FAQs on Catfish
Stocking/Selection
Related Articles: Catfishes, Sucker mouth Cats/Loricariids,
Otocinclus, Callichthyids, Ictalurid Catfishes, Mochokids/Synodontis, Candirus (Trichomycterids, Cetopsids),
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Related Catfish FAQs: General, Identification, Behavior, Compatibility, Systems, Feeding, Disease, Reproduction,
Do you know how large, how quickly... the
scientific name/s of...? Cetopsis
coecutiens, (Lichtenstein 1819),
Whale Catfish.
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Questions on Royal whiptails/stocking and temperature.
8/3/13
HI Neal its Alex again.
<He's out till 8/6. Will fwd. your msg., and respond here myself>
I got my 50 gallon. plan to set it up early in September. The rams (
Bolivian) and angel seem to be doing well in the 20, the angel is really
growing big, i do water changes to help with the heavy bioload and
everyone seems great,. I'll move them to the 50 before long. I was
wondering if a royal whiptail would outgrow a 50 gallon. I plan on
getting the following fish
<Mmm, this Loricariid will outgrow a 50 in time; needs habitat as well
as space>
2 more rams Bolivian - would this be pushing it
<Likely fine; unless they or others are territorial, breeding here>
about a dozen tetras- not sure if I want glow light or Rummynose. maybe
i should up the tetras to 17 and leave out a second ram pair
<Fine; though these may be targeted by the cichlids as they get larger>
8 warm water Corys
<Good number>
a royal whiptail the singleton angel and the 2 rams I have now
I kept the water at 80- 82 is this to <too> warm for a royal whiptail?
<Not too warm>
I lowered the temp to around 80- 78.
Royal whip tails how big do they get/ longevity
<Most likely 6-8 inches... a bit longer if you count the tail fin:
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/50531
and price range please, also what to feed them.
Thanks have a great day.
<Let's have you just use the Net: for Sturisoma panamense
Bob Fenner>
Re: Questions on Royal whiptails/stocking and temperature.
8/4/13
I was wondering if a royal whiptail would outgrow a 50 gallon?
<<Not much to add to what Bob states, except that these are fabulous
catfish if you have the space! Do visit the Planet Catfish website in
particular; it's an excellent resource for identifying catfish and
summarising their needs. Cheers, Neale.>>
Re: Questions on Royal whiptails/stocking and temperature. Catfish
stkg. 8/4/13
My new tanks dimension are 20 high, 36 inches long by 15 inches wide. I
was wondering besides the Corys what types of catfish would go well with
rams, angel, tetras. that sort of thing. The water is kept at 80- 82, ph
is 7,
<Apart from Corydoras, and assuming you want to stay with the South
American theme, look at Brochis, Diadema (if water quality is
excellent), Lepthoplosternum pectorale, perhaps Megalechis (bit
boisterous), Centromochlus perugiae if you can keep a group of 5+,
Peckoltia spp., Agamyxis pectinifrons with nothing bite-sized... the
list is a long one.
Basically anything from families Doradidae, Loricariidae,
Auchenipteridae and Callichthyidae that doesn't have specific
environmental requirements you can't provide, isn't too aggressive or
retiring, and isn't likely to eat its tankmates.>
I really like that planet catfish site, thanks Neal, tried to log in but
becoming a member was too difficult so I'll just look through..
<Difficult? Curious. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Questions on Royal whiptails/stocking and temperature.
8/4/13
I think what I'll do is set up the 50 gallon, and get some oil catfish
if a world of fish can get them in. Do they need to be kept in groups?
<Absolutely, yes. Five at minimum.>
Would they take fruit flies at night, when/ time wise should I feed
them?
<Frozen foods (bloodworms, brine shrimps, krill, glassworms, etc.)
offered when the lights are out will be readily taken. They prefer to
feed in the dark, so a canopy of floating plants may be of great help
trapping foods where you can watch the fish feed as they would in the
wild. I find this works great with the ecologically similar Synodontis
nigriventris. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Questions on catfishes. 8/7/13
I was told that the oil catfish like current so they are out, all i plan
on using in this tank will be powerful sponge filters just in case any
fish breeds ( rams etc.) so I found some new catfish I'd like you to
tell me about.
Chocolate talking catfish- Acanthodoras spinosissimus
<A lovely fish. Good with Angels, Bolivian Rams and deep-bodied and
medium sized tetras (e.g., Lemon Tetras, Bleeding Heart Tetras, etc.).
