African Mono Angels - how long can they live in fresh water?

saffa

saffa

AC Members
Feb 22, 2012
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Cape Town, South Africa
i bought some african mono angels (the ones without the yellow fins)
so that my tall tank had mid to top swimmers. (fronts tend to hang out only at the bottom of the tank).

well when i bought them i found that their ph needed was similar to that of the fronts, and that they thrived in deep water tanks. hell these buggers grew at a rapid rate. from 3cm - 10cm in height 2.5months...

well my local aquarium stockest failed to tell me these are brackish water fish and the adults swim in marine tanks...?

the current school is thriving and i have had no deaths thus far (9 monos) i just wondering can i keep them in fresh water indefinitely?

how long before they reach adulthood?
 
Ryukin 5 - thanks, - i think ive read that before yes.

they dont say how long they can live in fresh water for....

mine are aquarium bred not wild....so they been in fresh water since fry stage.

i wondering if there are any enthusiasts out there who have kept them in fresh water for a few years....
 
They start their lives in fresh and as they grow they begin moving to salt water.

You will not be able to keep them in fresh forever unfortunately.

I would think about either getting a new tank (55 gallon+) for them or returning them.

This is one of a few fish that vendors often forget (or don't know) that will require a marine environment once full grown.
 
I know of Monos kept strictly fresh for several years. Fwiw they never got bigger than 5"-6". I have seen marine specimens well over a foot in length. I don't know whether the stunting was salinity related or not. Btw Monos aren't brackish, they're anadromous, like Salmon.There are populations of landlocked Salmon that complete their life cycle in fw so it's not out of the question that Monos may be capable of the same.
 
They start their lives in fresh and as they grow they begin moving to salt water.

You will not be able to keep them in fresh forever unfortunately.

I would think about either getting a new tank (55 gallon+) for them or returning them.

This is one of a few fish that vendors often forget (or don't know) that will require a marine environment once full grown.
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thanks cicrush13 - when they hit round about 8inches i will sell them back to the pet shop. they pretty expensive here even at fry stage - they go for about the same price as a juvenile berundi front. - pity tho.

it going to be sad to see them off, they are great to keep and quite lively.

nearly got some of the figure 8 puffers as well, but luckily found out in time that they brackish fish as well, had quite a laugh when i asked the aquarium owner "so how big do these get" and he said "oh 8cm..." and said without skipping a pause "and when they not puffed?"
 
I know of Monos kept strictly fresh for several years. Fwiw they never got bigger than 5"-6". I have seen marine specimens well over a foot in length. I don't know whether the stunting was salinity related or not. Btw Monos aren't brackish, they're anadromous, like Salmon.There are populations of landlocked Salmon that complete their life cycle in fw so it's not out of the question that Monos may be capable of the same.
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thanks subrosa! i will attempt holding onto them as long as i can, if a few pass on, i will try and find a home for the rest though.

if push comes to shove i can swop them for frontosa at my local pet shop.

Anadromous you say? - sounds like some kevin sorbo series....:lol2: - but i get what mean.
 
So you have a mono Sebae then if its not the yellow tips? (Mono Argentus). I bought a mono argentus at a pet store who also failed to mention to me that they were brackish water, granted like the Sebae they also require fresh water as babies and marine as adults (also I know its a schooler but the store only had one and told me they were like angels :uhoh:) I have had it for about 6 months and did alot of research after I found out that it wasnt truly fresh that being said I heard of many people who kept them for 7 years or better in fresh water with no problems. What I read frequently is that since they really should be marine fish the fresh water (when they are adults) will just weaken their immune system (not actually kill them outright) so they will be more prone to illness which can eventually lead to their premature deaths. Now at 6mo mine is still not fully mature but I havnt had any illness in him despite the tank once undergoing a nasty bug of some sort. Anyways, your fine with them for a good while, they are probably juvies right now and actually REQUIRE the fresh water your providing. I dont know how long they take to mature but id probably assume a year or two as most larger fish do, if some pass on as you say then at a later date try to find them a marine environment. I have begun looking for a brackish tank for my Argentus to go to but keep in mind they need at least a 4" tank as im sure you see how fast your swims back and forth across, its just cruel to keep them in anything less.
 
AquaticAustin - you are correct - mono sabea - african mono angel or finger fish. We dont get stock of the argentus breed here unfortunately. i got a school of 9 of them, even then i had to book them at the local aquarium 2 weeks in advance as fry gets sold pretty quickly here. cichlids and oscars are as plentyfull as goldfish in C.T. R.S.A with a couple of farm breeders in the area you can pick up f1 or first breeds for next to nothing....

i will heed your advice and keep them as long as i can before finding them a new home.
 
Good deal, I would keep them until there were problems or you were getting indications of problems. As subrosa said salmon which normally go saltwater have the physical ability to adapt to freshwater permanently so realistically these COULD too. Just keep your water pristine and I really dont think your going to have a problem with them, certainly not anytime soon. Can we get pics? A school of them must look so nice! The LFS here only got Mono argentus once and they only got 3 of which there was only 1 left when I got there so my guys a little lonely
 
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