Im torn between an ARTC and mystus wyckii. Im planning to setup a tank for one of these guys, but is there anyway to keep them with tank mates? What about a large arowana? Or even something real aggressive like a red devil? I had a RTC with red devils, and he never dared tried to eat them because they kept him in check by pecking him between the eyes. Has anyone ever done this succesfully, or if I get one of these guys I have to keep them alone?
super aggressive catfish tankmates?
- Thread starter yemista
- Start date
Artc is fine with tank mates until somewhere around the 10" mark. Somewhere in there something snaps in their brain and they become killing machines, it wasn't until I had my own that I believed it. I haven't kept the wyckii yet, but I believe it to be about the same. I grew my ARTC out from 2" and now two years later her nearly 2 feet long. The first 14 months he was fine with a wide range of very edible tankmates, and never hurt anyone, but right around 10-11" things just started disappearing, or chunks of them... I love him, but there's no way I'll be able to keep him with tankmates, I've tried a few things, and they all ended badly. Symptoms include shredded fins, missing slime coat, bites of flesh missing, and generally and very bruised and bloody death.
Great cat, will do fine up until 10" or so, then will need solo setup.
Great cat, will do fine up until 10" or so, then will need solo setup.
i had a artc it was about 16" and i tryed everything from big nasty cichlids to wolffish and failed it even ate my freshwater cuda which was 8". that was my experiance with the artc but ive seen people keep them with convicts it just depends on the fish i guess mine was to aggressive
Well alot of the lake victoria cichlids are very agressive but if you want something VERY VERY VERY agressive you could consider n.beani these are supposidly the MOST AGRESSIVE CICHLID!And that has got to be agressive!Also puffers are very agressive so a pignose or even a humpback would be relativly ok.
Edit:Exodon paradoxus are often used for tank mates of a piranha altough they are relativly small (12.5 for wild caught specimens) also banded leporinus have been known to be kept with piranhas and other agressive fish too!-I am refering to piranhas as they are agressive too-The jewel cichlid is said to be agressibe for its size but I don't find it at all agressive!
Edit:Exodon paradoxus are often used for tank mates of a piranha altough they are relativly small (12.5 for wild caught specimens) also banded leporinus have been known to be kept with piranhas and other agressive fish too!-I am refering to piranhas as they are agressive too-The jewel cichlid is said to be agressibe for its size but I don't find it at all agressive!
It's really not a good idea to try and match the aggression of the ARTC to find a suitable tankmate. Cichlids are an especially bad idea as the ARTC is night predator they will disturb the cichlids and create great disharmony. They are great catfish but sooner or later they will need to be on there own.
Mine would use african cichlids as punching bags. He wouldn't kill them for food, just for fun. I'm not trying to make him sound all hardcore, that is what he did and that is how they can be.