Hassar Catfish,

[MeglaAlex]

I will be getting 3-5 Hassar Catfish this coming Friday! I would like to get as much info as them as I can. Can you guys tell me what their favorite food is, how big do they get ( I was told they get to 3-6'' by the lfs) so they are perfect for life in my tank, and anything I should need to know.
Also are these guys, ''rare''? The shop is saying they are really hard to get. They are wild out of peru so I am gonna qt them.
Here are some pics of them at the shop. Oh ya, which species of Hassar are they?

[Dave Rinaldo]

I believe they are

Hassar orestis

Until acclimatized, the fish appears quite selective and like small foods. Crushed flake or sinking flake-based tablets best for smaller individuals although brineshrimp is taken by species around the 2'' mark. Larger, more settled fish are easier to feed and become very active during feeding.

[racoll]

If you're serious about keeping the Hassar, you need to buy every single one that the shop has. They are a shoaling species and must be kept in big groups. Three, or even five, is not enough. Same goes for the Brochis.

Your 75 gallon tank doesn't have any sand, which is also absolutely essential for these fish. I would also just stick to these two species, and remove the other doradids you have mentioned in that thread, as they are entirely unsuitable. A decent group of Hassar and Brochis would make a nice display for that 75g tank.

[MeglaAlex]

If you're serious about keeping the Hassar, you need to buy every single one that the shop has. They are a shoaling species and must be kept in big groups. Three, or even five, is not enough. Same goes for the Brochis.

Your 75 gallon tank doesn't have any sand, which is also absolutely essential for these fish. I would also just stick to these two species, and remove the other doradids you have mentioned in that thread, as they are entirely unsuitable. A decent group of Hassar and Brochis would make a nice display for that 75g tank.

Hi there thanks for the information.
I will start with about 3-5 hassar and brochis and then work my way up. Every time I get money I will buy a few more of each species. I am liking your idea of sand and then the hassar and brochis displace. I am thinking of 10 hassar and 10 brochis is where I want to end. But I need to save up for that many, but I can get 5 to start for the hassar and 5 for the brochis. The irwinis I will keep for a little while just to get experince with them.

[Bas Pels]

if you can afford 5 Hadssar and 5 Brochis, I'd suggest to get 6, or more Hassar and leave the Brochis in the shop.

Getting a few fish and adding conspecifics later is not a very good idea: the new fishes will need to adapt to your tank while others are already adapted - thus they end up donw the social ladder, their food is eaten by others and so on.

It is much better to first get 1 species and later the other - and as Brochis is quite often seen and Hassar is not, I'd stard with Hassar.

I do realize you need to have money before you can get fishes, but having some money, there are better and worse ways to spend it

[racoll]

if you can afford 5 Hadssar and 5 Brochis, I'd suggest to get 6, or more Hassar and leave the Brochis in the shop.

Getting a few fish and adding conspecifics later is not a very good idea: the new fishes will need to adapt to your tank while others are already adapted - thus they end up donw the social ladder, their food is eaten by others and so on.

It is much better to first get 1 species and later the other - and as Brochis is quite often seen and Hassar is not, I'd stard with Hassar.

I do realize you need to have money before you can get fishes, but having some money, there are better and worse ways to spend it

Entirely agree. Was going to say exactly the same thing.



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[MeglaAlex]

if you can afford 5 Hadssar and 5 Brochis, I'd suggest to get 6, or more Hassar and leave the Brochis in the shop.

Getting a few fish and adding conspecifics later is not a very good idea: the new fishes will need to adapt to your tank while others are already adapted - thus they end up donw the social ladder, their food is eaten by others and so on.

It is much better to first get 1 species and later the other - and as Brochis is quite often seen and Hassar is not, I'd stard with Hassar.

I do realize you need to have money before you can get fishes, but having some money, there are better and worse ways to spend it

Thank you for the info! I will see what I can do, as the local fish shop is selling them as a package deal so I'd have to get a certain number of hassar and brochis. I might start with hassar and then get brochis.

[Bas Pels]

a good argumentfor hte shopkeeper would be that if you take all the Hassar, he will have the tank free for other fishes.

Obviously, this only works if he does not have more than these 10 Hassar

[racoll]

I find you can usually make a deals with the staff. I assume this is also the case in the States? Say if the label says "buy five, get one free", and there are seven or eight in the tank, you can usually make an offer to take all of them at a further discount (e.g. all, with say two free).

It's not good for the shop if one or two individuals get "left behind", as they will be much less likely to be sold later. If they don't get sold, and end up loitering around the tanks for months on end, or even dead, then that's lost profit, and wasted food and tank space.

[MeglaAlex]

I find you can usually make a deals with the staff. I assume this is also the case in the States? Say if the label says "buy five, get one free", and there are seven or eight in the tank, you can usually make an offer to take all of them at a further discount (e.g. all, with say two free).

It's not good for the shop if one or two individuals get "left behind", as they will be much less likely to be sold later. If they don't get sold, and end up loitering around the tanks for months on end, or even dead, then that's lost profit, and wasted food and tank space.

Good point here. I'll see what I can talk to him about and see if I can get all hassar, but I'm happy with whatever, I get to hand pick my fish! !

[nvcichlids]

what is the price they are asking for htem. I have not seen any available locally and would love them in my 125. I had also read somewhere they don't ship very well, so that is why I was limited to local stores only.

[MeglaAlex]

what is the price they are asking for htem. I have not seen any available locally and would love them in my 125. I had also read somewhere they don't ship very well, so that is why I was limited to local stores only.

They are $20 each and the brochis are $12 each, but I am gonna make out like a banchie.... you buy 2 you get 1 free. So I'm planning to get 7 hassar and 7 brochis, the other 4 hassar and 4 brochis were sold. Having my guys being held and qt for Friday. I handed picked them and moved them. Can't wait.

[MeglaAlex]

They Came in! Perfectly healthly and fine. Can not be dissappointed.... despite people telling me they are tough to feed, they are eating!!!! Flakes, bloodworms, krill, and live blackworms.
I got 3 nice and fat ones. Got some more coming next week.

[MeglaAlex]

Here are my beautys... my all new favorite catfish! They eat everything.

Megladoras

and

Hassar Orestis

are my all time favorite cats. Glad I found planet catfish, I was able to id them cuz of you guys. I love them. Sweet catfish, eat everything I offer. Which I was told was hard to get them to eat.