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I am currently interested in getting a Wyckii for my 125, hopefully a small one to start off with. As far as tankmates are concerned, one will be a wild dovii, and so far I'm not sure about what else will be in there, but they will likely be some type of aggressive cichlid. Do you think they would get along ok? I know wyckii can be pretty nasty at nighttime and my wild dovii is my prized possession, but I'd like some type of larger predatory cat in there with him. I don't want a red-tail and I'm not interested in Shovelnose cats, or for that matter any of the Pimelodelae cats. I like the looks and behaviour of the wyckii. If you guys think it's a bad idea, do you think P. niger would do ok? I want something that can handle it's own, but at the same time is not going to eat my dovii if it gets the chance. thanks in advance for replies/info.

It's very unlikely that a tankmate would work, especially one that is a prized possession.

How long do you think I could keep a wyckii in a 125gal. (72"L x 18"W), at least before I need to upgrade to a 180 or something? I know these guys can get 28" or so. Any suggestions as far as tankmates? Maybe some Giant Gouramis or something? From most things I have read, it seems this catfish hides most of the day, so I'd like something out in the open in my tank that's not going to get munched on by the catfish.

I am currently interested in getting a Wyckii for my 125

My advice leave the fish where it is; ;
or make your tank a species only tank, and then try with the funds made available by not purchasing tank mates, to recreate the fishes natural habitat.

Any suggestions as far as tankmates? Maybe some Giant Gouramis or something?

I've seen these fish kill 2ft Giant Gourami's and Pacu,
Large red tail cats end up quivering in the corner of the tank "stressed out" no end,, Bassically I am saying through experience It would be cruel to give these fish tankmates..

It's okay if I can't have tankmates, with most of my fish it's a species only tank, so that doesn't bother me, I just figured I'd ask before I condemned something to an early grave. As far as these catfish are concerned, do they hide pretty much all the time? Do they feed during the daytime? I've kept a red-tail cat for an extended period of time, do they behave similar to red-tails? By that I mean, do they come out to eat when offered food or do they primarily scavenge, do they feed very aggressively? What kind of growth rate can be expected out of one of these guys? I perform excellent maintenance on my tank, in the area of partial water changes done every 2-3 days. I have a wet/dry filter so all the heaters/plumbing are external, as I have read they can wreak havoc on equipment.

They're not exactly like redtails, since they tend to be more retiring. However, they will come out of hiding to feed if hungry.

Just curious, but what about housing a large predatory cat with a shoal of small, fast swimming, surface dwelling fish?? Would the catfish expend the energy to hunt them down??

The fish will have to sleep sometime. Then...zap.

But if the fish are really small compared to the catfish, they may be ignored (it happened to a bunch of small mollies I put in as food for a largish Wallago leerii).

That does make good sense. I think perhaps some rasboras or some type of small asian schooling fish sounds like a plausible idea. Once the cats get big enough, they're not going to bother going after something so small, at least in my opinion. I checked with my wholesaler and the wyckii I'm getting are around 6". So I think I'll do a little growing out in a 55 or so, then move up to something much bigger! I'm so excited!!!

That would make for an interesting setup, 1 H. wyckii and a huge shoal of Boraras...

What else do you think might be okay? Maybe some small goby's? Do these catfish prefer high current tanks or something less? I have a Mag9.5 (950 gph) pump running the wet/dry on my 125, it's probably doing about 400gph (overflow box is too small). How quickly do they grow? Has anyone experienced their wyckii trying to bite them? Do they have teeth? Anyone's personal experiences would be great to hear about, especially anything unique or exciting! Thanks!

Gobies are bottom dwelling fish. I think if you want to try extremely small fish as tankmates, stick with surface or top dwellers.

A strong current is not necessary, but water conditions should remain good, as they are more sensitive to deteriorating water than other Hemibagrus species.

They have teeth, which I am pretty sure they would be more than willing to use on you. In all the time I've kept one, I've played it safe and never stuck my hand into the tank, except for very brief moments.

Interesting. This catfish sounds like it's gonna be quite interesting to observe. I have another, kinda stupid question, the tank I am going to put it in has a sand bottom, which is white. By most pictures these catfish are very dark, almost black. Do you think the sand substrate is going to effect it's color? Would it be wise of me to add some black gravel of some sort to help darken the sand? Also, are these catfish compatible with live plants? I have some Anachris sp. in the tank and it seems to be growing well. That leads me to my next question, would it be wise to keep this catfish in a tank, which receives 8-10 hours of fluorescent lighting daily? I have a twin tube fixture on the tank, so it's quite bright. Should I scrap the live plants and keep the tank a little more dark? I am trying to find some good info. as far as habitat, water conditions, and good tank decor, but coming up a little short. Could someone help give me an idea on what would be a good place to look at for tank setup for this catfish? I want to make it feel right at home in it's new aquarium.

