Monster fish

[ilroost]

Anybody else on here keep big fish? It seems like i'm the only one on here that keeps Jags, Flowerhorns,Oscars,Red devils ect.

[Mugwump]

I've caught a few, but never kept em... ...biggest that I've had was a 18" pleco..aka 'barge butt'..but I traded him to a guy with a pond....

[b125killer]

I have a comet goldfish that's around 12". I also have a albino sailfin pleco that's getting big. and two clown loaches but there still small around 3 to 4 inches. 

[shatanka]

I have some Frontosa and Severum-red spotted green, turquoise, and golds . Love the Frontosa the mosta! Well, after my angels that is.
Also have a pretty big snowflake eel in my saltwater tank, if that counts? I think he's like 12" or more?
And like Jon said, I also have some pretty big pleco's, not 18" but a couple are about 10-11" maybe..haven't really put a tape to them. Ya know what is really crazy...I saw some HUGE ones snorkeling in the springs around Central FL! They looked like monsters..very cool to see in the wild.
Do you ever go on monsterfishkeepers..MFK..they have lotsa big fishkeeper people on there too!

[Barb]

I have several Koi, in my pond outside, who are approx 22".  Haven't measured them, but they are big!  Got them as 3" babies many years ago.
Barb

[shatanka]

Hey Barb, First, Holy cow to your 22" sized koi! And secondly, do you leave them out during the winter? How cold does it get by you? I am wondering because I have a smaller one..probably about 11 in. or so, and it is out in a small pond right now, but it is about 30 degrees here right now ! There is a small heater in it, and I know they can take the cold...but how cold?

[greydragon]

at a pet shop i used to work at we had HUGE pacu in a display tank they where 34 inches - 39 inches we had 3 total plus a giraffe nose catfish named Snuffy who was about 30 inches

[JR]

I have a Giant Red Tail Gourami 18" and a Giant Gourami 2 foot. We have had him about 14 year.

[Barb]

Hey Barb, First, Holy cow to your 22" sized koi! And secondly, do you leave them out during the winter? How cold does it get by you? I am wondering because I have a smaller one..probably about 11 in. or so, and it is out in a small pond right now, but it is about 30 degrees here right now ! There is a small heater in it, and I know they can take the cold...but how cold?

Hi Shatanka, gee, we all have lots of big fish it seems!

Koi and goldfish (not the real fancy fat bodied goldfish though) can withstand sub freezing temps in their outdoor ponds quite well.  Even people where Mug lives have ponds with Koi and goldfish.  As long as there is at least 12" of unfrozen water on the pond bottom, they will survive.  What they do is go into hibernation, move little, eat nothing, have no waste at all, low respiration.  Kind of suspended animation.  Ponds in very cold climates need to be deep, 4' or deeper so they don't freeze solid.  My pond is 3' deep, the water is very cold now, about 40, and my koi and goldfish are all "sleeping" for the winter.  When it warms up in April they "come back to life" and I slowly start feeding them.  You don't need a heater for your fish, don't you live in Florida?  How deep is your pond?  If real shallow then maybe you do.  Probably more than you wanted to know???
Barb