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Hi,

I have an aquarium with 240 litres (63gal) and with this fauna:
- Pterophyllum scalare
- 2 Chromobotia macracanthus
- 1 synodontis eupterus (juvenile)
- 1 ancistrus (very juvenile)
- 4 corydoras
- 2 Pelvicachromis pulcher

Ph = 7.5

I would like to introduce 1 Platydora Costatus.

What do you think?

There is some problem?

Thank you

I wouldn't add too many new fish at any given time. You can add either of the two you've recently suggested, but I wouldn't recommend adding both!

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Mats

I think Platydoras gets far too big - mine are 20 cm, 5 cm from left to right, and 3 - 4 cm from top to bottom (depending on when they ate last) without measuring the fins

As they need to hide - and thus need shelter, I'd say your tank is large enough for a Platydoras - if you take out all other fishes

They also get very old, I got mine 19 in 1988 - 19 years ago, and they are as good as new

Bas Pels wrote:As they need to hide - and thus need shelter, I'd say your tank is large enough for a Platydoras - if you take out all other fishes

Bas, sorry but I fail to see the logic in your reasoning.

Guimas,
I don't see any problem. See to it that there are some hiding places so the Platydoras and the Kribs don't have to argue over just one.

well.

Platydoras and the Kribs don't have to argue over just one.

The eupterus may want in on this as well, a single fast growing eupterus "may" cause problems down the line, you might consider switching it out for something else in the future

@ Matt,

I'm afraid I kept it too short - if a fish needs to hide, hiding places must be provided.

Tose hiding places will have to be constructed of something, and therefore replace water

Well.... Now I think that a platydora shouldnt be a good choise! One day later I will change a little bit my aquarium and so I will provide better conditions to introduce a platydora!

Yhank you

I had a fully grown (atleast hopely fully grown, she's now about 26 cm) P. Costatus in a 360 litre tank. the tank was nowhere near big enough, especially when the fish got going (which happened about five seconds after the lights went out), so I had to move her into a bigger tank.

You could buy a juvenile, like 5 cm and be good with it for a couple of years, but unless you have a bigger tank for it when it grows, I don't see the point. Agamyxis species would be better as they get smaller.

Just my 2c...

I'm confused

A 240 litre tank is easily large enough to accommodate all the above fish and the P. costatus.

As far a hiding places go, just add a few extra pieces of bogwood.

Simple?

I'm sorry but I disagree with you Racoll.
From my own experience, which is obviously not unlimited, Raphael cats tend to got a bit unstable in the head in smaller tanks. They either hide all the time or the pace backwards and forwards along the front of the tank all night, rather like the polar bear, if you know what I mean.
If you have ever kept them in a very large tank they don't tend to do this, and behave quite differently, they come out in the day, and they swim around together in a little shoal, much like cories.
It is great to see, as most people only see them as flashes of brown and cream that come out to scoff food and then bugger off into the darkness.
The same is true of spotted doras only they tend to swim constantly into a current.

Matt

grokefish wrote:If you have ever kept them in a very large tank they don't tend to do this, and behave quite differently, they come out in the day, and they swim around together in a little shoal, much like cories.

I can't confirm this Matt, even though I've kept a lot of Doradids through the years. Luckily I'd say, for I always got very nervous when Doradids started appearing during day time. That usually meant heaps of trouble.
So imo the answer to the initial question - "can I add one P. costatus" - is still: yes, no problem.

It seems my experiences with this fish are very different from other people.

My P. costatus lives in a 36" tank with very hard water.

He behaves like a model catfish. He sits under his bogwood all day and comes out when fed.

He is over fifteen years old.

I'm not saying that you can't keep them in a tank of that size, I'm just saying that I have witnessed a different possibly more natural behavior of this fish in much larger tanks, and so now I would not personally keep them in smaller tanks.

Matt

I have witnessed a different possibly more natural behavior of this fish in much larger tanks

I guess this is true of most of the fish we keep.

I've gone 4 or 5 months between brief sightings of mine! I used to worry at first, but that's just how it is!

grokefish wrote:I'm just saying that I have witnessed a different possibly more natural behavior of this fish in much larger tanks, and so now I would not personally keep them in smaller tanks.
Matt

What size tank are you talking about? And how many in the shoal? I've never seen them out in the day time. Must be quite interesting to see.

As far as the eupterus causing problems for costatus, I think it'd be the opposite. When I had similiar size fish together, costatus displaced eupterus from hiding spots. They know how to use their thorny bodies.

Doradids can certainly hold their own when it comes to hiding places. Only fish that I have that can take a costatus' hiding place is a large L-27. Usually they share the hide with no problems.

About daytime activity; I've kept this species for over ten years now, and 3 of the 5 fish I've kept are extremely nocturnal. The two in the oscar tank on the other hand weren't, and that really ment trouble. About five seconds after food hit the water they came out and simply ate everything, even oscars couldn't match their appetite and quickness, since these guys don't chew. I had to give away the other one and put the other into my pictus tank simply to be able to feed the plecos and driftwood cats, because no other catfish had a chance when this duo was around. The one I kept is now in a 450 liter tank and he really makes the tank look small when he's on the go. And he often moves around during daytime when food isn't around too. Quite slowly though. But when the lights go out the endless buzzing all around the tank begins.