Donno about paddlefish longivity but a lot of Nothobranchius in captivity lives far longer in captivity than in the wild. Quite a number of cardinals and neons live for more than 3-4 years in captivity compared to some literature IIRC stating that most cardinals live for a year or less in the wild.

I agree with preparing for the need of whatever fishes you want to keep and assuming that you have to keep them as long as they can remain well. That baby clown loach, synodontis and sun catfish in the pet shop can last more than 15 years...

Those paddlefish probably originally came from me. Big Fish Farms (bigfishfarms.com) is a long-time NANFA member and practices sustainable, ethical animal husbandry using only F1 sustainable broodstock and has received Cites permits from USFWS. We stock mostly for caviar and meat. We currently have 35,000 armlings that we grew from eggs this year ready to stock in waters across the Midwest. Our primary business is reservoir ranching with lake owners for caviar.

Last year I grew out 700 in a swimming pool in my garage to test different techniques. Most ended up in Lakes for caviar but I gave away about 100 in the Cincinnati area to LFS and monitored the results. We continue to track 70 of these with no complaints. I discovered that you can, indeed successfully keep paddlefish in a 55-75 gallon aquarium. I have three from last year that are still less than 10 inches long and happy as can be while my lake stockers grow about 4 inches per month under intensive aquaculture environment. All aquaria feedback has been positive as well with repeat business from all three LFS I gave fish to last year. These are people I trust, not some "FishWorld" joint that sells whatever swims. These fish do fine on 35% protein, 10% fat floating pellets and will filter-feed in an aquarium as well. Early in the year we cull our runts for the aquarium trade so the fish that hit the market are genetically small to begin with. Granted, the more protein/fat you feed them, the more they will grow. They are by no means starving. They remain much smaller than a pacu, create less waste, keep zooplankton/phytoplankton down and do not bother other fish. They are incredibly docile and do best in a single-species setup. Interesting to see the end-user price. Our 2-4 inch fish sold for $3.00 wholesale plus shipping. The only state that regulates paddlefish is Pennsylvania. In that state you WILL go to jail for transporting polydon spathula under the Lacy Act.

Your opinion is fine but the fact that just because you can not keep them does not mean they are "public aquaria only fish". There are those out there that could keep them just fine and maybe add a good deal of knowledge to how to do so while at it. Your opinions and how you are formulating them is based on Wild fish standards (and your idea of what that may be and how it applies) and not on actual Captive conditions, experience, research or requirements. (Something which is little known or known of)

Sorry but as someone that does keep regularly fish such as Gars, lampreys, Sturgeon and other little known and "difficult" species. I personally find this view that wild equals captive very erroneous. I also find that not trying (or being prevented from doing so) is not productive to anything. It is fine if you do not wish to keep the fish but do not think your fully in the right to deny others the ability to do so or suggest it as such when the animal is fully legal..

That said... yes there are some that should not even think about these fish. Anyone that actually would need to ask a question about husbandry (As known) would be one. You do have to take some responsibility in what you purchase or keep in your possession. If you wish to keep an animal you should do so with the best that you can offer (in a perfect world). One should not take on things they do not truly wish to carry out fully. This is called personal responsibility....Something that unfortunately is lacking in todays culture.

Yeah!!! what he said......where is my whiffle ball bat im gonna wear that narrow minded guy out

Those paddlefish probably originally came from me. Big Fish Farms (bigfishfarms.com) is a long-time NANFA member and practices sustainable, ethical animal husbandry using only F1 sustainable broodstock and has received Cites permits from USFWS. We stock mostly for caviar and meat. We currently have 35,000 armlings that we grew from eggs this year ready to stock in waters across the Midwest. Our primary business is reservoir ranching with lake owners for caviar.

Last year I grew out 700 in a swimming pool in my garage to test different techniques. Most ended up in Lakes for caviar but I gave away about 100 in the Cincinnati area to LFS and monitored the results. We continue to track 70 of these with no complaints. I discovered that you can, indeed successfully keep paddlefish in a 55-75 gallon aquarium. I have three from last year that are still less than 10 inches long and happy as can be while my lake stockers grow about 4 inches per month under intensive aquaculture environment. All aquaria feedback has been positive as well with repeat business from all three LFS I gave fish to last year. These are people I trust, not some "FishWorld" joint that sells whatever swims. These fish do fine on 35% protein, 10% fat floating pellets and will filter-feed in an aquarium as well. Early in the year we cull our runts for the aquarium trade so the fish that hit the market are genetically small to begin with. Granted, the more protein/fat you feed them, the more they will grow. They are by no means starving. They remain much smaller than a pacu, create less waste, keep zooplankton/phytoplankton down and do not bother other fish. They are incredibly docile and do best in a single-species setup. Interesting to see the end-user price. Our 2-4 inch fish sold for $3.00 wholesale plus shipping. The only state that regulates paddlefish is Pennsylvania. In that state you WILL go to jail for transporting polydon spathula under the Lacy Act.

