just picked one up from my LFS, only 5 bucks and they showed me one that they had in a 30 gallon for 20 years! so i know he won't outgrow the 55. he was probably about 9" and he was completely top heavy. i'm pumped for this cat, as soon as he was dropped into the tank he found a hiding spot and hasn't been seen since. the senegal and the hujetas haven't even given him a sideways glance though. i'm really pumped for him anyone want to give me some tips raising him? the lady at the lfs told me hikari algae would be fine but what should i feed him since he's only about an inch. thanks for any info. please don't yell at me to search because all it does is bring up every single post with the word raphael or cat in it and with this i can direct my question and you lovely people can give me your insight! thanks in advance!
rapheal cat
- Thread starter zpetrichko
- Start date
I didn't see mine for two months then he showed up again. He must have outgrown his hiding spot cuz he had put on four inches! Mine readily eats ANYTHING left over from the other fish. Super awesome cat but also super lazy.
Well, he won't be coming out of that spot until it's really dark.
They are super shy and are always hiding, when they get around 5-6 inches then you can feed them Hikari algae wafers, but for now, I would recommend frozen bloodworms and Hikari sinking catfish wafers and the small Hikari sinking gold cichlid pellets.
Good luck!
They are super shy and are always hiding, when they get around 5-6 inches then you can feed them Hikari algae wafers, but for now, I would recommend frozen bloodworms and Hikari sinking catfish wafers and the small Hikari sinking gold cichlid pellets.
Good luck!
i know where he is hiding, inside it is covered with algae from not lifting and vacuuming it. if he doesn't come out of hiding could he live on the algae for awhile? of course i'll still drop the wafers in and its actually kind of nice because the pleco leaves little shards behind and he could clean up the rest of it! any hints or tips on getting him out before too long? i was thinking maybe using a blacklight at night so i can still see him.
Sometimes they learn to come out during the day if you feed the tank at the same time every day. Raphaels eat everything and are swift hunters. Just feed after dark. I tried a blacklight at night on mine but the water glowed too much. Putting food into their hiding spot usually works any time. Don't worry about not seeing him eat. I've owned my Raph for 3-4 years and only seen him eat maybe five times total. He's over five inches now, so I know he eats.
Algae uaually only grows when provided with light.
The disgusting, rotting, bacterial mulm under your rock is poison, not food. It is not algae, but your catfish may absorb some toxic byproducts through his skin if he's touching it. Vacuum under every rock, every time. Most uneaten food ends up under these rocks and decorations and contributes to high nitrates or ammonia spikes.
I should add: Don't freak out about it. Raphaels will survive the nuclear holocaust.
Algae uaually only grows when provided with light.
The disgusting, rotting, bacterial mulm under your rock is poison, not food. It is not algae, but your catfish may absorb some toxic byproducts through his skin if he's touching it. Vacuum under every rock, every time. Most uneaten food ends up under these rocks and decorations and contributes to high nitrates or ammonia spikes.
I should add: Don't freak out about it. Raphaels will survive the nuclear holocaust.
thanks for that last bit i was getting ready to rip apart the tank and get it taken care of this second!
had mine for 7 years now he comes out in the day time now didnt for a longtime,they come out when the lights are off so just pt some sinking pellets in the tank in the dark and he will eat fine,mine's belley is always fat
i killed the lights and am sitting here on my macbook hoping for a glimpse! despite what i said earlier i went through and cleaned all the possible hiding spots for him, and i now have an algae wafer sitting outside his hole so that he may hopefully stick his nose out catch a wiff and take a bite!
I was going to ask if you could get a picture, but then read about how shy they are. I suppose the only chance would have been while you had him in the bag.
got 10'' chocolate stripped and 6 1/2'' stripped raphael myself- love them as they got their own personalities. The stripped one is super fat- more active than the other one and tries to hide under the bigger one thinking we can't see her. They're in a temp tank right now though.
they eat anything offered though- the only time I've seen them not want to taste was live minnows and live crayfish
they eat anything offered though- the only time I've seen them not want to taste was live minnows and live crayfish