Osteoglossum bicirrhosum Part 8 - The Last Part

Last week I came home only to face a very unfortunate incident.... my beloved, and very awesome arowana Mushu; who I've had for four years and had grown to a length of 23", died.... A couple of days after I came home he decided to jump out of his tank. Even though he was placed back in time, he sustained multiple injuries. He succumbed to those injuries two days later... on Remembrance Day no less.... so this will be the last time I will blog about Mushu. I buried him near the pond under the crabapple tree.... thanks for everything buddy, enjoy yourself in that big pond in the sky....

TECHNORATI TAGS: mushu, arowana

Hypostomus plecostomus

Happy Philippe Friday folks.... Philippe III, my pleco and Mushu's janitor fish refused to pose for a picture unless I devoted an entire blog to him, instead of just being mentioned as Mushu's sidekick all the time.... so today is the first Philippe Friday.... also, he would prefer the title "practitioner of the custodial arts" or "custodial engineer", instead of janitor....

I didn't realize that what he meant by posing, was that he would scurry from one cave to the other.....
but I sneaked up on him in the middle of the night.... GOTCHA!!

I'm sure Mel and Robyn won't appreciate Philippe's unique brand of handsome, but he's just going to get uglier as he gets bigger, so enjoy while it lasts.... look how cute he was two years ago.....

those cute goldfish have since been converted into Mushu poop.....

Have a great weekend folks, from me, Philippe, Mushu, and Nermal....

TECHNORATI TAGS: Hypostomus plecostomus, pleco, janitor fish

Osteoglossum bicirrhosum Part 7

A happy Mushu Monday folks..... It's been a long time since I have updated on my Arowana Mushu No. 5.... I received him as a Christmas gift from my family three years ago.... This is how he looked back then when he was only 6.5" long....

Today, he is 18" long....
After his move into his present 75 gallon home, I started feeding him live food again, as you can see from his previous updates... (Warning: do not click on previous updates if you are a goldfish or minnow lover).... I've limited the number of live feeder fish he gets now because it makes him grow so fast, and I can't afford to keep buying him ever bigger homes.... He seems comfortable in this present tank, and I'd like to keep it that way as long as possible, so it's mostly arowana pellets for Mushu.... not that he's complaining, he attacks those pellets with a voracious gusto.... in the summer I gave him a couple of goldfish from the pond as a treat though.... but that's another blog.....

When he was living in his cramped 20 gallon tank, Mushu developed a deformity in one of his opercula, which protruded outward instead of resting flush against his body.... this developed as a result of swimming backwards in such cramped quarters.... that problem has resolved....

He also chewed his tail off over 2 years ago..... it never grew back completely, but it looks much better now....One problem he has developed however, is a droopy left eye....

apparently this may have something to do with genetics or a high fat diet.... yet another reason why I should limit the live goldfish....

Oh and remember Phillipe (or as Aiden calls him "Flee-play"), his "janitor" fish? He's gotten bigger too.... after Mushu ate the original Phillipe II, I let Phillipe III grow a bit in a separate tank, before introducing him to Mushu.... I also constructed "caves" beneath the tank gravel, so that Phillipe had a place to hide.... I stuff food into the caves so he can eat in peace.... eventually Phillipe grew big enough so that he can come out of the caves to swim around without the risk of being eaten by Mushu.... he gets nipped occasionally, but he's a tough fish, and I think they're just friendly love bites from Mushu.... ya right.... Phillipe is afraid of the light though, so he only comes out when it's dark.... I had to snap this shot quickly before he scurried back into his cave....
Well, that's all for now folks.... Mushu enjoyed seeing y'all again.... until the next time.... good fortunes in the coming new year....

TECHNORATI TAGS: arowana, osteoglossum bicirrhosum, silver arowana, dragon fish, mushu

Silver

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This is Mushu, my SILVER Arowona or Dragon Fish. Their scientific name is Osteoglossum bicirrhosum which is Greek for "bony tongue" and "two barbels". This species is an ancient fish, they have been around since the Jurassic Period, and have stayed pretty much the same since then. Native to South America, they are also known there as "monkey fish" because of their ability to jump out of the water to catch prey, which usually consist of smaller fish, crustaceans, insects, and even small birds! There are also Asian, African and Australian species, and they come in a variety of colours: black, red, gold, green.

