I notice that your site has information on Distichodus Sexfaciatus, though it is a little wrong. This fish grows to 33 inches (not 16+), whether captive or in the wild. I bought
one ten years ago that was 2" long. At that time I invested in Baensch Atlas (#1) to make sure I could care for the fish. It said it only grows to 8". They had that
wrong sadly, and now 10 years later I must find a public aquarium for a fish I absolutely love but cannot properly house anymore -- even in the 250 gallon tank I eventually
bought for him.
I give your site a lot of credit for saying things most retail outlets will not say -- like 'don't overcrowd' and 'ask yourself if you really need another fish (i.e. have room
for it) before buying'. I also give you credit for listing more accurate full-size lengths of fish, while so many retailers sell fish like the Pacu and Paroon Shark without
letting people know they will grow to an excess of three feet -- even 4 or 5.
However I wish you stated the actual size aquarium one would need to house such large fish, instead of saying, "They will need a 50 gallon aquarium to start and eventually a
very large one." To most people a 250 gallon aquarium is "very large" yet that isn't enough room for a Pacu, Distichodus Sexfauciatus, or any other three foot
fish. In fact, home aquarists really can't keep fish that large except for a very few. You could save people and fish alike a lot of grief if, perhaps, you stated the actual size
the ultimate home will have to be -- i.e. "minimum 450 gallons", rather than "very large" which means anything over 60 gallons to most folks ...
Regards, Remmie
Click on the images above.
Reply. Hello Remmie, thank you for your friendly email with some very interesting comments.
You say Distichodus sexfasciatus grows to 33", and I have heard that's
true. I wrote 16"+, because 16" was the biggest Sexfasciatus that I'd personally seen,
but I was sure it would soon grow bigger.
I've
made a point for many years of keeping track of the biggest fish for each species that I've actually seen with my own eyes, and 16" was the biggest D. sexfasciatus that I'd seen.
But I'd been told of many Sexfasciatus over 30" long. So I put 16"+ in the table about Distichodus. Click
here to read that table.
On the one hand I don't want to contribute to exaggerating the sizes of fish, but on the hand you make a good point that people should know that the 2" fish in the fish store could grow to
be 30". I am grateful for your help, and I have decided to take your advice and change the size to 30"+, which I am sure is true.
I would say that Sexfasciatus is not a good aquarium fish for hobbyists, and is only suitable for public aquariums with huge aquariums. It might be fun to raise one up until it
gets too big, then donate it to a nearby public aquarium, where lots of people can see it an enjoy it.
But many times public aquariums will not accept a particular fish. They may already have one or several. They may fear a disease that they can not treat. Or they may have other
reasons. So when someone buys a Sexfasciatus, they should assume the responsibility of finding a home for it, when it outgrows their aquarium.
... your comments regarding giving the fish to a public aquarium were right on -- there are very few public freshwater
displays and very few of those are willing to take fish. I just contacted the Tennessee Aquarium -- largest freshwater displays in the US and they are switching their displays
around and looking for another public aquarium to take the Distichodus sexfasciatus they already have. So again, your comments were fair and balanced. You've forewarned the
customer ...
Best Regards, Remmie
Reply. Hello again, Remmie. Thank you for your follow up. I have heard the same comment several times. Most public aquariums have the fish they
want. I think they try to stretch to provide a home for a large fish that needs a bigger aquarium, but sometimes they just can't do it.
This is something important to think about, before anyone buys a fish that has the potential to get very large such as some Distichodus species, Paroon Sharks, and Pacus that
may someday need an aquarium with more than 1000 gallons of water.
Hello....I just found your site..I am a collector of Distichodus...I seen the comments by Remmie...He was looking for a home for his Distichodus Sexfasciatus...I was wondering if he actually found a home and if not is there anyway I can get in touch with him regarding his fish...I have several giant tanks and would be honored to give his fish a good home...
Please email me back..... Ben M.
Reply.
Hello Ben. Thank you for your email. It's nice to know that you can provide a good home for a huge Distichodus.
But we did not keep Remmie's email, and we do not keep any emails or other private data about anyone, who writes to us.
If Remmie or someone else with a big fish, were to read this, and write back saying, "I have a huge fish that I need to find a good home. Please post my email so Ben and other can contact me." Then I will post their emails here.
Another alternative is Predatory Fish with a forum, where you can post the fish you want to buy, sell, and trade. Click
here to go to that forum now.
If anyone reading this knows of another similar web forum, send me the link, and I'll post it here.
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