# rhom or wolffish



## myles (Feb 27, 2005)

Im not thnikign about doin this enytime soon, jsut kidna day dreaming about when i get around to setting up another tank, i was thniking of maby getting another single speciman tank after i get the pygo shaol figured out,a nd wonderd, i herd alot of things about wolffish but wonderd what would be more fun u thnik a wolffish or a nice rhom? eny sujestions?thanx


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## elTwitcho (Jun 22, 2004)

If you want "fun" I wouldn't give a hoplias much consideration. While they're really cool in their own ways and they look incredible, they're primarily inactive and won't do all that much while you're watching them. I'd definately go with the rhom


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## mashunter18 (Jan 2, 2004)

Those black wolffish are pretty cool, but so are rhoms.......

I think its more of a personal preference, and also what size tank are you going to use, and what size fish...


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## FishStix (Apr 11, 2005)

no ? about it, get the rhom. ive done wolf fish the just sit on the bottom i learned that the hard way.

of course me being the idiot i was i had him in my arowanna tank with a could of cichlids. big mistake that was. if you didnt keep him constantly fed he would start chomping everything his size lost about 60$ worth of fish because of him and iwas very good about keeping him fed. i hate those guys. wish i could get him back to feed to my reds in a couple of months

Rhom all the way, that what ill be doing ina couple of weeks


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## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

myles said:


> Im not thnikign about doin this enytime soon, jsut kidna day dreaming about when i get around to setting up another tank, i was thniking of maby getting another single speciman tank after i get the pygo shaol figured out,a nd wonderd, i herd alot of things about wolffish but wonderd what would be more fun u thnik a wolffish or a nice rhom? eny sujestions?thanx
> 
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Rhom..... Hands down.


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## lightning2004 (Jun 25, 2005)

you can get a 16'' wolf fish for the price of a 7-8'' rhom..keep that in mind..its all in how much you wana spend and how much you wana get for your money..16'' wolfy would look nice..lol


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## ineedabox (Apr 20, 2004)

FishStix said:


> i hate those guys. wish i could get him back to feed to my reds in a couple of months
> [snapback]1146749[/snapback]​


Haha...yea, you go ahead and put a wolf in with rbps. He'll kill them lol.

Look, there are plenty of variations of wolf fish. I have had commons that were actually quite fun to watch together, and of course it's fun to watch them eat.

I mean I dont know all that much about rhoms but dont just sit here and let people bash wolf fish just because they like rhoms better. Check some out yourself, look into them on different websites, pic which kind you think you'd like best. You wont need a big tank for alot of species of wolf fish, but if you want a common it could live in a 55 for a long time or a 75 for life.

I recently came accross some rainbow hi-fins that are really cool.
Here's a pic of the rainbow hi-fin:


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## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

I personally won't bash any fish. All species of fish have their own qualities.

I am partial to rhoms, but you need to look at both fish, and see what fits your needs best.

Do some research, the internet has alot of info on fsih.


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## myles (Feb 27, 2005)

hmm yeah thsi will be a toughy, i mean i to have been looking at rhoms alot more then the wolfs but yeha il deffinitly look into it alot more, i was thining of my 90g tank. so i mena im sure it would be suitible for both for atleast quite a wile, depending on the rhom or wolf id get i imagine. but thanks for the info il look into it a little more,becasue my fahaka wil be goin in my 90 but ifigure he will soon outgrow that so i will make a plywood tank for him and then put something in the 90g. thanx


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## ineedabox (Apr 20, 2004)

myles said:


> hmm yeah thsi will be a toughy, i mean i to have been looking at rhoms alot more then the wolfs but yeha il deffinitly look into it alot more, i was thining of my 90g tank. so i mena im sure it would be suitible for both for atleast quite a wile, depending on the rhom or wolf id get i imagine. but thanks for the info il look into it a little more,becasue my fahaka wil be goin in my 90 but ifigure he will soon outgrow that so i will make a plywood tank for him and then put something in the 90g. thanx
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Get a divider and you could put both in there for quite some time...


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## NIKE (Jan 27, 2003)

elTwitcho said:


> If you want "fun" I wouldn't give a hoplias much consideration. While they're really cool in their own ways and they look incredible, they're primarily inactive and won't do all that much while you're watching them. I'd definately go with the rhom
> [snapback]1146726[/snapback]​


thats what i was thinking also.


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## Zesty (Sep 17, 2004)

I have never owned a wolf, but I have seen a few common ones that my friends have had.

I just recently sold my 3.5" rhom.

Personally, I think you guys are understating the wolf fishes' "fun to watch" factor.

To say they sit on the bottom and that's it, is only half the story. Every wolf I have seen would eat food 10X more aggressively than any rhom I've seen.

They are pretty inactive, unless their is food in the tank!

