PlanetCatfish.com

If you've got something you think needs added to the FAQ then post your question here. We'll chew it over and add it if the question fits the bill.

Jools

Ok, Jools have given me access to modify the FAQ, so I'll be editing things.

And I'm posting here for comments before I actually edit things. So here's the first set of changes I'm proposing:

Delete some duplicate FAQ/Glossary entries:
The entire section called Taxnomy and Science News contains entries that are also covered by the glossary, so that's no longer needed - any entries targetted here should really go in the glossary anyway, I think.

I chuckle at this one:

I have an Albino Cat (I was told) 5" long, light color with orange fins. Last couple of days has gotten so fat that scales are sticking out from body about 45 degrees. Looking bristly. Nothing unusual (pest or disease like) noticed. Can anyone help?

Is it likely that this is NOT a catfish, eh?

Jools: Did you sort out the "You must log in to enter questions" setup?

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Mats

MatsP wrote:Jools: Did you sort out the "You must log in to enter questions" setup?

Yes, users can no longer do this and any requests for new FAQ entries must be posted in this topic by registered users. It was getting beyond a joke as too many people were just posting any old question in the FAQ request facility.

As to this specific one, I would just delete this question, it's not "FAQqy" enough.

Jools

Some more removal of "junk FAQ" (these ones doesn't have an answer, and has been entered by people who can't quite figure out how to join (or don't want to) to post in the forum - and that's not really the place for it).

how do you tell the difference between an male an female catfish

Not a FAQ.

I live in Northern Thailand. We have catfish here which we raise and eat. Which variety of catfish are they likely to be?

Not a FAQ.

My red tail catfish has stopped eating for 6 weeks, with only variant parameter such as hardness, No sign of disease, active, acts hungry but spits out whatever he ocasionally tastes/ He acts friendly and is otherwise healthy. BIT HE IS NOT EATING AT ALL. [Candidate for answer - check your water quality - but I don't think this is FAQqy enough]

I have a South American Redtail and one of his gill flaps are turned up. when it was smaller like 2 or 3" both were but now its lik 1' long is there anything wrong with it?
[Answer would be "Your nitrate level in the tank is most likely too high, either due to the RTC living in too small a tank or because you're not changing water often enough - but again, not FAQqy enough].

I have a wonderful pair of mated hoplos, adult and very friendly. The female seems to be shedding, and the "skin" under her shed skin is light. She seems to be very lethargic during this process. Is this normal? I put extra Stresscoat in the tank.

I have sand instead of gravel. Would I still be able to get a pleco? I'm not sure if that would harm it in any way. Maybe affect his breathing or anything like that.

[Answer would be "That's just fine"]

im having impossible login please get ma a passcode that will go in on plecsrcool I think there's some help in the "Registration and Login" section that would possibly (have) help(ed) this question. Obviously too hard to find...

Why has our plec had yellow skin over its eyes, it has now turned to skin that appears to be changing to the same colour as its body? has it gone blind or is this some form of metamorphasis?
Haven't got a clue on the answer, but certainly not a FAQ...

do all catfish need a heater? and if they don't need one can you tell with catfish don't need one.

The short answer is no - but it's not a FAQ. and therefore belongs in the normal forum.

what are 2 main physical characteristics of a corydoras catfish?
Not a FAQ.

If catfish can leave water in search of new waters; how do they do it? Can they breathe air?

Not a FAQ.


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Mats

Candidates for answering - please make comments.

Q: Can catfishes (especially corys) breathe atmospheric air the way bichirs and gouramis do?

A: Yes, some, particularly Corydoras and most Loricariidae (plecos) are able to "gulp" air and use the oxygen in the air to help survive under low-oxygen periods.

Q: How do I become a member of your forum? I cant find the register link.

A: Under the Forum menu the first item is "Register".


Q: what would be the best catfish to start with for a beginer
Rephraze question to:
Q: What would be a good catfish for beginners?

