What are some colorful catfish?

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BigTrain

BigTrain

Exodon
MFK Member
Mar 18, 2014
43
6
23
Florida
I am looking for small sized, colorful (in looks and personality!) catfish that only grow to about 5-6 inches.

I have a 125g tank that has a 5" pictus catfish, three 3" angel fish, a 7" African Featherfin, and a 1.5" striped Raphael.


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What do you mean by colorful? As, or similarly, colorful as cichlids, koi, reef fishes?

I struggle to think of a colorful catfish. I wonder if, like all animals that are mostly of grayscale colors or similar (dogs, cats, deer, etc.), perhaps catfish do not see in color but in black and white and, hence, do not use color.

Another thought is they are nocturnal and live in dark, muddy waters and do not rely on eyesight anyway (vast majority of them), rendering color irrelevant. This always made me wonder what the RTC needs the red in his fins for? The adults live in very deep (meaning always lightless) murky Amazon main channels. Moreover, the RTC young, which inhabit the shallows and can see some, lack the red in their fins. Or what a maniacally-nocturnal jaguar woodcat needs its breathtakingly beautiful pattern for? Etc.
 
bumblebee cats?
sometimes banjo cats have a cool patter on them.
another idea would be to add more pictus, they tend to be more active when kept in groups.
 
Not a whole lot of colorful cats out there. Pictus would be my recommendation but looks like u have one. They arent really colorful but have a cool shine to them and are active fun small cats. Tigrinus are one of the only cool patterned cats I can think of but they get much larger. What about plecos? Do you just need a bottom feeder? Clown loaches add lots of color and movement to any tank
 
only catfish I can think of that are colorful are laser corries. They stay small but probably two small for what you have. I love the orange laser corries and gold laser corries.
 
The striped Raphael catfish is pretty...... if you ever get to see it come out of hiding.

Bumblebee cats are a good idea! Colorful for a catfish. I would suggest a Lima Shovelnose, but it get's bigger than 6-7".
 
Thebiggerthebetter, I realize that catfish aren't prized as colorful fish, unlike Chiclids, but I have an affinity for the cats and am searching for the physically colorful or behaviorally quirky of the species. I hope to keep whichever catfish I get in the 125g, without the fish needing a larger home due to stocking or size.

Thank you all for your replies, and if you think of any other cats, please keep on posting!


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Birch999, I currently have a pleco that was relocated to a larger tank. He was very often stressed and so, based on my experience with him, I don't particularly want another pleco. Plus, with as many bottom feeders I have already (African Featherfin, pictus, striped Raphael) I doubt there would be much need for an algae eater. Although, the gold nugget pleco is particularly beautiful.


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Plecos are your best bet for colorful catfish, but you will have to hunt them down and spend $$$$$!
 
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