And that's kinda what makes them cool...they seem all unassuming sitting there, then you throw in some food and watch them pull a 180 and turn completely savage.

Keep in mind I have never owned a wolf myself, and I've owned only one rhom.

But the fact is I've sold the rhom and wouldn't mind coming up on a nice wolf. Especially after I've seen a few in action.


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## HyBrid (Feb 25, 2005)

i would also put a divider in and keep both...
i dunno about wolf fsih but rhoms grow SLOW, so a rhom would be fine for a very very long time (depending on the size you get it at ofcoarse (sp?))


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## pinchy (Jun 3, 2004)

if it was me id get a rhom


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## ineedabox (Apr 20, 2004)

Even a common wolf would be just fine for a long time in a divided 90, but you could always go with a couple red hifins on one side and the rhom on the other.

Not all wolf fish are in the Hoplias genus, just so you know. The ones in the Erythrinus genus are different in coloration (more vivid) and personality.

It really depends on what you want, but honestly you COULD have both if you wanted to.


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## brandtixmn (Jun 4, 2005)

rhom...


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## SerraNBAPygo (Jun 8, 2004)

you can put 6-7 erythrinus wolf in that tank, they pretty active.


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## ineedabox (Apr 20, 2004)

eh....I wouldnt have that many in the tank...that's a little crowded for them.


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## CROSSHAIR223 (Jan 17, 2005)

myles said:


> Im not thnikign about doin this enytime soon, jsut kidna day dreaming about when i get around to setting up another tank, i was thniking of maby getting another single speciman tank after i get the pygo shaol figured out,a nd wonderd, i herd alot of things about wolffish but wonderd what would be more fun u thnik a wolffish or a nice rhom? eny sujestions?thanx
> 
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Hmmm maybe a spelling and language class


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## SerraNBAPygo (Jun 8, 2004)

CROSSHAIR223 said:


> myles said:
> 
> 
> > Im not thnikign about doin this enytime soon, jsut kidna day dreaming about when i get around to setting up another tank, i was thniking of maby getting another single speciman tank after i get the pygo shaol figured out,a nd wonderd, i herd alot of things about wolffish but wonderd what would be more fun u thnik a wolffish or a nice rhom? eny sujestions?thanx
> ...


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## ineedabox (Apr 20, 2004)

gosh that was funny


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## myles (Feb 27, 2005)

hmm yeha il have to think about it for sure haha, and wolf fish get along with eachother? and yeha il try harder with the spelling thing hahaha. im pretty lazey tho :rasp:


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## ineedabox (Apr 20, 2004)

Common wolf fish dont usually get along with each other...in my experience anyways. They're usually incredibly aggressive and territorial, and if you wanted 2, they'd need the 90 to themselves most likely. If I were you I'd stick with the Ery's (red hi-fin) and still there is no telling what they'll do to each other, but in a tank that big I'm sure they'd be fine.

I think 3 nice rainbow or red wolf fish would be really neat in a tank that size, especially once they got nice and big for ya!


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## myles (Feb 27, 2005)

oh yeah, do they all get the same size? i read along the lines of 20" if in the right condditions but im sure not in a 90g. and how fast do they grow? i was looking at soem pics of them and even the common ones look kool, but becides color are the all mainly the same fish? because id rather get one and grow it big then a few small ones thast stay small. i wouldnt mind having one big show fish haha.


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

DEFINATELY RHOM....OTHERWISE A WOLFFISH WILL DISSAPPOINT YOU!


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## psychofish (Jun 5, 2004)

B. Rodgers said:


> DEFINATELY RHOM....OTHERWISE A WOLFFISH WILL DISSAPPOINT YOU!
> [snapback]1149626[/snapback]​


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## ineedabox (Apr 20, 2004)

B. Rodgers said:


> DEFINATELY RHOM....OTHERWISE A WOLFFISH WILL DISSAPPOINT YOU!
> [snapback]1149626[/snapback]​


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## ineedabox (Apr 20, 2004)

myles said:


> oh yeah, do they all get the same size? i read along the lines of 20" if in the right condditions but im sure not in a 90g. and how fast do they grow? i was looking at soem pics of them and even the common ones look kool, but becides color are the all mainly the same fish? because id rather get one and grow it big then a few small ones thast stay small. i wouldnt mind having one big show fish haha.
> [snapback]1149573[/snapback]​


Yes, If you're lookin for a wolf that gets big then get either a common or a gold.

Gold wolf fish are pretty damn cool, especially when they get around 10"+

And oh yea, common wolf fish grow pretty fast when they're small, and if you got one around the normal decent priced store size (3-4") then it'd be over a foot within a year I'd say, in a tank that big.

Just dont expect it to like any tankmates you offer it.


