwhile catching them? Possibly helps if they are well fed.
That then leads onto feeding. I feed whitebait primarily but also prawns, muscles and tilapia occasionally. I feed daily and remove the next day if the food is uneaten, which is probably twice per week. I’d be interested to know what others feed and the frequency?
Water from the tap is reasonably soft here (TDS: ~80ppm). How does this compare to how others keep their gulpers?
Thanks for reading, hoping this generates some interesting discussion.
Used to post on this forum a good 10+ years ago but have since forgotten login details and so made a new account.
I’ve been reading over various old threads regarding gulpers in captivity and how they frequently seem to fail to thrive. I’ve had one about 3 years, who touch wood is doing well. Thought it would be interesting to share my experience and get some input from others in terms of what’s good/ not so good for keeping them healthy.
Mine is in a 200L tank with cherry shrimp, guppies, neons and otocinculus. I learned the hard way early on that they can really fit a surprising amount in their mouth when he ate a green terror a good bit bigger than him within a week of them being together. After that point I was reluctant to house with other fish but added the guppies and cherry shrimp when breaking down another tank. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem interested and so I subsequently added the neons and ottos which he hasn’t touched. I suspect they’re only interested in prey items if it’s worthwhile catching them? Possibly helps if they are well fed.
That then leads onto feeding. I feed whitebait primarily but also prawns, muscles and tilapia occasionally. I feed daily and remove the next day if the food is uneaten, which is probably twice per week. I’d be interested to know what others feed and the frequency?
Water from the tap is reasonably soft here (TDS: ~80ppm). How does this compare to how others keep their gulpers?
Thanks for reading, hoping this generates some interesting discussion.