A: Without taking personal taste into account, the following fish groups are generally hardy, easy to care for, don't grow very big, don't eat other fish and are suitable for most water-conditions as long as the water is reasonably clean. Corydoras spp, Ancistrus spp. (Bristlenose Pleco).
[Can anyone add some more common species that are good here?]


Q: As a pleco gets bigger will they eat smaller fish & is it true they may strip scales off fish by sucking on them?

A: There stories where this has happened. In the common experience of the members of this website, it's most likely a case of starvation of the pleco that triggers this feeding behaviour. Also, there are no known instances of Plecos catching healthy fish, not even babies. If a pleco is eating a dead fish, it was either dead or nearly dead by the time the pleco got to it.



Q: My catfish lost his barbels by getting stuck in a rock. Will he be ok and able to eat properly?

A: Most likely, yes, and the barbels will most likely grow out again. However, it's a good idea to avoid sharp rocks or gravel in tanks with catfish, particularly those that like to dig in the gravel, like Corydoras spp., are sensitive to sharp gravel, and repeated barbel loss can lead to them not growing back out again. Soft smooth sand or fine gravel is best for these fishes.

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Mats

Q: What would be a good catfish for beginners?

More suggestions (feel free to veto some if you think those are not very easy to keep or have too many issues!)

For a 'catfishbeginner' with a fairsized tank (1 meter, 50G or so)
-Riverine Synodontis like S nigrita, s eupterus, S ocellifer and S robbianus. much more suited for the beginner wich also likes to mix his or her first cats in with cichlids than, say Cory's or something.

-Riftlake syno's wich are captive-bred: S 'petricola dwarf' and any variety of captive-bred S multipunctatus.

-Kwi-kwi's (Megalechis thoracata, M picta and Hoplosternum spp). These are extremely hardy and quite peaceful. a LOT tougher than most Corydoras by a long shot.

-both Dianema spp and Brochis splendens (wich can be kept exactly like any mediumsized Cory and is at least as robust as most). these 3 species also are at least as tough, peaceful and easy to keep as most Corydoras species and better suited than a fair number of wildcaught Cory species.

-captive-bred Sturisoma festivum and Ancistrus L144

-Clownpleco Panaque maccus

-'Common Plecs' Liposarcus pardalis, Sailfin-plec Glyptopterichthys gibbiceps and G joselimaianus (despite adult size these 3 are very easy to keep and for sale everywhere)

-Common Banjo Bunocaphalus coracoideus (you need a 16ton weight to kill off one of these )

-Mystus tengara, Pseudomystus siamensis, Pimelodus pictus, Agamyxis pectinifrons, Amblydoras hancocki and Platydoras costatus.

-For a pond but easy to keep: the Brown Bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus and the Black Bullhead A melas. NOT the Channel-cat as it grows far too big.

You're way ahead of me, Mats! I've been busy all of a sudden. I should have some time in a few days. Is that okay? But, one that stares at me is this:
How many Corydoras can I keep in my 10 gallon tank?
Amanda

bronzefry wrote:You're way ahead of me, Mats! I've been busy all of a sudden. I should have some time in a few days. Is that okay? But, one that stares at me is this:
How many Corydoras can I keep in my 10 gallon tank?
Amanda

That's a good question, and I'd like to have a definite good answer [with some caveat like "Depending on other current or future planned occupants of the tank"].

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Mats

sidguppy wrote:

Q: What would be a good catfish for beginners?

More suggestions (feel free to veto some if you think those are not very easy to keep or have too many issues!)

For a 'catfishbeginner' with a fairsized tank (1 meter, 50G or so)
-Riverine Synodontis like S nigrita, s eupterus, S ocellifer and S robbianus. much more suited for the beginner wich also likes to mix his or her first cats in with c*****ds than, say Cory's or something.

-Riftlake syno's wich are captive-bred: S 'petricola dwarf' and any variety of captive-bred S multipunctatus.

-Kwi-kwi's (Megalechis thoracata, M picta and Hoplosternum spp). These are extremely hardy and quite peaceful. a LOT tougher than most Corydoras by a long shot.

