PlanetCatfish.com

Hello all,

I'm getting ready to start a 150 gal tank.I'm really a big fan of catfish. I'm wondering how many, and how many types I can keep in my aquarium. Also what other fish would co-habitate with them. All my searches have proven inconclusive.
There are so many species of beutiful cats. Quite honestly I would like to have a pair of large cats (12"or so) then mix it up with some smaller ones. Ofcourse I don't want a tank full of bottom feeders, so I would like to add some other types of fish also. I'm completly new at this, so I am just going by my personal ideas. So far I have decided to do a sand bottom, with plenty of caves, some fake plants for color.
Thanks in advance!!!
Here is a picture of what I am working with. It has an internal filter system with 2 Rio pumps with a total of 1800GPH/Hr

This is a fairly common question, but also one that is completely impossible to answer. It's similar to if you were to ask me what type of curtains you should have in your livingroom. Everyone likes some types of (cat)fish or other for some reason, and others like another one, for different reasons.

The Cat-eLog here on Planet Catfish contains something like 1500 different species of fish, ranging from just over half an inch to around 16 feet or so.

You'll need to find out what type of catfish you like, and make a "short-list" of species that you think you'd like, and with that, some of the people that know something about that particular type of fish would be able to give you some more help.

As for tank-mates, you sort of have to "start with something, and build from there" - you can either start with a centerpiece catfish and work out what's compatible with it, or you start with your "swim around" fish, and work out which catfish would go with it.

--
Mats

As MatsP suggests it's best to get an idea of what you like, then you can work on tailoring your setup to meet their requirements.

One valid consideration is the water conditions in your area; if it is similar to that of the fish's natural habitat then it will make maintenance easier, although even if it differs significantly there are ways to overcome this. I'm sure there's other people here from NJ who can tell you what to expect.

The Catfish Of The Month archive is a good way to get aquainted with the many varied types of catfish, have a look through and see what takes your fancy:

http://www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/

Something to help you with decided whether to use sand or not.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... hp?t=14130

Phathead6669 wrote:Something to help you with decided whether to use sand or not.

Obviously, what substrate you use will depend on the actual fish too. Some fish will be better off with one substrate, others will be better off with a different substrare.

If we start by deciding on the most important fishes, then we can take the follow-on decisions based on that. Anything else is putting the cart before the horse.

--
Mats