I need help picking a catfish (or a group of them)

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Plec123

Plec123

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jun 26, 2009
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North Jersey
my dad said i cant get a new separater tank for a puffer, so ive decided to look at the wonderful world of catfish. I think ive got an idea of what i want but any and all ideas/opinions/help would be appreciated.

tank is:

38gal freshwater:
filter- ac110
plants- crypts, anubias nana, small java fern
decor- driftwood/bogwood
temp- 78-81˚F
pH- 6.4-6.8
fish- 1 angel
1 ruby shark
1 BN plec
1 clown plec
1 whiptail cat
1 swordtail
small group of red & blue Colombian tetras

ive been thinking about getting one of the following choices:
6 south american bumblebee cats
3 banjo cats
2-3 spotted raphael catrs
2 striped raphael cats
1 spotted pictus
1 black/asian upside down cat?
1 giant bumblebee cat?
1 lima shovelnose?

opinions on the listed fish, particularly the ones with "?"s after their names would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance to anyone who can help!:D
btw if a fish cant go in my tank cause it will eat my other fish, i am able to get rid of the fish that may be eaten.
 
Hi there , I haven't owned any of the catfish you mentioned but from personal experience the best catfish I have ever owned was a albino channel catfish I got him and he was about 2 inches long over about 2 years he got to be in the 14 inch range so you would have to put him in a bigger tank or just not mess with them .... I got a blue catfish now in with my oscars and he quite the character as well best of luck with your decision .... and no fair teasing about bacon and crepes ... sounds yummy! =)
 
Plec123;3509954; said:
my dad said i cant get a new separater tank for a puffer, so ive decided to look at the wonderful world of catfish. I think ive got an idea of what i want but any and all ideas/opinions/help would be appreciated.

tank is:

38gal freshwater:
filter- ac110
plants- crypts, anubias nana, small java fern
decor- driftwood/bogwood
temp- 78-81˚F
pH- 6.4-6.8
fish- 1 angel
1 ruby shark
1 BN plec
1 clown plec
1 whiptail cat
1 swordtail
small group of red & blue Colombian tetras

ive been thinking about getting one of the following choices:
6 south american bumblebee cats
3 banjo cats
2-3 spotted raphael catrs
2 striped raphael cats
1 spotted pictus
1 black/asian upside down cat?
1 giant bumblebee cat?
1 lima shovelnose?

opinions on the listed fish, particularly the ones with "?"s after their names would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance to anyone who can help!:D
btw if a fish cant go in my tank cause it will eat my other fish, i am able to get rid of the fish that may be eaten.
Click to expand...

pictus, giant bumblebee, lima shovelnose would easily make a snack out of your fish listed. yes, the pictus do get large enough and once the lights are out anything neon sized will be snack/dinner. So they're not going to make it on the list.

south american bumblebees are fun to own, they got character and is very active during the day/night from my experience of owning them.


banjo cats are really fun to own as well too due to their interesting shape. They are ok as well too- more likely they won't go after the smaller fish if it can fit in its mouth. I've had few myself with no worries with my tetras.

For the raphael cats- they can get large enough so they might be able to eat your fish when they're maxed out at their size potential. I've seen large raphaels at some point they're cool to own as well too however just a caution. They're okay with your fish list at a certain size but the growth is very slow from what I've heard it might take years to get to the large size anyhow.

FOr the upside down cat- they like to school. So won't be fair to keep just one by itself.
 
Ill change around my stock list to be able to get the giant bumblebee, pictus, or lima shovelnose, if i need to. Woyld i be able to keep the angel and plecs?

The upside down cat i was talking about is the black upside down cat, which ive read doesnt need to school.
 
the smaller bumblebee cats are cool. mine is kinda like a little puppy. he waits for you to get some algae wafers to the bottom of the tank and then chases after them and tries to fit the whole thing in his mouth all at once
 
your tank is a bit small for a lima. plus, like most cats, they will eat anything they think they can fit in their mouth.
 
Cakilla;3510012; said:
Hi there , I haven't owned any of the catfish you mentioned but from personal experience the best catfish I have ever owned was a albino channel catfish I got him and he was about 2 inches long over about 2 years he got to be in the 14 inch range so you would have to put him in a bigger tank or just not mess with them .... I got a blue catfish now in with my oscars and he quite the character as well best of luck with your decision .... and no fair teasing about bacon and crepes ... sounds yummy! =)
Click to expand...

As in I. furcatus? If so, where did you get it? I've been looking for a four incher for quite a while...
 
bumbleebee cats and black asian upside down catfish look awesome.
 
get the spotted rapheals, they won't fight if you provide plenty of hides,during the day they sleep but at night they are like a bat out of hell zooming around the tank.

Also they well grunt when they are unhappy so, if it isn't grunting they're happy as a pig in mud.

also they're gorgous.
 
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