stocking for 55 gallon tank- cycled and running for a year

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mr.bigglesworth

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 22, 2012
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By SF, Farther Inland, NorCal
hi all im a new member just signed up about 10 minutes ago. i have a 10 gal, a 20 gal, and 55 gal. my 55 gal has a parrot fish, jack dempsey, and synodontis euptera. their all of modest size from 4" to 7". i was wondering if i could house a lima shovel nose in there for at least 6 months. the dimensions are something like 48" long by 30" high and 14" wide please note these are NOT exact measurements and i think I'm wrong about the height. and don't post hateful comments because if you say its not a good idea permanently then i won't do it. if you say its good temporarily then i still will probably do it because my parents have been talking about getting a bigger tank in the future(probably in may). if you say its do-able permanently but not healthy for the fish, then ill probably transfer it to the new bigger tank I'm getting eventually when it reaches a good size. I'm also wondering how big they get. some people I've heard say if you have a smaller tank then they'll only get 12" and others say they can exceed 18" and get 20-24". and IF and only IF this sounds like a good idea then please post your thoughts on a zebra shovel nose in a 80 gallon tank. and if an 80 gallon is to small then what about 100, 125, or 150, or even 180 gallon tank? also as a background question to go with this has anyone ever breed synodontis euptera successfully? or possibly noticed courting behavior or something? thanks.;):):D:eek:
 
I once had a lima shovelnose in a 200 gallon tank. He did all right but he was the only real fish in the tank, aside from some schooling silver dollars. In a 55 a small shovelnose can live for a while, but how large is the one you are looking at? And with good food and water changes, he could get cramped in the tank quick; the tankmates will also make short work of his whiskers.
 
so what do you think would work for a lima shovel nose for life in terms of gallons? please give a minimum for both a single specimen and in a community.some details on personal experiences, diet, personality, predation, aggressiveness, and so on would help too.
 
And I'm not looking at one in particular nor do i know of one at my lfs. this is just a fish i have wanted to own since the start of my 55 gallon. and some more questions include: how big does a bullhead catfish get? if they exceed 15" i wouldn't want one. and channel catfish eventual size? again if they exceed 15" no thanks.
 
4 Line Pimelodus (Pimelodus Blochii) are great, only get up to 10"...I love my 4 line pims body, looks like that of a shark...they don't grow slow, nor do they grow fast...would eventually need a 75g or bigger though if you plan to keep it long term
 
you mean a pictus catfish? i used to have one, mine was pretty boring and skittish. i can see one as a nice companion but definitely not my type of fish. i could see a 12 inch specimen looking nice but those shovel nose catfish are what really grabs my attention. btw a lima shovelnose is the smallest of the shovel nose catfish right? any similar specimens besides pictus catfish that have that predatory look?
 
mr.bigglesworth said:
you mean a pictus catfish? i used to have one, mine was pretty boring and skittish. i can see one as a nice companion but definitely not my type of fish. i could see a 12 inch specimen looking nice but those shovel nose catfish are what really grabs my attention. btw a lima shovelnose is the smallest of the shovel nose catfish right? any similar specimens besides pictus catfish that have that predatory look?
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Well, the pictus (pimelodus pictus) is similar to the 4 line pim (pimelodus blochii), but 4 line pims have stripes instead of spots. I don't know of any other catfish you might like that have that predatory look. Maybe a grass cutter catfish?
 
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