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Cephalosilurus apurensis (Advice)

T

Tain

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Hello!

I'm interested in getting a Cephalosilurus apurensis (Apure Jelly Catfish) and since there are a lot of knowledgeable people here, I thought I might be lucky enough to find someone with personal experience of keeping one.

I intend to setup a new tank for this beast and my question is pretty straightforward: How big does it really need? Hard to find any real answers and I want to make sure I do it right. I've been thinking in the 150-190G range, is that reasonable for a whole lifespan? If not I'll probably have to pass because I dont think I can go much bigger than that for now.

Also, how old do these get? It seems hard to find any real info on that aswell.

Any advice for keeping these (preferably from own experience), aswell as constructive criticism if I'm having a naive approach to keeping this catfish, would be much appreciated.


Thanks in advance,
Tain
 
Tain said:
Hello!

I'm interested in getting a Cephalosilurus apurensis (Apure Jelly Catfish) and since there are a lot of knowledgeable people here, I thought I might be lucky enough to find someone with personal experience of keeping one.

I intend to setup a new tank for this beast and my question is pretty straightforward: How big does it really need? Hard to find any real answers and I want to make sure I do it right. I've been thinking in the 150-190G range, is that reasonable for a whole lifespan? If not I'll probably have to pass because I dont think I can go much bigger than that for now.

Also, how old do these get? It seems hard to find any real info on that aswell.

Any advice for keeping these (preferably from own experience), aswell as constructive criticism if I'm having a naive approach to keeping this catfish, would be much appreciated.


Thanks in advance,
Tain
Click to expand...

Welcome.aboard
 
Welcome to the MFK! Great first post. I love everything about it, 100%.

If you haven't yet, you could read about my experience and let me know if you have questions: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...et-yesterday-4-apurensis.678274/#post-7624514

what tankmates for Cephalosilurus apurensis? - PlanetCatfish.com

Images are copyright and may not be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder.
www.planetcatfish.com www.planetcatfish.com

This is a fish, an ambush predator, that is one of the most sedentary of all we keep. Even at 2 feet, it could be ok in a 200-ish gal. It's actually much more fun to keep it in a smaller tank for the keeper (versus e.g. 4500 gal where mine lives now) because the close interaction with it will bring you much pleasure and unforgettable moments.

Just feed it right (per my thread).

IDK how long they live. I'd expect 20-50 years.

...

There are other prominent and outspoken long-term keepers on MFK. You'd be well advised to read @koltsixx posts on the fish, such as those in this thread: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...eri-vs-c-apurensis.664966/page-3#post-7758981

Another is @Yellowcat https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...-else-have-a-cephalosilurus-apurensis.503454/

Also Wolfgang Ross's article on the fish, if you can find it.
 
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Thanks guys! Great, helpful replies. I really do appreciate it.

If I were to get one in the near future I was thinking about maybe starting out with a smaller tank, like 75G, that I could later use as a quarantine tank or something when upgrading to something around 200G (I'm aware that they grow big quite quickly).

My main concern though is that I question whether or not my decision to get this creature is based more on the wow-factor than the long term well-being of the fish. Am I thinking too big in terms of getting a predatory Catfish? Is a semi-large tank really enough, especially when thinking long term? Idk I'm just really drawn to most things about it, even the fact that it would be more or less completely solitary living is a +.

With that being said, if someone has a more suitable species in mind, feel free to come with suggestions. I'd be more than happy to check those out. I was looking at species like Pseudopimelodus bufonius (Giant Bumblebee Catfish) earlier but no one really caught my attention like the Apurensis...
 
I believe you could be fine with a 200 gal, so long the width is at least 2 feet and your filtration is strong, like a large sump, I don't think HOB filters would suffice as at 2' this fish can and should eat a pound or two at a time.

If you see the evidence of discomfort, which I doubt, you should have no problems rehoming the fish to a peer with a larger tank.

You can study the Cat-eLog on Planet Catfish. Very helpful.

Have you ever looked at Chaca chaca? Trachycorystes trachycorystes?

Look at @Yellowcat posts, he kept all kinds of Pseudopims.
 
@thebiggerthebetter
Yeah I was also thinking that a large sump might be the best option. I guess I have some planning to do now.

My personal experience is that it's often difficult to find good info on catfishes (apart from the most common ones). So having people like yourself and others on here with the amount of knowledge/experience of keeping various species is really valuable. I'm certain that there are many people outside this forum that also find it very helpful when they stumble across your posts.

Btw, great suggestions. I hadn't seen the Trachycorystes trachycorystes before.
 
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