GIRAFFE NOSE CATFISH

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I don't know what y'all are feeding your G Cats but I've never seen one in an aquarium that is even close to 30" and I've seen quite a few. The biggest one I've seen in person was about 24" in an 8' long 300g at a local fish store. He was in the tank for several years at this size and always seemed active and happy.

I had one before I got out of the hobby a few years back, he was 12-15"(can't remember) and housed in a standard 125g. As a whole he was very active and happy(at least by appearance) but did need a wider tank by the time I sold him.

For most people a 180g would be more than sufficient as most people buy and sell their livestock through the years, or fish die due to illness, power outage, etc. If you end up keeping a G Cat from birth til natural death then yes, you may need a tank that is at least 8' x 3' but that will not happen for most.


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Yea I don't know what you guys are talking about. A 3' width tank is plenty big enough. We're not talking about an arowana that constantly swims and turns. The biggest they would get in captivity would be 30" and I've yet to see that. Buy the fish, he'll be fine.


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Good. It is the OP's business to choose from the opinions/info provided.
 
bassfisher91 said:
I can't tell you what to do but I'll put it this way, If a giraffe catfish was unfortunate enough to be imported into the pet trade, an 8 by 3(425 gallon) would be one of the best homes it could possibly hope for. People will tell you it needs more but lets be realistic here. It actually has a shot at a good life in that, unlike 99% of the other big catfish that are imported these days.
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I love and totally agree with this quote. Well said!

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Guys, I respect your opinions and this is not an argument IMO, just an exchange of opinions. But since you keep building up yours, I thought I'll throw in another 2 broken cents of mine.

-- There are various species of G-cats. Without a proper ID, this discussion is too washed out.
-- "Let's be realistic". If you have a barn only for a pony, try to avoid buying a Clytzedale :)
-- Whatever the final length of a fish is, the experts (scientists, ichthyologists, high-level keepers, Aquarium workers etc. kind of folks) say the rule of thumb is 4xL by 2xL footprint and for an active swimmer 6xL by 3xL, and that's at a minimum they say. It is prudent to heed experts.

Again, not trying to change anybody's mind or picking a fight. Just my thoughts, brothers!
 
This has become an interesting thread with some excellent thoughts and opinions and very good points made on both sides of the issue to many of which, I'm in agreement. First the science: There are at least 9 species within the genus auchenoglanis as a few subspecies as well. Some remain as small as 8" and some grow to over 30". The largest like a. occidentalis and subspecies of that species as well as a. wittei, are the giants and depending on the sex of the individual, females will be somewhat larger. As far as anecdotal experience I should mention that I've raised up and sold three species but in one case I raised a pair of the a. occidentalis cf. 'bouche' variety to 20" and sold the pair to an icthyologist with a 1000 gal. tank in the 'fish house' behind his house. Having contacted him 3 years after, he told me they grew to 36" and he passed them on to a friend with even bigger tanks. I wouldn't presume to make a specific judgement call regarding the initial question other than "maybe" might have been a better response than my initial one. There are always compromises that have to be made when considering any new fish. Perhaps the strongest argument for buying the fish when all things are considered is that the gentleman is already a serious fish keeper and more likely to have the expertise to give it the care and attention it deserves than anyone else that frequents the store, as stated by others. Without seeming hypocritical I did the same thing, I found a beautiful and rare 3" a.wittei at my LFS a year and a half ago and bought it knowing I wouldn't be able to house it for life but reckoned that the fish had the best chances in my tanks than with anyone else. The thing is that I have some great connections through MFK and felt I would be able to find it a larger home with an expert which is what happened a few weeks ago as the fish had reached 19". A large peaceful giraffe cat will fit nicely into a community tank of other large species as opposed to a large predator catfish which is a whole other subject. I suppose the bottom line is they are wonderful fish with great personalities, maybe you can keep it for life if it doesn't grow too large, even if you can't keep it for life it'll be good in your tank for a few years and you'll have time to either get a larger tank or find it a good home with someone who does...
 
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