mr. lee is now eating his friends. :(

[Mysticalxwhisper]

I take it this is the reason I tell all the local LFS not to stock red tailed catfish? Some of the local stores listen, most are petco and don't.

we got him from a specialty store actually. he came in with a batch of other unrelated fish so they kinda just had him. i don't know how exactly that happened tho lol. he was only about 6 inches long when we got him. i've never seen redtail catfish anywhere else.

[Mysticalxwhisper]

Hrrm. I vote you put a serious number of Endlers in there and see who wins. . . I bet the endlers would reproduce so fast Mr. Lee wouldn't be able to eat them all.

I can donate 50 to the cause. . . Oh wait it is up to 65 now.

Err. . .make that 75.

Umm. . . 80?

this is gonna sound silly, but uh what are endlers? lol

[MatsP]

Endlers Livebearer, a relative to common guppy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poecilia_wingei

--
Mats

[Yos]

Sorry, I just thought it would have been a funny thing to say. At least that is what I was trying for.

[AlaskanCorydoras]

They breed FAST, and might be extinct in the wild. Unfortunately they're so small they generally aren't eaten. I'm mostly using them for a joke about how fast they breed. (Faster than guppies, on average.)

[Mysticalxwhisper]

Sorry, I just thought it would have been a funny thing to say. At least that is what I was trying for.

haha it was funny, was just saying tho lol

[Mysticalxwhisper]

thanks Mats & alaskan

[Lloydy]

Maybe so, but if he just swims around with his mouth open he will act like a whale hoovering up krill

Except that's not quite how it works. Whilst I'm sure you said it in jest
Mats

Yes it was

[Mysticalxwhisper]

mr. lee got a home!!!!!
thank god.

the day before we moved, we remembered the place we bought him, and decided to call them and they said sure! we dropped him off and they put him in a spacious 3,000 gallon pond/tank thing.

thanks for all your comments and help along the way.

-amber

[andywoolloo]

Yeah for Mr Lee!!

3,000 gals!!

He didn't have any foreign objects in him did he? Was he fine from all of that?

Do you have any pictures of his new home? How did you transport him? Tell us the story!

[Mysticalxwhisper]

lol no he was foreign object free. no, i dont have any pictures of his new place, the big dude thought i was weird enough cause i named him lol. but its a pretty tank down in the middle of the basement of the store. uh we put him in the big bucket they gave us when we got him. of course hes a couple feet bigger now lol, he was a little cramped but it was only a 15-20 mins drive so it wasn't too bad. also we measured him, he isnt exactly 3 ft. hes about 28-30 inches. he started to wiggle so thats a give-or-take estimate lol.

[L number Banana]

Cool!
Good for Mr.Lee!

Now of course you're addicted to catfish, so let's find you a smaller one to keep your hobby going in the right direction

I vote for

Synodontis multipunctatus

or

Pimelodus pictus

, both stay small, look very whiskery and cat-fishy and should be kept in a group. They each like different conditions so I guess it depends what your water's like naturally. Personally, I'm desperately trying to get a batch of one or the other so maybe you'll have better luck. If you want to see how they'd be at home, check out youtube. Luv 'em!

I'm only half-kidding but you're a regular now so you may as well jump in the water, it's fine in here.
How big is Mr.Lee's old digs again? Tank mates, ph...?

[MatsP]

For a rather large tank, like the one Mr Lee was living in, you could also consider some of the larger species of

Pimelodus

, such as P. blochi or P. ornatus - they are still reasonable size, but will stay small enough to avoid needing to find a good rescue place with several thousand gallons of tank/pond-space.

--
Mats

[L number Banana]

Big tank? Oo, see if you can find this one - check out the video on the species page. That's a catfish!

Neosilurus ater

[MatsP]

Well, a 150g tank is big, but perhaps not quite big enough for a N. ater - as at 18" it would require a shortest side of 36". Up to a foot or so is fine for a 150g tank.

--
Mats

[L number Banana]

Too bad.
That's my "If I had a million dollars" fish. Very graceful and almost spooky.
For this week anyway..

[sidguppy]

good move!

if you like imposing larger catfish, but one that can swim about comfortably in a 150G tank, I don't think you can get anything better than these:
Aguarunichthys spp

there are a few species, but they look a LOT alike. all are very very beautiful, and with an adult length of 1 foot or so, they'll be a great centerpiece for your tank
it won't feed on pleco's or any other fish at least 2/3rds of it's own size, so any 8" fish in there will be perfectly safe.








in my opinion this is THE best looking Pimelodid by a looooong stretch.

they DO turn up in the trade.