Oh wow...how you know what the body conditions of 70 paddlefish in? Just curious...55 & 75 gallons tank sounds like really cramped for 10inch long paddlefish. Isn't that stunting or was "dwarf" genetically? I personally don't believe into dwarf genentically.

ok, folks...what then would be the minimum tank/pond size reccomended to house a paddlefish?

The Big Sunflower River in Mississippi would work.

Oh wow...how you know what the body conditions of 70 paddlefish in? Just curious...55 & 75 gallons tank sounds like really cramped for 10inch long paddlefish. Isn't that stunting or was "dwarf" genetically? I personally don't believe into dwarf genentically.

1. I gave fish to people I am in contact with on a regular basis.
2. I did nothing to encourage their lack of size. Like all living things, some are bigger than others. All fish farms grade their stock on a regular basis to keep predation and the struggle for food at a minimum.
I'm not looking for approval here, just trying to broaden the knowledge base.

We appreciate hearing from you.

Okay.... hope im not pr!ck in here but I'm outta of this thread as I don't need to add lots of ugly flammable debate about keeping paddlefish in home aquarium as I don't think its right to control their growth so the paddlefish can keep in 75gal tank.

I appreciate bigfishfarms input.

I appreciate bigfishfarms input.

I especially do and would love to read a whole lot more....

Interesting stuff. I am somewhat skeptical they can live out ther lives well in a 75 gallon. Do you think they'd make a good specimen fish for a pond?

I want a paddlefish....But I live in Canada.

I'm not sure how it would apply to paddle fish but I've kept fish that never even came close to the adult wild size. They seemed healthy and lived for many years even though they never achieve more than 1/4 to 1/3 their adult size. I don't see it as cruel in any way. I'd like to hear more from "bigfishfarms" We need as much input from the people who are breeding and raising these fishes. I'd like to see shovelnose sturgeons released into the trade as well, far too many sturgeon that need very cold water or are exotics are being sold into the trade.

I'm not sure how it would apply to paddle fish but I've kept fish that never even came close to the adult wild size. They seemed healthy and lived for many years even though they never achieve more than 1/4 to 1/3 their adult size. I don't see it as cruel in any way. I'd like to hear more from "bigfishfarms" We need as much input from the people who are breeding and raising these fishes. I'd like to see shovelnose sturgeons released into the trade as well, far too many sturgeon that need very cold water or are exotics are being sold into the trade.

I am skeptical about your theory about 1/3 or 1/4 adult size for these fish in the aquarium and never reach full adult size of the wild ones..then why there are tankbusters? I'm sure we don't need any information on breeding paddlefish if we're planning to keep them in aquarium, otherwise it will just add to the cons of keeping paddlefish in aquarium, unless you're working for hatchery. Im unsure if we need much input from them as majority of us doesn't have enough $$ or room to keeping paddlefish for longer periods as no one's in hurry getting a paddlefish.

I think from experience of my eyes being too big for my stomach so to speak, that these fish unless needed for some type of study, (that would further mankind). should be left alone. How many of us in the past have looked at like in my case, that cute little Red tailed cat at 3 inches and took them home, only to discover that after they ate everything else in the tank (in my case about 250.00 worth of chiclids) and are now at 2 feet and climbing that maybe we should have left that at the LFS. I was fortunate enough to find a LFS with a huge show tank and donated my sweet LITTLE jewel. But have never since gave in to that temptation. My point if you have to observe one of these, go to the zoo or aquarium.

I am skeptical about your theory about 1/3 or 1/4 adult size for these fish in the aquarium and never reach full adult size of the wild ones..then why there are tankbusters? I'm sure we don't need any information on breeding paddlefish if we're planning to keep them in aquarium, otherwise it will just add to the cons of keeping paddlefish in aquarium, unless you're working for hatchery. Im unsure if we need much input from them as majority of us doesn't have enough $$ or room to keeping paddlefish for longer periods as no one's in hurry getting a paddlefish.

