How many can I have?

[r4heel]

I have 200 liter tank setup with two catfish that my brother got (will post pics later today)
it was love at first sight so I try to get to know them better and turns out they are Clarias batrachus
thanks to PlanetCatfish I know good info on these fish

I am so in love with these fish even though it has quite a bad rep (that i don't care for)

I just want know many I can keep in my tank
(btw they are 4" each and they are I've got)

[Richard B]

What is the footprint of your tank? (Length x width). At 200 litres I'm thinking something like 4 foot by 1 foot?
This species gets to 18 inches long & there is a general 'rule' that fish should be kept in tanks that is 4L by 2L where L is the maximum length the fish gets to. This would mean a tank 6 foot by 3 foot. There are some species where this is not enough & others where this can be relaxed a little. With clarias I personally believe they don't necessarily need the space however they grow extremely quickly & require massive filtration as they are messy voracious feeders, so bigger tanks are far more suited. In addition they have the ability to uproot plants and rearrange tank decor & are great escape artists so thought needs to be given to how they are kept long term.

In answer to your title question, it depends on the tank size (footprint)

[r4heel]

thanks for the reply Richard

footprint is 36"x18"x24" hope that's okay for a pair, if need be i can get bigger no prob

can i keep six together, if yes what should my tank size be?

[Richard B]

Your tank has the capacity to house these fish as it can accommodate up to 64 inches worth of fish. With really effective filtration to deal with the bioload you could house 4 adult fish at a stretch as long as tank maintenance is carefully followed.

You can keep any number together as long a tank has the capacity. I saw a pool at the mamba crocodile village in Kenya where there were kept as food for the crocs which contained thousands of individuals.

To keep 6 together properly you need a tank that can house 108 inches of fish. Something with a footprint of (for example) 60x18" or 72x15" or 45x24" as a minimum

[r4heel]

To keep 6 together properly you need a tank that can house 108 inches of fish. Something with a footprint of (for example) 60x18" or 72x15" or 45x24" as a minimum

i am happy to say i am getting 60"x24" soon
thx for quick reply rich