Slightly risky with small, narrow-bodied fish like Neons. Unusually for
a thorny catfish it seems to be territorial and does well kept singly.
Extremely nocturnal though, so you won't see it much/ever.>
jaguar catfish - Liosomadoras oncinus
<A beautiful catfish for reasonably advanced aquarists, in fact one of
the classic species kept by catfish enthusiasts. Not difficult to keep,
assuming you have soft to medium-hard water (won't do well in hard
water).
But extremely nocturnal, so needs a shady aquarium. Predatory, though
peaceful. Good with Angels, Silver Dollars and similar-sized tankmates.
Bear in mind it gets to about 20 cm/8 inches, and is able to consume
fish up to the size of a Dwarf Gourami.>
White Cross Woodcat
<Trachelyopterus albicrux; not much traded, but basic care presumably
similar to the Starry (or Common) Woodcat, Trachelyopterus galeatus,
which makes a reasonably good aquarium fish if you have the space.
Decent current, low to middling temperatures, deep aquarium with lots of
shade.
Adult size around 20 cm/8 inches. Predatory, not aggressive as such but
boisterous and given to prowling the tank at night swallowing anything
bite-sized, so Starry Woodcats at least are kept with tankmates of
similar size, like Severums. May be kept singly or in groups. Not really
viable in your set up, though.>
I was wondering if any of these would be okay in a 50 gallon with rams,
tetras, Corys and an angelfish- would they outgrow the tank- eat the
tank mates.
<See above. Do review the list sent previously; I do suspect you'd get
the same kind of weird catfish vibe from one of the medium-sized
Callichthyidae, in particular Lepthoplosternum pectorale (Hoplosternum
pectorale in older aquarium books). Not too big, not too small, can be
kept singly, active by day, not predatory, quite outgoing, very
adaptable re:
water chemistry and temperature. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Questions on Acanthodoras spinosissimus
8/7/13
I really like the chocolate talking catfish, Acanthodoras spinosissimus.
<Is a nice fish, but all thorny catfish are strictly nocturnal, and
hardly ever come out by day.>
The other species you gave me Lepthoplosternum pectoral is too
drab for my taste.
<But at least you'll see it! Try keeping it away from the food at
feeding time. Do have a read here:
http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworld/shanesworld.php?article_id=261
This species is lively, hardy and breedable!>
But I have a few questions on chocolate talking catfish . Do they like
to be kept in groups or singly- I was told by planet catfish that they
could poison each other if kept together.
<Not likely. They seem to be solitary fish in small aquaria and
certainly do well kept singly, but most of these thorny catfish are
gregarious in the wild. More than likely they "fight" only insofar as
they squabble over hiding places. As for poisoning each other, there's
little/no evidence for this. Some thorny catfish have venom glands on
their pectoral fins, but
then so do a great variety of other catfish including species we don't
think of as venomous, such as the Callichthyidae (the Corydoras family).
I'd urge you to peruse the scientific literature if you're interested,
starting here:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/9/282
But these are strictly defensive weapons and never used offensively, and
provided the catfish isn't swallowed or otherwise placed in a
life-threatening situation, they generally don't use these venom glands
under aquarium conditions, and certainly don't have a mechanism for
squirting venom into the faces of other fish. These venom delivery
systems all work in the same way, puncturing the skin (typically in the
mouth) of a predator, and then allowing the venom to seep into the
resulting wound. Put another way, those Corydoras and Synodontis catfish
studied appear to have venom glands, yet no one is paranoid about
putting them in community tanks!
So basically think of their venom as an interesting curiosity but that's
all. Territorial catfish are more likely to damage each other through
physical attacks and/or social stress than mutual envenomation.>
How dangerous is the toxin created by these fish?
<Not. You have probably already kept venomous fish without worrying.
There's a slight risk handling any/all catfish because their spines can
create puncture wounds that become infected secondarily, and at least
some catfish produce enough venom to cause a painful sting (including
Corydoras) but most species produce so little venom they're no risk to
humans. The only exceptions would be those who react badly to animal
stings generally, such as bee stings, in which case soliciting advice
from a medical practitioner would be wise. At the very least, tell such
people not to man-handle your catfish!>
I don't want to put myself or my housemates in danger if they are really
bad/toxic. but at the same time they are really interesting. would
emperor tetras be okay with them as a tetra species too large to swallow
in my tank.
<Emperor Tetras would be find with both Acanthodoras spinosissimus and
Lepthoplosternum pectorale. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Help with Gymnothorax tile laying on back/abnormal
breathing, Now catfish sys., stkg.