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## myles (Feb 27, 2005)

kool thanx







il let that idea simmer for a wile :nod:


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## SLANTED (Dec 7, 2003)

Trying to be as unbiased as I can, I would recommend getting the wolf. All of my rhoms where generally inactive, tended to be on the skittish side, and could be finicky with food. And it took a fair amount of work to improve their condition. Some are lucky and get a rhom that is outgoing, active, and agressive. But that is 50% at best. Most will get a rhom that is somewhat calm to skittish, and on the withdrawing side. And with proper tanksetup and encouragement can be coaxed "out of it" to a certain degree.

All of my wolfish were/are far more interesting and interactive. In considerably less time, and of course with a proper tank setup, become very interactive and agressive. All of my wolfs would greet me when I came into the room, and swim about frantically for food. They have teeth that hang out of their mouth, aren't shy, and eat anything. Not to mention they are generally much cheaper and grow much faster. Nothing in my mind beats a large gold wolfish or a black wolfish.

Here's a pic of my black that I own currently. I'll try to dig up pics of my past golds. . .


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## Piranha King (Nov 28, 2002)

rhom, and i would never divide a tank. they suck when divided. and the fish seem to always break through.
wes


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## Scrappy (Oct 21, 2004)

I've heard Wolffish become more active and outgoing as they get larger, but I've never owned one so don't take my word on it.

It's a tough choice because, like someone said earlier, you can get a very large wolf for the same price as a moderate size rhom.


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## ineedabox (Apr 20, 2004)

SLANTED said:


> Here's a pic of my black that I own currently. I'll try to dig up pics of my past golds. . .
> [snapback]1149653[/snapback]​


Wait wait...that's a black?? You sure? It must be a baby then.

You know those things get around 4 feet right? Sweeeet. What size tank is it currently in? lol and are you interested in selling it?


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## myles (Feb 27, 2005)

damn this is gonna be such a ahrd choice also because id prolly order a larger sized one enyways if i got a wolf, also for the wolfs what the difference between the gold and black ones compared to the common wolfs? or is it jsut in color? i honestly cant find alot of info on them, and all i find are about the common ones. eny good websites u kno of? most of my serch results come up with the saltwater wolfs







. but yeha i was looking at shark aquarium and they have like loads of different ones like gold/black/goliath/ and jsut a bunch of different oens and theres no info or pics so i duno how to choose haha. thanx


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## myles (Feb 27, 2005)

oh and yeha i dotn liek divided tanks either imo


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## SLANTED (Dec 7, 2003)

ineedabox said:


> SLANTED said:
> 
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> > Here's a pic of my black that I own currently. I'll try to dig up pics of my past golds. . .
> ...


Thanks. He's about 9" and is in a 135 gal tank.

Black wolf is a very general term but at current generally refers to this wolf I posted. It is a Xingu black wolf. The reason why it is called simply that is because it has yet to be identified as to the species.

Black wolf, the large one you speak of, can be either a H. Aimara or a H. macrophalmus. ( H. microlepis are a dwarf black wolf. Most who say they have a microlepis in actuality have the one I posted).


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## SLANTED (Dec 7, 2003)

myles said:


> damn this is gonna be such a ahrd choice also because id prolly order a larger sized one enyways if i got a wolf, also for the wolfs what the difference between the gold and black ones compared to the common wolfs? or is it jsut in color? i honestly cant find alot of info on them, and all i find are about the common ones. eny good websites u kno of? most of my serch results come up with the saltwater wolfs
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Hard to handle all the matters here so I'll address a few and let others join in. You can pm me for more detailed help.

There is a drastic difference between gold wolfish( Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus ) and the Hoplias genus in size and appearance. Not to mention personality. Golds at first, IME, are quite shy and skittish when young but turn into terrors when they get around 9". And they are more of a mid-water fish, ie. tending to be more active. Hoplias Malabaricus( common wolfish if you will, but I really don't like that title since it implies that they are cheap and simple which is far from the truth. There are many different variant of mals that range differently in size and color. The price of mals can range drastically from variant to variant) are more of a bottom type fish, but with proper care and setup become quite agressive and active. Of course there are also the erythrinus sp of wolfish which is "dwarf" wolfish that is similar to the gold.


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## ineedabox (Apr 20, 2004)

Weeell,

The gold wolf we had a couple years back got to be pretty aggressive around 5 inches, but thing is about golds is that they're just so damned expensive.

And I've only seen a few black wolf fish, and I have seen a true aimara that was around 30" and I have to say...it was AWSOME.

But anyways, yea, gold wolf fish are more likely to swim around mid to top level, and the common are mostly bottom to mid (mostly bottom) but what they lack in general activity I'd say they more than well make up for in aggression.

