I have a friend who is an absolute fanatic over catfish. For quite a while now he's been saving up and trying to research into getting one or two bigger species for a home aquarium for his basement.
Most of what we found could either only get 6 inches long, or could get up to eight feet long. lol. Just not exactly what he's looking for, as he's had goldfish larger than most species we found that he liked the look of.
When I offered to come here for help his specifications were stated as:
-suggestions of 12+ inches of fish, OR if they're 12'' and/or under suggestions on schoolers only
-nothing that needs an aquarium of "like, I don't know, nothing that needs a bloody 1000g"
Although if you know of some smaller than 1 ft. cats. that don't mind being alone I wouldn't mind hearing about them for personal interest.
And of course a general guideline for how many gallons whatever you suggests needs would be helpful. As long as it's "like, I don't know, nothing that needs a bloody 1000g" (lol) he's willing to save up for however long it takes if he finds an idea really attractive. Ever since I've known him he's been a catfish lover. Nothing's going to deter him too easily.
Horabagrus Brachysoma (sun cat) is a pretty cool catfish. 18" would probably be full grown in a home tank. I have had a few over the years and they are a fun fish to keep.
Horabagrus Brachysoma (sun cat) is a pretty cool catfish. 18" would probably be full grown in a home tank. I have had a few over the years and they are a fun fish to keep.
Brian
Thanks! We saw those on a random forum, and they're already in our maybe pile. Do you know a minimum tank size, though - or at the least what have you kept them in successfully? We got mixed answers on that through our searches.
I never kept one past 8-10" usually in a 100gal or larger. There are very few fish I keep their entire life though, thats not really my thing. I would say a 200-250gal tank would work as 18" I would say would be max, probably more like 14-16".
I've pretty much been excluded from the search help as it's down to his personal preferences now, but last I could tell he's been looking up raphael's, lima shovelnoses, and clown synos - as well as a few looks into the more decorated plecos and a few ugly mugged ones.
Thanks for the help, everyone!
He really appreciates it, especially the suggestion of going to planetcatfish.
He has cleared up that the he was looking up the shovelnoses because he was getting mixed research on them, and was therefore curious as to the truth. Apparently he's found everything from statements of them topping out at 10'' to reaching lengths of 60''.
But now I'm curious. lol.
Amanda, 1) what do you consider "too large for aquariums" and 2) what max size did you find for them?
He has cleared up that the he was looking up the shovelnoses because he was getting mixed research on them, and was therefore curious as to the truth. Apparently he's found everything from statements of them topping out at 10'' to reaching lengths of 60''.
But now I'm curious. lol.
Amanda, 1) what do you consider "too large for aquariums" and 2) what max size did you find for them?
Yep they stay smaller in home tanks around 3', while they get larger in the wild.
Heres a couple pics found with a quick google search.
The max I've found for a Lima Shovelnose is 18'', which isn't a huge deal considering he's willing to save up to build or buy a custom tank. We're aware that the shovelnoses are generally some of the biggest aquarium cats. If someone can find me something stating otherwise, I'll gladly pass it on to him.
Featherfin catfish are awsome and get between 8 to 10 inches
Thanks. He's got them on a maybe list.
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What's the bioload on some of these cats we've been discussing, anyways? No good for him to buy everything then wind up with a tankful of scum and algae, afterall.
The raphael is really clean. He is one of the cleanest cats after they cory...
show him this vid, this is their full size and can show how active they are:
Thanks so much for the help and opinions everyone!
He's got it down to two candidates. It's a race between the Lima (not tiger!) Shovelnose and some really ugly looking cat I didn't catch the name of. lol. But seriously, the latter is UGLY, there's no other word for it.
However he's very intrigued by the Raphael's that Tony suggested, and has officially fallen for them. He still wants his monster catfish for a tank by itself, but has become quite interested in setting up a tank of Raphael's with perhaps one or two other species of fish in there once he's set up the Lima or UGLY's tank. (I swear the fish was the worst looking aquarium catfish I've ever seen. lol!)
So, onto Raphael's, he's got a few questions he'll be researching later tonight, but suggested I put to you anyways.
1. What are the differences between a striped and spotted?
2. What tankmates do you think would look good/be compatible with Raphael's?
3. Do Raphael's mind having other Raphael's in their tank?
4. Are stripeds compatible with spotteds?
Thanks so much. You've all been a big help and saved us a lot of time. =D
I consider anything over 2" really not suitable for a normal aquarium.
If you have 200+ gal. the fish would survive. But to truly thrive, I think fish that size need 300+ gal. and most people are not willing to spend the money for a tank that size. A fish that is considered a "tank buster" should not be kept in a home tank. This is just my opinion of course.
Spotted's are the same fish only with different coloration.
Raphaels are really peaceful, but if you are gonna get other fish to keep him with, i would suggest something that's big enough to not fit into it's mouth.
Raphael's come out more if there is more than 1 raphael in the tnak. They sometimes spend time together.
stripes and spotted can be kept together
oooh! one last thing, make sure your friend's careful when handling them. They have serrated fins that are really painful!
also, dont use a net to catch him, use a bowl...
the fins get caught on the net and its really stressful to them
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