PlanetCatfish.com

Hi everyone,

I have been given a large Pterygoplichthys sp. (15 inches) on a temporary basis while someone moves house. Clearly this thing needs a large aquarium, which I have. I've currently put him in a 30" long x 18" wide x 48" tall tank (South American biotype), with another 6" Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps 4 angel fish and 5 Corydoras sterbai. It's got a Eheim 2229 external filter on it. Anyway, he'd really disturbed everything in there, and he's just too big for it.

I have two 56" long x 40" wide x 18' tall tanks that are on the same filtration system with three sumps that make the water total 3500 liters. I'd like to move him in here,but there's a problem because it's cold water at the moment. It's kept at between 18 and 20 degrees as it has goldfish in. I was wondering whether it would be a good idea to move it into a tank with much more swimming space that was not at the right temperature, or to keep it where it is?

Thanks for reading!

Rob

How long is this temporary stay with you?

And is your tank REALLY 48" (4ft, 1.2m) tall?

I think it's possible to keep it in a goldfish tank at around 20'C - but beware that if it's not well-fed, it may think that goldfish are a good food-supplement - and will suck on to the side of the slow-moving goldfish.

[Also, could you go to your "profile" at the top right of the page, and put your location in there - it's part of the rules but also useful for when your questions may need a local input, such as medication advice (where different medications are legal/illegal in different places)].

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Mats

Thanks for the quick reply.

Hopefully my profile will show I'm in Oxford, UK now. Temporary is about 2 months, if it looks like it's going to be longer, I'll be looking for a new permanent home for him I think.

Hmm, I wouldn't want any damage to the goldfish, although they're quite quick during the day, they're very slow at night, which is when the Pterygoplichthys sp. is more active. Keeping him well fed might be the key then.

And yes, the tank really is 120cm tall, although there is about 15cm of sand at the bottom, and some large pieces of wood in it. I have three of them!

Many thanks,

Rob