Strong water pump or wave maker to create ideal current for ATF

[ekkhoo]

Most people with 1500 gallon tanks can afford $3500 in wave makers....... lol. Don't need it all in wave makers, just geet some MASSIVE return pumps........

Maybe focus on what I said in regards to some of us ignoring the high current....... Want to know why? Cause when you take it away the fish freak out and try to kill themselves. Power cut, they jam, turn off for maintenance whatever the reason when the current stops they don't and they ram themselves right into the side or top of the tank.

I'm NOT trying to discredit Chix but he didn't keep bigger ATF. I have a 18" Tanzy in a 6x2x2 180 gallon and all I have for current is the return pump and he's just fine. 2 other slightly smaller in a different tank are also just fine, as is the smaller Vatf in another tank (still 12"+)

Maybe it's time to ask around - I'm pretty sure there's plenty of people out there with big ATF that aren't even close to this 50X turnover that was merely a crazy shot in the dark meant to represent "a lot" of flow......

My 1500gallon tank cost me RM5,500 only.. Im using a fiber glass tank so it's much more cheaper than whole glass tank.

What you said make perfect sense, I forgotten about power cut or any incident that caused the water pump to stop working might just freak the fish out. Thank you so much DB !

 

[Supervee]

ATF when young do well with a lot of current in my experience. But as they get bigger and get more confident you can do with less or no current. It also can depend on the fish. I've seen big ATF with little to no current and I've seen big ones with current. One of my previous GATF I had extreme current for him until he was around 10" then I lowered it a little so the other fish can handle it. But one night I turned off the wavemakers overnight to let my new stingray settle in and woke up to the GATF dying from smacking into the tank. Also the GATF and armatus would always freak out when I turned off the wave makers during water changes. I also had a recent GATF that I was growing out for my friend. I didn't have as much current and he was doing good. Wasn't skittish either but I wasn't able to pellet train him before my buddy took him back. My current 3 GATF were skittish before I recently added a 3200 GPH wavemaker. Now they school tightly and don't freak out. Still gonna add another 3200 GPH wavemaker.

For your huge tank I would Guage the needed current on how your fish are doing as they get bigger.

 

[Chicxulub]

I'll admit that the state of the hobby has changed quite a bit in the five years or so since I first broke the ice on my ATF writings. Back then we didn't even know how to identify them lol, now an 18" fish is fairly normal. My biggest fish was only 13", and sold three years ago. The writings above are admittedly geared more toward getting the fish grown out and stable, not for long term keeping. I was forced out of the hobby before I got to that point.

I'm open to revisiting the husbandry part and amending it based on new data. What DJ said makes a lot of sense.

 

[KNH]

i have not seen a need for atf to have higher current than any other fish we keep and as DB said it can actually be detrimental.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

The theory to have high current for ATF might work well if the wild caught species are in mature size and actually live in high flow river almost of their live until they get caught. While most species we are buying now are all juv. and I'm pretty sure they don't live out right in high/crazy flow water area, and mostly get caught then send off to wholesale before thry are strong enough to take on high flow river area, and then sit in the tank with minimal to no current at all. For example, 1 of LFS have ATFs in their tank for months with zero current, I bought a few then put in my tank with high current they freaking out and dart around a lot more, if I turn off the current they are fine and calm. I have to say that it's hard to get them off live in minimal current setup (filter output current only). My GATF slam it face into the glass wall and died soon after when I turn off the power head for maintain, it was 15 inches at that time in 180G with 18K GPH water movement.
*There is none disrespect nor offend to Chix in how to care for this species section, his information still good for some setup and still valuable.

 

[Supervee]

This GATF is a beast

 

[Chicxulub]

I plan to revisit the issue of ATF husbandry this year. The guide is now several years old, and we know more than we did. My ego isn't so big as to leave it be just to preserve my feelings. I make my living as a scientist, and everything I've done with these fish I have attempted to do in a scientific approach.

That being said, we must recognize and respect new data as it becomes available.