# Profile:Ctenolucius hujeta hujeta



## HawkHunter

heres a handy link
Ctenolucius hujeta hujeta is found in, South and Central America: Rio Magdalena, Columbia; and also Panama and Venezuela. AKA freshwater barracuda. Barracudas are elongated, slender fish with a long snout and mouth.

The body colour is silver while the fins are transparent. The tail is forked and has a black spot at its base. Colouring of this fish can vary in darkness according to environment and mood and may have golden to blue

iridescence depending on lighting. The upper jaw is slightly longer than the lower. The barracuda is a fierce predator not usually kept in the home aquarium, although certainly makes an excellent center piece. These fish have been dated to more than 100 million years ago, when Africa and South America still formed part of a single continental mass called Gondwana.

In nature, this fish can be found in large groups hunting prey at night and during the day. They like to eat live fish, earthworms, and large insects, that they can fit in their mouth whole. I have personally seen him use the black spot on his tail, as a method of confusing fish as to which end of him is the front. He'll swim backwards causeing his prey to actually swim in front of him. At this point he coils himself into a characteristic "S" shaped position, and then springs forward to catch its prey in a powerful lunge. The upper jaw moves up and down just as the lower jaw does. Once prey is secured in the fish's mouth, it juggles it into position (headfirst) and swallows it. This large fish is an active predator which must be fed live foods if you want to keep him healthy and happy.

They grow up to 28 inches(70cm), although in fish tanks often not larger than 10 inches(25cm). This is usually because they are found in tanks 55 gallons or less. If given a larger tank, for eg. 180 gallons or more, they will often reach their full potential.

As a pet, this fish is skittish and timid. If frightened it may swim frantically around the tank, crashing into the glass and throwing itself against the lid, causing injury and even death. Sensitive to the addition of new water during water changes. During water changes, I have gone through great length to ensure that the PH and temperature are equal to that of the tank water. This requires testing the tank water before a water change and testing the tap water often 2-3 times before putting it in the tank, ensuring the same PH and temperature. My barracuda during water changes, doesnt show any signs of distress anymore, but he does get upset when I have to put my hand in the tank. (Eg. When I re-plant the plants due to my dojo loaches digging them up).

The barracuda likes water with a pH of 6.5-7.5 (7.0), and a temperature of 73-81°F (23-27°C). It is usually suggested that the hardness be kept around 5-20 dH (10). Under the right conditions this fish is hardy. The barracuda should be kept in a minimum of a 60" (152 cm) or 90 gallons (342 L) Tank as an adult. The tank should have a tight-fitting lid and a cover of floating plants. Leave large, open swimming areas and use a filter that provides a moderate to strong current. The tank should be well-planted along the sides and in the back. Provide some driftwood, rock or other suitable structures for hiding.

Breeding can be done with pairs, but it is best to have two males for every female in a *very LARGE* tank. The temperature should be just over 80 degrees F (26.5 degrees C). Over 1000 fry will hatch in just under a day, although numbers as high as 3500 have been seen in the wild.

Common tank mates include Piranhas (must I put a link?!), Anostomus, Central and South American cichlids, Pimelodids, more Pimelodids and Loricarids. The general rule of thumb is, if he cannot fit it in his mouth whole, he wont eat it. A common thread here also, is that he spends most of his time near the top of the tank, so avoiding fish that swim in the upper levels will help too.

I love my cuda very much, and find him very soothing when I have a headache or just need someone to listen to me. Although I cant pet him or touch him as I can with my dojo loaches, he is certainly the focus point of my tank. It's also great to tell my friends and family that I have a Barracuda in my fish tank!


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## HawkHunter

thx innes


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## khuzhong

isnt this a silver gar?


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## Lahot

yes, the pics are definitely of some kind of Gar, or definitely not of any FW barracuda I've ever seen


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## Innes

khuzhong said:


> isnt this a silver gar?