One last question. Is the 30 gallon too small to keep 2 or 3
catfish that are 4-5 inches?
<Depends on the catfish species. For less active species it can be
sufficient. See
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlvstkind1.htm for
various catfishes and see
www.WetWebMedia.com/fwsubwebindex/pimelodids.htm
and
www.WetWebMedia.com/fwsubwebindex/pictuscatf.htm if you need
more info on your Pictus.>
Thanks again. This site is amazing. I learned from my mistake and
will read this site in detail before I buy anything else!
<Take care. Marco.>
Re: Help with Gymnothorax tile laying on back/abnormal breathing
Thank you so much! That information was exactly what I needed.
<Ah. good. You're welcome. Marco.>
Catfish and Guppies
10/16/11
Hello,
I have a 2 foot tank with mostly Guppies and a shoal each of Neon and
Glo-light Tetras and I am hoping to include a frog or 2, and catfish. I
was wondering if you could give me a list of Catfish which would be
compatible with my fish, no fin nippers, or ones that would definitely
outgrow my 2 foot tank.
I am aware most catfish would eat any fry and am going to buy nets and
plants for the fry so this should not be a problem. So could you please
list some catfish which would do best with my fish and tank, also
I'd like to know some interesting looking ones such as the Bumble
Bee type if you could, I will be very grateful for any advice or
ideas.
Many thanks,
Emmalene
<Your best bets would be Corydoras catfish, ideally the excellent
and easy to keep Peppered or Bronze Corydoras, in a school of at least
5 specimens because these are sociable fish that appreciate company of
their own kind.
Bristlenose Cats (Ancistrus sp.) are another option, a singleton being
a good choice and it would have some additional value as an
algae-eater. So far as oddball sorts go, Whiptail cats, Rhineloricaria
spp., are excellent choices. They're mildly territorial but you
could keep 3-4 without any problems. They consume a wide range of foods
despite their strange appearance, with algae wafers and catfish pellets
making fine staples.
Cheers, Neale.>
What sized aquarium, &
Cichlid/Catfish comp. 7/1/11
I am going to purchase an aquarium soon for large
cichlids.
<Fair enough.>
The fish I want are 1 red Oscar,
<Needs soft water; not aggressive when not spawning.>
1 jack Dempsey,
<Needs hard water; can be aggressive.>
1 convict,
<Also needs hard water; females more colourful than males and less
aggressive.>
1 Salvini,
<Also needs hard water; extremely aggressive; quality of specimens
in the trade nowadays pretty poor.>
6 silver dollars
<Need soft water.>
and 1 Pleco.
<What sort?>
All Male if I can.
<Good luck sexing juveniles'¦ male and female Oscars for
example are essentially identical and cannot be sexed outside of
spawning. Usually male cichlids are more aggressive than females, so
adding adult males to an aquarium usually ends up with bullied or dead
fish!>
Are then any type of catfish I can put with these
fish?
<Depends on the water chemistry. Are you keeping a hard water
collection or a soft water collection? How are you keeping nitrate
down? Above 20 mg/l, nitrate is a serious killer for Oscars especially
-- Hole-in-the-Head and Hexamita infections in particular. It may well
be that water quality will be better managed with fewer fish.>
What sized aquarium will I need.
<Which of your cichlids do you want to keep? A collection of hard
water Central Americans can work in 200 gallons/750 litres without too
much bother. Have done this with a Jaguar, a Midas, and a group of
Convicts, plus a Channel Catfish and a Gibbiceps Plec. Obviously you
wouldn't keep Oscars or Silver Dollars in a hard water Central
American community. Likewise, a 200 gallon tank could be a great home
for a harem of Cyphotilapia frontosa together with a few Tanganyikan
species of Synodontis.>
I am willing to buy up to 807 UK litre aquarium. It is 8x2x2. If I
can go smaller I would like to. That is just the maximum. Could I get
by with a 6x2x2 foot aquarium. Is there any room for more fish, and if
so what would you recommend. Thank you
<Do think more carefully about what it is you want to keep, rather
than a random collection of cichlids. Hope this helps, Neale.>
Re: What sized aquarium
On your first combo of fish, the hard water one could I sub a
Flowerhorn for the Midas. Sorry for the stupid questions.
<Yes, a Flowerhorn would be more or less equivalent to a Midas
cichlid, but do be aware of the problems associated with Flowerhorn
cichlids including inbreeding and the often-low quality of the
specimens offered for sale.
