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FAQs on Pimelodid Catfish Systems
Related Articles: Pimelodid
Catfishes,
Related FAQs:
Pimelodid Catfishes 1,
Pimelodid Cats 2, & FAQs on:
Pimelodid Identification,
Pimelodid Behavior,
Pimelodid Compatibility,
Pimelodid Selection,
Pimelodid Feeding,
Pimelodid Disease, Pimelodid Reproduction,
& Red Tail Cats (Phractocephalus),
Pictus Cats,
Shovelnose Catfishes (Pseudoplatystoma, Sorubim, Sorubimichthys...),
& Catfish FAQs: Identification,
Behavior,
Compatibility,
Selection,
Systems,
Feeding,
Disease,
Reproduction, |
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A BIG Catfish, sys.
1.. We have a South American Redtail Catfish that is about 20" long and has
outgrown our 90 gallon tank. We need any advise that you can give us as he
really needs a larger environment than a home tank. We can't get any response
from the closest fish aquarium.
>>
Ahh, Phractocephalus hemioliopterus... don't I remember my pimelodid
catfishes... Yes this fish does get at least 80 pounds (have seen them in the
wild this big... and at least half that in captivity)... Other than pleading
with people to not keep these too-big animals... feed them sparingly (to limit
their rapid growth)... And then, at your stage: to call their local BIG fish
stores, and public aquariums... to see if they can use (another) Red Tail Cat,
Arowana, Pacu...
So, I'd either get a humongous tank (with a very sturdy top... most of these
cats perish from jumping out), feed the animal sparingly from now on... and/or
call those shops, public institutions.
Bob Fenner who really likes large fishes... but whose wife won't let him
silicone glass over the front door and fill the house up with water...
Red tail catfish
Two weeks ago yesterday, I moved a red tail catfish from a 55 gallon tank
into a new 125 gallon tank. The fish is approximately 20 inches long and
had a great appetite prior to the move. Since the move, it has eaten
almost nothing and has made the tank a relatively safe place for the
goldfish now swimming with it. Other than the loss of appetite and
associated weight loss, the fish seemed perfectly healthy and active
until yesterday. While
still active, it now has what seems to be a reddish growth or swollen
gland above and to the right of its mouth. The ph is between 7.2 and
7.4. It was higher, but I've been using ph Down to lower it. The water
temperature is between 78 and 80 degrees.
In addition to the goldfish, I've tried to feed it shrimp, silversides
and floating cichlid sticks. I don't know what to do next. Any insight
will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Joe Agresti
<Joe, this is a large fish (4+ feet), at 20in he has pretty much out
grown the 125gal. This fish may have been/still be suffering from
nitrate poisoning, did he ever exhibit any yawning behavior? Water
quality is always going to be an issue with big messy fish in small
tanks. Large weekly water changes and larger tank will be needed. As
far as the feeding issue, he should come around in time, it is not
uncommon for large predatory fishes to refuse food after a move. Best
Regards, Gage>
Re: red tail catfish
Thank you. What size tank would you recommend?
<To live a long happy life it would need over 1000 gallons. I'd go with a large
rubber lined pond in the basement with good filtration. That way if the
neighbors cats get out of line you can make them disappear. -Gage>
Thanks
Joe Agresti
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Big Fish, Big Tanks....
Hello
<Hi, Richard>
I have a rather large Tiger Shovelnose catfish, about 18 inches.
<Hate to break it to yah, but that's still a rather small tiger
shovelnose.... with an ultimate size of three and a half feet....>
He is currently in a 150 gallon tank with a 12 inch Pleco which he doesn't
bother. I had 2 large(10 inch) Tinfoil Barbs in with him but had to remove them
from the tank because the shovelnose was attacking them when the lights went
out.
<They certainly have quite an appetite, but attacking 10-inch Tinfoils is a bit
extraordinary! Wow!>
Knowing that the tiger will grow some more I'm in process of getting a 300
gallon tank for him, and I was wondering what would make good tank mates for him
and the Pleco? I would like maybe 3 more fish to add to the 300 with the tiger
and the Pleco.
<A favorite fishy haunt of mine in Wichita, KS held a 2000 gallon (give or take
- HUGE) tank in which lived a large (really, a full three feet) tiger
shovelnose, an even larger planiceps shovelnose, a couple of two foot Plecos, a
couple Pacu, and three (monstrous) Arowana; everyone lived with some semblance
of peace - or, rather, I never saw any grave injuries on any of the
fish. Perhaps for a tank of 300 gallons, you might be able to consider a few
good sized Pacu?>
Any advice would be greatly welcomed. Thank you, Richard
<Just be aware that your lovely beastie does have the potential to get *really*
big! Hope all goes well, -Sabrina>
Setting Up A Tank For Shovelnose Cat 12/5/05
Dear WWM, I am in the process of setting up a new tank, and am interested
in collecting two specimens of Sorubim lima. My tank is 75 gallons and is
4foot long and has an Eheim pro 2 external and an internal Juwel standard. I
read on planet Catfish that they recommend 3 in a 55 gal tank.