Lahot said:


> yes, the pics are definitely of some kind of Gar, or definitely not of any FW barracuda I've ever seen


heres a handy link


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## Lahot

very good profile either way

but this is what I consider a FW barracuda http://www.piranha-fury.com/forum/pfury/in...?showtopic=9881

with this fish being a gar or needlenose gar


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## phil

awesome info.


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## acestro

Good info, and thanks for the link to my stuff, Lahot. I wouldn't call this a gar, though, that's confusing as well. Hujeta gar maybe... It's actually neither a barracuda (which we all know) or a gar (we pretty much all should know), it's another characin like the fresh-water barracudas of the genus Acestrorhynchus. They're actually not too distant relatives.

I would add that my Hujetas are nowhere near as skittish as my Acestros and they actually have cooler personalities than my cudas. My pair loves to muck with fish, sometimes even not eating them (they just chase feeders and give them a sideways bump with their open mouth!!!) Crazy stuff! Cool info on the tail spot use, I actually saw one of mine flare that tail out and get aggressive with the other!

Again, great post!


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## acestro

Oh, and definitely don't try petting these, they've gone after my fingers before!!!


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## khuzhong

man, my lfs has these guys labeled as silver gars.. at 4" for $6.99
i used to have one also.. i traded him in for some credit.. heres a pic of mine


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## piranha45

I strongly suggest you remove South/Central American Cichlids from the Tank Mate paragraph, and I think its likely that serrasalmus piranhas would harass it too much / bite its scales, so I would perhaps leave it at 'pygocentrus piranha species', although honestly I think 'piranhas' altogether should be excluded; one random freak piranha bite is all it would take to destroy that fish-- its really just not worth the risk.

I would also change/remove its description of 'fierce' in the third paragraph to something else, as I'm fairly certain that the fish is not territorial. Maybe call it 'unique predator' or 'formidable predator' instead; 'fierce predator' gives readers the idea that its a maliciously territorial fish that will harass any fish it comes in contact with.

I don't know a whole lot about the fish other than that, so assuming that your information is accurate then that is a very good, quality profile.


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## Innes

acestro said:


> Oh, and definitely don't try petting these, they've gone after my fingers before!!!


 you got any pics of them to add to this profile?


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## acestro

http://pictures.care2.com/view/2/567552679

http://pictures.care2.com/view/2/477234633


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## Innes

acestro said:


> http://pictures.care2.com/view/2/567552679
> 
> http://pictures.care2.com/view/2/477234633










Very nice


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## HawkHunter

those are just "common tank mates" according to various sources on the net. you can double check. Im not saying i believe everything i read, but it makes sence that those guys are all compatible. Put anything in that tank thats small enough to fit in his mouth, and see how fierce he is


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## piranha45

HawkHunter said:


> it makes sence that those guys are all compatible


no it doesnt actually, and I really don't know what prompted you to say that it does

If you care to defend the issue then please tell me how/why piranhas and cichlids would leave that relatively placid, fragile fish alone

your internet source is grossly mistaken if they think those fish make good tankmates for that hujeta, and that would hardly be the first case of some profile on the internet being ridiculously wrong. After all, I believe you are trying to make a good accurate profile right?


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## piranha45

here are the best sources on the internet for these fish

http://www.predatoryfish.net/ibforums/inde...topics&hl=&st=0

er the god damn thread doenst work. What I suggested you do is get on Other Predary Fish forum of that site and look up Hujeta under forum search at the bottom of the page, and that will relay all the posts made in the forum regarding hujeta; there are a LOT


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## HawkHunter

Dear piranha45,

Piranhas are *scavengers* that would not go after him unless he became ill or injured. The barracuda is a preditor that *hunts* food unlike the Piranha. This is why they make good tank mates theoretically.


> SB: A predator that can only be combined with other large fish of the lower swimming levels. Keep in pairs or in groups. SC: Piranhas (and allies), Anostomus, Central and South America cichlids, Pimelodids, Loricarids.


 this quote is from This page A friend of mine used to keep this fish with 2 convicts before i bought it from him, and after talking with him a few moments ago I confirmed that they seemed to get along just fine.

