Looking for a CA Catfish

[zigster]

I need a hoover for my tanks !

Does anyone know of a Central American Catfish that dose not get to big say 8-9" that i could put in my tanks to help out with clearing up the food that the Cichlids dont eat !

Thanks

Sean

[Richard B]

Rhamdia are the most often encountered central american cat but not seen frequently in the trade & can get bigger than 8-9"

Does it have to be central & not south american? What sort of c*****ds are they?

[sidguppy]

few if any cichlid specialists that get their fish from Central America bother with the non cichlids, but I know 1 who does:
Thomas Tilmann, in Germany.
he might ship to the UK as well; this is a real enthousiastic fishkeeper that has been to Panama recently and among a load of cichlids imported several rare livebearers and....Rhamdia guatemalensis!
wich stays a bit smaller than the other one, Rhamdia quelen.

both species are safe with cichlids larger than 10 cm/4". they're no real sandcleaners like Hoplosternums, but more like big versions of Pimelodus and a bit more territorial.

Thomas Tilmann's site:
http://www.hobbyzoo-tillmann.eu/1.html

check the recent panama trip:
http://www.hobbyzoo-tillmann.eu/9.html

Die Panamareise wurde erfolgreich beendet. Die Teilnehmer sind alle wohlbehalten zurückgekehrt und haben folgendes für uns mitgebracht
( erste Fotos von Christian Hofer s.u. ):

- Gepohagus crassilabris
- Aequidens quoeruleo punctatus
- Tomocichla sibeboldie
- Archocentrus nanoluteus
- Archocentrus nigrofasciatum
- Amphilophus cealobrense
- Paraneetroplus cf Panamense
- diverse Welse*, Lebendgebährende, Garnelen, Schnecken, Messerfische, Grundeln die noch bestimmt werden wollen
- Characidium Marshi

*wels = catfish
I suggest you email him

[Bas Pels]

Actually, You better not e mail him. Firstly, because he hardly ever reads e mails, secondlay, because I would rather not have any competition in case Thomas would consider selling his catfishes.

In fact, I don't dare inquire after procuring catfish he brought to Europe himself

[sidguppy]

just feeling a wee bit cynical, Bas?

I'm sure Thomas didn't start his shop to benifit a single customer or to collect a wagonload of fish not to ever sell them.....

should give others a serious go at the hobby too, eh

he's the only one (or 1 of the very few) fishcollectors that go to CA and takes the efforts to collect other fish than cichlids, and he DOES sell his non cichlids too.
there's a bunch of fine Xiphophorus alvarezi here in 1 tank that's proof of that.

btw IF you really want to get all the catfishes Thomas has brought i strongly recommend emptying a sizeable tank of cichlids and have a good try at breeding the Rhamdia!
nowq THAT would be some true groundbreaking pioneering effort