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Clarias mouth size

Posted: 07 Feb 2009, 02:32
by bushynose_cory
Just curious, how big of a fish can big(About adult) sized clarias catfish eat? Their cute smile decieves me into thinking it can be big and small at the same time.....I'm not sure!

But it would be nice to keep on eof them cute long pink ones with other fish :)

Re: Clarias mouth size

Posted: 07 Feb 2009, 09:31
by sidguppy
rest assured that any fish more slim than the Clarias can end up as food unless it's spiny and grumpy, like Ancistrus or so, or a doradid.

the thickness of the body is a good indicator. highbuild fishes are generally ignored, the Clarias is quite good at "taking measures" wich fits and wich doesn't

on the other hand, despite all the horrorstories out there, a well fed Clarias is not such a piscivore than, say, Sorubim lima.
the backdraw is that it takes insane amounts of food to keep a Clarias "well fed" :lol:

Clarias is the king of gluttony :mrgreen:

Re: Clarias mouth size

Posted: 07 Feb 2009, 09:57
by Richard B
What size exacly ar we talking about? 18"TL?

You won't go far wrong if you listen to Sid's advice :thumbsup: Even a well fed is often stimulated to feed by the presence of a fish it thinks it can consume. Sid's description of body size / high build is valuable info - i have known silver sharks, sucking loaches & some elongated barbs (don't know species) to disappear with foot long clarias but pacu, synspil cichlids, pterygoplichthys & 8" syo nigrtia & schall all get along fine - see the connections with what Sid is saying?

They can be a good mix just a little careful thought is needed before hand & the knowlege they grow very quickly