Topic: Need to get rid of Con fry...

[tracey]

Ummm..... I'd love ot know where you read they didn't grow fast    I got mine when he was around 4" and in a year he was 12"    Given a good diet they will grow like stink. If ppl are saying they slow growing, then I'd guess those ppl haven't been feeding them properly    They can be a little picky about food, I found mine wouldn't eat anything prepared, only frozen bloodworms, earthworms and the occasional neon tetra.  Once they get used to you, though, you can teach them to eat out of your hands, which is always neat.  I haven't heard or seen one that has grown much bigger than 18" to 20" in an aquarium and they don't really need a huge amount of swimming space like cichlids do (being noctural, ambush hunters) so the dimensions of your 55 will probably determine when you need to get a bigger tank. 

[Dan]

I agree with Tracey on that one.  I have seen them get huge! They don't grow as fast as ClownKnives, but they grow pretty decently quick, from what I have seen. 

[NightRayne]

Sorry, yeah that's kinda what I meant when I said he wouldn't grow too fast, I meant that it would probably take 7 months to a year before I'd have to think about a bigger tank, depending on it, as all fish are different.

I spent several, and I mean several (lol) hours the last couple days relearning (I had looked them up a couple months ago) everything I could find about them, some of the websites didn't seem all that knowledgable even though they appeared pretty professional, so I just kinda looked at everything and tend to believe the info that is the most consitant thoughout.

He is only about 3" right now, just a small little guy, but he'll probably grow fast as I like to spoil them a bit, my cons regulary get frozen bloodworms, shrimp, scallops, along with their regular pellets, dried bloodworms, and dried krill. Plus they like veggies too, cucumber & spinach mostly. Plus I recently picked up some baby brine shrimp eggs for a new batch of con fry, but the older batch ate the new one so I 'm thinking of hatching some of the eggs anyway as a treat for everyone.

So the BGK will get a wide variety of things to eat as well, so I'm sure he'll get to a nice healthy size. He is the only one in the tank, well beside a large Golden Inca Snail and a couple of the con fry that were a little to willy for me to catch them this morning, after tricking and trapping the rest (There were ALOT). I'm hoping he might snack on one or two tonight, but he probably wont till he gets settled in more, if at all. I read accounts of some people who say their's love live fish and anything small enough will end up eaten, and some say their's hardly bother with live fish..so we'll see.

Anything else anyone would recommend that he would like to eat besides some of the things listed above? Most of the sites list the same stuff, most things I have already mentioned plus stuff like tubifex worms, earthworms etc...

[chrisandi]

Hi NightRayne... I maybe in the same boat as you, well I am in the same city - Oshawa , I bought my two cons at the Petsmart there on Victoria St.
just about a week 1/2 ago.. and BAM I woke up one morning to see these little tails coming out from the rock, " what the" I said to the boyfriend,
so I guess that makes me a Grandma??? Anyways, that is a drag that no stores will take them (I think you said something about Big Al's) Do you
go to their boxing week sale ( the store on Dundas) we pickup a 100g ,and stand,canopy for 700.00 bucks.... we also got a good deal on a Enheim
2217 Filter almost 1/2 off. I have the parents in (don't get mad) I posted here a few nights ago and some guy, I tell ya' if he was here in the room with
me he would of bit my head off for having the parents in a 5 1/2 g. the parents are no bigger than a size of a nickle, and they are going into my 25g when
it finishes it cycling. Well Happy Fishin" Maybe see ya at Big Al's sometime..hee hee

[hlslady]

My husband has 2 bgk in 2 separate tanks. When he bought the first on it was about 4 inches long and it is now about 7 inches and that is in 3 months time! we are firm believers that they will grow depending on their treatment. good luck.

[BobTheFish]

I love BGK's.  I had one that used to eat from my hand and would swim all through my fingers when I put my hand in the tank.  And they grow like wildfire.  My only comment abojut using them as a fry vacuum is that they have very small mouths, so you'd need to ensure you were feeding them small fry, unlike clown knives, which are like the wide-mouthed vacuums at car washes.  Thery are also very mild mannered and shy- larger cons would put a major hurting on a BGK.  I think one would be happy in a 55 if it was properly decorated- though mine was in a 150.  The bigger the better, but I'm sure a 55 would do.

Cheers, Bob

[NightRayne]

He is getting either a 120 or  a 125g sometime this year, just not sure when yet. When I can afford it, I just got the 55g new in September...lol He isn't too big yet so he is fine in the 55g for a while longer. I'm bothing trying to give him con fry anymore, mostly just bloodworms for him, they are his favorite.