phaeton Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 You know how rough it is when the time comes for you to let go of your favourite pet... My girlfriend has an 8 year old South American Redtail catfish that will be given a new home at the Henry Vilas Zoo . She had turned down the water temperature and slightly underfed him over the last couple of years in hopes it would slow his growth, but nonetheless, he is now too big to turn around in his tank. There is simply not enough room for a larger tank where he is, and it is not financially feasible either. She is obviously upset- he's been her friend since he was the size of her 15-year old pinky. She knows that it's the right thing to do- and assuming he does ok during the transition (this sort of think can shock fish and they can die) from the 225 gallon to his new home he will be much better off. He will return to a more comfortable water temperature, they will overfeed him (to keep him from trying to eat his tankmates, though we're making bets that he wipes out a few oscars) and since the Vilas Zoo is a free zoo that is open year round, we can always go visit him. Too bad that he won't have a "Sirion" name plaque... he'll now just be an anonymous monster behind the glass. I know he's "just a fish" (please hold all the dinner jokes) and not as complex or attentive as the family dog would might be, but he's still a pet and he's always been there for her when the rats died and the Conures turned to evil. He recognizes people when they come up to the tank (probably by sound, because catfish don't see very well) and it is very clear that he likes some people more than others. It's not just a "hey i'm gonna get fed!" conditioning. He knows Sarah and he likes her. She can hand feed him and pet him with her bare hands, which is something you should NOT try to just any ole catfish. At 34" he can peel all the skin from your fingers, leaving just scraped up bones behind, and the spines on his back are long enough and strong enough to go through both your wrists. The Zoo is sending 4 grown men to wrestle him out of his tank, and they might not be enough... She won't be able to get to the water in his large tank, but hopefully he'll be able to know when she's come to see him. Just thought I'd share. He's a really cool d00d, even if he did try to take my fingers off once. Dr. Seuss: The Original White Rapper . WWND? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mats Olsson. Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 34"? - that's a big cat! Thanks for sharing! http://www.lexam.net/peter/carnut/man.gif What do we want? Procrastination! When do we want it? Later! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpig Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 What bit of fish doesn't make sense? The piece of cod that passeth all understanding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorNo Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Henry Vilas Zoo is a wonderful Zoo, I think he will be taken care of well there. Craig During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. -George Orwell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBBPaul Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 I have to admit that I've never been there. Our new and improved website Today's sample tune: Lonesome One Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaeton Posted April 11, 2005 Author Share Posted April 11, 2005 Henry Vilas Zoo is a wonderful Zoo, I think he will be taken care of well there. The Milwaukee zoo has several Redtails, btw, some approaching my size They also have some Pacu in the same tank there. Pacu are marketed by Wal-Mart as "will grow to 5-10 inches". Sarah says there used to be a sign on the display that said: "DO NOT BUY PACU AS PETS, THIS IS WHY" The Pacu in the tank are about as big around as the lids of the biggest Rubbermaid trash cans you can buy. I will agree that the Vilas Zoo is a great place, even though they've had some pachyderm taken away from them like 12 years ago or so (elephants, iirc). All their other animals seem to be well taken care of, for a zoo. Dr. Seuss: The Original White Rapper . WWND? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theblue1 Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Good luck to him in his new home! I hope he thrives (without eating too many of his new tankmates). Cheers! bookmark these: news.google.com | m-w dictionary | wikipedia encyclopedia | Columbia Encyclopedia TK Major / one blue nine | myspace.com/onebluenine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorNo Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Originally posted by PBBPaul: I have to admit that I've never been there. Paul it is a good place to take the kids, especially on the weekend. Everything is free (I choose to donate) and there usually is a lot going on for families. One warning, seeing that this is a free zoo there is not as much to see as Milwaukee County Zoo, but it is a neat time anyway. Craig During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. -George Orwell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Oops...I just looked in my wallet and found a recipe for catfish etouffe... Sorry...(embarrassed look, sidesteps toward the door)... "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaeton Posted April 11, 2005 Author Share Posted April 11, 2005 Sorry...(embarrassed look, sidesteps toward the door)... Hey c'mon now, nobody talks about barbecued BubbaSteaks, do they? Dr. Seuss: The Original White Rapper . WWND? