Advice on 55g Cruising Catfish

[UncaToddly]

Hi all, new to PC and am looking for a little advice.

We have a 55g freshwater tank that is what I consider a typical novice setup. Small plants (no idea of type)in small clumps through the middle with the left side of the tank under a nice surface of duckweed and some longer plants that reach to the surface. 12" or so piece of bogwood in front of the plants.

Bubblewall in the middle at the back and the right side has a couple of 6" decorative rocks with java moss growing like a weed and housing a colony of cherry shrimp (as does the bogwood). Once I find a hosting site or figure out how to use my Comcast space I will post a few pics.

Currently, our tank contains:

Our Fish

0.0.1 Spotted Cory - Corydoras agassizii
0.0.1 Sail Fin Pleco - Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps
3.0.0 Sailfin Dalmation Mollies - Poecilia latipinna
0.0.7 Cardinal Tetras - Paracheirodon axelrodi
0.0.3 Congo Tetras - Phenacogrammus interruptus
1.0.0 Lyretail Swordtail - Xiphophorus helleri
2.0.2 Fancy Guppies - Poecilia reticulata
0.0.2 Red Dwarf Gouramis - Colisa lalia
0.0.2 Malaysian Trumpet Snails - Melanoides tuberculata
30ish Cherry Shrimp - Neocaridina denticulata sinensis
3-5 Ramshorn Snails (taxonomy unknown)

I was hoping that the Cory would have been a more active "working catfish" but he seems content to hang out behind the bogwood only making daring forays when brine shrimp falls from the sky.

I see the Pictus Cats (Pimelodus pictus) and have always loved them. Like the Marbled Raphael Cat (Amblydoras hancockii) they remind me of sharks cruising around the bottom of the tank and I love the long body and long flowing barbels.

Are there any concerns about putting either of these, primarily the Pictus as I like their look more) in with what we have? The Cardinal Tetras are adults as are the guppies. My biggest concern would be if the shrimp would be considered dinner all the time.

Any thoughts? I had also considered getting a few Oil Catfish (Tatia perugiae). They don't satisfy my "shark cruise" look and they seem a little more nocturnal than I prefer but they certainly are little beauties

Thanks a ton!

Todd

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[Marc van Arc]

Hi Todd & welcome to PC.
To cut a long story short: I wouldn't recommend any "larger" catfish species in your setting. A pictus will probably have a go at the shrimps and smaller live bearers and even if it doesn't it may disturb your fishes with it's whiskers. Moreover, it should be kept in a (small) group to feel happy.
That's exactly why your Cory behaves like it does: it desperately needs company.
Perhaps you should consider adding some more Corys, in which case you don't have to change anything in your current setting.

[Bigpig]

I agree with Marc Van Arc, your Cory really needs company.
These fish like to be kept in groups, and can behave strangly if left on their own.
I would suggest that 6 is a good number.

[UncaToddly]

Well, that really is too bad. The pleco certainly seems much happier with the tank than his old digs. We moved him, the 3 Congo Tetras and a 6 year old Blue Gourami out of my stepsons (who was already 18 years old) room because he wasn't taking care of the tank and the tank was way too small as the 5 of them were in a 20g tank. I was hoping that with the larger aquarium I would be able to find a slender, long barbeled, cruising cat that might stay in the 4" range. I guess I will have to keep looking.

In the meantime I will talk with the wife about the Cory situation and get more of them to make him happier and more active. Our newest cat (the furry mammalian type) seems to LOVE the Cory and will sit there and watch him specifically, even if he is pretty much hidden.

The Cory was sold as a Julii Cory but comparing the pics in the Cat-eLog it is definately a Spotted Cory. When making the little group of them, is it important that they are the same species or is it OK to mix them. When we got the little guy she wanted an Albino Cory (assuming it is Corydoras aeneus but are there other albino species?) but I wanted something with more pattern and color.

My wife likes schooling fish and wants it to be a "peaceful, community tank" so she will likely be quite happy with the idea of a small herd of Corydoras even if I can't have my little herd of long, slender, flowing whiskered cats (or even a single one).

Oh well. Thanks again for the response.

[Bas Pels]

The Cory was sold as a Julii Cory but comparing the pics in the Cat-eLog it is definately a Spotted Cory. When making the little group of them, is it important that they are the same species or is it OK to mix them. When we got the little guy she wanted an Albino Cory (assuming it is Corydoras aeneus but are there other albino species?) but I wanted something with more pattern and color.

Corys are best kept with their own species, but having said thai, I once got a group of 10 C schwartzi, which reduced to 3 Corys. These were recently seen by a fellow PC member. He said I had 3 different species.

They behaved as if 1 species, and all were quite similar to my untrained eye - bulky, spotted and with a black dorsal fin

So, it the new cory looks similar to you, they might work for your cory as well

[grokefish]

get yourself some glass catfish.
Matt

[MatsP]

Pictus cats are great fish, but not in that tank! Just like cats and dogs are great, but not if you keep them in the chicken shed!

One candidate for "relatively pieceful" and not too bothered whether it is alone or in a group is:

Megalechis thoracata

However, they will eat like pigs, and may eat small fry - they only have a small mouth, so they certainly won't eat small fish once they have are a little more mature.

--
Mats

[apistomaster]

Hello Pimelodus pictus: good bye cherry shrimp.

[UncaToddly]

I just wanted to thank all of you for taking the time to respond.

For those respondants about various species "eating small fry" and that being a possible problem, we aren't concerned about that. In fact, the wife's decision to get the guppies came not only for the technicolor dreamcoat they add to the tank but also knowing that if they breed they would provide food for the others

My biggest concern was the shrimp and despite the fact they are multiplying well it seems, they don't have any real predation either to keep the numbers down.

As for Glass Cats (Kryptopterus bicirrhis)..... Both the wife and I like them and they certainly fit in the schooling and peaceful community tank but they aren't exactly what we are looking for in a catfish species. Thank you though for mentioning them as I had forgotten about them.

We look forward to going out tomorrow to look at getting more Corys so the little guy has some friends to hang out with

Thanks again!

Todd

[bslindgren]

I have kept Corydoras sterbai since February this year. This is by far my favourite of all species I have owned (not that many, I confess). They are almost always actively looking for food on plants and on the bottom, and with their orange pectoral fins and spotting they are also one of the more attractive cory's IMO. I have two now (they were quite expensive when I bought them - they were about 1 1/2 inches at that time). I'm getting 6 more tomorrow. Yours might do better if you give it company, but some species are more shy than others. If yours is a shy species, then I would strongly recommend sterbai.