Elindra's FishFiles - Freshwater Stonefish

• elindra

  2 Mar 06, 12:39

  Originally posted by the Bear:

  coulda sworn the pig-nosed was
  
  i wonder sometimes about pet owners... the canal at the back of my office doesn't have the cute little mudskippers anymore... people have been dumping their luo han into drains..
  
  they've reverted back to their cichlid shapes and living in the canal now.. it's brackish water and they're actually doing well..
  
  i wager they've eaten the local mudskippers or bullied them until they've all left

  I did say PNT is threatened but not on the list yet.
  Some peeps are doing conservation for them as they do not breed well in captivity
  
  Also alot of owners do not know that they can grow really huge (can't remember actual dimensions but it can grow slightly bigger than a long ruler in shell diameter) for a pet and that they are really aggressive despite their cute appearance. You can't keep them with other tortises/turtles as they tend to be highly territoral, plus you need a good filitration system and ensure they have a good diet too.
  
  I think the problem is that alot of ppl forget that a baby turtle (inclusive of RES) can grow big and not look tiny and cute forever and also they have long lifespans!
• the Bear

  2 Mar 06, 12:41

  yeah.. most water-based turtles have a nasty disposition
  
  saw a few long-necked turtles in a melbourne pet shop.. the owner said they weren't for sale as they're "mean and vicious"
  
  and each was in a huge tank
  
  just don't like it when pet owners just throw away their pets when they tire of them.. even stuff like fish will mess up the ecosystem...
• elindra

  2 Mar 06, 12:45

  Originally posted by the Bear:

  yeah.. most water-based turtles have a nasty disposition
  
  saw a few long-necked turtles in a melbourne pet shop.. the owner said they weren't for sale as they're "mean and vicious"
  
  and each was in a huge tank
  
  just don't like it when pet owners just throw away their pets when they tire of them.. even stuff like fish will mess up the ecosystem...

  Snake heads? They used to be for sale here too but banned now
  Those look nasty
  Saw an ugly snapping turtle for sale once too before the ban
  
  Err the Luo Han is a good example really
  
  Gosh I hate Luo Han's
• the Bear

  2 Mar 06, 12:47

  owners should go to the zoo first...
  
  see the alligator snapping turtles.. see how big they grow to...
  
  strangely, they don't fight but they're known to be one of the most bad-tempered turtles
  
  i like cichlids.. but keep them in the tank!
  
  they don't have a place in our drains and waterways...
  
  poor mudskippers.. no more
• elindra

  2 Mar 06, 12:51

  Originally posted by the Bear:

  owners should go to the zoo first...
  
  see the alligator snapping turtles.. see how big they grow to...
  
  strangely, they don't fight but they're known to be one of the most bad-tempered turtles
  
  i like cichlids.. but keep them in the tank!
  
  they don't have a place in our drains and waterways...
  
  poor mudskippers.. no more

  The thing is, alot of people do not research before buying something
  and the thing is even sometimes with research they still fail because of unexpected circumstances due to lack of experience
  
  Actually I think freshwater rays might go under the ban list of AVA soon since it's getting more popular now and I seriously think alot of people do not know what they will be getting into
  
  Btw SO is just waiting to upgrade the tank
• the Bear

  2 Mar 06, 12:55

  yeah.. dunno why people are like that...
  
  nuts! even for something so simple to look after as a dwarf hamster, i went and researched how to look after them before my first hamsters...
  
  and still, i made a few mistakes... and one of them suffered for it...
  
  they fought and one got wounded...
  
  strangely, we realised the smaller one kept tormenting the bigger one, picking fights with him until the bigger one got frustrated and fought back...
  
  then the smaller one would run away, and hide.. then after a couple of hours, go torment the bigger one again
  
  the bigger one just wanted to eat.. he was that lazy
  
  ahh... i remember him well.. ate so much and became so big and fat, people thought he was a juvenile normal hamster
• elindra

