# My Monster Pick-up



## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Hey..

Picked this beaut up the other day, looking a bit rough at the moment due to the store, but he's looking even better just after 2 days


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

Very nice!


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## TRIG (Jun 1, 2011)

wow, definitely the largest I have ever seen!


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## frantzml1982 (Jan 12, 2005)

that thing is HUGE. I've never seen one that big


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## Smoke (Sep 8, 2010)

Damn that is a beast! Looks like he needs a much wider tank though...


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## DeadFriends (May 14, 2011)

Jeeze. How big is he? I agree with the whole wider tank thing too.


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## sadboy (Jan 6, 2005)

What size tank you got him it..... I think you need a tank with a wider footprint for him.


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## Ba20 (Jan 29, 2003)

Need a tape in that picture/video


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Cheers guys.

Yeah I know he needs a new tank, this is temporary


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Can you get a full tank shot? Looks like a beast. Im sure it will be back to excellent shap in no time.


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Thats the best at the moment


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

And the rough guess measurement is around 16". The poly box he was transported in was 15" wide, and he was against the side and his tail curled round. So yeah, around 16, could even be 17".


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## salvo85 (Jul 25, 2010)

big monster cariba









I hope you move into a larger tank, I can see in this very narrow.


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## serrasalmus_ve (Feb 12, 2008)

This fish cant turn in that tank


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

I'll quote myself.. this tank is temporary.


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## His Majesty (Apr 5, 2005)

wow thats a big cariba


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

I know. He's about 8" high and almost 4" thick.

No idea what the biggest in captivity may be, but this guy has to be running up top


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## rhom15 (Dec 20, 2009)

cool







he would look nice in a 180 gallon what did you pay for him


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Yeah, will see what tank I can get hold of.

And lets just say I didnt pay enough for him







Store thought he was am 'XL Red Belly'


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## MFNRyan (Mar 27, 2011)

I didn't know cariba even got that big! HOly man!! HUGE!!! I could take him off your hands if needed!! lol i got a huge tank to keep him in that he would be super happy in


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

Wow, that's a monster! When you transfer him to the new tank make sure to measure and take a pic for proof. If you're right this would be the largest cariba ever documented.


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Nice.

Well once I get the tank sorted, i'll try and a get a measurement done. Like I said though, he's definately around the 16" mark.

I'll try the tape against the tank trick at some point


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

wouldn't bother with the measurement...No need for added stress to prove a point to others.
One can see it's a big caribe in good shape....


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Cheers AK. Long time no speak, used to be Ash on the PFUK forums, not sure if you remember me










I'll just try get a tape on the tank and see if he swims near it


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

Nice to see ya Ash-Of course I remember ya buddy


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

AKSkirmish said:


> Nice to see ya Ash-Of course I remember ya buddy


Good









Hows it going? What 'Ranas you rocking now? Will have to look up some of your photographs - always loved them.


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## Lifer374 (Dec 5, 2003)

PygoShlee said:


> Yeah, will see what tank I can get hold of.
> 
> And lets just say I didnt pay enough for him
> 
> ...


Wow. 
Thats crazy. It kind of boggles me....Thats a HUGE freaken monster Caribe and they didn't know it. 
You don't just run into Caribe that size. Thats weird.

Extremely nice fish.


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## bob351 (Oct 23, 2005)

that thing is a monster huge tail, thing is probably ancient... take good care of him


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

I will indeed, just waiting for him to eat


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## Da' Manster! (Sep 1, 2009)

Jesus!..What a specimen!....







....He absolutely dwarfs that standard 90 gallon tank (I'm just taking an eyeball guess)...good luck Pygo!...Can't wait to see the upgrade!...I agree with AKskirmish...No need for ruler pics...we can clearly see how huge that monster is just by eyeballin' it...and we can all probably guess his length within an inch or two!...No need to stress him out anymore than necessary...Especially a specimen like that!...









Edit: sh*t!..I almost forgot!...Your monster cariba rocks like an IRON MAIDEN concert!!!...


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Cheers mate.

Yeah, if everyone's patient i'll sort out a measurement shot once I change his tank.

Thing is I have a 12" Diamond Rhom, and I thought he was huge. It's quite funny going across my tanks in size, 7" Xingu, 8" Pristo, 12" Diamond, 16" CARIBA. He dwarfs the lot of them.