[Mysticalxwhisper]

Cool!
Good for Mr.Lee!

Now of course you're addicted to catfish, so let's find you a smaller one to keep your hobby going in the right direction

I vote for

Synodontis multipunctatus

or

Pimelodus pictus

, both stay small, look very whiskery and cat-fishy and should be kept in a group. They each like different conditions so I guess it depends what your water's like naturally. Personally, I'm desperately trying to get a batch of one or the other so maybe you'll have better luck. If you want to see how they'd be at home, check out youtube. Luv 'em!

I'm only half-kidding but you're a regular now so you may as well jump in the water, it's fine in here.
How big is Mr.Lee's old digs again? Tank mates, ph...?

aw they are cute!! well we are gonna get cichlids also when we start our tank over.. they won't eat them will they if they grow up together? i don't think i cant tank anymore "friendly fire" in my tank lol.

the tank we had him in was a 150 gallon tank, and there was 4 cichlids and 2 plecos in with him.

[Mysticalxwhisper]

Big tank? Oo, see if you can find this one - check out the video on the species page. That's a catfish!

Neosilurus ater

lol that catfish looks like a maple tree seed with whiskers. lol. interesting tho...

[Mysticalxwhisper]

good move!

if you like imposing larger catfish, but one that can swim about comfortably in a 150G tank, I don't think you can get anything better than these:
Aguarunichthys spp

there are a few species, but they look a LOT alike. all are very very beautiful, and with an adult length of 1 foot or so, they'll be a great centerpiece for your tank
it won't feed on pleco's or any other fish at least 2/3rds of it's own size, so any 8" fish in there will be perfectly safe.








in my opinion this is THE best looking Pimelodid by a looooong stretch.

they DO turn up in the trade.

ooo! those are pretty cool looking


we'll probably go searching for new fish in the next couple weeks or so. we have to set up the tank. right now, its just got some water, an airpump and our pleco dino. lol. we have to clean the filters and stuff before we set it up.

[L number Banana]

I'm excited for you, those cats suggested are beautiful!

I guess the first step would be to make sure all is perfect with the tank filters etc (don't clean them in tap water!) and then see what conditions the tank water has naturally. If you check those and list them here, the regulars can certainly help you rule out unsuitable fish.

Your readings for ph and temperature will probably dictate which catfish is best. Some of them live in lakes with cichlids so you may be able to look at those types. One of them uses a type of cichlid for breeding and stays small but very catfishy looking, spots and whiskers. They're African and like higher PH. Here's an article about them and cichlids. http://www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/cotm. ... cle_id=124

The kind Sidguppy showed are South American and *I think* likes lower ph. They look as nice as Mr. Lee was, centerpiece for sure!

Let us know what ph etc your tank settles in at.

[Mysticalxwhisper]

I'm excited for you, those cats suggested are beautiful!

I guess the first step would be to make sure all is perfect with the tank filters etc (don't clean them in tap water!) and then see what conditions the tank water has naturally. If you check those and list them here, the regulars can certainly help you rule out unsuitable fish.

Your readings for ph and temperature will probably dictate which catfish is best. Some of them live in lakes with cichlids so you may be able to look at those types. One of them uses a type of cichlid for breeding and stays small but very catfishy looking, spots and whiskers. They're African and like higher PH. Here's an article about them and cichlids. http://www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/cotm. ... cle_id=124

The kind Sidguppy showed are South American and *I think* likes lower ph. They look as nice as Mr. Lee was, centerpiece for sure!

Let us know what ph etc your tank settles in at.

what do you mean don't clean the filters with tap water? lol. how else would one clean them?

[L number Banana]

what do you mean don't clean the filters with tap water? lol. how else would one clean them?

I just started using proper filters this last year so here's my version but one of the more experienced people may need to add to or better explain, but here goes...

I'm not sure of the exact specifics of your filter but there's usually a part that has the good bacteria and you don't want to wash that part away or let chlorinated tap water at it - it would kill the good bacteria that helps your water stay clean. If you kill that bacteria then you may have to start the cycling all over again. If the good bacteria are still in the tank on rocks or whatever, losing the stuff in the bio-filter may cause a swing in your water parameters because the bad bacteria will have a temporary advantage.

My filter has two parts: one is a plastic part that traps the yucky sludge type stuff but that's my bio-filter, that one doesn't get washed at all because the good guys (bacteria) live there. The other part is a cottony thing that traps floating stuff in the water. That one gets washed out but only in tank water that's in the bucket when I'm doing a water change. That way, any good bacteria in that part stays as well but all the fine silty stuff from a dead plant leaf or whatever gets washed away.

* I have heard of people that completely rinse out the cottony part in tap water and the "rinse" it again in the bucket from the water change so no chlorine or chloramine is introduced to the biofilter part.

I'll look back at your posts and see if I can find your filter type or maybe someone here has the same one and could be more precise. There's a good article on cycling your tank somewhere, I'll try to find that too - probably a better explanation than mine

[L number Banana]

Here's the blurb about hang-on the-back filters from the article below, it discusses different kinds of filters. I thought I could see an intake pipe in one of your pictures.

Power Filters: Power filters, also called "hang on the back" filters, use a pump to pull water out of the aquarium and pass it through various media before the water returns to the aquarium.

Price: From reasonable to fairly expensive.
Filtration: Varies from model to model. Generally good mechanical and chemical filtration but poor biological. Some models are fitted with a wheel device that adds wet/dry biological filtration.
Maintenance: Clean the filtration cartridges and replace chemical media per the manufacturer’s instructions. A special pipe brush is available and should be used to occasionally clean out the intake pipe. The motor’s magnetic impeller will need replaced every few years.
Aesthetics: Very good with only a single uptake pipe to be hidden.
Other notes: A very versatile form of filtration with many, many models to choose from. Stick with a known manufacturer to assure you are buying a quality item. Filter cartridge replacements make this a fairly costly method of filtration over time. Look for models that have added wet/dry filtration and/or media baskets to increase filtration and water conditioning options.

Here's the full article: http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworl ... Filtration

Some other good catfish tank info, you may already know alot of the information in this article but it's a good round-up of several things that are important:
http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworl ... ing+Basics

[Mysticalxwhisper]

i can't remember the name of the filters we have and i won't be able to go look til later since i'm not there. but i believe it starts with a "F". but we have two 100 gallon filters for the tank. they are those bio-filters i believe. it has a section for carbon, one for these little white rocks and another for these blue spikey balls. plus it has a cartridge for sponges.

[L number Banana]

Hi,
Would it be Fluval maybe? That's a very popular type filter but someone else would have to comment further as I don't have one. Pretty sure your blue spiky balls would be the bio-filter part though. The good bacteria would live there and the spiky bits make for lots of surfaces for them to colonize.

Let's see if it sounds like a Fluval to any of the others.

Got a Fluval like this anyone?

[Martin S]

i can't remember the name of the filters we have and i won't be able to go look til later since i'm not there. but i believe it starts with a "F". but we have two 100 gallon filters for the tank. they are those bio-filters i believe. it has a section for carbon, one for these little white rocks and another for these blue spikey balls. plus it has a cartridge for sponges.

How long has the carbon been in there? Do you replace it regularly?
Carbon is useful for short term to remove chemicals, but, once it has 'expired' it can leach back into the aquarium.I would replace the carbon back with another bag of 'white rocks', and only put the carbon bag in for a day or two once you have finished treating the tank with any medicines.
HTH
Martin

[Mysticalxwhisper]

yes fluval! thats it. its like a fluval 450 or something.
i thought the carbon was always supposed to be in the filter? everytime we clean it we change the carbon and put new in. and when we treat with medicines, we try to take it out for the time we are treating since it sucks all the medicines from the water.

[AlaskanCorydoras]

Carbon is only good for removing chems from the water. Beit phosphates, ammonia/nitrite/nitrate, or medicine. If your tank is healthy and well balanced, it won't need a carbon filter.

I like HOB filters, due to the ease of maintainance. The HOB filters with the most recommendations are the aquaclears. They're nice in that they can use interchangable media, or double sponges, double carbon, etc.

I generally run mine with double sponges (for particulate removal) and strong biofilter media.

[MatsP]

Actually, carbon doesn't do very much on nitrogenous products such as nitrate or ammonia. It does pick up most medications, and is supposed to make a difference when you have a lot of wood leeching tannin into the water, which would make it brown. I don't mind water that looks like mild tea, but some people do not appreciate it.

--
Mats