I have had a pair of A Seemanni for a little over a year now and they have always been a very interesting pair of fish. They make me laugh when they do their little dances and synchronized swimming and they are inseparable and also quite resilient (they have on several occasions swam up into my python during a water change and bloodied up their faces). So I like them quite a bit, even though I'm not a big catfish guy.
I bought them at the LFS as freshwater and have kept them that way since then - they're over 6" TL now though and lately I've been wondering if they're a bit unhappy. Most people I've seen with these fish at this size have started making them brackish or full marine. Then again, I could be imagining things. They are still active and love to chase each other around a lot, but occasionally I'll go over and they'll be laying at odd angles and I get worried about them. Plus despite their piggish appetite they're not nearly as fat as the ones I always see photos of on here.
I have always wanted to set up a brackish tank and maybe have a Green Spotted Puffer and/or some scats, and that'd be a great opportunity for me to start transitioning these guys over as well. The problem is that they've been in a 6 foot tank their whole life and the biggest BW tank I can fit is probably a 29. I just don't have the room for anything else. Adding another tank is already pushing it. These guys are just too damn big for a little tank like that.
What's funny is that it's not even the footprint that worries me - they live in the 6 foot tank but barely leave their end. It's the height. They love to swim vertically, up and down the side glass, splashing at the top all the time, especially at night. I think they'd go stir crazy in a little tank like that.
The reason I am thinking of moving them is twofold: first, I worry that they're old enough that they would really prefer BW or SW, and secondly, as I keep adding datnoids I need to do something to reduce the bioload in this tank. My dats are all little now but I might be getting my first two larger guys soon. Plus my baby aro isn't going to stay small much longer. So these guys are the obvious choice to go.
What do you guys recommend?
Here are a few pics of them from about 6 months ago:
I bought them at the LFS as freshwater and have kept them that way since then - they're over 6" TL now though and lately I've been wondering if they're a bit unhappy. Most people I've seen with these fish at this size have started making them brackish or full marine. Then again, I could be imagining things. They are still active and love to chase each other around a lot, but occasionally I'll go over and they'll be laying at odd angles and I get worried about them. Plus despite their piggish appetite they're not nearly as fat as the ones I always see photos of on here.
I have always wanted to set up a brackish tank and maybe have a Green Spotted Puffer and/or some scats, and that'd be a great opportunity for me to start transitioning these guys over as well. The problem is that they've been in a 6 foot tank their whole life and the biggest BW tank I can fit is probably a 29. I just don't have the room for anything else. Adding another tank is already pushing it. These guys are just too damn big for a little tank like that.
What's funny is that it's not even the footprint that worries me - they live in the 6 foot tank but barely leave their end. It's the height. They love to swim vertically, up and down the side glass, splashing at the top all the time, especially at night. I think they'd go stir crazy in a little tank like that.
The reason I am thinking of moving them is twofold: first, I worry that they're old enough that they would really prefer BW or SW, and secondly, as I keep adding datnoids I need to do something to reduce the bioload in this tank. My dats are all little now but I might be getting my first two larger guys soon. Plus my baby aro isn't going to stay small much longer. So these guys are the obvious choice to go.
What do you guys recommend?
Here are a few pics of them from about 6 months ago:
