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I have decided to keep the following species in my catfish only tank. I want 4-5 glass cats, 3 cory cats, 3 upside-down cats, and a banjo cat or twig catfish. I'm figuring this will be too many fish for my 20 gallon which is a great excuse for me to buy something bigger. Will a 30 gallon be large enough? If not, what size should I be looking at to keep just these fish. Also, has anyone tried to keep these fish together and if so have you run into any compatibility problems? I would appreciate any and all advice.

Paul

Hi,
By glass cat you mean kryptopterus bichir?What upside down cat you want to keep?All synos are called by this name.By twig catfish you mean Farlowella sp.?Which banjo catfish you want to keep?

My apologies. I should have clarified that more. By glass cats I am speaking of Kryptopterus minor. The upside down cats will be Synodontis nigriventris since they stay fairly small and spend the most time swimming upside down. The twig cat I was thinking of keeping would probably be any of the Farlowella genus I could find in town. (Have been told they are all very similar in size, looks and water preference). The banjo cat I was looking at was Bunocephalus coracoideus. Hope this helps.

Paul

If you put decent filtration on the 20 (I'm assuming this is a 20 long we're talking about, not the 20 high) you may be able to get away with putting in the fish you mentioned. It would be a tight fit, but doable with a nice filter and routine water-changes. If you go with the 30, you have the option of getting more fish down the road.

Compatability wise, I don't think you'll have any problems. All of the listed fish are fairly sociable and not fussy, except for the farlowella, which may enjoy plant cover.

Rusty

Hi,
I agree with Rusty.No compatibility problems.Tank size is also ok.But be carefull to the water parametres.Farlowella is a sensitive loricariid.

Actually, I have the 20 gallon tall tank. I'm planning on going down to Petsmart tomorrow and buying a 29. I think that will be large enough. Leaning toward the banjo cat over the farowella. Also, what kind of substrate would you recommend for the type of tank I'm proposing?

Paul

Use sand.All of the above catfishes like sand and some of them require sand.

Thanks I'll try to pick up some aquarium sand at the store too. Have heard I only need 1/2" since I'm not planning on any plants.

Paul

I've got pool filter sand in my tank. You can get some from a swimming pool supply store or sometimes a place like Home Depot for a fair bit less than your lfs is selling it for. Although if your going for colored sand (anything beyond brown or off-white), the lfs is probably your best bet.