Cheers, Neale.>
Catfish sel. for Neotrop. Cichlid... comp.
- 8/1/10
Hello, I plan on getting a 75 to 100 gallon fish tank, which will have 1
red devil or Midas, but before I get them, what kind of catfish could I
get?
<Large Pterygoplichthys work well, e.g., Pt. gibbiceps, though this
assumes there's a good sized cave where the catfish can hide.
I've also kept a Midas Cichlid with a large Ictalurus catfish in a
200 gallon system.>
Electric?
<Nope. These are very much catfish for their own aquarium.>
And would tinfoil barbs or some kind of higher level fish work if they
were at least equal size or bigger then the Midas and put in
before?
<Nope. Midas Cichlids will harass and likely kill any midwater fish.
Do review the literature on Amphilophus spp.; the hybrids sold in pet
shops are not good "community" residents and males especially
often end up on
their own. Amphilophus lyonsi is an exception, if you can find it.
Plus, Tinfoil barbs need completely different water chemistry.>
Thanks
<Cheers, Neale>
Catfish Selection 2/28/07 Hello
WWM, <<Hello, Joe. Tom here.>> We currently have a 20
gallon aquarium with a Tetra Whisper Power Filter 20, 4 inch bubble
wand, and heater. The system has been going for about 8 weeks and
currently the pH reads 6.8, hardness 120 ppm, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, and
nitrates at 0 to 10 ppm after a 20% water change (done weekly), with
temperature at 78 degrees. <<I like the sounds of it,
Joe.>> There is currently some rusty/brownish algae growing on
the plants which I am guessing is caused by the use of the fluorescent
light for about 5-6 hours per day. <<Diatoms ("brown
algae"). Very common in new tanks and will dissipate/disappear on
its own. Nothing to worry about but rather unsightly.>> We
currently have 1 female Red Wag Platy, 1 female HI Fin Platy, 2 Female
Sunburst Mickey Mouse Platies, and 1 male Calico Platy and a varying
population of babies (currently about 5) and all seem healthy and
happy. The water is treated with dechlorinator and 1 Tbsp/5 gallons of
conditioning salt is added to the water. No salt is added when
replacing evaporated water. <<A Platy fan, eh? Good for you. Very
colorful and nice fish.>> My question is this. My kids would like
to add some more fish. I have told them we have room for 5 more perhaps
7 fish. I figured this would be a good population for this system. We
would like to add 2 more platies (we figure the more platies the
better) and perhaps 3 catfish. What type of catfish would you
recommend? Reading your site it seems Cory catfish and Otos are out
because of the salt or is this salt level tolerable? <<Joe, you
can reduce the salt level just a bit and the Corys would be fine. One
Tbsp./five gallons of water is tolerable for just about any fish but
cutting back just a bit wouldn't hurt. Maybe about 3/4 Tbsp./five
gallons.>> Plecos sound like they would get too large for this
tank size and I know the Chinese Algae Eater has no place in this tank.
<<Common Plecos would, indeed, get too large for this tank as
would most varieties. There are some very nice Plecos that remain
smaller but I think the Corys would be a better "fit" here,
Joe.>> So any advice on "bottom dwellers" would be
appreciated. Thank you, Joe <<Keep up the good work, Joe, and I
hope you all enjoy your new additions. Tom>>
Shovelnose catfish Is there a shovelnose catfish
that stays under 12 inches in length? <Mmm, Sorubim lima...> Or
do they are all get over the 2 feet mark? I worked in a pet store for
years and the only shovelnose I have ever encountered back then, were
the striped shovelnose that got over 2 feet in length. We used to warn
customers ahead of time before they purchased any fish that would get
fairly large. Anyway, I have been out of the aquarium circuit for a few
years now and I was doing research to keep myself updated. However,
each aquarium books seems to have their own set of rules to follow. One
book stated that the striped shovelnose catfish only reaches 8 inches
in length. <We know this is incorrect...> That is why I am asking
this question because I think the book is wrong. And this is also the
same book which stated Clown Knife fish would only really a maximum
length of 19 inches in captivity, but in the wild they grow to 4 feet.
I have seen plenty of 30 inch clown knife fish pass through the pet
store!!!! Let me know if there is a shovelnose cat that stays under 12
inches, thanks!!! Shannon <Plug the above name into Fishbase.org or
search the entire family of Pimelodidae... or see some on our site
here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/pimelodids.htm
Bob Fenner>
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