-both Dianema spp and Brochis splendens (wich can be kept exactly like any mediumsized Cory and is at least as robust as most). these 3 species also are at least as tough, peaceful and easy to keep as most Corydoras species and better suited than a fair number of wildcaught Cory species.

-captive-bred Sturisoma festivum and Ancistrus L144

-Clownpleco Panaque maccus

-'Common Plecs' Liposarcus pardalis, Sailfin-plec Glyptopterichthys gibbiceps and G joselimaianus (despite adult size these 3 are very easy to keep and for sale everywhere)

-Common Banjo Bunocaphalus coracoideus (you need a 16ton weight to kill off one of these )

-Mystus tengara, Pseudomystus siamensis, Pimelodus pictus, Agamyxis pectinifrons, Amblydoras hancocki and Platydoras costatus.

-For a pond but easy to keep: the Brown Bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus and the Black Bullhead A melas. NOT the Channel-cat as it grows far too big.

I think a slightly shorter list is better, how about this:
For a small tank (less than 50gallon/200 liter/1 meter long):
Captive bred Ancistrus (Ancistrus sp(3), Ancistrus sp(L144) for example).
Corydoras spp.
Panaque maccus

For a larger tank (more than 50 gallon/200 liter/1 meter long):
Aside from the above...

Captive bred Sturisoma festivum
Common plecs (Liposarcus pardalis, Sailfin-plec Glyptopterichthys gibbiceps and G joselimaianus)
Riverine Synodontis like S nigrita, s eupterus, S ocellifer and S robbianus.
Captive bred Riftlake Synodontis, e.g. S 'petricola dwarf' and any variety of captive-bred S multipunctatus.

Note: Synodontis species are well adapted to be kept together with many Cichlid species, which is more than can be said for most other catfish species.

Dianema spp. and Brochis spp. These are like "larger Corydoras".
Megalechis thoracata, Hoplosternum spp.
Mystus tengara, Pseudomystus siamensis, Pimelodus pictus, Agamyxis pectinifrons, Amblydoras hancocki and Platydoras costatus.

[I removed a few of the ones you listed, but most are listed.]
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Mats

MatsP wrote:Some more removal of "junk FAQ" (these ones doesn't have an answer, and has been entered by people who can't quite figure out how to join (or don't want to) to post in the forum - and that's not really the place for it).

how do you tell the difference between an male an female catfish

Not a FAQ.

You'll find this is asked a lot and can be linked to the "girls and boys" Shane's World article. You find with the FAQ that a lot of folks don't know there are so many catfishes. Over a third of all freshwater species of fish ARE Catfish!

MatsP wrote:My red tail catfish has stopped eating for 6 weeks, with only variant parameter such as hardness, No sign of disease, active, acts hungry but spits out whatever he ocasionally tastes/ He acts friendly and is otherwise healthy. BIT HE IS NOT EATING AT ALL. [Candidate for answer - check your water quality - but I don't think this is FAQqy enough]

If you change the wording to be more general and talk about any large pim, then it maybe should be in there.

MatsP wrote:I have a wonderful pair of mated hoplos, adult and very friendly. The female seems to be shedding, and the "skin" under her shed skin is light. She seems to be very lethargic during this process. Is this normal? I put extra Stresscoat in the tank.

I think there is already a general skin shedding entry?

MatsP wrote:I have sand instead of gravel. Would I still be able to get a pl*co? I'm not sure if that would harm it in any way. Maybe affect his breathing or anything like that.

That would be a sand Vs gravel FAQ which should also go alongside a "should you add salt" FAQ which I never got around to...

MatsP wrote:If catfish can leave water in search of new waters; how do they do it? Can they breathe air?

You'd be surprised how often this is asked.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts. The thing about running the FAQ is that you have to go for months before you get a feel for what REALLY is a FAQ. Often the source of a FAQ is frequent forum posts on a topic rather than an actual request.

Jools

Jools,

Those are good points. I'll look into them.

