Market Prices, Species, Compatible Tank Mates and Keeping Methods for Sport-Fishing Tigerfish
Tigerfish are fish with a temperament like a tiger's; they love to fight, and because they have a certain ornamental value they are kept as ornamental fish. Their market price is currently quite expensive as well, so how much does a tigerfish cost each on the market? What species are there? Which fish are good to keep them with? How do you keep them?
Latest market prices:
The market price of tigerfish is roughly several hundred to several thousand yuan each, and the price varies depending on the species or the region. For example, a 10 cm Thai tigerfish costs between 4000 and 5000, and a good-quality Indonesian tigerfish costs about 1500——2500 each on the market, a jaw-dropping price.
Species introduction:
Tigerfish are the largest family among marine fishes. There are 196 genera and more than 1480 species, and China produces about 40 genera and more than 120 species. Body length is generally 100-150 cm, the largest not exceeding 500 cm, and the smallest only 7-9 cm for tigerfish. The body is oval, elongated or eel-shaped, and laterally compressed. The head is laterally compressed or flat. The eyes do not protrude beyond the top of the head in tigerfish, and there is no free lower eyelid. The most common ones include Thai tiger, piranha, goby, Indonesian tiger, silver tigerfish, New Guinea tigerfish and so on.
Fish that can be kept together:
Arowana
Arowana have an imposing appearance, are spirited, and look strikingly like dragons. Arowana are loved by more and more people, and with the long-standing dragon culture of the Chinese nation, they are especially sought after by Chinese people. Because they carry the meaning of "dragon soaring and tiger leaping," they can be called the best choice for mixed keeping, and they are very ornamental when kept together. Dragon above, tiger below, each holding its own territory!
Tigerfish
Tigerfish are suitable for being kept with their own kind, such as Thai tigers and Indonesian tigers kept together. Although there will be occasional fights between them, they can all resolve it on their own, and the whole tank looks extraordinarily imposing. When keeping tigerfish together, you should imitate the natural environment as much as possible, plant some aquatic plants, place some rocks, make some stone caves, and you can also use some ceramic flower pots to simulate rock caves, which can make the tigerfish happier.
Flying Fox Fish
The flying fox fish is a large ornamental fish of the genus Semaprochilodus in the family Prochilodontidae, suborder Characoidei. Its body is laterally compressed, all its fins are red, the anal fin and caudal fin have horizontal striped markings, and the base of the tail has an adipose fin. The characteristics of its mouth can help the keeper clean up fish feces and food residue in the tank, and the flying fox carries a very auspicious meaning in Chinese minds, making it a suitable choice for keeping with tigerfish.
Stingray
Stingrays, also called devil fish, are not very active, moving at depths between 5 and 100 meters, and often hide their bodies in the sand and mud. Some species have brightly colored bodies, and they mostly feed on small fish, crustaceans in the sandy mud, and bottom-dwelling animals. Although they can be kept with tigerfish, the size difference must not be too great, otherwise the stingray will chase the tigerfish.
Silver Dollar Fish
The silver dollar fish is a freshwater fish of the genus Metynnis in the subfamily Serrasalminae, family Characidae, order Characiformes. It is distributed in streams in Guyana and northern Paraguay, and also occurs within Brazil. It has a peculiar body shape, beautiful colors, is active and gentle, swims in groups, is hardy and easy to keep, likes to hide in waters with abundant aquatic plants, likes to nibble on aquatic plants, and can add vitality to a dull fish tank.
Keeping techniques:
1. Preparation for keeping: Those who are about to start keeping piranhas must make the following preparations before keeping them. First, you must know the piranha's own characteristics and species, then decide whether to keep the P genus or the S genus, and then decide whether you want substrate sand. Of course, the P genus is suitable for group keeping, while the S genus is suitable for keeping alone, and this must be chosen according to personal preference and market conditions. Those who keep them in groups need to be mentally prepared for internal attrition; in terms of internal attrition, the red-bellied piranha has the least. Those kept alone are not easy to get into good condition, which requires the fish keeper to put in more effort.
2. Selection method: All fish keepers should know that choosing a good fish to start with is a very important step, and how to select piranhas is also a question many fish keepers care about. You can choose based on personal preference, price, health condition and several other aspects.
3. Tank selection: Choosing a piranha tank depends on whether you plan to keep the P genus or the S genus, which determines the size. The most important thing when choosing a tank is still to test it, to see whether the filtration system is strong, whether there are leaks, whether there are scratches, whether the equipment is complete, and so on.
4. Water quality management: Anyone who has kept fish will surely pay close attention to water quality, and piranha keeping is certainly no exception. Since many piranhas grow in the muddy waters of the Amazon, piranhas have strong adaptability and can generally grow well in soft water ranging from weakly acidic to neutral. Then there is temperature; it is recommended generally not to go below 20 degrees, and it is best to keep it above 24-26 degrees year-round.
5. Fish food selection: The main foods for piranhas are frozen bloodworms, small mud carp, loach, or the internal organs of some food fish, pork, or some pellet feed. As for eating, the P genus generally is not picky; small fish, meat chunks and so on are all fine. In addition, feeding a varied diet will greatly help the piranha's health and body color.
6. Disease prevention and treatment: Piranhas are a very easy species to keep, but they can still get sick. You must do preventive work before these troubles find the piranhas. If prevention does not achieve the desired effect, then you must learn how to treat them.
What is the giant piranha?
The giant piranha, also called the African tigerfish, is very ferocious, with 32 sharp teeth growing on its mouth, and it usually likes to hunt in groups. Most people do not know about the giant piranha because it lives only in the relatively isolated river systems of Congo in Africa. Congo has the world's largest river system, with a flow second only to the Amazon River and the greatest depth in the world, reaching 230 meters deep. Therefore, the giant piranha has a lot of space to lie in wait to catch prey, almost including anything that moves. Its biting ability is also very strong; it is said that they can eat prey about the same size as themselves, attack humans, and bite crocodiles.