Fish similar to but smaller than Redtail Catfish

[jens.w]

Hello

I sort of fell in love with the redtail catfish after seeing some of them, but my situation just doesnt allow me to have a large enough tank to keep one at the moment.

So my question to you catfish-experts here is: are there any catfish similiar to the redtail in either looks or behaviour or both, that is also significantly smaller?

/Jens

[MatsP]

Good that you didn't fall for the trap of buying one!

Similar in which way?

There are some fishes that have a roughly similar body shape, but certainly no red tail - see below for some examples.

There are fishes that have red tails, but not quite similar, e.g.

Synodontis clarias

and

Hemibagrus wyckioides

- the latter is really no better than the South African Red Tail - only less docile.

Unfortunately, there's no "dwarf" version of this particular fish.

A small fish that is lively, and in the same family, and suitable for mid-size home aquariums would be

Pimelodus

species - there are a few different species in sizes from about 4" to 10". They are relatively active fish, so they probably do better in a tank around 300 liter+ (75g +).

Another family member that doesn't grow enormous (and isn't very active swimmer either) is

Sorubim lima

.

Other than that, we'd really need to know what you want to be similar.

--
Mats

[medaka]

Hi jens

Maybe you could tell us the dimensions of the aquarium you intend to use. I agree with Mats

Sorubim lima

would be ideal but it would depend on the size of aquaria you intend to utilise.

[Shovelnose]

I have been keeping a pair of Leiarius marmoratus for close to a year now and I find they have amazing character. Not very fussy feeders.Quite active but they do have a reputation of rearranging any furniture in the tank.I would recommend them on anyday.

[MatsP]

I have been keeping a pair of Leiarius marmoratus for close to a year now and I find they have amazing character. Not very fussy feeders.Quite active but they do have a reputation of rearranging any furniture in the tank.I would recommend them on anyday.

Yes, but again we're talking fish that need a fair amount of tank-space - you are looking custom built, large-size tanks for sure, as they easily grow beyond the 2ft mark. I prefer to recommend fish that fit in standard sized aquaria that are possible to buy from the aquatic shops when at all possible [unless there is a specific request to ask for LARGE size fish].

--
Mats

[Chrysichthys]

You might also consider

Pimelodus ornatus

and

Pimelodus blochii

.

Chrysichthys ornatus

, although not closely related to the SA RT, shares a lot of its character.

[pturley]

Any of the Pseudopimelodus or Cephalosilurus species would fit the bill quite nicely.

The latter being a particular favorite with me.

[jens.w]

Hi jens

Maybe you could tell us the dimensions of the aquarium you intend to use. I agree with Mats

Sorubim lima

would be ideal but it would depend on the size of aquaria you intend to utilise.

Hello.

I havent decided fully yet. Somewhere in the range of 250-720 liters (standard sizes), depending on what fish i ultimately choose.

[jens.w]

Good that you didn't fall for the trap of buying one!
...
Similar in which way?
...
Mats

Well, from what i have seen they are an active but not stressed out catfish. I like to see my fish roaming about.
Also, many of them are social and not at all afraid of feeding from the hand. That would be nice.
Ive even seen one that liked to be petted and of course that would be cool too.

What i like about its looks are the round large head, the large eyes and the contrast between belly and upper part of the body, plus the meaty whiskers and fins.

[MatsP]

I'm not sure I can suggest anything, but perhaps others can [I'm mostly saying this so that others that are/were expecting me to answer with something sensible here can pipe up with their knowledge].

It's kind of a difficult task when you come up with very specifics - I'm sure that one of the around 2000 fishes we have on the Planet Catfish Cat-eLog will match your criteria, but unfortunately not even the most clever parts of the search facilities allow you to enter "can be tought to handfeed" and "should have meaty barbels" ;)

--
Mats

[pturley]

Well, from what i have seen they are an active but not stressed out catfish. I like to see my fish roaming about.
Also, many of them are social and not at all afraid of feeding from the hand. That would be nice.
Ive even seen one that liked to be petted and of course that would be cool too.

Definately look for Cephalosilurus if you can find them. Once they reach a reasonable size, they are not shy at all and can be downright aggressive feeders(they do occasionally "bite the hand that feeds them"). They are often seen actively begging to be fed at the top of the tank. The personalities of C. apurensis tend to be alot more akin to large boisterous Central American Cichlids than it is a "typical" catfish.

[medaka]

What i like about its.................................. and the contrast between belly and upper part of the body,

I have to confess that the first time I felt a RTC, I was amazed by how the head differed to the touch from the flanks,
the head was rough like touching glasspaper whilst the flanks felt like velvet.

But seriously buy a 1000 litre tank and three

sorubim lima