First this is not a theory, I've done this in the real world not my imagination. The last fish I had I kept with this idea in mind was an iridescent shark. It was kept in a 125 in the winter but it spent summers in a 500 gallon pond. I fed it live daphnia, live black worms and hikari micro pellets. When i first got this fish I feed it enough food to keep it healthy but I didn't over feed and try to stuff it to bursting. I feed him, along with his tank mates, three hog chokers, an elephant nose fish, several blue spotted sunfish, a couple dozen inland silversides, and some madtoms. The lighting was 24/7 400 watt metal halide. Lots of floating plants (water hyacinths) vallisneria and drift wood. the tank water was very hard and brown with tannin. I kept this shark for 8 years he never grew beyond 10". He was perfectly formed, his eyes clear and he would eat from my hand. As you know these catfish often grow to one meter in the wild. I've had several other "big" fish that never grew to their max size. Bigfishfarms might have a handle on why this fish didn't grow huge. He says that fish are graded for size, runts are either sent to the land fill or sold into the pet trade. this "runt" effect could indeed be the cause of my fishes small stature. Information about fish is what NANFA is all about, just because you do not feel a need to keep these fish doesn't mean the information about them is not valuable. I've been keeping fish for more than 40 years, so far new information still excites me. when i run out of new challenges and new information fish keeping will loose it's attraction and I'll move to something else but so far so good.

I think from experience of my eyes being too big for my stomach so to speak, that these fish unless needed for some type of study, (that would further mankind). should be left alone. How many of us in the past have looked at like in my case, that cute little Red tailed cat at 3 inches and took them home, only to discover that after they ate everything else in the tank (in my case about 250.00 worth of chiclids) and are now at 2 feet and climbing that maybe we should have left that at the LFS. I was fortunate enough to find a LFS with a huge show tank and donated my sweet LITTLE jewel. But have never since gave in to that temptation. My point if you have to observe one of these, go to the zoo or aquarium.

There are people who are perfectly capable of keeping nearly any sized fish, especially fish that can over winter in ponds. I keep fish in ponds and aquariums. I mostly like small dwarf type fish but some of the big ones fascinate me too. as long as these fish are obtained from captive breed fish i see no reason why we cannot keep fish like sturgeons and paddlefish. having someone who knows these fish and has experience with them is valuable to those of us who want to keep them.

Just because you got an ID shark that don't grew up big, doesn't mean other people's ID shark have same effects of yours, maybe yours were already stunted? I've seen 14 inch ones at my lfs and 18 inch one one time.

Also paddlefish are better off to these responsible people who have 2,000gals and willfully pay higher bills from running the tank, its just there's not too many of these people around here. I personally think these paddlefish shouldn't be sold at the pet store.

Just because you got an ID shark that don't grew up big, doesn't mean other people's ID shark have same effects of yours, maybe yours were already stunted? I've seen 14 inch ones at my lfs and 18 inch one one time.

Also paddlefish are better off to these responsible people who have 2,000gals and willfully pay higher bills from running the tank, its just there's not too many of these people around here. I personally think these paddlefish shouldn't be sold at the pet store.

First of all it wasn't just one fish, I've seen this occur in many fish species over the years. a fish in captivity doesn't need the same amount of food as a wild fish. a fish will over eat if given the chance, in the wild they have to eat at every opportunity. In captivity you have control of how much they eat. I've seen this effect in many other fish and three other sharks. The size of a fish is pliable, more food means a bigger fish, less food and the fish will adjust to the food supply by being smaller. This happens in the wild as well. This was the first dwarfed iridescent shark i had kept long term, he was a great fish with lots of personality. His life was cut short by a water bird one summer day. My neighbor told me when I came home from work "there was the most beautiful bird in one of your ponds today, I think he was drinking he kept putting his head in the water!" Of course the bird was eating my fish, but she didn't know that. yes you can grow a fish huge in captivity but it isn't necessary to do this, fish can be small and still enjoy long healthy lives. Over feeding can result in a huge fish that lives a short life due to a build up of fats due to their sedentary life style. If you don't want a paddlefish don't buy one. I don't see any reason that runts and culls from the aquaculture business shouldn't be diverted from the land fill to the petstore.