31 replies to this topic

[Den]

Its nice to be back in the tankbusters section! I missed not having some big fish. I picked up some monocs 4 weeks ago, I have been power feeding them heaps of pellets, live prawns and mullet caught from the beach near my place. Im feeding them at least 6 times a day as much as they want to eat and they are conditioning up pretty good.

Today a pair is getting a bit jiggy jiggy in a corner, lots of dancing and displaying, the male in this pair has developed a large bump on his head since yesterday, Im hoping they breed soon, I seen a bit of a protrusion coming out the female whos nice and plump now, might see some eggs soon hopefully.

Hope you enjoy the pics, I will try to get better pics later, I dont have much patience behind the camera

Cheers
Den

[jslayz]

Den, that is a superb batch of bass!!
Welcome back to counting your fingers after feeding your fish

Good luck with the pairing, you may have trouble in a tank when the pair start defending....I hope not though!

Looking forward to more pics as the pair progress.

Thanks for sharing!

J

[Jaraqui]

Nice tank Den! Very natural. What filtration are you using?

[Fox]

Awesome to see your back into it Den. Always a pleasure to see your tanks. The Pbass are nice, but the snooks are wicked, one of my fav fish, I recently set up a tank full of them at work, 8ft of Snook heaven

[golden_dase]

Nice fish Den! What fish is in 3rd pic? And suitable tank size for them (Az, feel free to advise me.. )?

[Den]

These bass seem to have alot of black down the sides compared to others I've kept and seen. I like it because it lets the gold speckling down the sides stand out more, which you have to see it in person to appreciate. I sometimes imagine having a pure black bass with the gold speckles down the side. If I get fry I will be keeping my eye out for young with extra black.

Tank is 10foot long with lots of hiding places, but I will move all the other fish as soon as I see eggs.

Filtration is just x1 FX5 ATM, the oasi pump on the second filter setup died on Friday night, it was a 6000liter pond filter setup, when I took the pump out I realised the sticker said the pump is 270watts! so it will be replaced with another FX5, which is only about 50watts from memory.

Kevin Pic 3 is Petinia splendida, they are supposed to reach 50cm, I doubt they will reach that size in captivity, but you would need a good size tank for them - at least a 6x2x2 as they start growing, and they grow fast if you feed them well, be carefull although they are fairly peaceful they have a big predatory mouth, nows a good time to pick some up, theres a few around going for good prices at your LFS, Im sure Azza can help you out.

Cheers
Den

[TWiST]

at least my old bass are looking happy, that tank looks awesome

[Den]

Thanks, they are alot fatter I can tell you.

[TWiST]

thats good to hear

[Robbotheyobbo]

great looking tank and fish den, you are a brave man twisted 1 for letting that quality go

[joey]

wow !!!!!!!

so what plants you got in there, look great

joe

[bradfitzy]

great looking tank and bass you got there Den.
1 of my favorite fish the bass ..... 1 day ill have to get some.


Brad

[golden_dase]

Kevin Pic 3 is Petinia splendida, they are supposed to reach 50cm, I doubt they will reach that size in captivity, but you would need a good size tank for them - at least a 6x2x2 as they start growing, and they grow fast if you feed them well, be carefull although they are fairly peaceful they have a big predatory mouth, nows a good time to pick some up, theres a few around going for good prices at your LFS, Im sure Azza can help you out.

Cheers
Den

Thanks for the advice mate. Can they be kept in an outdoor pond (heated)?

[anchar]

Very nice Den!

Andrea

[Den]

Thanks Merjo

Joe they are just fake plants from a shop thats next to the old Pisces shop in willeton.

Kevin I dont see why not, but I dont see much value in keeping them in a pond, they are a narrow fish so you wont really get to see them from above. Im no expert on these snooks, Ive only been keeping them for a few weeks, they seem hardy enough, I expect that average water parameters for tropicals will suit them fine.

I will try to get some full tank shots up in next few days.

Cheers
Den

[Ronny]

These fish don't look that great... in the pictures, if you've seen them in real life

They really are stunning fish! They've definitely improved from their initial colour etc.

[Wet Dreams]

Very nice Den, both quality fish and tank setup.
That last photo looks awesome, looking forward to a FTS too.

[jared82]

Nice Bass Den, I loved Monoc's specially when it comes to feeding I always wear a raincoat and Umbrella . If you want to breed them from experience the best thing to do is once they pair up try to separate it from the rest and get a tank just for the pair, my pair bred on my 6x2x2 tank but unfortunately didn't manage to grow some fry. Here's the old pic of my pair http://www.perthcich...x...c=28342&hl=

[Den]

Hi Jared I have a permanent towel positioned ready at the tank, as each feeding usually requires a water wipe up, these fish arguably provide some of the best feeding action you can get, they really punish the cover glasses too, I figure if they break the lids I will replace them with clear plastic covers. I do try to sink the food to stop them hitting the lids, but sometimes they just shoot up too quick.

Cheers
Den

[jslayz]

Ha!! quite energetic feeders by the sound of it. I'm careful feeding me umbees and those bass have a powerful 'bite' too!!
Spalshing and carrying on is a good sign they are happy, comfortable too, good work.
Treat us to some FTS when you have aminute, pleeease