s. nigriventris with BLACK MOORS?

[seds]

THE CATFISH ARE NOW IN 72 GALLON WITH 4 TINFOIL BARBS. THERE ARE 3 NOW NOT 2 ANYMORE. LFS OUT OF STOCK OF THEM. Haven't restocked for months. Bogus. THINKING OF GETTING ANOTHER KIND OF SYNO. DUMB OR SMART?


original post:

I got a 30 gallon tank that ended up with my 2 Upside down catfish with 2 black moor Goldfish... I am aware that tropical fish and gold fish do not mix, but I have large fish in my 72 gallon tank and they might end up as chow, or the Moor's fins would get nipped... that is the only other tank set up at the moment. So, they are going to have to deal with it for now. There is no heater and the temperature is around 21-23 degrees celcius in there.

I would like to add some more Upside down catfish but I dunno if it would be overstocked. I heard 20 gallons per goldfish + 10 per additional, with 30 being the minimum. One of my catfish is dominating the other, he/she (I think it is female, because it is bigger, but he/she might just get more food) pushes the other around a little and hogs the best hiding spots (they feel under the filter is the best spot) and the little one has to go inside a hole in an artificial log I have in there.

PS:I got 2 snails from a local pond and"quarantined" them in a rubbermaid tub with some other pond critters for a week or so, then put them in to deal with algae on the glass. Do they make any difference in the nitrogen cycle?

PSS: I am not getting rid of either of them. I <3 those moors, and I <3 my cats.





ANYWAYS, I know they are a shoaling species, I have seen the pictures... I want to add some more of them but I don't know their Bioload. I have had them since october '06, but always had only 2... I was pretty NOOBy then. I feed them "tropical fish flakes" at night because otherwise they would get no food. The tank would be planted but those moors dug up the plants I put in there and ate them. I tried duckweed as a floating plant, so I could get them to move to the surface like in the wild, but the Moors ate that too... I was planning to feed them mosquito larvae from there. Any suggestions? I would change the substrate to sand, but my goldies love to dig and forage, so they might get sick from injesting too much sand. Right now I have light blue "aquarium gravel." At least it is easy to clean...

[Birger]

Yes, you are right this is not the best scenario for them

There is no heater and the temperature is around 21-23 degrees celcius in there.

Do not let the temp. drop much below this, that is my initial concern...with fall and winter coming on I hope this is possible

I would like to add some more Upside down catfish but I dunno if it would be overstocked

If you do add more make sure there are more caves or structures of some kind than there are catfish and they should be happy, I am looking at my group now and each one is in it's own distinct little spot,cave or overhang

:I got 2 snails from a local pond and"quarantined" them in a rubbermaid tub with some other pond critters for a week or so, then put them in to deal with algae on the glass. Do they make any difference in the nitrogen cycle?

Yes, they produce waste, local snails may not do too well in what to them would be considered very warm water so you would have to keep an eye on them.

My S. nigriventris really love the NLS pellets(1mm)

[seds]

Well, it does get warmer in the summer like 26ish... should I put a heater to keep it above a certian temperature, like 22 or something?

:/

If I got some lilypads they could absorb a little nitrate and provide a perch for one or two... would that help?

[MatsP]

It would be my recommendation to have a heater set for a "do not go below this" temperature, 21-22'C for example.

--
Mats

[sidguppy]

actually I'd trade it in for a different species of catfish.

the nigriventris is one of those species that likes to be kept fairly warm.

21-22'C celcius is way below the optimal temperature for this cat.
they should be kept at anything between 24-28'C and even then they often hide next to the heater; 26'C is even better than 24....let alone 21.

there are plenty catfishes suitable for a tank with goldies, the most common is Corydoras paleatus
Corydoras aeneus also does fine at roomtemperatures.

their easygoing active nature and daily antics are fun and they're completely harmless for slowmoving longfinned clumsy fish.

not every Synodontis is.

but if you make sure you have a bit of current and the water is clean you could get Scleromystax barbatus (commonly sold as Corydoras barbatus).

just make sure the tank doesn't overheat.

another catfish that can be kept at roomtemperatures and is nearly indestructible at any temperature between 15-30'C is the Common Bristlenose.
their Paraguayan ancestry makes them suitable for unheated tanks.

