Aggressive little catfish - tankmate ideas?

[Romeowns]

Here's some pictures. Turns out he's actually only about 4.5 to 5 inches long. I often find that I over estimate things around that size, wildly exaggerating both the girth and prowess - as is the case with "Mr Mystus".


Click here for pictures of my Two Spot Catfish - Mystus Micracanthus (I believe)

 

[FavCatfish]

Nice catfish, but the guppies are gonna be dinner...

You should get a big tank even if he stay small like the page you brought up suggests. Especially if you want to add another tank mate. Rule for catfish is usual a tank mate bigger than the catfishs mouth will survive but there have been many many times where thats not the case...

 

[Romeowns]

What about a the 6 Glowlight Tetras, they're fully grown and about an inch long and quite stocky. Are the tetras known to be fin nippers? As I wouldn't want to repeat the pet shops mistake regarding the Odessa Barbs.

 

[ahodge84]

That's a nice little cat. As other folks have already suggested, the 14ish gallon tank might be a little on the small side for him - I would look into getting a tank about twice that size, so he has more bottom space to prowl. It might be wise to search for used aquariums in your area through classified ads, online searches, etc.

As for the glowlight tetras, I have owned them before and do not recall any fin-nipping. That appears to be more of a barb thing than a tetra thing. However, even at 1" and being 'robust,' they are easily bite-sized for your boy. Catfishes can surprise you with how big of a fish they can eat. I would try to get something about his size once you upgrade.