*I wanted to write this thread on my Chinese wels as there are not a lot of online resources/threads that go in depth (there are a few on here). Hopefully I can update growth, feeding, and other things to come.*
So a while back, I bought a group of 3 chinese wels (want to specify these ARE NOT GLANIS) from Rodrigo. They came in late September. Now, November 21, 2022, I am left with one. My first mistake was housing the 3 together. It does not matter with these catfish, no matter how many visual obstructions/barriers you provide, they will hunt each other down. From what little experience I have under my belt, I can say they are very, very hardy as are most in the Wels/silurus family. I will post picture underneath, He has been growing very much. He came in at around 3.5". Mr. Whiskers (AS named by my little cousins) is a small fish but one with one of the most ferocious appetites of any fish I have for his size. He fattened up all of October with steady feeding of Massivore, tilapia, smelt, krill, and the occasional blood worms when I have them. He also readily accepts algae wafers. Although they come from colder waters, they are, like their cousins, very temperature tolerant. From my understanding or lack there of, (Wes from rare fish could elaborate more on this) there are more than one Silurus species that are native to Chinese waters. Chinese Wels resemble their much larger cousins in Europe more than ones like the Asotus. Regarding temperature, I have had a lot of success with keeping him in warm waters. I have talked to other people who run seasonal cycles to either rise or lower temperature by a few degrees, but I have found that his growth has been consistent since I got him when keeping him at a steady 79-81 degrees. He has grown from 3.5" to just under 7" more than doubling his girth. The tank is in my kitchen right near a window, so air drafts are expected and they do happen especially here in a place like NJ. I've observed Mr. Whiskers at night, where he becomes much more active. He swims around in the water column, moving his whiskers back and forth, side to side as if he is hunting for some prey. I have not tried nor do I plan to try anymore tank mates, unless I come across a large Gibbs or adonis pleco for his future tank. I plan to add some photos later showing his growth from early on continuing from today on. Hope you guys will enjoy this thread.
So a while back, I bought a group of 3 chinese wels (want to specify these ARE NOT GLANIS) from Rodrigo. They came in late September. Now, November 21, 2022, I am left with one. My first mistake was housing the 3 together. It does not matter with these catfish, no matter how many visual obstructions/barriers you provide, they will hunt each other down. From what little experience I have under my belt, I can say they are very, very hardy as are most in the Wels/silurus family. I will post picture underneath, He has been growing very much. He came in at around 3.5". Mr. Whiskers (AS named by my little cousins) is a small fish but one with one of the most ferocious appetites of any fish I have for his size. He fattened up all of October with steady feeding of Massivore, tilapia, smelt, krill, and the occasional blood worms when I have them. He also readily accepts algae wafers. Although they come from colder waters, they are, like their cousins, very temperature tolerant. From my understanding or lack there of, (Wes from rare fish could elaborate more on this) there are more than one Silurus species that are native to Chinese waters. Chinese Wels resemble their much larger cousins in Europe more than ones like the Asotus. Regarding temperature, I have had a lot of success with keeping him in warm waters. I have talked to other people who run seasonal cycles to either rise or lower temperature by a few degrees, but I have found that his growth has been consistent since I got him when keeping him at a steady 79-81 degrees. He has grown from 3.5" to just under 7" more than doubling his girth. The tank is in my kitchen right near a window, so air drafts are expected and they do happen especially here in a place like NJ. I've observed Mr. Whiskers at night, where he becomes much more active. He swims around in the water column, moving his whiskers back and forth, side to side as if he is hunting for some prey. I have not tried nor do I plan to try anymore tank mates, unless I come across a large Gibbs or adonis pleco for his future tank. I plan to add some photos later showing his growth from early on continuing from today on. Hope you guys will enjoy this thread.
any help is much appreciated so I can post some pics of my Silurus! Thanks
