South american giants

david · Post by **david** » 10 Feb 2003, 21:23

Hi again guys can anybody tell me how big BRACHYPLATYSTOMA and MERODONTAS get and what they feed on and are they suitable for home aquarims please and thanks.

Post by **Silurus** » 10 Feb 2003, 21:34

Maximum sizes of Brachyplatystoma species:
B. filamentosum: 2.8 m
B. flavicans: 1.9 m
B. juruense: 60 cm
B. vaillantii: 1.5 m
Merodontotus tigrinus grows to 60 cm
You will need a very large tank to house any one of these guys.

Mika · Post by **Mika** » 12 Feb 2003, 07:25

I´ve seen some information of B. platystoma growing to nearly 2 m long is that incorrect.

PeacockBass · Post by **PeacockBass** » 12 Feb 2003, 09:21

Mika wrote:I´ve seen some information of B. platystoma growing to nearly 2 m long is that incorrect.

Brachyplatystoma platystoma?? or Pseudoplatystoma?

Mika · Post by **Mika** » 12 Feb 2003, 09:32

Sorry- i mean Brachyplatystoma juruense.

Post by **Silurus** » 12 Feb 2003, 11:32

The most reliable sources maxes it out at 60 cm. Anyone here kept one that's larger?

TiGrInUs · Post by **TiGrInUs** » 13 Feb 2003, 00:01

B. Juruense do not get 2meters...they MAX out at 3ft. More likely 30" though.

wayneminot · Post by **wayneminot** » 19 Feb 2003, 03:03

>>>>B. filamentosum: 2.8 m wow thats huge!!

STINGRAY · Post by **STINGRAY** » 19 Feb 2003, 20:05

You will find it very tricky to get these cats at the moment. We acquired several which unfortunately perished very quickly, and speaking to several people in the trade they are becomming more and more difficult to import. I would not buy these fish if you can't keep in a pond or very lge tank.Brachy's I have seen at 2ft and Tigrinus at 3ft.

PeacockBass · Post by **PeacockBass** » 20 Feb 2003, 12:17

STINGRAY wrote: I would not buy these fish if you can't keep in a pond or very lge tank..

yup... totaly..

i have yet to see a pic of a B. juruense over 2 feet... and a tigrinus over 2 feet.. please.. if you have some pics please share!

Post by **Silurus** » 20 Feb 2003, 12:20

i have yet to see a pic of a B. juruense over 2 feet... and a tigrinus over 2 feet.. please.. if you have some pics please share!

You'll never see one, I'm afraid, as they'll not get any larger than that, even in the wild.

YouTube · Post by **Jools** » 22 Feb 2003, 17:01

OK, some visual proof...

Brachyplatystoma - Dorada

Pseudoplatystoma - TSN

Jools[/img]

coelacanth · Post by **coelacanth** » 22 Feb 2003, 19:47

The upper fish is actually a Piraiba (B. filamentosum) , as opposed to a Dourada (B. flavicans), according to Goulding.

YouTube · Post by **Jools** » 23 Feb 2003, 09:49

As a friend pointed out elsewhere, if the same fish came from Colombia it would be a valenton or plumita not a Dourada (Dorado). I do seem to remember it being written as Dorado when I ordered it with pasta in Iquitos. Hard to tell what that was from chuncks of (very tasty) fish meat. Common names eh?

Jools

coelacanth · Post by **coelacanth** » 23 Feb 2003, 10:18

I think Dorado is also sometimes applied to a large Characin, Salminus, just to confuse the issue.

TiGrInUs · Post by **TiGrInUs** » 23 Feb 2003, 21:44

Flavicans- Dourada (brazilian name), Zungaro Dorado (Peru)

Salminus Maximus(the characin)- Dorado, Golden Dorado

I think this right

....confusing names

Post by **Shane** » 23 Feb 2003, 23:26

Just to show that common names are useless in all languages.

Venezuela
Brachyplatystoma rousseauxi = dorado
B. vaillanti = laulao
B. juruense = cunaguaro or bagre manta
B. filamentosum = valenton or atero

Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum = pintadillo (Colombia) tumame (Venezuela)
P. tigrinum = cabezona

all Pseudoplatystoma are called rayado as there are the two spp. above and several undescribed spp. that are all lumped together by most folks.

Characins
Salminus affinis = dorada or sauta

Rex Karr · Post by **Rex Karr** » 24 Feb 2003, 18:54

And also a saltwater game fish.