barracudas??
- Thread starter reefer123
- Start date
toughguy80
Member
Open water swimmers. Realisticly takes a professional aquarium type place to keep them.
qreef
Member
Originally Posted by reefer123
i saw at my lfs they had two barracudas for sale.
they were $40 each and were about 8" long, with very big sharp teeth.
are they hard to take care of?
does anyone have one of these, or had one?
thanks.
don’t buy it. He will eat everything move in your tank even the other aggressive fish and once he grow big enough he will bite your hand. Serious enough to get you to hospital. do seach on goolge about barracudas attack. :notsure:
i saw at my lfs they had two barracudas for sale.
they were $40 each and were about 8" long, with very big sharp teeth.
are they hard to take care of?
does anyone have one of these, or had one?
thanks.
don’t buy it. He will eat everything move in your tank even the other aggressive fish and once he grow big enough he will bite your hand. Serious enough to get you to hospital. do seach on goolge about barracudas attack. :notsure:
ophiura
Active Member
Please do not keep one in a home tank. I've seen them in about 40,000g tanks where they still seem to overwhelm the tank...and often have damaged mouths from running into the glass. A very poor choice for hobbyists tanks, IMO...and the LFS should hear about that.
Really beautiful and impressive fish in the wild. Avoid it for a home tank.
Really beautiful and impressive fish in the wild. Avoid it for a home tank.
ophiura
Active Member
They are a fascinating fish to see in the wild. Open water but beautifully camouflaged to sit just under the surface. They lurk there, commonly watching...often you don't even notice they are there...but they are watching you! They certainly have been known to attack humans but this is generally due to mistaken identity. They almost always strike in areas with something shiny - a ring, watch, dive knife, etc. They hunt shiny fish basically, and zoom in on flashes and sparkle....or "bling" if you will
K
kimc
Guest
I saw one last weekend at a LFS in Ft Myers, FL. It was about 4 inches long... I could not believe my eyes. I know better than to buy one, though they are awesome!!!
I saw a couple of barracudas in the wild while diving in Mexico. I have to say that they are the only fish I've ever run across underwater that scared the bejeezus out of me. They were about 4 feet long. As me and my buddy drifted past them at about 20 feet away, they roated in the water, tracking us. I could just tell they were sizing us up and trying to figure out if they could take us.
Definitely would NOT want one of those in my tank. They'll eat just about anything.
Definitely would NOT want one of those in my tank. They'll eat just about anything.
reeftank27
Member
yeah i was in the bahamas last year and i was 3 ft at most away from one, people were swimming and playing all round, he didnt move at all, he was a small one, maybe 1 ft long but i was still scard...i told everyone and they all left the area.. lucky i had my snorkle and mask or i wouldnt have got a chance to see him, very nice looking fish
ophiura
Active Member
These fish are misunderstood, as are many. They are not out to attack humans and I would say it is extremely rare for someone at a beach to be attacked. They are classic stalker predators...but they do not eat fish as large as humans
They may mistake jewelry, etc, for small fish. That is a definite risk, but any other reputation is unwarranted. They'll keep an eye on you because you are another big "fish" that may be a threat to them...but they are unlikely to attack people unless, basically, confused by jewelry.
If you are swimming in the tropics, odds are there are a lot of them around you and you have no clue most of the time.
If you are swimming in the tropics, odds are there are a lot of them around you and you have no clue most of the time.
J
jcrim
Guest
Originally Posted by ophiura
These fish are misunderstood, as are many. They are not out to attack humans and I would say it is extremely rare for someone at a beach to be attacked. They are classic stalker predators...but they do not eat fish as large as humans
They may mistake jewelry, etc, for small fish. That is a definite risk, but any other reputation is unwarranted. They'll keep an eye on you because you are another big "fish" that may be a threat to them...but they are unlikely to attack people unless, basically, confused by jewelry.
If you are swimming in the tropics, odds are there are a lot of them around you and you have no clue most of the time.
You're right. I see them almost every time I go scuba diving. Seen them as large as 4-5 feet in the wild. In fact, the last time I went, there were about 3 or 4 right around us. They are not threatening at all as long as you use caution around them. Generally they just hover in one spot and watch.
These fish are misunderstood, as are many. They are not out to attack humans and I would say it is extremely rare for someone at a beach to be attacked. They are classic stalker predators...but they do not eat fish as large as humans
If you are swimming in the tropics, odds are there are a lot of them around you and you have no clue most of the time.
You're right. I see them almost every time I go scuba diving. Seen them as large as 4-5 feet in the wild. In fact, the last time I went, there were about 3 or 4 right around us. They are not threatening at all as long as you use caution around them. Generally they just hover in one spot and watch.
tnt
Member
I've dove lots in Mexico. There are always tons of them. Very neat fish. They would get pretty close, close enough to see their big teeth! I always kept an eye on them, but I didn't feel threatened. They would just watch you. I can't believe a lfs would be selling these! Poor fishies!
dennycrane
Member
When I was about 11 I got bit by a small cuda on the hand while diving in Abaco in the Bahamas. If you are an avid diver you probably have experince with them (they tend to haunt you like a ghost while you study the reef). They are everywhere in the Keys and Bahamas and in more sparce populations along the Gulf Coast. I've seen a 6 foot Great Barracuda off of the sunken Liberty Ship in Destin FL - I felt he was far too interested in me (once bitten, twice shy).
When I lived in Destin, cuda fry (about 2in) could be found in the shallows and caught using a sein net. I kept a couple in an aquarium, but not with much success - couldn't ever get them to eat. I think the point is, echoed once more, is that they just aren't built for home aquaria. I wouldn't encourage your LFS by purchasing it. If you are dead set on it, look for a Southern Sennat (sp?). They are smaller relatives of the cuda and less (though still respectable) voratious predators. I've never heard of one in a LFS , but I haven't heard of cudas either.
Got to admit they are cool with that "panting" thing they do. A fish dentist's dream...
When I lived in Destin, cuda fry (about 2in) could be found in the shallows and caught using a sein net. I kept a couple in an aquarium, but not with much success - couldn't ever get them to eat. I think the point is, echoed once more, is that they just aren't built for home aquaria. I wouldn't encourage your LFS by purchasing it. If you are dead set on it, look for a Southern Sennat (sp?). They are smaller relatives of the cuda and less (though still respectable) voratious predators. I've never heard of one in a LFS , but I haven't heard of cudas either.
Got to admit they are cool with that "panting" thing they do. A fish dentist's dream...
speg
Active Member
I was snorkling with a friend a lonnnnng time ago at the keys and we seen a few interesting things... but I happend to swim away from a dock a little bit and seen a small baracuda at the surface staring straight at me... as I did to him... then quickly I turned around and got the hell out of the water. 