My "not a FAQ" is more based on my experience in the FORUM, rather than the FAQ section of the web-site.

I'll look at writing a "no salt please" and "sand vs. gravel" FAQ, that sounds like just what I can do...

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Mats

Here's a suggestion for the "general" FAQ's based on <a href='http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... hp?t=16449' target='_blank'>this</a> posting.
When was Planet Catfish started and why?
I think that may lead to this FAQ:
Who is Planet Catfish's "target audience?"
People of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities; from children in grade school to pHds and beyond, all interested in the many thousands of Catfish species on this planet!
Amanda

bronzefry wrote:Here's a suggestion for the "general" FAQ's based on <a href='http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... hp?t=16449' target='_blank'>this</a> posting.
When was Planet Catfish started and why?
I think that may lead to this FAQ:
Who is Planet Catfish's "target audience?"
People of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities; from children in grade school to pHds and beyond, all interested in the many thousands of Catfish species on this planet!
Amanda

This is pretty much covered in the "about" section, no?

Jools

I didn't know the "About" section existed. Should it be in the "Help!" section maybe?
Amanda

bronzefry wrote:I didn't know the "About" section existed. Should it be in the "Help!" section maybe?
Amanda

It's got its own section called "cool stuff" - it used to be called "about" until around 2002.

Jools

On Salt there's this:
Q: Could anyone tell me if adding salt to my aquarium will be harmful for my sail fin or bristlenose plec's? Many thanks for any help.

A: There is no reason to add salt to a freshwater aquarium containing plecos. All plecos come from waters that are low in salt content in nature and do not react well to added salts in the aquarium.

I think this should be made more generic:
Q: Should I add salt to my aquarium?

A: There are some species of fish that live in brackish water, but for almost all catfish, they are freshwater species and should not have salt added to the water. Some people claim that mollies are a species that require salt in the water - however, it's only some of the wild forms that come from brackish water. Captive bred (the ones commonly found in the trade) are fine kept in "no added salt" conditions.

There are cases where salt can be added as a medication, but that should be done only on diagnosis of a certain decease (such as Ich) that can be cured with salt. But just like as you shouldn't take head-ache pills every day "Just in case", salt should then be used only for a short period of time.

--
Mats

Jools wrote:

MatsP wrote:how do you tell the difference between an male an female catfish

Not a FAQ.

You'll find this is asked a lot and can be linked to the "girls and boys" Shane's World article. You find with the FAQ that a lot of folks don't know there are so many catfishes. Over a third of all freshwater species of fish ARE Catfish!

So, there's already a generic "boys & girls" entry in the FAQ, so I've removed this duplicate...

MatsP wrote:If catfish can leave water in search of new waters; how do they do it? Can they breathe air?

You'd be surprised how often this is asked.

[/quote]
I found a question in the "orphaned" section stating
"Do catfish have lungs? If they leave the water in search for other waters, how do they breathe?"

It's close enough to the above question, so I just moved the "Do catfish have lungs" to the "General" section. As the question was already answered, I presume I can just assign it to the correct category without actually asking here first...

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Mats

Jools wrote:

MatsP wrote:I have a wonderful pair of mated hoplos, adult and very friendly. The female seems to be shedding, and the "skin" under her shed skin is light. She seems to be very lethargic during this process. Is this normal? I put extra Stresscoat in the tank.

I think there is already a general skin shedding entry?

Yes, there's a skin-shedding question in the Orphaned section, so I'll move it to General...

--
Mats

MatsP wrote:

Q: What would be a good catfish for beginners?

I think a slightly shorter list is better, how about this:
For a small tank (less than 50gallon/200 liter/1 meter long):
Captive bred Ancistrus (Ancistrus sp(3), Ancistrus sp(L144) for example).
Corydoras spp.
Panaque maccus

For a larger tank (more than 50 gallon/200 liter/1 meter long):
Aside from the above...