Happy Photohunting Folks!

TECHNORATI TAGS: saturday photohunt, saturday photo scavenger hunt, memes, silver arowana, fish

Osteoglossum bicirrhosum Part 6

Mushu shoots...he scores!

WARNING: If you are a goldfish lover, please do not press play as Mushu can be rather brutal when he's hungry.

For goldfish lovers like Ghee, I bought some minnows so you too can enjoy the wilds of the Amazon, without feeling too bad for the cute fish. Don't feel too bad about this minnow and his compatriots, they were convicted of the near-death beatings of over a dozen innocent goldfish. So I had to sentence them to death by Mushu....

Happy Mushu Monday!

TECHNORATI TAGS: arowana, silver arowana,aquariums, fish

Osteoglossum bicirrhosum Part 5

Mushu Misses....

Happy Mushu Monday! Stay tuned, next week he won't....

TECHNORATI TAGS: arowana, silver arowana,aquariums, fish

Osteoglossum bicirrhosum Part 4

I first blogged about Mushu No. 5 one year ago today, so here's an update on him a year later.... He started out at a length of 6.5".... and today, he is a little over a foot long.... Considering the fact that his tail has not grown back completely, he should be a little bit longer. I purposely stopped feeding him live food because his growth rate was just too rapid to be sustained by his tiny 20 gallon tank. He actually loves his pellet food, and displays an equally voracious appetite for them.

This Christmas, my family gave me a sweet new setup for him, so I'm happy to say that Mushu No. 5 has finally made the big move into a new home.... Surprisingly, he didn't put up much of a fight at all. In fact, not a even so much as a splash. I simply scooped him up with a plastic grocery bag, and gently released him into the new tank. He slipped into his new surroundings very effortlessly, and seemed pleasantly surprised at all the new space. It is a 75 gallon tank with a length of 48", so he's got a lot more swimming space. This also means that I will be giving him live goldfish or minnows every so often again. I don't want him to grow too rapidly though, because I don't think I have the space for an even larger tank just yet. In their natural habitat of the Amazon River, Silver Arowanas can grow to the length of 47" or 1.2 meters. In captivity, they're more likely to grow to about 39" or one meter. If they are not given adequate space, they may develop deformities. Mushu has actually developed a slightly prolapsed operculum or gill covering. Presumably, this is from the fact that he would often swim backwards in the smaller tank. The operculum appears to be in better condition now that the length of the new tank is four times his body length, at least, it is not getting any worse. His old home has been converted into a tank for Aiden, which also serves the double purpose of being the home of Mushu's future prey.... (Mushu: mmmm, goldfish....)Looking at this tank makes me wonder how he survived for so long under such cramped conditions. I'm also raising a Pleco or janitor fish in this tank, until it is large enough not to fit in Mushu's mouth. I had gotten a new janitor fish (Phillipe II) thinking it was too big for Mushu to eat. I had even made a cave for it, just in case he needed to hide from Mushu. However, one day, Phillipe II went missing, on the same day, a large bulge appeared in Mushu's abdomen...

I'm hoping that the extra space will also allow for his tail to finally heal completely.... I'm no longer convinced that he sustained the injury trying to escape his cramped quarters by jumping, as I witnessed him swimming in circles trying to catch his own tail.... Seems like dog-like behaviour? I really must be a dog person, coz my cat behaves like a dog, and now my fish! Hopefully Mushu will be more content with all the space, that he won't feel the need to chew off his own tail anymore.

TECHNORATI TAGS: arowana, silver arowana,aquariums, fish

Osteoglossum bicirrhosum Part 3

An update on Mushu No. 5 (he's 12 " now):I woke up last month to find that Mushu's tail was gone!?!..... It took 4 weeks, but it's pretty much grown back now....a little warped looking, but functional.....I have several theories as to how this could have happened.....

1) He somehow caught it in the aquarium canopy in one of his frequent attempts at escape and/or suicide by jumping......