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

PygoShlee said:


> Nice to see ya Ash-Of course I remember ya buddy


Good









Hows it going? What 'Ranas you rocking now? Will have to look up some of your photographs - always loved them.
[/quote]

Going good Sir...Busy with family life and guns...lol
No P's for me anymore......Cichlid guy all the way.....







I got bored to death with piranha's.....Not as much activity as I like....Since moving to the cichlid scene-I have never been happier...

Pics-I stopped posting them awhile back man......Got tired of all the smartass comments-So I tend to keep my pics to myself anymore.....I bought a new camera (high dolar setup)-and have been playing with it now.......

Seems as if you still have a very nice collection.....I look forward to watching this guy in the future....


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

AKSkirmish said:


> Nice to see ya Ash-Of course I remember ya buddy


Good









Hows it going? What 'Ranas you rocking now? Will have to look up some of your photographs - always loved them.
[/quote]

Going good Sir...Busy with family life and guns...lol
No P's for me anymore......Cichlid guy all the way.....







I got bored to death with piranha's.....Not as much activity as I like....Since moving to the cichlid scene-I have never been happier...

Pics-I stopped posting them awhile back man......Got tired of all the smartass comments-So I tend to keep my pics to myself anymore.....I bought a new camera (high dolar setup)-and have been playing with it now.......

Seems as if you still have a very nice collection.....I look forward to watching this guy in the future....
[/quote]

Fair enough mate.

Hmm.. probably just jealous idiots.. How can they not like the pictures.. I seem to rememeber 99% of them were awesome.

Will keep this guy updated


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## Guest (Jun 6, 2011)

Very nice fish


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Traveller said:


> Very nice fish


Thank you


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## Ja'eh (Jan 8, 2007)

That's one big ass beauty of a cariba.


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Cheers, can't wait until he's back 100% and eating.

Ok fair enough he'll eat me out of house and home, but nevermind


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## Piranha-Freak101 (Dec 8, 2010)

Monster cariba! cant wait to see him "active"


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## DeadFriends (May 14, 2011)

So, has he turned around yet?


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

DeadFriends said:


> So, has he turned around yet?


Good one.


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

Yeap, any update?


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Still not eating, moving about alot at night though. He's starting to look alot better, better colours and a few of the marks he had on his body have gone.

Colour are coming up nice aswell. Been using salt, and anti-parasite medicine.


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

Best of luck on that amazing fish!... keep updating...


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Mr. Hannibal said:


> Best of luck on that amazing fish!... keep updating...


Thank you, and of course


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## MPG (Mar 14, 2010)

Damn hes massive. The tail is ridiculous!

What size tank is in his future?


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## philbert (Mar 8, 2007)

wow. very nice.


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Probably go for a 4 ft x 2 x 2. Maybe a 5, but the 4ft should do. Just waiting for a decent priced one to pop up


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## MFNRyan (Mar 27, 2011)

Off topic and I'm sorry for it. I was wondering if you have any pictures of your 8" Pris mac? I hear these are rare and hard to find. I only seen pictures of smaller ones. I would like to see what they grow into? Hope it's not to much of a hassle?


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## bob351 (Oct 23, 2005)

PygoShlee said:


> Probably go for a 4 ft x 2 x 2. Maybe a 5, but the 4ft should do. Just waiting for a decent priced one to pop up


keeping that monster in a 4' tank









grab him a 6'x2' atleast... he's not a sardine in a can, its the frank of caribes he deserves better


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

True, but the footprint of a 4 x 2 is big enough. I'm going to try for a 5.

And Red belly, I haven't got any recent pictures but been meaning to. I've got a couple of videos on my YouTube channel, check my Sig.


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## ibcd (Jan 8, 2011)

That is a awesome find. Well done that monster would make any fishroom shine.


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## MFNRyan (Mar 27, 2011)

That is a really nice fish!! Wow, what kind of plant is that you have going up the side of the tank an floating on the top? I really like that set up an plant


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

Honestly i wish you can afford a 6'x2' tank for that monster... Most likely it's the biggest captive Cariba ever (i live in Venezuela and i had a 38cms -14,8"- Cariba for a while so i know what i'm talking) so it deserves the biggest tank you can afford... anyway best of luck on that huge monster!


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Thank you, I would get a 6ft tank, but space limitations take place. Currently looking at a Rio 400, which is 5x2x18".


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## DeadFriends (May 14, 2011)

Hey... I'm really not trying to be a dick. But you seem to know your sh*t as far as piranhas go. So. Why would you get an animal if you've got limitations that could prohibit it from living the life that it deserves to live? That guy obviously needs a huge home.

