I have a lace catfish that will only grow to a max of 7in, I also have an albino corydoras catfish, my cory is super fun to watch and very social. My lace catfish however, you don't see very much and hides for most of the day
I recently took interest in the Chrysichthys sp. Amazing little fish! Check them out! Just do a google (or whatever) search for Chrysichthys. You will fall in love.