This is what prompted me to say


> it makes sence that those guys are all compatible


I really appreciate your feedback.

cheers mate,
Hawk


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## piranha45

HawkHunter said:


> Dear piranha45,
> 
> Piranhas are *scavengers* that would not go after him unless he became ill or injured. The barracuda is a preditor that *hunts* food unlike the Piranha. This is why they make good tank mates theoretically.
> 
> 
> 
> SB: A predator that can only be combined with other large fish of the lower swimming levels. Keep in pairs or in groups. SC: Piranhas (and allies), Anostomus, Central and South America cichlids, Pimelodids, Loricarids.
> 
> 
> 
> this quote is from This page A friend of mine used to keep this fish with 2 convicts before i bought it from him, and after talking with him a few moments ago I confirmed that they seemed to get along just fine.
> 
> This is what prompted me to say
> 
> 
> 
> it makes sence that those guys are all compatible
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I really appreciate your feedback.
> 
> cheers mate,
> Hawk
Click to expand...

 piranhas are not just scavengers; they are fin/scale-biters, predators,_ and _scavengers. In effect, they are opportunists of sorts. They include a lot more in their diet than just carcasses. There are plenty of cases where non-threatening tankmates have had serious bites taken into them by piranhas, if they weren't outright killed to begin with. You of course may confirm this in Piranha Discussion and Piranha Science. While its not by any means guaranteed that a hujeta may experience an attack, its still reasonably possible, and since hujetas are virtually defenseless against both piranhas and cichlids, its really not a good idea. It would be quite frustrating to keep such a setup, have it work great for a year or two, and then come home one day and find your hujeta gar missing its stomach.

Cichlids on the other hand are just outright aggressive, and there are tons, literally mounds, of cases where unoffending large tankmates have been killed off, not to mention harassed/bullied by american cichlids. You can verify this on any forum which deals with these fish. Just because it worked in one particular setup with convicts (which themselves are on the *low* end of the american cichlid pecking order, in both size and to a slightly lesser extent, temperament) does not mean it will work anywhere near often enough to be regarded as 'recommendable'.

In essence: why would you keep either of two formidable/dangerous fish groups with a calm, peaceful, and utterly defenseless fish? Unless you simply don't care about the latter specimen, it is a bad idea to attempt/recommend such a setup.


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## Innes

I also would not add piranhas or aggressive cichlids as tankmates - its really only common sence


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## Innes

due to the messyness of this thread I'm moving it to the general discussion forum.

HawkHunter - please go over this profile again, contact the people who added pics here and ask whether you can use them (also giving credit) and re-post it in a new thread which we can keep a little neater


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## HawkHunter

thanks innes, ill get back to this thread after i have had a reply from a person im waiting for information from


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## acestro

I hate to do this but I'm on both sides here. Piranha I'd say 'no' but cichlids would be a messier situation. These fish are a little less skittish and not as easily bullied as the acestros. I have, however, seen some acestros with some bruiser cichlids. The person keeping them just had a lot of space.

Having said that, a young Vieja killed a larger acestro in my one (and last) attempt at keeping cichlids with acestros. But the hujetas in that tank were left alone by the cichlid. I think cichlids are possible if you are careful and observant and have a very large tank and only mildly aggressive cichlids.


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## sweet lu

acestro said:


> I hate to do this but I'm on both sides here. Piranha I'd say 'no' but cichlids would be a messier situation. These fish are a little less skittish and not as easily bullied as the acestros. I have, however, seen some acestros with some bruiser cichlids. The person keeping them just had a lot of space.
> 
> Having said that, a young Vieja killed a larger acestro in my one (and last) attempt at keeping cichlids with acestros. But the hujetas in that tank were left alone by the cichlid. I think cichlids are possible if you are careful and observant and have a very large tank and only mildly aggressive cichlids.


 you had a fish named after your member name man is pretty cool

i think that suitable tank mates for these is only smaller fsih that you dont care if eaten like neons or glss fish which are harmless

also bigger fish that are not as mean like plecos and cats are proboly one of your best choices

i would say to stay away from bigger or even smae size fish that swim on the same level

but all in all i think you can keep some skittish piranhas with one and maybe small cichlids that stay small

but not a huge aggessive piranhas is a big no-n0 with any fish


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## khuzhong

i had mine with a silver arowana.. i bought them both at 4" and the aro outgrew him.. they got along great and kept swimming side by side even when my aro was 6" bigger..

