clarias batrachus

lucy · Post by **lucy** » 11 May 2004, 13:34

hiya im new to this board
am I in the right section here? they seem to come from all over the place
its great to find a board that doesnt just deal with community tanks

Post by **Silurus** » 11 May 2004, 14:20

What do you want to know about ?

lucy · Post by **lucy** » 11 May 2004, 14:31

mostly hoping to find other ppl that keep them or have kept them really
well we seem to be doing great with water parameters feeding ect one of them is even hand feeding
id like to know ..
1) how strong does my lid need to be?(ive put an inner lid on the tank made from perspex
2) has anyone been stung and have an idea how bad the sting is?
3) are they easy to breed because they had been twinning round each other ect for the first few days and now dont seem to like each other as much
4) are my large plecs safe with them (one is 12inches one is slightly smaller)

thanks

lucy · Post by **lucy** » 11 May 2004, 14:36

sorry i should add that the clarias are 5 inches and 4 inches at the momment

Post by **Silurus** » 11 May 2004, 14:38

1) how strong does my lid need to be?(ive put an inner lid on the tank made from perspex

Ideally, you should try to weigh your lid down with something heavy (large tiles or small bricks). I've kept Clarias with unweighted lids before and they seem to do fine, but you shouldn't take the chance.

2) has anyone been stung and have an idea how bad the sting is?

I've been stung by Clarias in the field before, and the sting is not any more painful than those of most other catfishes. Hurts for a brief moment, but the pain goes away pretty quickly.

3) are they easy to breed because they had been twinning round each other ect for the first few days and now dont seem to like each other as much

They do not spawn easily in aquaria (assuming you have a confirmed pair in the first place), but isolated reports of aquarium spawning exist. They seem to spawn more easily in earthern ponds, though.

4) are my large plecs safe with them (one is 12inches one is slightly smaller)

Yes. The plecs are too heavily armored for the Clarias to do any lasting damage.

lucy · Post by **lucy** » 11 May 2004, 14:43

thanks thats really helpful
ill go find a large encyclopeadia or something LOL
no they are not a confirmed pair i think they are prolly tank spawned and from the same spawning they are albino so i cant tell if they are male or female
i actually bought one and then went back for the other the next day because i felt sorry for it and not being keen on ciclids im limited what i can put in with them so i thought what the hell i might aswell have the 2
thanks again

Laguviashawi · Post by **Laguviashawi** » 25 Jun 2004, 12:11

lucy wrote:thanks thats really helpful
ill go find a large encyclopeadia or something LOL
no they are not a confirmed pair i think they are prolly tank spawned and from the same spawning they are albino so i cant tell if they are male or female
i actually bought one and then went back for the other the next day because i felt sorry for it and not being keen on ciclids im limited what i can put in with them so i thought what the hell i might aswell have the 2
thanks again

Hi !

Clarias is a beautiful fish to keep, what with its slender movements and remarkable ability to really move fast at times.

Albino Clarius are prose in motion...........

Are your fish from Thailand ?

I suggest you try to include a pair of normal color Asian Stinging Catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis), these have smaller heads but are generally similar to look like. However, their sting is more powerful than CBs. As Silurus has most rightly stated the lid should be firm as these fish tend to slip out, and this habit of theirs have got them their nickname........"walking catfish".

Andrew

Andrew

lucy · Post by **lucy** » 25 Jun 2004, 14:14

hiya Laguviashawi ,

Not sure where they came from , not a lot of info was forthcoming from the shop
but i am now fascinated by clariiads and would like some more

they are indeed the best fish i have ever kept and getting bigger by the day!
i have seen some clarias angolensis (that was the label anyway) at another shop and am unsure wheither to risk getting one or 2 of those to put in with them when i get the second tank set up
it will be a 6ft one
will it be big enough? there will be a 16inch gibbyceps in there too

and do u think they will get along?(there are 2 kuli loach in with them at the moment because i cant catch them and they are not the least bit interested in eating them, i know they are suposed to be predatory but they dont seem to be yet, the bigger one is 8 inches now)

these asian stinging catfish im not sure about because i have 2 kids and if they are the ones im thinking they are i dont want to risk it
is it commonly called the liver catfish? if not i shall definately look into it
im off on holiday for a week then im starting to set the tank up when i get back

Post by **Silurus** » 25 Jun 2004, 14:17

Clarias don't make very good community fish, so it would be OK to house them with plecos, but generally not with anything else. A 6-ft tank is a little small for an African clariid (if the identification is correct), since these usually grow much larger than Asian species.