I was wondering if this is accurate just to get a second opinion. I am also
considering keeping a humbug catfish Platydoras costatus as well. I would
like also to add a mid water species in the tank, and would be very grateful
if you could advise an appropriate fish. I was looking at either Severums or
torpedo barbs or maybe the glass cat.
Thank you for any information you can send me as I'm finding it hard to get
info for Sorubim lima regarding other fish. Best Regards Ben
< Those guys at Planetcatfish.com know their stuff. If there is any
misinformation on that site then they hear about it pretty quickly. When you
add fish with these guys it is really a two way street. As long as the tank
mates can't be eaten and have the same water requirements then the tank
mates will do fine. On the other hand you don't want species that will pick
at the whiskers of the catfish. I would go with the barbs. You need to make
sure that the cats will get enough to eat. barbs are pretty fast
eaters.-Chuck>
Catfish Stocking 12/12/05
Hi there, I've been lurking around your FAQ section to see if I could find
any information about the actual appropriate tank size for the Sorubim lima
(Shovelnose) catfish. The reason why I ask is because I am very interested
as having three or two of these very cool cats, as tankmates for my Senegal
Bichir. As of now I have a 48''x14''x14'' tank that my friend gave me to get
me started in the aquarium hobby. In fact, he has kept four S. limas in this
very tank, and stated that they lived long healthy lives before he moved
into his now smaller home and had to get rid of them. The S. limas he had
were all between 10'' - 13'' and were about full 'aquarium size', though
they can get about two feet in the wild. I figured I would be fine for at
least two years before I wanted to upgrade to the 120 - 180 gallon tank of
my dreams. Please confirm that I have nothing to worry about. I would hate
knowing that I was subjecting an animal to poor conditions, when everyone I
know that is aquarium wise keep telling me that I'll be fine with those
stock levels (x1 P. senegalus 12in., x3 S. limas 12 in.). I think I might be
just paranoid. Thanks a lot for any information you give me.
- Red
<This should work just fine as long as you stay on top of your water
changes. Try to get the Limas small and let them grow together. And be aware
they will eat any fish that will fit in their mouths. Don>
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A couple of questions, pimelodid... sys.,
comp.
7/13/07
Hello!
<<Good morning, Meghan. Tom here.>>
First I'd like to say that I love your site. I find it extremely useful and most
of my questions have been answered.
<<Very happy to hear this, Meghan, and thank you.>>
That aside, I can't seem to find much on pictus catfish. I got him about 2
months ago from a pet store that assured me he would be fine in a 7 gallon tank.
<<Not hardly! These guys need lots of swimming room. Far, far more than a
7-gallon tank could possibly afford.>>
He was about an inch or two long, and I had no idea just how big these guys can
get. He's now maybe 3 or 4 inches, and I noticed about 2 weeks ago that he's
started swimming in circles following his reflection.
<<Going stir-crazy, no doubt.>>
I went to the store (a different one from the one I got him in) to ask why he
might be doing this and the fish person was horrified that he was in the small
tank he was in. She said he needed to be in at least a 30 gallon or it could
kill him.
<<I’d go even higher than this but the lady was absolutely correct.>>
I don't want to kill him so I talked to my fiancé and we decided to get a bigger
tank, which we set up yesterday and are in the process of cycling. It is a 75
gallon with live plants and we were advised to use stress zyme so that it will
cycle faster.
<<Wonderful decision on the tank, Meghan! (Your fiancé gets credit, too!) As for
the Stress Zyme, there are a number of factors that determine how quickly a tank
will cycle. Depending on how heavily planted the tank is, this alone may be just
as effective at speeding things up as adding the Stress Zyme. No harm either
way, however.>>
I plan on transferring my pictus along with my Chinese algae eater in about a
week to this new tank.
<<I’ll reserve my comments on the CAE but I’ll confess that I’m not a fan of
these fish.>>
I have been researching tankmates since I finished setting up my system and I
can't find anything anywhere that answers what will safely live with these two.
