ID shark tankmates?

[npaetsch]

I know these guys can stay with a lot of things. But I want something with color and movement that will not tear him up. He is 15 inches long and I have had him for 7 year and the guy I got him from had him for a few before that so I don't want to stress him out to much. Any help would be very helpful.

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[fwprawn]

You can keep him with anything that isn't overly aggressive - such as the larger cichlids, or medium size cichlid. Anything else goes, basically.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I agree with the answer above.

They are gentle, timid, and very nervous kind of fish highly prone to being spooked, darting and bashing into walls and thus injuring themselves, sometimes killing.

They are one of the most active swimmers among catfish and hence require 1.5 times more space than other same size cats at a minimum.

Small tank vs big pond makes a LOT of difference in regard to their overall comfort and the tank mate selection. I have had about a dozen of IDSs in my 4000 gal pond with a 100 of other fish with no major issues. See 5 pages of photos here, if you will, to see what pond mates I have had with mine: http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=29488&hilit=+pet+catfish

10 year old IDS that's 15" sounds strange. All of mine and of other keepers I know hit 2' in 1-2 years easily. The poor thing must have been terribly stunted.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I think I can suggest a peacock bass (which is, ironically, one of the largest cichlids )but they grow big and thick and we don't know the size of your tank.

 

[rwellbaum]

i also agree with the above posts

 

[npaetsch]

He was very stunted when I got him. He was in a 55 and was 10 inches long and had been in there for god know how long. That's the reason I bought him. He is in a 220 right now and has room to move freely and I don't think he is getting any bigger. Because he has not grown in over a year.

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[thebiggerthebetter]

Nice tank for him! Good job!

Not that it matters but the tank (yours is likely 8'x2' footprint) would not be able to house a normal IDS properly, IMO.

 

[WoodsNinja187]

I agree with peacock, a dat wouldn't be a bad choice either, i really haven't had issues with them being pushy towards other fish, although dats get rough with each other they pretty good with other fish. I 'd just keep em a little smaller anyway and let him be the big dog in the tank.