Next question, assuming you got him a massive tank, could he live with other pygos?


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

DeadFriends said:


> Hey... I'm really not trying to be a dick. But you seem to know your sh*t as far as piranhas go. So. Why would you get an animal if you've got limitations that could prohibit it from living the life that it deserves to live? That guy obviously needs a huge home.
> 
> Next question, assuming you got him a massive tank, could he live with other pygos?


As I saw the guy, looked at his condition, and all I had available AT THE MOMENT wasa 4ft x 16" x 18". I knew full well he'd need bigger, but at least he's happier than he was.

And no, I'm not going to shoal him. Shoals are too heartbreaking for me, i've had about 5 and they all end up being destroyed. I had a shoal of 5 piraya, and that was the last I've had. They cost me a fortune. Same with 7 caribe, and a Red and Tern mix. All ended up bad.

IF I had a ginormous tank (10ft+) then I'd consider a shoal again. But unfortunately even having my old 6ft tank didn't work out for me. Pygo's are a pain in the arse together.

At least solo they can't eat themselves


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## philbert (Mar 8, 2007)

probably not a shoaler. look what happened when als tried to give frank a friend.


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Exactly.

Well, when he was in the shop with a load of Reds, the Reds were in the middle together, and their was a Caribe either side. Odd.


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## Smoke (Sep 8, 2010)

Can you get an exact measurement of him? It's documented that their maximum size is 15 inches... If he's bigger, it might be good for the hobby to know...

http://www.opefe.com/cariba.html


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

I'm not going to until I change his tank. He's just settling in, so dont want to mess it up again.


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## balluupnetme (Oct 23, 2006)

amazing fish, truly a beast


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## Smoke (Sep 8, 2010)

PygoShlee said:


> I'm not going to until I change his tank. He's just settling in, so dont want to mess it up again.


Yes, it's best to let him settle in. I meant at some point, I didn't mean immediately.


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

No problem. Still on the scout for a tank!


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## Da' Manster! (Sep 1, 2009)

Pygo,
Obviously, the bigger the better...but if you can get a 4 x 2 x 2 (standard 120 gallon tank) for him, then that will be fine!..I seriously doubt if he will get any larger and he will have plenty of room to turn around!...







....you definitely want something with a 24 inch footprint!...


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Da said:


> Pygo,
> Obviously, the bigger the better...but if you can get a 4 x 2 x 2 (standard 120 gallon tank) for him, then that will be fine!..I seriously doubt if he will get any larger and he will have plenty of room to turn around!...
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, still been searching but all the tanks that are in my price range are a few hours drive away.

They come up all the time though, so im still searching every day.


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## Red Sox Fanatic (Jun 13, 2011)

What does that horse eat??


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

He hasnt actually eaten yet, been trying every other day. He'll almost eat it.. then shy away.

So far I've tried whitebait, beefheart and cod but no luck.


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2011)

I would try some pellets. Perhaps his previous owner fed him that.


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Tried that too.

They were using Whitebait in the shop I got him.

Will try him again in a few days.


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## Sacrifice (Sep 24, 2006)

I have to ask the same thing, how in the world does a shop just randomly end up with a 16" Cariba. That's just crazy. I understand why you picked him up even before having a tank ready. He was probably at a steal of a deal. Heck if I ran into a P that big at my lfs I'd put him in the bathtub if I had to







Amazing find and great pick up. Can't wait to see some updated pix.


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Cheers mate, exactly my thinking.

His tank will be ready soon hopefully, going to order a 6 x 2 x 2 when I have the money.

I'll assume they just had him as someone brought him in, either that or they got a random couple of Cariba in with a Red shipment. Who knows. They didn't even know he was a Caribe.


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## bob351 (Oct 23, 2005)

that is quite the random caribe


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Yup, not complaining though! There was another one there aswell, wish I could have saved him!


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## Smoke (Sep 8, 2010)

You should snatch him up and keep em both in your new big tank!


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

I would love to, just risk of eating each other. Be good if they were male/ female though.

Tempted now..


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## Smoke (Sep 8, 2010)

Do it! When's the next time you gonna see another one like that? IF anything, just throw a divider in the 6ft tank you're getting...


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## PygoShlee (Jun 5, 2011)

Stop tempting me - I'm just about to soend £500 on a new tank, which will be nearly £700 with all equipment.

We'll see. I still want a Maculipinnis co-hab/ bredding project. Will wangle something.


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