What catfish should I buy?

aximiliguru · Post by **aximiliguru** » 15 Jan 2005, 02:00

Hey all. Aximiliguru here. I need some opinions on what kind of catfish to buy. Here's my specifications(all suggestions welcome)

It needs to be at least one inch long. It needs to grow over 4 inches long(eventually), but no more than 18". I would prefer that it eats large, non-feeder fish food(but others are ok). I don't care about color. or shape. But the stranger, more unique, the better. I'd prefer it wasn't aggressive.
-I have a 75 gallon tank. A 2.5" puffer, a 4" barracuda, and a 2" leaffish are inhabitants. There are a few cories and a ropefish too. I would not mind removing any of these fish from the tank to make room. Good aeration, medium filtration. Water perimeters are ideal for most tropics.

As i said, any suggestions are great.

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 15 Jan 2005, 13:08

Hi,

when you say barracuda, do you mean a needle-nosed garfish (Xenentodon cancila)?

as for catfish, how about the dwarf giraffe catfish.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/cl ... /102_f.php

browse the cat-elog. there's plenty to choose from!

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 16 Jan 2005, 10:43

that's a weird collection!

been together for some time?
because once that Puffer figures out that the slowmoving Leaffish is not a leaf, it'll be mutilated and eventually killed.....

aximiliguru · Post by **aximiliguru** » 16 Jan 2005, 14:21

First of all, yeah they've been together for 7 months, I think (maybe 6.5) . The barracuda is the hujeta gar. I really don't know what to call him, since nobody has given me a concrete answer to what the "barracuda" is. Oh, thanks for the suggestion, I got a dwarf giraffe catfish (Anaspidoglanis macrostoma) He is about three inches and comes out during the day(normal?) I also made a cave for him out of some java moss and driftwood. Thanks, guys. But, you know what, I still have room for another catfish...

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 16 Jan 2005, 17:32

Ctenolucius hujeta
it's a characin!
unusual one, but still some kind of a "tetra from hell"

common English name is Rocketfish!

aximiliguru · Post by **aximiliguru** » 16 Jan 2005, 17:35

Thanks a ton! I had never thought of him being a characin.
Cool. Also, I thought of getting a banjo catfish. Would he be alright? Oh, and my friend has a sick clown knife fish who lays on his side in a log during the day. His tank is doing a minicycle. Any ideas?

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 16 Jan 2005, 17:38

Clownfish are very sensitive to nitrates, nitrites and the like.

NOT a fish to be in there, when you cycle a tank!

best remove him asap.

should be OK in any eshtablished tank with lots of plants.

those South American Knifes are plant-dwellers that like to hide and rest in dense vegetation. and they need soft, neutral to acidic water.
they can and do pine to death when kept at wrong waterparameters or in very "fresh" water.
one for the "peat-granule-tank", definitely.

If you have Anaspidoglanis, avoid any Banjo.

Banjo's like to rest on or in a quiet substrate; the constant digging and sifting of the sand by the Giraffe-cat will not make it a happy fish.

aximiliguru · Post by **aximiliguru** » 16 Jan 2005, 17:39

Thanks. Ill be sure to tell my cousin to take him out.