And yes, liver cat=stinging cat.

Laguviashawi · Post by **Laguviashawi** » 26 Jun 2004, 03:03

lucy wrote:hiya Laguviashawi ,

Not sure where they came from , not a lot of info was forthcoming from the shop
but i am now fascinated by clariiads and would like some more

they are indeed the best fish i have ever kept and getting bigger by the day!
i have seen some clarias angolensis (that was the label anyway) at another shop and am unsure wheither to risk getting one or 2 of those to put in with them when i get the second tank set up
it will be a 6ft one
will it be big enough? there will be a 16inch gibbyceps in there too

and do u think they will get along?(there are 2 kuli loach in with them at the moment because i cant catch them and they are not the least bit interested in eating them, i know they are suposed to be predatory but they dont seem to be yet, the bigger one is 8 inches now)

these asian stinging catfish im not sure about because i have 2 kids and if they are the ones im thinking they are i dont want to risk it
is it commonly called the liver catfish? if not i shall definately look into it
im off on holiday for a week then im starting to set the tank up when i get back

Hi Lucy,

African Clarids are definitely NOT for the home aquaria, especially the species you have written about. The desicion to introduce this species in local waters by the Fishery Dept in West Bengal, India was made in haste.........and boy are the authorities and everyonelse ruing that move.

In our waters they are the equivalent of T.rex. Now there is a BAN here to exterminate, but it's easier said than done. These fish are simply too strong, grow too big too fast and can adapt in most temperatures and in very shallow waters too. They taste horrible too just like the Pangasius hypothalmus(sutchii) which has just been released in our waters. But that's another story.

I do not think Asian Stings or Liver Catfish are that dangerous so as not to keep. One is anyway not supposed to let kids handle their aquarium fish.

I think more comments on the "dangers" of keeping H. fossilis should be forthcoming............

lucy · Post by **lucy** » 06 Jul 2004, 14:02

i shall definately give the angolensis a miss then and stick with the batrachus, no urge to have a massive bad tempered clariad in the house
im back from holiday now and all my fish are fine and should be starting to set up the new tank fairly soon. I shall have to think very carefully about what i can put into the old tank, i have to be good and not put fish into it that i cant mix with others or i will end up throwing out furniture.

still not sure about a liver cat though, altho the kids are not babies and are fairly well trained not to ever put there hands into the tank its something i would have to think long and hard about, accidents do happen and imagine the embarrassment of having to explain to the ppl at A + E!

oh and any advice on decor for my new clarias tank?
im thinking a fine substrate because of all the gravel chucking they do (hearing it smack against the side of the tank can be very alarming) and ive noticed they hurt themselves on anything that gets in the way because of the aggressive digging and shoving,
so im going for something a bit space age maybe as theres no point going for a "normal" looking tank with anything green ect
so maybe a dark coloured sandy substrate and industrial looking plastic pipes , i'll need a piece of bogwood for the plec.

ive had a look around and the only coloured substrate i can find is too sharp any ideas? id like purple really .

Post by **Silurus** » 06 Jul 2004, 14:05

They're usually fine with any substrate. I usually prefer coarse gravel myself, but whatever works for you.

lucy · Post by **lucy** » 06 Jul 2004, 14:12

always worry they are going to smash the tank silurius they really do chuck it around !

