needle nose gar and sorubim lima

ivebeenstaind · Post by **ivebeenstaind** » 14 Jan 2004, 22:18

i just had a question about feeding these two fish in the same tank. The Gar i was told will only eat feeders, i just dont want my shovelnose to eat feeders because of disease, is it possible to train the shovelnose not to eat the feeders or get the gar to eat something else?

magnum4 · Post by **magnum4** » 14 Jan 2004, 23:12

you mean Xenentodon cancila which preferes slightly brackish conditions?

Post by **Silurus** » 15 Jan 2004, 01:16

Xenentodon cancila which preferes slightly brackish conditions

No they don't. Xenetodon are actually found in fairly swift rivers and larger streams a considerable distance inland.

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 15 Jan 2004, 17:19

You could stay biotope and go after the elusive Amazonian counterpart of the needlenose; Potamorraphis guianensis, if I'm correct.....

never seen them in the LFS, but it's a VERY pretty beastie!

BUT hoewever, you can count on fish like this, to be strictly piscivorous......

ivebeenstaind · Post by **ivebeenstaind** » 15 Jan 2004, 18:12

well i just mainly need to know if there is any way to get him to eat something other than feeders, and is it normal if they dont eat in 4 days? it is thursday mourning and there is 1 feeder left and its been in there since sunday and the gar hasnt touched it.

magnum4 · Post by **magnum4** » 15 Jan 2004, 20:43

Should have explained in more detail. The natural Environment:pelagic; freshwater; brackish; marine; pH range: 7.0 - 7.5; dH range(taken from fish base).

my experience leads me to believe Xenentodon cancila preferes some salt(not much) when kept under aquarium conditions.

what are other peoples experience in keeping these fish?

coelacanth · Post by **coelacanth** » 24 Jan 2004, 14:08

magnum4 wrote:my experience leads me to believe Xenentodon cancila preferes some salt(not much) when kept under aquarium conditions.
what are other peoples experience in keeping these fish?

Sorry, I'd meant to rely to this ages ago. I think the idea that they require brackish conditions comes from the fact that they are often shipped in water which has some salt added.
The same situation occurs with Nomorhamphus sp. which are certainly not brackish water fish, but are prone to coulumnaris-type infections. I think the salt is added to protect against this.
You can also see the same with some Chanda spp., as these are also prone to infection (although admittedly some, but not all, Ambassids are found in brackish water).