<<Maybe I won’t reserve my comments after all. Your Pictus is a “natural”
predator, insects primarily but not entirely. Larger South American Cichlids do
quite well with these fish as they’ll grow too large for the Pictus to bother
with. Smaller fish like Neons would be on the menu, however. (Just about
anything that will fit in its mouth should be avoided.) Your CAE is another
story. Angelfish, for example, would get along well with your catfish but would
likely become a target for the CAE, which is well-known to attach itself to the
bodies of slower moving fish and feed on the slime coating/flesh of its
“victims”. Not a pleasant creature and one I heartily recommend against keeping,
by and large. This isn’t to say that some folks don’t keep these fish without a
problem but I don’t consider it a worthwhile risk, personally.>>
I currently have them with some danios and mollies, which will be moved to a 30
gallon as soon as my fiancé's parents bring it over.
<<Good. The Mollies aren’t compatible with the Pictus where water conditions are
concerned preferring alkaline water over the softer, more acidic water that the
Pictus enjoys. The Danios, of course, are less picky about their conditions but,
depending on their sizes, might be viewed as a challenging "treat" down the
line.>>
I really like cichlids and I was wondering how well that combination will work
out.
<<As I mentioned, Meghan, Cichlids would do well with your Pictus but choose
appropriately. Not all Cichlids are “created equal” and the African varieties
need far different water (hard, alkaline) parameters than do their South
American cousins.>>
I also have wanted to get an Oscar for awhile but I don't know how well these
will work with my pictus since they tend to be aggressive fish.
<<The huge benefit you have working for you here is the size of your tank.
Oscars can, indeed, be aggressive animals but I don’t think they would find your
Pictus to be an inviting target. In fact, a group of Pictus would do very nicely
with an Oscar since Pictus prefer to shoal.>>
I was wondering if you could give me some suggestions as to what would work best
with these two. I was also wondering if I should consider getting a second
pictus once my tank is up and running or if he will be better as the only one
there.
<<Rather than getting too specific, Meghan, I’ve given you a broader grouping of
fish, i.e. the South American Cichlids, to look at. (Everyone has his/her own
tastes, after all.) My only admonition here would be to select fish that grow
suitably large. As for a second, third or fourth Pictus, be my guest. As stated,
these are shoaling fish and do fine in groups. Better than alone, frankly.>>
Thanks a bunch for your time!
Meghan
<<Hope this helps a bit, Meghan. Congrats on the new tank and best of luck in
the future to you and your fiancé. Tom>>
Re: A couple of questions, pimelodid... sys.,
comp. 7/13/07
<<Hello again, Meghan.>>
After thinking and talking it over, we have decided to get 2 more pictus and an
Oscar.
<<Sounds good, Meghan.>><RMF would NOT do this... too likely the Pictus will be
damaged, end up stuck in the Oscars mouth.>
I was wondering if you had any recommendations as far as what type of Oscar and
where to get them.
<<Oscars (Astronotus ocellatus) come in a variety of coloration schemes due to
selective breeding, Meghan. Once again, this is really a subjective choice on
the parts of you and your fiancé. The so-called Pink (Albino?) Oscar is rumored
to be about the least aggressive of them but I’m afraid I have no first-hand
knowledge of this. I'm a little biased toward Red Oscars just for their
coloration but that's me.>>
Should we go through the local PetSmart or order them online?
<<Skip PetSmart, Meghan. If you don’t have a local LFS that you trust, a
reputable e-tailer is the much better choice. I have a local LFS that I do
business with exclusively so I’m not the best one to ask regarding online
ordering but a little research should put you on the right track. I know from
other WWM members that there are a good number of very reputable e-tailers
available but I’ve not, personally, done business with any of these.>>
I doubt it, but I was curious also if I could fit a few other cichlids in the
tank or just leave it at these fish.
<<I would resist the temptation, Meghan. A full-size Oscar is going to command
even your 75-gallon tank, the Pictus notwithstanding. Better to leave your
stocking levels as you see them now.>>
And finally, should I add the 2 pictus and Oscar at the same time, or stagger
it?
<<The rule-of-thumb here is to add the more aggressive fish later. What you want
to avoid, of course, is allowing your Oscar to “claim” the tank and, then, add
new fish afterward. That said, I would be terribly remiss if I didn't highly
recommend quarantining your fish before adding them to your display tank. We,
too frequently, kind of gloss over this procedure but it's absolutely the best
way to ensure that the main tank is getting "healthy" additions. I would go with
the Pictus first, in this case, and then the Oscar. If quarantining isn't
feasible, you shouldn't have a problem adding the three together.>>
Thank you again,
Meghan
<<You’re very welcome. Good luck! Tom>>
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