Gulper catfish parameters?

[Hayden17]

Hi everyone, I got my first Gulper Catfish today after prepping a 40 gallon breeder for a month. I have everything he needs to be happy, and he has a nice, planted tank with driftwood and soft sand. My nitrites and ammonia are at 0ppm , but what are tolerable PH levels for the Gulper? Mine is currently at 7.0. I’ve heard that isn’t the best for them, but also that they are completely fine with that. Any opinions, and tips on how to lower PH without having to use buffer? (And yes, he does have Ich. They were nice enough to hold it for me for over a week, and It was an hour and a half drive from my house so they let me take it. Along with the necessary medication.)

 

[tlindsey]

Hi everyone, I got my first Gulper Catfish today after prepping a 40 gallon breeder for a month. I have everything he needs to be happy, and he has a nice, planted tank with driftwood and soft sand. My nitrites and ammonia are at 0ppm , but what are tolerable PH levels for the Gulper? Mine is currently at 7.0. I’ve heard that isn’t the best for them, but also that they are completely fine with that. Any opinions, and tips on how to lower PH without having to use buffer? (And yes, he does have Ich. They were nice enough to hold it for me for over a week, and It was an hour and a half drive from my house so they let me take it. Along with the necessary medication.)

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Welcome aboard
Did the lfs store go over the instructions and warnings for the medication they gave you. If the lfs didn't you could have killed your live bacteria in your filter.
Suggest never purchase sick fish. The lfs should have denied the sale of the Gulper.
The 7.0 ph is fine no need to buffer.
What was your Nitrate reading?

 

[Midwater]

Suggest never purchase sick fish. The lfs should have denied the sale of the Gulper.

+1

And yes, he does have Ich. They were nice enough to hold it for me for over a week

No they were not nice enough. They took advantage of you.

 

[Hayden17]

+1



No they were not nice enough. They took advantage of you.

No it wasn’t like that, It had been a planned a trip up there for over a week when i had my next day off, and they agreed to hold it. Someone went behind the Catfish’s primary care person and fed it a bad goldfish, that’s how it got ich. I insisted that it was ok, and that I could treat it at home myself.

 

[Hayden17]

Welcome aboard
Did the lfs store go over the instructions and warnings for the medication they gave you. If the lfs didn't you could have killed your live bacteria in your filter.
Suggest never purchase sick fish. The lfs should have denied the sale of the Gulper.
The 7.0 ph is fine no need to buffer.
What was your Nitrate reading?

Just tested them, Nitrates are also at 0ppm. And just like I told midwater, I’ve been planning this trip for a while and insisted on taking in the sick fish. Only after that he offered to knock the price down, because he also knew my situation.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Ours have been at pH ~7.4. Seemed ok. The problems we had didn't seem connected to the pH but the diet.

Beautiful tank, great job.

Ich is no biggie and most usually goes away without aquarist doing anything, if the fish is stress-free, but in general I'd agree with the peers above - it's bad idea to buy sick fish.

With the current gas prices, it might be cheaper to buy from vendor and have your gulper shipped to your door than drive 3 hours.

 

[Hayden17]

Ours have been at pH ~7.4. Seemed ok. The problems we had didn't seem connected to the pH but the diet.

Beautiful tank, great job.

Ich is no biggie and most usually goes away without aquarist doing anything, if the fish is stress-free, but in general I'd agree with the peers above - it's bad idea to buy sick fish.

With the current gas prices, it might be cheaper to buy from vendor and have your gulper shipped to your door than drive 3 hours.

Thank you! I had a lot of fun setting it up. And I know Ich isn’t a huge deal, I just wanted to address it in case anyone noticed it in the picture. But the reason I drove so far in the first place is because it was the closest fish store that had a Gulper lol. I called everywhere within an hour of my house, and they were the only ones who had one. So either way, it most likely would’ve had to make an hour+ drive to get here even if I had it shipped, so I figured I’d grab it myself.