Due to a tank cracking I had to move some fish into to my 6" electric cats tank, has anyone ever had success keeping a small E cat with other fish. Will the cat shock fish even if their not bothering him or will they all get along as long as everyone plays nice? Also when the cat shocks, will it hit the whole tank or just the fish in contact with the cat?
Electric cat with other fish?
- Thread starter aidenb
- Start date
aidenb;4706702; said:
I'd say keep the e-cat well fed. I saw them in tanks with fish twice. The first time, the 3" e-cat was hiding in a cave and munching on a dead pile of african cichlids infront of the cave.
The second one was about a foot and in a 55 gallon tank with similar sized CA cichlids.
They only shock what they touch. If you have an aggressive individual it won't work, but I think that most of the time they kill fish to eat them rather than just to kill.
So far everyone is getting on fine, the cat and my tiger crayfish have an ongoing feud over a hiding spot the cray took over where the cray pinches the cat and the cat shocks the cray until one gives up but other than that I have seen very little in the way of aggression between the fish in the tank
I think you should get the other fish out as soon as possible. Mine has always seemed to go through phases where he doesn't bother other residents then he -can't- because there AREN'T any more residents.. Seems to be growth spurt related. He still has some glass cats living with him but they've learned to avoid him when he starts patrolling bottom to top.
He also paralyzed a weather loach and waited a full month before suddely eating him and the other loach in the same night. A school of 8 adult silver tip tetras lasted a week (he was only 4") and then 6 were gone one morning.
A synodontis petricola lived with him for nearly a year and grew from and inch or less to near 4", used to follow him around, sleep in the Ecat's cave and everything, then just gone.
Sometimes he'll leave guppies alone for a week or two then eat dozens overnight.
Seriously, don't trust him with anything you aren't okay with being fish food.
BTW, when I still thought he might be able to have tankmates I tried overfeeding him, he just pooped more, they still get eaten.
*edit -I have heard semi-succesful stories with african cichlids, makes sense, but none others long term. They still get shocked and occasionally eaten.
He also paralyzed a weather loach and waited a full month before suddely eating him and the other loach in the same night. A school of 8 adult silver tip tetras lasted a week (he was only 4") and then 6 were gone one morning.
A synodontis petricola lived with him for nearly a year and grew from and inch or less to near 4", used to follow him around, sleep in the Ecat's cave and everything, then just gone.
Sometimes he'll leave guppies alone for a week or two then eat dozens overnight.
Seriously, don't trust him with anything you aren't okay with being fish food.
BTW, when I still thought he might be able to have tankmates I tried overfeeding him, he just pooped more, they still get eaten.
*edit -I have heard semi-succesful stories with african cichlids, makes sense, but none others long term. They still get shocked and occasionally eaten.
Saterus;4712194; said:
+1
Ecats can not be trusted. I had good luck with mine several years ago. He was about 4" or so with a large red hook sd. They got along just fine untill I moved the rhsd out. I then put in a FH. Big mistake. The next day it was paralyzed(bent in half). Then died a week later. I have not been able to keep any thing else with Homer sence then. He is now about 14".
Industrial;4709094; said:
This is completely untrue. I have kept Electric up to 12" in the past and when they shock it shocks the whole tank, it is more intense the closer to the fish you are or with direct contact but if it zaps the tank you can feel it anywhere you're touching the water.
I kept a larger E-Cat 8-12" with 5 synodontis catfish for about a year safely together. I believe the Synodontis are immune to the E cats shock which might make sense considering they are found in similar river systems. I kept 3 syno multipunctatus and 2 syno flavitaeniatus with mine. If you need any more information search my older threads about "Jimmy" my electric catfish
will do, when the tank cracked it was either put my small fish in with the monsters in my 180 or with the small electric cat in his tank, I felt more comfortable putting them with the E cat then having them likely get eaten. Now that they are in their new tank i'm thinking of getting a Syno. decorus to live with the E cat.
Anything smaller than the cat is at risk.
I dont think anything on earth is immune to electric shock, and big wild ecats can stun humans.
I would watch what you put with this fish, and not get too attached to it.
I dont think anything on earth is immune to electric shock, and big wild ecats can stun humans.
I would watch what you put with this fish, and not get too attached to it.