  2 Mar 06, 12:59

  Originally posted by the Bear:

  yeah.. dunno why people are like that...
  
  nuts! even for something so simple to look after as a dwarf hamster, i went and researched how to look after them before my first hamsters...
  
  and still, i made a few mistakes... and one of them suffered for it...
  
  they fought and one got wounded...
  
  strangely, we realised the smaller one kept tormenting the bigger one, picking fights with him until the bigger one got frustrated and fought back...
  
  then the smaller one would run away, and hide.. then after a couple of hours, go torment the bigger one again
  
  the bigger one just wanted to eat.. he was that lazy
  
  ahh... i remember him well.. ate so much and became so big and fat, people thought he was a juvenile normal hamster

  Yeah like even though we researched the internet, talked to the guy at the shop and talked to his friends with rays, our initial pair still died due to a pH crash from debris in the filter.
  
  The ones we are keeping have been successfully bred in captivity and so far from what I understand, a few species have already been banned by AVA as they are caught in the wild and kinda rare still.
  
  Also, people have to realise that keeping rays are not cheap. Will be cheaper if you can get them to switch to frozen food.
  
  So far, only one of my rays eat frozen food. The rest still refuse to touch dead stuff.
• elindra

  2 Mar 06, 13:08

  My bad, PNTs can grow up to 22 inches long, which is slightly over half a metre
• the Bear

  2 Mar 06, 13:11

  hmm.. starve them until they eat the frozen food
  
  in many ways, i like pets which eat anything you throw in
  
  like the oscar which ate anything.. roaches, lizards, guppies, centipedes, grasshoppers, dry pellets, cooked food...
  
  and being a tough fish, we didn't have to care about the pH level
• Rhonda

  2 Mar 06, 13:18

  Isn't it weird... how come most tortoises and turtles have such foul tempers? I mean, it's not like they're stressed or anything, hell, they don't even move fast enough!
  
  
  
  OOooh... I think I know... are they mean and nasty cause they are constantly constipated?!
  
  
• elindra

  2 Mar 06, 13:19

  Originally posted by Rhonda:

  Isn't it weird... how come most tortoises and turtles have such foul tempers? I mean, it's not like they're stressed or anything, hell, they don't even move fast enough!
  
  
  
  

  Maybe because they don't move fast enough and having to carry a heavy shell makes them bad-tempered!
• Rhonda

  2 Mar 06, 13:19

  Originally posted by elindra:

  Yeah like even though we researched the internet, talked to the guy at the shop and talked to his friends with rays, our initial pair still died due to a pH crash from debris in the filter.
  
  The ones we are keeping have been successfully bred in captivity and so far from what I understand, a few species have already been banned by AVA as they are caught in the wild and kinda rare still.
  
  Also, people have to realise that keeping rays are not cheap. Will be cheaper if you can get them to switch to frozen food.
  
  So far, only one of my rays eat frozen food. The rest still refuse to touch dead stuff.

  I'd rather go through that much trouble, and keep a dog or a rabbit. At least, you can cuddle them and they come when called.
• elindra

  2 Mar 06, 13:22

  Originally posted by Rhonda:

  I'd rather go through that much trouble, and keep a dog or a rabbit. At least, you can cuddle them and they come when called.

  I need to post my vids of them when my internet is up
  They're not so shy now and very greedy and active.
  They even fight over food now!
• cornyfish2000

  2 Mar 06, 14:43

  Originally posted by elindra:

  The thing is, alot of people do not research before buying something
  and the thing is even sometimes with research they still fail because of unexpected circumstances due to lack of experience
  
  Actually I think freshwater rays might go under the ban list of AVA soon since it's getting more popular now and I seriously think alot of people do not know what they will be getting into
  
  Btw SO is just waiting to upgrade the tank

  Well at least freshwater stingrays have a prohibitive price tag to deter people from trying to get one for their 5-yr old kid with a 1 foot tank.. unlike the marine rays and guitarfishes which go for $15 each.
  