Post by **Silurus** » 06 Jul 2004, 14:26

I used coarse gravel without any problems, and I have also kept clariids on a bare-bottomed tank (when cleaning up got too messy). I think most tanks are sturdy enough to withstand the attentions of C. batrachus.

lucy · Post by **lucy** » 06 Jul 2004, 14:33

ok i shall stop worrying lol, but i might still go for sand as the new tank is going right next to my sofa and all that flying gravel can really put you off watching eastenders

Wolfgang Ros · Post by **Wolfgang Ros** » 11 Jul 2004, 11:11

In the meantime the mating and breeding in the tank is succeeded and documented in word and picture; see the detailed report â??Erfolgreiche Froschwels-Nachzucht im Aquariumâ?? (Succeeded walking catfish - mating in the tank), published in:

â??Die Aquarien- und Terrarienzeitschriftâ?? (DATZ) 7/04, pages 12-15:

http://www.ulmer.de/artikel.dll?MID=531&AID=20304

Whoever has interest, can order the DATZ 7/04 at the publishing house â??ulmerâ?

Post by **Silurus** » 11 Jul 2004, 11:22

Before both partners are digging a hollow, which has a diameter of approximately 12 inch. In some descriptions also the building of a nest is described. I cannot confirm that.

I think the hollow is the nest. I have not seen breeding accounts of Clarias in which there is anything but a hollow serving as a nest.

Wolfgang Ros · Post by **Wolfgang Ros** » 11 Jul 2004, 18:21

Thanks for your addition. I can only agree you.
However the question arises whether materials are used for the building of the hollow. Sometimes one can read that these fish use different materials, in order to build a nest:

â??Walking catfish construct nests made of detritus or submerged vegetation.â?

Wolfgang Ros · Post by **Wolfgang Ros** » 19 Jul 2004, 09:09

clarias batrachus - breeding / mating / breeding care:

current pictures are now adjusted under:

http://community.forenshop.net/forums/i ... wtopic=124

http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworld/s_r_249.php

http://www.welse.net/SEITEN/clarias.htm

http://www.scotcat.com/articles/article67.htm

Post by **Silurus** » 19 Jul 2004, 11:07

Those are some incredible pics.

I'm sure Jools would like to add those to the Cat-eLog.

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 19 Jul 2004, 16:14

Awesome!

never thought anyone would get away with breeding these monsters in a tank, instead of a pond.

And those pix too! how are the tiny babies faring?

slow growers or fast growers?

and I'm very curious about the coloration; they're all albino or piebalds or do wildcolored ones turn up in the batch?

Myth · Post by **Myth** » 21 Jul 2004, 12:57

Hi All,
Yet another Clarias fanatic here.
I`ve found they have a massive personality, more like a dog than a fish

Mine is about 13" and gets along fine with his 10" common pleco tank buddy.
Fast growing, very agile fish and likes to rearrange the tank on a daily basis.
Takes food from the hand and comes when called.
New additions to the tank (rocks,thermometer, new plants etc) unsettle him and he retreats to his favourite tube to shake with apprehension for a few hours..what a wuss

Enjoys prawns, algae wafers,cucumber and floating pellets..not a fussy eater.
As for him climbing out of the tank he`s never been tempted because life is too good here

A great fish to keep

lucy · Post by **lucy** » 23 Jul 2004, 13:25

hiya myth its nice to meet another one!!
I'm amazed how many clarias fans have come out the woodwork, i dont feel so alone now LOL
Wolfgang has studied some pictures of my fish and reckons i have 1 of each so im hoping to be as lucky as him at some point
altho i doubt i could find homes for a lot of them so i might have to let the other fish eat the eggs and just try and save a couple
the tank rearranging sounds very very familier there is one particular pipe sticking out of the internal filter that the female cannot stand , every morning when i get up its been knocked out and pushed to the same spot on the other side of the tank !
luckily she is very sweet and doesnt live up to her aggressive nature when i have to replace it

Myth · Post by **Myth** » 24 Jul 2004, 16:20

Hi Lucy,
I don`t think the aggressive label is deserved unless you`re a small fish

Sounds like you may have some luck with breeding if you have a pair.

I should have bought more than one at the beginning, but unfortunately i didn`t, so now i`ll have to find a female thats too big for him to eat

Not easy to find large (or any) clarias in my area..looks like i may have an excuse to set up another tank