Yes it can shock you, do you need insulated gloves etc? probably not. It's like one of those gag buzzer pens at small size and still not that bad even at 12", not something you'd want to experience over and over but tolerable. It's believed the E-Cat discharge weakens the fish a little which may or may not be true but I found that my E-Cat once accustomed to my presence in the tank for cleanings etc would venture extremely close to my hand and never shocked me. I hand fed it nightcrawlers frequently and it also fed well on frozen blood worms and market shrimp. The catfish decides if it wants to shock, it is not a full time thing and it also decides how bad it wants to shock you. I've tested this and confirmed it can vary the degree of the discharge.
^^ Malapterurus Electricus 36" Max length. I've got a pic at home of one this big from the wild. This is what about 99.9% of the ones in the trade are. The other is the dwarf variety, Malapterurus Microstoma, and I've only seen maybe 2 people keep these on the forums period. Both were in Asia. There are 8 confirmed species of E-Cats at the moment but I've only seen 2 in the trade.
This is a terrible idea and all around just plain dumb. These are not meant to be mixed with other fish aside from Synodontis catfish. If you don't believe me, wait and see; The E-Cat will eventually shock and kill the other fish the first time they cross the E-Cat in a way it doesn't appreciate.
As many have said, sand bottom with rock hiding places are preferred. I found my E-Cat to be very active both day and night and to co-exist with Synodontis Flavitaeniatus and Synodontis Multipunctatus just fine for over a year, I tried a native fish in that same tank as a test fish...it didn't make it 24hrs before the E-cat killed it.
If you want more information about them check here -> http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=109 or search my old threads about Jimmy the E-Cat.
~Trent
