Advertisements
Aquatic Avenue Banner Tropica Shop Banner Fishy Business Banner
Results 1 to 17 of 17

Thread: Luciocephalus pulcher

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    521
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    22
    Country
    Singapore

    Luciocephalus pulcher

    Advertisements
    Fresh n Marine aQuarium Banner

    Advertise here

    Advertise here
    Hello, im new here and an odd fish enthusiast. I bought 4 giant pikehead and have been keeping them for some weeks. One of the smallest was eaten by its tankmates, it was doomed in the fish shop anyway. It is an under appreciated fish but I like them alot! I don't feel that it is very sensitive to water parameters, but its only a few week. This being one of the places where people will be more familiar with the native fishes of South East Asia, i will like to have more information about them. Specifically how to sex them, is anyone breeding them? I want to breed them! Are they really an unsuitable fish for the aquaria? is anyone keeping them? I would appreciate any information about them.

    I also have a small eel which was caught in a pond, i think its a swamp eel, but that has to wait :P.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Beauty World
    Posts
    7,114
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    789
    Country
    Singapore
    Hi shaihulud,

    Welcome to AQ!!

    I think the folks here have limited experience with this fish, but there are exceptions. We do have a few very knowledgeable members in this area.

    You might like to know that www.arofanatics.com has quite a lot of odd ball and predatory fish hobbyists around.

    Cheers,
    I have dwarf cichlids in my tanks! Do you?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Tampines, Singapore.
    Posts
    7,920
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    7
    Country
    Singapore
    Shaihulud.

    L. pulcher can often be caught in local waters especially in Malaysia. I once had a small 5 inch guy that someone caught from some longkang. But it got murdered by a Channa gachua.

    I want to see that eel of yours! where did you catch it?
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Shenzhen, China
    Posts
    796
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    82
    Country
    China
    Hard to id if they are small but female is probably less colorful & of course bigger stomach...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    521
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    22
    Country
    Singapore
    From a longkang! Then it can't be too picky about water parameters right? i searched the internet, some people at Arofanatics say that it is sensitive and shy and then not many people responded, not many people seems to keep them and most information about them comes from the same sources. European hobbyist might have more info from the hits i got, but i can't read German or French.

    Hard to believe, but i got the eel from the lily pond in the Singapore Science Centre. Theres also blood-sucking(confirmed) leeches in that pond, and i have never seen leeches in Singapore. I will post the picture when i borrow a digital camera, its only 6cm long, but its eating smalll fries and tadpoles.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Duck pond
    Posts
    2,654
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    84
    Country
    Singapore
    remember that in Malaysia... longkangs (esp. those in rural areas) can often be parts of (or connected to) remnant freshwater swamps proper. Also, there, you don't get so much industrial/household waste entering the drains.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Tampines, Singapore.
    Posts
    7,920
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    7
    Country
    Singapore
    Most fish will live under a fairly wide range of conditions. However it might need a narrower range to live well and to breed. Some aquarists tend to think their fishes are some kind of art work that needs to be kept in a bank vault with computer controlled environment of ±5% tolerance

    Oh and there are plenty of leeches in Singapore, hell anywhere in the tropics for that matter. You just need to go to their habitat more often and give them a chance.
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    521
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    22
    Country
    Singapore
    Just dosed the pikehead's tank with Fluke and Tapeworm tablet from Aquamaster, thats because one of my fish ejected a tapeworm! Very sad, the warnings and the stipulation on the label makes me apprehensive. Hope that it works out alright, i dosed the whole tank because i have no idea which fish is at fault, though i suspect the bichir, the pikehead is the only one that is wild caught. I have never used any of this medication before, so hope my fish turns out alright.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    521
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    22
    Country
    Singapore
    My fish turned up alright for the does of praziquental. It messed up the water abit, but the fish doesn't seems to mind it, even eating in that stuff. My swamp eel died, im really sorry to say, it was not in the medicated tank btw. Heres a picture of my pikehead together with a head of a Nomorhampus hageni sticking in.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Tampines, Singapore.
    Posts
    7,920
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    7
    Country
    Singapore
    eh where you get your Nomorhampus hageni?
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    521
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    22
    Country
    Singapore
    I got it from Y618, they can't remember what the fish is called, but they say its propably 'siao hu zi' or little beard. I agree its an apt expression, because they should have an overhanging dewlap! Mine is pretty banged up. Btw they have none left, i bought all 4 of them.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Tampines, Singapore.
    Posts
    7,920
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    7
    Country
    Singapore
    how you know is Nomorhamphus hageni? this fish is from Sulawesi which I imagine doesn't have much fish export.
    Last edited by hwchoy; 7th Mar 2007 at 23:03.
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    521
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    22
    Country
    Singapore
    Well, i can't really say that i can confirm it, but it looks like the Nomorhamphus Hageni from this website http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/aquaria/halfbeaks.html

    It could be a liemi, but liemi seems to have abit of the black in their fins and much more colourful. Mine has red at the base of its fins and heavily built.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Tampines, Singapore.
    Posts
    7,920
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    7
    Country
    Singapore
    mmm check out my fish http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=20083 which was supposed to be N. liemi which is also from Sulawesi. so much for "little fish export from Sulawesi" haha.
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    521
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    22
    Country
    Singapore
    Heheh! It might be any Nomorhampus, or any variant. My opinion here is not exactly an expert one, i originally thought it was a C.hujeta! A search on the internet for liemi showed that it is not likely though, they all seems to have black coloration on their fins.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Tampines, Singapore.
    Posts
    7,920
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    7
    Country
    Singapore
    my fish does not have black trim on the fin when younger.
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    521
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    22
    Country
    Singapore
    Spoken too soon, one of my largest pikehead died a few minutes ago, at 3 inches. It was alive half an hour ago when i was removing some extra food from the tank for the rest of its tankmates. You can see from the pics above that my pikeheads eat well, that particular pikehead's appetite was diminishing, it was abit skinnier and sometimes it didn't eat a day, but on a whole it looked much healthier and sleeker than it was at the lfs. The smaller ones were all eaten up, so now i am left with only one. One that also has been eating less and less . Maybe they are sensitive fishes afterall, but i don't see any major changes i did to the tank to cause this to happen.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •