Hi and help

[igol66]

Well, hi catfish lovers, I have a 90 litre aquarium currently cycling (Im not a newbie, had other aquarium ages ago), and I did a lot of research on this website about catfish (not plecos). I would like to keep a couple, or one whatever the needs, and basically came here for deciding which one I should get.

I really like the jaguar catfish, but it obviously would get too big. I also like the Asian upside down catfish because of its jet black colour , but that also gets big .

Im open to suggestions.

Thanks

[MatsP]

People in England, and elsewhere, call Plecos catfish because they ARE catfish.

But there are plenty of other catfish too, some 70-80% of all catfish are NOT plecos.

There are a few Synos, e.g.

Synodontis nigriventris

is small, and suitable for that size tank.

Another option would be

Centromochlus perugiae

"Oilcatfish" or "Honeycomb catfish") or similar - they are a smaller relative of

Liosomadoras oncinus

(Jaguar catfish). There are others in the

Centromochlus

and

Tatia

that can be kept in a small tank too.

--
Mats

[Acanthicus]

Hi,

I kept some

Microsynodontis polli

once, they are really nice. Don´t get that big (around 4cm) and seem to be very active. In the beginning I didn´t see them often, but after a few weeks they came out of their hiding places pretty much. Another option is

Centromochlus perugiae

, very active and easy to breed as well.


Daniel

[Mod edit: Use clog-tags --Mats]

[igol66]

i was thinking about hoplosterum thoracatum. whats their minimum tank size??

[Bijn]

i was thinking about hoplosterum thoracatum. whats their minimum tank size??

the smaller

Hoplosternum punctatum

is a better choice

[Richard B]

or

Lepthoplosternum pectorale

are really nice

[Richard B]

What about

synodontis contracta

or

mochokiella

- both super fish (& yes i am biased!!!)

[Mod edit: Add clog-tags --Mats]

[MatsP]

I don't think I'm particularly biased, but I agree with Richard.

--
Mats

[Viktor Jarikov]

If

(1) you really like Liosomadoras oncinus (Jaguar catfish; and yes, they are awesome),
(2) your tank's foot print is at least 24" x 12",
(3) are willing to house it in a bigger tank when/if it starts growing beyond 6"

then IMO you could do it and still do it right. If you start with a small guy or 2 small guys, it will take good chunk of time for them to reach 5-6", maybe a couple of years (?)

I may be wrong but rarely would they grow beyond 6" TL. However, it is not impossible and then you must be willing to upgrade.

It is also possible that some one else will say no way, having read my post.

[Birger]

I may be wrong but rarely would they grow beyond 6" TL. However, it is not impossible and then you must be willing to upgrade.

A lousy picture but that is a 6 inch dish behind this girl

Another option would be Centromochlus perugiae "Oilcatfish" or "Honeycomb catfish") or similar - they are a smaller relative of Liosomadoras oncinus (Jaguar catfish). There are others in the Centromochlus and Tatia that can be kept in a small tank too.

I would also say go with a group of these in this size tank, perfect fit.

Birger

[igol66]

what would you say is the minimum tank size to house synodontis petricola or the lucipniss??

[Richard B]

what would you say is the minimum tank size to house synodontis petricola or the lucipniss??

Lucipinnis - maybe 30x12x15
Petricola - maybe 48 x12x15

essentially pet's are a lttle more secretive, a little more aggressive, a little bit bigger and IMHO, a little bit better looking (but a lot more expensive).