Captive bred Sturisoma festivum
Common plecs (Liposarcus pardalis, Sailfin-plec Glyptopterichthys gibbiceps and G joselimaianus)
Riverine Synodontis like S nigrita, s eupterus, S ocellifer and S robbianus.
Captive bred Riftlake Synodontis, e.g. S 'petricola dwarf' and any variety of captive-bred S multipunctatus.

Note: Synodontis species are well adapted to be kept together with many c*****d species, which is more than can be said for most other catfish species.

Dianema spp. and Brochis spp. These are like "larger Corydoras".
Megalechis thoracata, Hoplosternum spp.
Mystus tengara, Pseudomystus siamensis, Pimelodus pictus, Agamyxis pectinifrons, Amblydoras hancocki and Platydoras costatus.

[I removed a few of the ones you listed, but most are listed.]
--
Mats

So, I added this. But I think it really should have links to the Cat-eLog, so I'll modify it later on...

See it here:
http://www.planetcatfish.com/faq/index. ... recent=yes

--
Mats

I fixed the link that was broken in the "How to tell boys from girls" answer... It used the old article numbering scheme...

--
Mats

Mats,

Just wanted to say that I've been keeping an eye on your adventures in FAQ land and all that you've done above is good and pretty much what I had hoped for.

I've also not had to deal with half a dozen FAQ requests in the meantime either. Hopefully some folks will get around to posting in this thread with new FAQs they might have and I'll also re-iterate the point that anything that repeatedly comes up in the forum should also be edited in.

Is there anything with the FAQ interface that could be improved?

Cheers,

Jools

I'll remove the last couple of "unanswered" questions in the next day or so.

I haven't thought of any improvement suggestions, but if I do I'll let you know...

I agree, frequently asked questions in the forum should go into the FAQ section, and I'll keep an eye out for them.

Of course, one must be a little bit careful, because if the FAQ is too big, people will find it easier to post another question in the forum rather than trying to find the answer in the FAQ... [and others will not point to the FAQ to reply - because they don't know or remember what's in the FAQ].

By the way, if you haven't looked at the FAQ recently, why not take a look. Also, try to find something about your favourite species/genera(s) and see if what it says is correct, can it be improved, etc...

--
Mats

Generic question formed from above RTC question...

Q: My large pimelodid catfish has stopped eating for some weeks, what can I do?

A: This may be entirely normal. Large pimelodids are carnivores, and they will eat a fairly large meal with a period of rest, which can last many days or several weeks.

However, it's worth doing an extra check to see if the water parameters are fine. It has been known that nitrate tests go off after some time of use, so make sure that you double check the nitrate test with (for example) your local store to see that your test-kit is still working as it should.

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Mats

I'm going to remove the questions on CF and SL/TL/FL in the FAQ, as they are also covered in the glossary (where they belong).

--
Mats

There are two entries for with roughly the same question on "What happened to the blue-eyed pleco?". I'm going to remove the one with the title "Anyone seen Blue Eyed Plecos for sale recently?"

--
Mats

The questions:
Where does the name catfish come from?
Is there such a thing as a catfish school (or shoal)?
How many species of catfish are there?

all lived under private messaging in the FAQ, so I moved them to General...

--
Mats

MatsP wrote:There are two entries for with roughly the same question on "What happened to the blue-eyed pl*co?". I'm going to remove the one with the title "Anyone seen Blue Eyed pl*cos for sale recently?"

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Mats

Sounds good, I would also add links to the P. cochliodon and P. suttonurum pages in the clog too.

Jools

CLog links added now.

I'll work for another bit on the "beginners" to make links. May not complete this time, but I'll start on it.

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Mats

OK, when I get a minute I will also add a link which will gave a total list of all FAQs, but not this week!

Jools

MatsP wrote:CLog links added now.

I'll work for another bit on the "beginners" to make links. May not complete this time, but I'll start on it.

--
Mats

I've now added Cat-eLog links to the "What catfish are good for beginners?" page as well.

I really like the "Catelog for entire genus" feature - Thanks Jools for adding that...

--
Mats