And by the way, if you're looking for big and really aggressive, then you may as well just forget about the Erythrinus wolves, because not only are they smaller, they are less aggressive. Some people may disagree with me on that, but I've had plenty of Hoplias and a few Ery's now, and I know people with both, and Im just saying, in general, the bigger, the more aggressive. I also know a guy who got 2 malabaricus to mate, if you're interested about anything then PM me.

SLANTED seems very knowledgable when it comes to these fish, so ask him questions too. Be sure to ask people who have actually owned wolf fish, not people who just look up or see the occassional info on them and diss them because they like piranhas better. I'd definitely get the wolf fish, I know you'll love it, and if you want to buy them big, trust me, you'll be amazed at how cool it is to see them rip up another fish or just swim around. The 'common' wolf fish (as SLANTED said) may be called common but the coloration on them ranges so much, and so do the patters, from almost black and white, to tan, to light and dark brown...these fish are awsome to watch and awsome to own.

I really think you should get one.

...and post up alot of pics. lol


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## myles (Feb 27, 2005)

waw! i didnt kno id get so menay awsom replys







. yeah il mdeffintily have to thnik about it haha, most likily if i got a wolf, id prolly go with a common one(they do look kool) and get a big one at that and further grow it out







since the golds r prolly more expensive,a nd the blacks seem risky sinc ei could end up with a dwarf one







. but yeha il so soem reaserch to make sure the tank is suitible for it and deffiniylg et soem pics and maby vids







thanx again


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## ineedabox (Apr 20, 2004)

PM me dude let me know how it goes....lots of times you'll get jipped on the species..but if you get a common you should be ok.


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## myles (Feb 27, 2005)

yeAH thats what im scared of so id prolly go with a common in biggie size :nod:


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## ineedabox (Apr 20, 2004)

Hey, sounds like a plan...but before you go making any deals, I know someone who has some fresh-bred juvies that he's selling for very reasonable prices, just PM me and I'll direct you to him if you're interested.


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## sweet lu (Oct 3, 2003)

rhom, i love mine, but im still going to get a red hi fin wolf fish as soon as my 75g gets set-up


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## myles (Feb 27, 2005)

[sweet thanx man yeah if this gows down its gonana prolly be alil wile but yeha il pm u b4 i make eny decisions


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## baddfish (Feb 7, 2003)

Whats up Myles? Yup, id have to agree with Slanted.







All depends on how you set up the wolves habitat. I currently have 2 Rhoms, 17 and 10in. Chavez, the BIG boy is cool to watch because of its size. It wont always eat in front of me though. Chavez Jr is pretty much the same. Now, as far as wolves go, i have approximately 13-14 commons ranging from 5 to about 13-14in. Many of which have different markings. Most are in the 12 in range with the exeption of 3-4 that are either bigger or smaller. I also have 3 BLK's. 6, 7 and 12in. I have 4 golds. 6, 7, 8-9 and 10in+ SOLID. And finally, 2 rainbow highfins at 5 and 8-9in. The wolves are WAY more exciting to watch than ANY Piranha ive ever owned. These p's would include Rhoms, Spilos (Gold and Purple Diamond/PD was a REAL psycho/fun to watch) Elongatus, Brandti (which i still have/ GREAT eater/comes to me when i approach) Manuelli, Gibbus and MANY reds. NONE have EVER given me the EXCITEMENT that my Wolves give me. The housing on my Wolves is as follows:







my 2 smallest commons (5 and 7in) live with my smallest BLK and the larger rainbow in a 75gal with 1 6in male Gachua. The other smaller rainbow lives in a 55gal with a 7in Punctata (Channa). ALL the other Wolves recide in my indoor pond with a couple Pike Cichlids, 4 BIG Bichirs, a few plecos, 2 nice cats, a 10in Hep Odoe Pike, a nice 8in PELLET eating yellow Perch, an 8in Bluegill, a 7in male Red Snook, a NICE 9-10in snakehead Pike Cichlid and a couple other fish. Many plants and driftwood. When i approach the pond, most of the Wolves slowly start swimming upward and ready to TEAR UP whatever i throw into the pond. This may be fish, meat, chicken or shrimp. I believe you should go with the Wolves!!!


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## myles (Feb 27, 2005)

waw that soudns pretty sweet! yeah id deffinitly have to put soem plants in the tank then, i have a big peice of driftwood already, thats pretty sweet man, u have eny pics of ur big guys? or that indoor pond soudns quite awsom hahaha, does it have a winndow in it or is it jsut a pond i have to look from above on? thanx again


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

im thinking for my 45 either a

wolf fish of some sorts, either a gold or erythrinus

serra piranha, prolly a gold spilo or like a red spilo

or wimpel piranha, but im having trouble locating one of these


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## myles (Feb 27, 2005)

i think u can find all of the obove in the sponcers becide us--> aslong AS u dotn mind paying shippin :nod:


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