WHOA!!!! Greedy little suckers, aren't they?Every time I saw someone asking about comm a gulper catfish with other fish I want them to see these videos....AND
Still want to comm gulper cat with other fish?
They can be pretty active in my experience as well. Though I believe it has to do with them being kept in a group. When I had a group they where out and about. Wobbling here and there and occasionally snapping/mouthing one another. However when I went down to one he became more reclusive and less active. The same seemed to be true with my Jaguars and my Trachycorystes. The larger the group the more likely they seemed to venture out especially when there's food on the agenda.
That's a real beauty and the beast, I believe it's a Sorubimichthys planiceps. Love those graceful fins but their housing requirements are a little much for most.
I think you may be jumping to conclusions but what Kolt said is consistent qualitatively with your experience. However, having a fish for 1.5 weeks doesn't really count as experience yet. I'd get a few more if I were you, once you find your gulper feeds ok.
Yup, Kolt said it right. One of a handful of fish I proved to myself I can't keep alive. In this case, I am rather clueless as to why.
Interesting. Thanks, Josh! Wobbling is what they do, haha. They have a hydrodynamics and grace of a hippopotamus. Mine almost never mouth each other and they like each others company, not in a shoaling kind of way, which happens sometimes, but more just to be around each other.
I've never had a lone one. This trio is my first time with gulpers. I appreciate the explanation for why I thought they were rather sedentary.
I don't think anybody has suggested that you do. As for your Gulper not eating, honestly that right there should indicate to you there might be a problem and that might be why you're observing the behavior you are. Have you tried asking/creating a thread here about it?
Regardless if you have or not I'll see if I can help. I've kept Gulpers several times over the years and always wound up rehoming them not because they where boring but because a rarer fish became available and I didn't have the ability to house both. Honestly a poor practice on my part one I've been trying to change. In that time every Gulper I had ate between the first and second day. And they where not picky. Heck I had my first two I owned eating out of my hand practically out of the bag. Mine ate frozen market shrimp loaded with pellets and any live food I offered(ie:worms,etc). One of my fondest memories is watching them snap at live brine shrimp. They kind of look like they're having an episode as they snap at the tiny animals. The fact that yours hasn't again IMO indicates there maybe a problem, one that might be worth looking into for you if you want to keep him or find out why he's acting the way he does.
Congratz on your first time keeping them. It's funny because you're so informed I always just assume you've kept most available catfish. Mine also didn't mouth each other often. It's almost like it's just a reflex that when a fish comes within a certain proximity to their mouth they will often times grab at it. At least that's been my experience. It was never violent and they never took hold of each other it was just an open mouth feel of their tankmate. They say sharks use their mouths like we use our hands, perhaps Gulpers do as well and they where just shaking hands.
Otherwise they seemed to enjoy being together just like yours do.
A firewood catfish? I see why it's hard to house. Looks anazing though
When you have more they do more. Same reason people buy a bunch of tetras or sometimes a group of cichlids
Skyeboy's gulper's-not-eating thread: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/gulper-wont-eat.680703/
You do what you wanna do, which goes without saying
What also goes without saying is that you must figure out first why your gulper is not feeding before even thinking of getting more fish. It may be as simple as your tank water not being suitable for gulper or for any fish for that matter.
That must have been funny indeed seeing gulpers hunting tiny brine shrimp! If asked a priori, I'd guess they wouldn't care, kind of like big predators don't notice the smallest of prey. It's unlike arowana hunting live daphnia because arowana are bent on eating insects. Gulpers are bent on eating fish 2x-3x bigger than they are.
I just spent some time yesterday seeing two of my trio play around. It was really like a play of two kids without exaggeration.
I also forgot to mention that my guys despite appearing happier in the larger quarters nevertheless don't eat as much as they did in smaller quarters, rather they show less interest and eat almost 2x-3x less. Maybe it's seasonal. IDK. My experience is short too.
I only said what I'd do in my shoes and circumstances, which is worth $0.02
You do what you wanna do, which goes without saying What also goes without saying is that you must figure out first why your gulper is not feeding before even thinking of getting more fish. It may be as simple as your tank water not being suitable for gulper or for any fish for that matter.
I don't think anybody has suggested that you do. As for your Gulper not eating, honestly that right there should indicate to you there might be a problem and that might be why you're observing the behavior you are. Have you tried asking/creating a thread here about it?
Regardless if you have or not I'll see if I can help. I've kept Gulpers several times over the years and always wound up rehoming them not because they where boring but because a rarer fish became available and I didn't have the ability to house both. Honestly a poor practice on my part one I've been trying to change. In that time every Gulper I had ate between the first and second day. And they where not picky. Heck I had my first two I owned eating out of my hand practically out of the bag. Mine ate frozen market shrimp loaded with pellets and any live food I offered(ie:worms,etc). One of my fondest memories is watching them snap at live brine shrimp. They kind of look like they're having an episode as they snap at the tiny animals. The fact that yours hasn't again IMO indicates there maybe a problem, one that might be worth looking into for you if you want to keep him or find out why he's acting the way he does.
Congratz on your first time keeping them. It's funny because you're so informed I always just assume you've kept most available catfish. Mine also didn't mouth each other often. It's almost like it's just a reflex that when a fish comes within a certain proximity to their mouth they will often times grab at it. At least that's been my experience. It was never violent and they never took hold of each other it was just an open mouth feel of their tankmate. They say sharks use their mouths like we use our hands, perhaps Gulpers do as well and they where just shaking hands.
That must have been funny indeed seeing gulpers hunting tiny brine shrimp! If asked a priori, I'd guess they wouldn't care, kind of like big predators don't notice the smallest of prey. It's unlike arowana hunting live daphnia because arowana are bent on eating insects. Gulpers are bent on eating fish 2x-3x bigger than they are.
I just spent some time yesterday seeing two of my trio play around. It was really like a play of two kids without exaggeration.
I also forgot to mention that my guys despite appearing happier in the larger quarters nevertheless don't eat as much as they did in smaller quarters, rather they show less interest and eat almost 2x-3x less. Maybe it's seasonal. IDK. My experience is short too.