  
• elindra

  2 Mar 06, 14:44

  Originally posted by cornyfish2000:

  Well at least freshwater stingrays have a prohibitive price tag to deter people from trying to get one for their 5-yr old kid with a 1 foot tank.. unlike the marine rays and guitarfishes which go for $15 each.
  
  

  Marine rays and guitarfishes are so cheap?
  
  Gee even the Recticulates are at least $60 bucks
  
  I think the prices might drop though for Recs and Motoros coz of successful breeding
• choco B

  2 Mar 06, 14:53

  Maybe it's old age lah
  They get cranky
  

  Originally posted by Rhonda:

  Isn't it weird... how come most tortoises and turtles have such foul tempers? I mean, it's not like they're stressed or anything, hell, they don't even move fast enough!
  
  
  
  OOooh... I think I know... are they mean and nasty cause they are constantly constipated?!
  
  

• cornyfish2000

  2 Mar 06, 14:54

  Originally posted by elindra:

  Marine rays and guitarfishes are so cheap?
  
  Gee even the Recticulates are at least $60 bucks
  
  I think the prices might drop though for Recs and Motoros coz of successful breeding

  Yeah, i was quite surprised when i found that one out too.. But apparantly it's because they are pretty abundant in southeast asian waters.. unlike the freshwater rays which have to be transported all the way from the Amazon..
  
  That's also why we can get a plate of sambal bbq stingray for $8!
• elindra

  2 Mar 06, 15:04

  Originally posted by cornyfish2000:

  Yeah, i was quite surprised when i found that one out too.. But apparantly it's because they are pretty abundant in southeast asian waters.. unlike the freshwater rays which have to be transported all the way from the Amazon..
  
  That's also why we can get a plate of sambal bbq stingray for $8!

  Well to be fair the Indonesian freshwater ray cost $15 bucks and the Thai ones cost $25 bucks so I guess it's about right but the aquarium talked me out from buying them coz they are really very hard to keep alive in captivity
• cornyfish2000

  2 Mar 06, 19:20

  Originally posted by Rhonda:

  This stonefish looks like a rubber toy! Y'know, one of those toys like a rubber duckie, that you bring into the kiddo's bath so he / she can play with it during the bath?

  Nice, isn't he?
  
  More 'rubber duckies' kept by local fish hobbiests:
  
  
  3 of them in a row:
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Rhonda

  2 Mar 06, 19:22

  Wah!! The stonefishes are really very cute! I love the photos of the three of them side-by-side, all of them in a different colour!
  
  
• the Bear

  2 Mar 06, 19:24

  reminds me of the Handfish
  
  
  
  same thing?
• Rhonda

  2 Mar 06, 19:25

  Hey! That buddy's also very cute! The Handfish, eh? I like how it's using it's fins to prop itself up!
• cornyfish2000

  2 Mar 06, 19:28

  Originally posted by the Bear:

  reminds me of the Handfish
  
  
  
  same thing?

  Yeah, they're all from the same frogfish family.. and they really walk around with that pair of 'hands' rather than swim... really interesting.
• the Bear

  2 Mar 06, 19:30

  silly and wonderful looking critters
  
  frogfish huh?
  
  then they will eat live food.. and they will strike with alarming speed..
  
  talkin' 'bout fish, kinda angry at myself for missing the Japan Hour a couple of weeks ago.. they were featuring the monkfish
• cornyfish2000

  2 Mar 06, 19:43

  Originally posted by the Bear:

  silly and wonderful looking critters
  
  frogfish huh?
  
  then they will eat live food.. and they will strike with alarming speed..
  
  talkin' 'bout fish, kinda angry at myself for missing the Japan Hour a couple of weeks ago.. they were featuring the monkfish

  Yeah, i know of some aquarists who feed their frogfishes clownfishes as live feeders.. because they believe marine fishes should not be fed terrestrial or freshwater feeders.