Hydrolycus scomberoides

[CharlieV]

woah! My LFS has one of these in a tank with juvenile BGK (Black Ghost Knife). Surely the knifes would just be a snack?
and i thought pirannahs looked mean!!!
some images formo our friends @ google
http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=Hydrolycus%20scomberoides%20&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&tab=wi

[Raskolnikov]

They're rather fragile and timid when small (I had one myself for a few months before selling it). They also have a reputation for being very difficult to keep alive once they exceed ~10" in length.

[CharlieV]

thanks for reply - should have known you would have had one Ras! How did they fair with the wolves?
I have read that when 7" long they need 50-75% changes bi-weekly! how come? are they messy eaters?
Awesomely scary looking fish!

[Raskolnikov]

I never kept it with any wolves; I'm positive that it would have ended up a snack. I did have it with an african brown knife and a sengal bichir. There were no disputes, for while predatory, none of these fish are aggressive IME.

I only had one for a few months so I really can't answer your questions very comprehensively. It was not a messy eater; food items were swallowed whole. One school of thought concerning the issue of growing these to adulthood in captivity stems from the fact that they are entirely wild-caught, and their natural habitats are fast moving, highly oxygenated rivers.