Do you think the sand substrate is going to effect it's color?

Nope.

If you're going to keep plants in there, make sure they are deeply rooted so that they are less likely to be knocked free. I would dispense with plants altogether, though, so you do not need as much light (which I might add, would eventually just lead to more maintenance in controlling algae).

Honestly, I don't mind algae growth, I even try and encourage it, as it creates a more natural looking aquarium, rather than sterile rock. And the plants tend to help compete for available nutrients which in turn normally means less algae in a system, than if you had nothing at all. But I will take your advice, as my sand layer is maybe 1.5", being in the deepest areas. Right now I am thinking, I will try some various danios, rasboras, and other small schooling fish and see if there is a predatory response. I've got a moonlight on my tank, so at night I can see what this bad boy is up to. If he takes them down, no big deal, also, for those interested tinfoil barbs are native to wyckii, and as big as those guys grow, you should be able to keep them together and have it work out okay, as well as various large gouramis. So there is hope yet!

The True Guapote wrote:Honestly, I don't mind algae growth, I even try and encourage it, as it creates a more natural looking aquarium, rather than sterile rock. And the plants tend to help compete for available nutrients which in turn normally means less algae in a system, than if you had nothing at all. But I will take your advice, as my sand layer is maybe 1.5", being in the deepest areas. Right now I am thinking, I will try some various danios, rasboras, and other small schooling fish and see if there is a predatory response. I've got a moonlight on my tank, so at night I can see what this bad boy is up to. If he takes them down, no big deal, also, for those interested tinfoil barbs are native to wyckii, and as big as those guys grow, you should be able to keep them together and have it work out okay, as well as various large gouramis. So there is hope yet!

Pike is native to the same waters as Rudd. Doesn't mean that they live together in peace... Just means that they are OK in the same water from a chemistry standpoint. I don't think Medaka was kidding when he said "I've seen this fish kill 2ft Gourami".

I think you're better off with your small fish idea. As long as they are significantly smaller and perhaps quick, should be OK.

--
Mats

Well that sounds like a plan then. I'm gonna do some pearl danios and some rasbora het.'s in there and we'll see how that works out.

The True Guapote wrote:I'm gonna do some pearl danios and some rasbora het.'s in there and we'll see how that works out.

Bear in mind that many of the small Cyprinids you might have available will not react well to the kind of maintenance regime required for a fish like this.
Danio spp. should be OK, but Trigonostigma and other small "ex-Rasbora" may suffer.

why not first try it out with guppies, and work from there?

waste to use small Barbs on something that's so risky.

maybe that Wyckii suddenly learns a trick to "scoop" the sleeping fish right off the surface, and then your feeding regime gets expensive....

I have successfully kept a with a . They just ignored each other. Same with , but it outgrew the tank. There was also a Sailfin pleco, but I think it kicked bagrid butt when the Hemibagrus was small, instilling some respect.

What didn't work was: Chrysichthys furcatus, Tiger Shovelnose, Giraffe catfish and Synodontis longirostris. All these were attacked by the wyckioides and had to be removed (apart from the Tiger, which was killed).

I love hearing these wyckii horror stories. I'm ready for a really aggressive fish again. I pretty much keep only cichlids, and I'm starting to think their aggression is a bit overrated. If anyone has any more stories of wyckii destruction, please do share them. Also, if anyone knows of any good sites dedicated to keeping wyckii or setting up a tank that would be good for them, please share them with me. Thanks!

I have some Hemibagrus wyckioides horror stories if you're interested.

Go ahead, let's hear them. So far my only horror story with my wyckii is that my N. grammodes shredded one of it's fins, but it seems to have recovered already in 2 days with no treatments, tough as nails if you ask me. I'm looking for some info/pointers on aquascaping the tank for this type of catfish. I haven't had a whole lot of experience with pred. catfish and I would like to know what's the best way to make them feel comfortable and more at home in their tank.

Help help here!! I know Hemibagrus wyckii can't b wif any tamkmates....but how abt 4 of them of the same size in the same tank?? Will it work?? Thanx!!

Definitely not.

This fish is definately on my must have list. My 180 is spoken for awaiting the arrival of a Merodontus Tigrinus, but the ol' Black Devil Cat is coming next. I initially read and thought a 120 would work for just a single species tank, but I really think a 180 would be better?? My favorite description of the Wyckii is that it will flat out kill any living thing in its tank, and systematically dismantle anything not small enough to be eaten in one swallow!! I have heard taled of them ripping filter intakes and returns right off!! I'm thinking a reef ready tank with a wet/dry and everything contained therin is the best way? That way there wouldn't be any gear in the tank to destroy. I love the crazy "sent from Hell" eyes on these things.