2) He bit it off out of hunger.....Mushu doesn't quite like the freeze dried shrimp I've been feeding him......

3) He bit it off to protest the overgrown algae conditions of his tank due to the untimely demise of his custodian fish Philippe (rest in peace Philippe)......

4) He bit it off as a cry for attention....since I haven't blogged about him in so long......

5) Or perhaps he bit it off because of stress from being harrassed by an under 2 foot glass smacking monster named Aiden......

When questioned, Aiden turns to me and says "I didn't do it"......

by Angelo de los Angeles

Osteoglossum bicirrhosum Part 2

Here's an update on Mushu No. 5......
In two months he's grown from 6.5" to 9.5" (no phalic pun intended Tu Anh!). I've stopped feeding him live minnows because he seems to literally grow overnight after a live meal....I can't afford to get him a big tank right now, so I'm trying to slow down his growth rate....I don't think it's possible to "bonsai" an Arowana though....Here's a pic of him attacking one of his food pellets.....






Here he is posing with his new custodian and buddy Phillipe (pronounced Filipay ala Espanol).....
Phillipe doesn't come out from his hiding spot behind the filter much, he was traumatized when Mushu tried to eat him that one time....they're friends now, but Phillipe likes to maintain a respectful distance.....Angelo de los Angeles

Osteoglossum bicirrhosum

Here's my fish story:

My family gave me a silver arowana this Christmas. I named him Mushu No. 5, following in the great tradition of naming all my awowana's "Mushu". It was fitting, as Mushu No. 5 is the 5th arowana I've owned, and plus he was given to me in '05.....I have some strange fascination with finding symbolic significance in numbers.....there are, incidently, 5 members of my immediate family........ coincidence? ........ ya probably.

What happened to the other Mushus is an interesting tale. Mushu (the first) was given to me one Christmas by my good buddy and roomate in med school, Neil (Vernor Gregory "Totoy" "The Hunk" Veloso). Unfortunately as I was home for the holidays, Mushu commited suicide by jumping out of his tank. Neil saved his carcass to show me when I got back. He actually contemplated buying a replacement before I got back and noticed the tragic holiday incident, and so I wouldn't be disappointed. What a nice guy eh?

Anyways, shortly after, Neil and I went back to Carti-Mart, and I bought Mushu No. 2. He grew up to a healthy 15". He could hardly turn around in his 20 gallon tank, so I bought him a 75er and prepared it for the great move. Unfortunately, on the morning of the great move, I woke up to find Mushu No. 2 floating upside down in his 20 gallon tank. My Ate Linda told me that he sensed the imminent move, and didn't want to leave his old home, so he just died?

Well, I had a huge and empty fish tank in my apartment, so back to Carti-Mart to buy Mushu No. 3. The third time is a charm. And 3 is my lucky number. Mushu No. 3 grew up to about 25". He had a voracious appetite for live feeder fish. He survived for several years, and even survived an earthquake that half emptied his tank (we lived on the 18th floor, so u can imagine the swaying that went on in there during earthquakes). Unfortuanately Mushu No. 3 didn't survive "the revenge of the feeder fish". I was very busy at the time going on duty every 3 days in the hospital, so I just dumped a whole bunch of feeders in his tank so he wouldn't go hungry. Some of the feeders died and clouded up the water. Mushu No. 3 didn't like those conditions, and soon he wasn't able to fight off the remaining feeders who started biting him. They eventually killed him :(

I didn't know Mushu No. 4 for very long. Shortly after getting him, I went home to Canada for the holidays. During that time, the maids cleaned out his tank. Apparently, he jumped into the toilet and swam away to freedom.

So that brings us to Mushu No. 5. He is currently 6.5" long and lives in a 20 gallon tank. His diet consists of live minows, but he also likes dried pellets. I've placed him in a central room in the house, on the eastern side.....for good feng shui. Arowanas are lucky (especially if they're given to you as per Neil) because they look like smaller incarnations of the lucky dragon....hence the name Dragon Fish....they actually come to us from the Jurassic age, changing little since that time, thus giving us a glimpse into prehistoric aquatic fauna....I'll keep you posted on his progress.