Great Barracuda

[discuspro]

Anybody got a biggy tank and a skill for man-eating fish :P liveaquaria.com has got some in stock for about $100 a piece! They used to be so much more expensive on there the last time I looked.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=359

[cpreefguy]

When I worked at FA we had one for a while, it was fun to feed. The red rosies would be gone as soon as you dropped them in the tank. It was small and got eaten by a lionfish though...

[don-n-sa]

LOL, I have seen a few LFS here have them for $20-$30

And the minimum tank size of 500g is not even close, it is downright ridiculous. I mean come on this is a fish that can grow to 7ft.!!

IMO a 2000g circular tank would be the smallest.

[Richard]

They only grow to the size of the tank. So if you get a real small one then a nano cube will be fine.

At least that's what some customers tell me when they want to get a "school" of oscars for their 2 gallon eclipse tank :wacko

[don-n-sa]

They only grow to the size of the tank. So if you get a real small one then a nano cube will be fine.

I have to admit, I used to think that was true , but that was a long time ago. :blush

[gjuarez]

Some LFS here in McAllen sells them for $70. They are cool to feed but dont do much other than that.

[Richard]

I saw on a show, "When Animals Attack" I think, where a guy was fishing and a barracuda jumped out of the water and bit him. They said it was probably going after his shiny watch or something like that.

So if you could get one and train it to do that at parties then that would be some cool entertainment. Well except for the guy wearing the shiny jewelry.

[don-n-sa]

When I lived in Florida, I used to go fishing on the main Peirs in Ft Lauderdale. There were some amazing Great Barracudas that basically lived under the Peirs. On average there was 10-15 four to six footers everyday. They fed off of scraps of bait that fell in the water, and the occasional fish that people lost while reeling them in.
What made these cudas different was their "apparent" intelligence. These Cudas were almost uncatchable, really, they were smart. Anytime someone would attempt to catch them with a lure, cut bait, or even live mullet, they would dart to the bait, see that there was line attached and just swim away.

Once in a while someone would get lucky with a new lure or use really thin line and hook them, but they were so big and fat that they would usually get away.

These cudas were always there waiting for the opportunity for a free meal. One time after some frustration of not catching one I took off the bait I was just using, threw it in the water and it was quicly eaten by the same cuda I was trying to catch.

[loans_n_fishes]

When my husband and I went snorkeling in the Bahamas 3 years ago, we saw barracuda everywhere. None of them bothered us, but those teeth are pretty intimidating!

At one particular location, a little fish jumped way out of the water onto the beach. A group of us gathered around trying to scoop him up and throw him back in. When we succeeded, we didn't have a chance to cheer...a barracuda snatched him the second he hit the water. OHHH so that's why he jumped out. :huh

[discuspro]

My trip to the Keys last summer:

4' Cuda
http://myweb.stedwards.edu/~dholden/cuda.jpg
They kinda acted like chaperones of the reef, slowly lurking :ph34r

Spiny Lobster
http://myweb.stedwards.edu/~dholden/spiny.jpg
These guys were more freaky than the cuda because they would actually come after you if you got close to their crevice in a rock!