Tankmates opinions and suggestions for Tigrinus catfish

[Tyty13]

At last I have my 200gallon getting ready to go! I was goin gto wait and jump straight to my 400 at a later date but a buddy of mine had an unexpected baby and had to sell his 200 cheap. The whole reason I'm upsizing is so that I can use it got a grow out tank for a zebra shovelnose catfish (not to be confused with the tiger shovelnose which get quite a bit bigger.) Also real quick before I discuss tankmates yes I know 200 gallon won't house one for life that is why I plan on going upwards around 400-500. I'd love to add all my current fish into this one tank but I'm just not sure how it will work. Currently in a grow out tank I have a short nose gar that is almost 4 inches and growing rapidly. In the same tank with the gar I have an ornate bichir that is 3 inches. In my 75 gallon I have a Lima shovelnose that is 7 inches still growing suprisingly steady. The tigrinus will be purchased at around 4inches. The gar stays at the top of the tank 24/7 because I hand feed him 2-3 times a day. But I'm just not sure if it's a good idea for that combination of bottom dwellers for a year in a 200 gallon. Any advice is appreciated

[Viktor Jarikov]

I'd worry about the "swallow-able", cigar-shaped bichir, gar, LSN, etc. Any tank mate that fits the tig's mouth girth-wise would be at risk.

As tigs grow, one needs to start worrying about territorial aggression too in addition to predatory one, e.g., http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... essive-Tig

They most usually exhibit aggression to other brachies and similarly shaped and looking fish.

What you say appears to be possible to juggle for some time, just needs regular vigilance and adjustments.

[Tyty13]

Here's a new dilima. The gar and the LSN are together now. I caught the gar with the ornate birchir that is exactly 1cm smaller than the gar, in its mouth. Figuring the LSN was quite bigger than the gar in terms of swallowable, I put them together. The gar holds it's ground and actually follows the LSN as if it were a feeder... I love my gar but I'm a catfish guy. Limas are kind of a shy and I can't be too surprised he didn't put the gar in check. now I'm left wondering if the Tig would actually keep the gar in check and not let it harass it. If it did prove to be a problem the gar would be sold. Or if time lines met up would be left in the 200 and when my 400 is up the Tig would migrate to that.

[Viktor Jarikov]

IME, gars are stupid biters. Fun fish but they can and often do bite their tank mates that they cannot eat, not by any stretch of imagination.

I think the gar's plan is possibly: let me keep biting him until he succumbs to a bacterial infection from the wounds and/or from the stress and then I can try and bite chunks out of his defenseless corpse, somewhat softened by the beginning decay... I mean if I was a gar, I'd think that's a pretty good plan

Gars are voracious eaters, right there on top with other pikes, bass/perch, etc.

[exasperatus2002]

I think Vitoria is right. There's a reason why when fishing for alligator gar they use a hunk of cut baitfish on a treble hook rather then a whole bait fish.