Looking for large community friendly cat... Suggestions?

[tommybhermitage]

Doras micropoeus? Check it out. Maybe a few?

 

[neko1]

bullheads are fun to keep. eat everything very ez. strong fish

 

[DMD123]

What about pleco? My l095 pinecone is a gorgeous catfish
Max out about 15", normally for sale around the 10-11" mark.
Another option would be hemibagrus nemurus, they are sold as albino artc bit never exceed "14-15" in the aquarium ( thebiggerthebetter ), can hold their own but arnt overly aggressive, active, mine grew to 9-10" from 4" in 6 months.

View attachment 1320659 View attachment 1320660

I kept a rhino pleco with my upper jaw polys and it worked out pretty good but it was extremely territorial and would suck on my weeksii to try and move it and chase it off. I rehomed it when I went lower jaw polys. It would have got into too many fights with my current bichirs for sure. But I do like a good looking pleco.

 

[DMD123]

Doras micropoeus? Check it out. Maybe a few?

Good suggestion, this is kind of along the lines I was looking for. A smaller mouth cat that gets about 13” or so. Will read up some more on them.

bullheads are fun to keep. eat everything very ez. strong fish

Had not considered them but might work out too.

 

[DMD123]

Mine just lives around his piece of vine and defends it when he feels like it. Otherwise peaceful. Far too fat to ever get eaten by my sens, but he's much smaller than the biggest I've seen as well!View attachment 1320683

Ive always liked them but just never tried one out. It seems like a cat that might work for me but I wonder if it needs to be a bigger syno or if the eruptus is tall enough bodied where it wouldnt be an issue with large lower jaw polys?

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Larger synos could work as a rule. Beware of exceptions. Eupterus is about as big as one gets apart from several other quite expensive and rare synos. It's just that eupterus is cheaply and carelessly farm raised and hence has poor genes and almost never reaches 1' it is meant to reach. Which may still be ok for you. It is hardly a palatable fish for your bichirs.

Decorus grow big too but may be shy / hider. So can be a eupterus though.

Medium Doradidae as stated can be considered too.

Ornate pims are rarely offered IME and vary wildly in their pricing. Too slow a grower for your purposes. Its kin blochii would be a better fit.

You would like the mentioned nemurus too, I believe.

I can't decide which is the better fit...

Thebiggerthebetter.

 

[Gourami Swami]

I loved my big pimelodus. Believe it was a blochii, around 10-12". Lived in a 6' tank with a bunch of cichlids. It got beat up here and there, took the abuse well and never was an aggressor.
You can see him here with some friends

 

[DMD123]

Larger synos could work as a rule. Beware of exceptions. Eupterus is about as big as one gets apart from several other quite expensive and rare synos. It's just that eupterus is cheaply and carelessly farm raised and hence has poor genes and almost never reaches 1' it is meant to reach. Which may still be ok for you. It is hardly a palatable fish for your bichirs.

Decorus grow big too but may be shy / hider. So can be a eupterus though.

Medium Doradidae as stated can be considered too.

Ornate pims are rarely offered IME and vary wildly in their pricing. Too slow a grower for your purposes. Its kin blochii would be a better fit.

You would like the mentioned nemurus too, I believe.



Thebiggerthebetter.

The eruptus I have in mind is from Wet Spot and is wild stock. I have also seen a Notatus available on Ebay, but not too sure on its origins.

 

[justarn]

What about clarias?

 

[kno4te]

Clarias will likely take out the cichlids. Should be ok with the bichirs.