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Originally posted by Mats Olsson.: 34"? - that's a big cat! Thanks for sharing! Not really that large for a catfish. Bull-head cats around here get to be 50 or 60 Lbs, with the really big ones at 90+ Lbs. !! The Santee river is the place to catch some big fish, from what I've been told. I've personally seen a couple of 36" catfish pulled from a farm pond in Alabama. That was about average for that pond. They fed their fish from a 5 gallon bucket of dog-food, and when the food hit the water, the water looked like it was boiling from all the fish hitting the surface. BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fendercaster Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 I'm glad that your pet is just leaving home and not being put down or something. At least your daugther and the rest of the family can take comfort in being able to visit him. My gear: http://fendercaster.freeservers.com/guit3.html If you own two Lexus cars, do you have Lexi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Phaeton, How did your girl-friend find a south American catfish? I'm assuming that it was bought at a pet store? I've never seen one. BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip OKeefe Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Originally posted by Fendercaster: I'm glad that your pet is just leaving home and not being put down or something. At least your daugther and the rest of the family can take comfort in being able to visit him. But I'm sure it's still hard to see him leaving. Best of luck to all of you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archer Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 I'm glad he's going to a good home Me and my two dogs, Remington and Winchester Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaeton Posted April 11, 2005 Author Share Posted April 11, 2005 At least your daugther and the rest of the family can take comfort in being able to visit him. daughter? Do you know something about my gf that i don't? Not really that large for a catfish. Not really. Redtails get to be 5-6 feet long and hundreds of pounds. He's a pretty good sized pet fish though. I can imagine what kinds of insanity that would be... Buckets of dog food! I hope nobody loses their footing and falls in. A human is usually too big for catfish to eat, but don't think they wouldn't try it. I watched Sirion vacuum up about 150 feeder goldfish once, some about as big around as a golf ball. It took him about 15 seconds and he didn't look any less hungry after that, either. Dr. Seuss: The Original White Rapper . WWND? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaeton Posted April 11, 2005 Author Share Posted April 11, 2005 How did your girl-friend find a south American catfish? I'm assuming that it was bought at a pet store? I've never seen one. Yeah, she special ordered him from a pet store when she lived in Atlanta, GA. You won't find any domestically in the wild- there aren't any rivers that are big enough or have the right temperature or other conditions in the U.S. or northern Mexico, AFAIK... You won't find any in pet stores because, well... catfish just aren't glamorous, except for the ones that look similar to sharks. I think that he's cool looking, but that's me. Dr. Seuss: The Original White Rapper . WWND? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dak Lander Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Here's one big enough to have tried to eat a basketball... http://www.daklander.com/pics/catfish.jpg Our Joint "When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it." The Duke... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Originally posted by phaeton: Sorry...(embarrassed look, sidesteps toward the door)... Hey c'mon now, nobody talks about barbecued BubbaSteaks, do they? Only if he were a poodle. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendrix Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Thats one lucky fish to be moving to bigger, full -service, high calorie accomodations. Sounds like catfish heaven to me. Check out some tunes here: http://www.garageband.com/artist/KenFava Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fendercaster Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 posted by pharton: daughter? Do you know something about my gf that i don't? Sorry, I was reading the post rather surreptitiously at work this afternoon, and misread it. I thought your post mentioned your gf's 8 year old daughter's pet. I really didn't mean to scare you! My gear: http://fendercaster.freeservers.com/guit3.html If you own two Lexus cars, do you have Lexi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaeton Posted April 12, 2005 Author Share Posted April 12, 2005 I really didn't mean to scare you! Dr. Seuss: The Original White Rapper . WWND? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaeton Posted April 14, 2005 Author Share Posted April 14, 2005 Today was his big day... word on the street is that he made the transition ok thusfar (sometimes it takes fish a couple of days to die of shock though ) Not sure if he's going on display yet or if he'll sit in quarantine for awhile, but we'll see if he's out this weekend The gf is bummed, but what can i do? Dr. Seuss: The Original White Rapper . WWND? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Catfish are fairly tough, and he is a pretty big fish. I think he'll be OK. Take the girl friend out for a movie. I saw Sahara last weekend. Good movie! BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Roberts Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 phaeton, How about a picture of the beasty?? Would it not make much more sense to ship the tank...water and all?? I know it is about a "ton" but movers have the goods for that. Bill Roberts Precision Mastering -----------Since 1975----------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaeton Posted April 15, 2005 Author Share Posted April 15, 2005 How about a picture of the beasty?? I'll try for that too About shipping the tank n all... 1) 225 Gallons of water weigh 1912.5 pounds, not counting the glass or stand (we'll assume all the rocks get removed from the tank). There are 2 tight turns to make before going up the stairs (narrow and steep) and then 2 more tight turns to get out. When it was put into the basement it was empty, and probably was tilted up-end to make the corners. 2) It's in a basement, sorta built into a wall 3) He has a tankmate (i forget what kind of fish) 4) Fish tanks are fragile. Full of water they don't transportiemost very well... Dr. Seuss: The Original White Rapper . WWND? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 When I was a kid, on easter you could buy these little food colored chicks and ducks. I had some chicks one year and when they started getting bigger you would give them to relatives that had a farm. One year I got a duck. He was pretty cool, but when he got big, we had to take him to this place called Sportsman's Lake where loads of ducks lived (no hunting, private member's only place). I'll never forget him running all pegion toed after the car when we left. Broke my tiny little short person heart (meaning I was quite young). -David http://www.garageband.com/artist/MichaelangelosMuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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