I've used to keep one in an unheated tank with Axolotls. this tank stays at 16-18'C for months at a time in winter and heats up to 24-25'C in summer.
it did fine, until it had found a way of attacking and scraping the slimecoat of the Axolotls.....then I had to remove him. he was more than a match for 3 fully grown 11" axolotls that were completely defenseless against him.
for him they were big plecotabs with legs on.

if you put it in a shady spot and the temperature in summer doesn't pass the 24 or so and lowers in winter a fair bit species from the genera Hara or Erithistes, but these are not for the unexperienced keeper.

[seds]

actually I'd trade it in for a different species of catfish.

Aw...



I tried to trade in 6 (SIX!) tinfoil barbs to my LFS when I had empty tank syndrome in my 72 gallon tank. I was such a noob at stocking... I had no idea they got that big, I had one for a couple of years and he only got about 7 inches in my 20 gallon tank. I heard barbs like a group so...


heh heh... They turned me down. I was going to trade them for Rosy barbs but They don't take returns. They said NO REFUND after 24 hours!





:/ I'll try to keep the tank at 24 from now on.

[Bas Pels]

heh heh... They turned me down. I was going to trade them for Rosy barbs but They don't take returns. They said NO REFUND after 24 hours!

Were you in Europe, the law would have been on your side. I don't know about Canadian law. However, perhaps you can claim the seller did not inform you properly - and it took a while to find this out

Are you sure your law does not have a solution for such a problem?

[seds]

Well, I don't think there are any laws around here about miss-informing people around here... But it is the same pet store that brought in a 2 foot long young Red-tail Catfish and put up a sign that said "40 gallon min"

I'll look into the temperature that can suit the 2 species best until I can set up a new tank for them, since I am rather attached to these guys and the store takes no fish back. So, my main concern here is the water will be too hot (for moors) or too cold (for the cats)? The tank doesn't look overstocked to me, it actually looks empty right now. The moors are about 3-5 inches I would estimate.




EDIT:

HOLY MOLY Aquahobby says 27' for Upside down cats and 19 for fancy goldfish. Other sources say 22-26' for the cats and anywhere from 4-20 to 0-30 for fancy goldfish. I should get on setting up a (third) tank if that is possible... I don't know if my Parents will let me set one up, though... Even though I do all the maintenance. Besides I have always wanted a planted species tank for these cats.

(:O[ )

[Birger]

Well, I don't think there are any laws around here about miss-informing people around here

There is, but there is also the old saying.... buyer beware!!!

I should get on setting up a (third) tank if that is possible..

Now you are talking...that would be the best thing for the fish, just tell your parents you are trying to do the responsible thing that will impress them

Birger

[seds]

Bumper to bumper:

I moved them to my 72 gallon tank because my oscar is no longer with us.


I spent 200 bucks bringing him to the vet and got him injections for his rare illness.

The catfish have been in there for about 2 weeks and the temperature is a balmy 27 degrees Celsius, with my 4 8 inch tinfoil barbs. I also bought one more (all they had, now I have 3) but I have been tired of waiting for the LFS to restock them. I am tempted to get another kind of syno, but they call them "ast. synodontis."

They have a few nice featherfins and cuckoo catfish, but the upside down cats would be bullied? I'll just wait a few more weeks (they restock once a week but upside down catfish have been out of stock for 2 weeks) They probably aren't getting more because they have 10 or 20 "ast. synodontis" still there. I think they might be these:
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/im ... ge_id=2310
or these http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/im ... age_id=166

they're orangish and swim right side up. Have a cryptic pattern and block shaped head.

[Birger]

They probably aren't getting more because they have 10 or 20 "ast. synodontis" still there.

is this store in the Calgary area ?

Have patience and get the fish you really want...or just make sure of the other species you pick up does not turn into one of the large species and there is also the possibility of these others being hybrids as well.

[seds]

I am in Fort McMurray and there is only one pet store... Those assorted synodontis... I might try to get a picture or two next time I go... they get more fish on thursdays.