heres another pic


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## piranha45

khuzong that pic kicks royal ass. You really need to submit it as a POTM.

acestro, the key word there is VERY LARGE TANK; SPACE. Most people, I think, are going to be going on the low-end of tank requirements (as is ALWAYS the case it seems, the damn fools







). These people say 'why buy a 125g when a 75 will do just fine?'

Really though, ANYTHING will get along with other fish if given the proper space. SPACE is the answer to EVERYTHING. You can keep Hujetas with dovii sure if the tank is a 2000g pond and hujeta is already grown.

In the average space-skimping person's tank though, the fish are simply not suitable tankmates because the SPACE is not there. Therefore I suggest that they be removed from the list of common/suitable/etc tankmates, period.


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## acestro

Thanks sweet lu, I liked the abbreviation for just this reason; the confusion between Acestrorhynchus, 'saber-toothed' freshwater cudas, 'silver gar' or Ctenolucius or Hujeta gar, real barracudas, etc. 
Acestro was just a good way to differentiate my favorite characins from the mix!

Great pic of the aro with the hujeta. They go great with acestros but I don't think that's what you're looking for! Keep piranhas out of the mix, mostly because of what P45 mentioned...just one bite....


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## CrocKeeper

Very interesting profile, and resulting threads.
P-45 has offered well said advice, as has acestro as usual!

The point I think that is being missed Hawk Hunter is that to *generalize* the statement on what can be kept.

There are many occasions where I have kept species that DEFINATELY do not make good tank mates, but have had success due to size of tank, how tank was arranged, etc... . Even though I have accomplished such odd tank mixes, I would never express the fact that people can and or should attempt it. The reason behind this is the simple fact that many people do not have the experience or knowledge of the species, and rely on such posts as definitive. The post was VERY well written. The information well presented, but the criticism presented by P-45 was intended constructionally, and I agree with the statements made.

The issue my friends is not _can_ they be kept together, but _should _they?


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## acestro

Or how long can they be kept together (until the piranha gets cranky or hungry?)


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## HawkHunter

I agree with these comments aswell, the other links I provided for tank mates are certainly MUCH better choices, and also agree with piranha45, because I was assuming (we all know what that does) that a person had the upper limit of tank size suggestions. I mean, check the tank size I put in the suggested tank size, and compair it with most web sites. I suggested a larger tank then them, as a friend of mine also keeps an adult cuda in a 220, and I plan to do the same for mine, as he outgrows his tanks.

And again with piranha45, I wouldn't put a P or a cich in with my cuda in my current 10 gallon, because the 10 gallon is only a temporary solution to the fact that im broke until my payday, and the fact that my 20 gallon tank that he was in, shattered just days after christmas, and the kitchen sink wasn't a good place for him to stay. Oh well, he was growing out of the 20 anyways.

Perhaps a foot-note with the suggestion of adequite space would suffice rather then to remove them completly. But then when it comes down to it, you can keep whatever fish you want together provided you have adequite space.

In any event, in agreement again, its not whether or not they CAN be kept together, but if they SHOULD be put together as croc said. I only put the information that I was provided by a credible source IMHO, as due to my tank sizes of late, I have not had much personal experience with this, I had to seek an outside source.

Maybe on a final note, I'd also like to say, if you view my signature, I personally keep 2 dojo loaches, and a pleco with my cuda, and dont have any plans on doing anything other than getting another cuda for him to be mates with. I wouldn't buy a P or cichild because I think most of em look rather ugly (well i like a few cichlids):rock: but please dont attack me on this, as I come to p-fury due to the excellent sources here, the good community, and not because of the P's :nod:

Thanks for all the info and pics guys. I think if i write another profile, it will be on a differnt fish :smile:

Cheers mates

Hawk


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